The Idaho Club

For only having been open for two weeks, the course was in decent shape, with the exception of the 7th and 9th tees, which had very little grass and you had to tee of from a mat. greens were a bit bumpy, but the aerification that looked to have been performed fairly recently was growing in nicely.

It's not long but most of the fairways are very narrow, so those without perfect driver placement will find themselves using irons or hybrids to tee off or risk losing balls. Greens were very tough. Very undulating with pin placements at what I would call sadistic, on top of hills with 3 or 4 sides falling off. Greens were usually well protected by bunkers, water (I'd say about half is protected by water), and even one green that is basically on a cliff so that if you don't hit a 250+ yard tee shot, you basically have to lay up below the hill in order to pitch the green on top of the cliff. Very tough but fun and very scenic. I lost a dozen balls and still enjoyed myself.

Jack Nicklaus wanted to challenge you with this one!

Loved that the pro shop allowed us to go a bit early so we could play at our pace. The signage was great. The greens were hard to play as they had been punched , but everything else was perfect.

Snagged a hot deal to play for $50 which is an absolute steal for a place this nice. Challenging layout with many uncomfortable tee shots. The variance between tee boxes is substantial and I would encourage you to swallow your pride and play a box forward. The course from the Blues has many difficult tee shots including a couple that require 230-240 yds to carry hazards. Virtually no run off areas so tee shots must be precise. Lots of woods and OB. Greens were VERY undulating and there are spots where a putt down the hill will run off the front. Challenging deep greenside bunkers as well. Amazing course and well worth even full price, but be aware of the difficulty you're getting into.

Tough. Awesome. Just had a few slower groups in front the last 12 holes

The staff at the Idaho Club was friendly and engaging and the sheet beauty of the setting was incredible. The clubhouse was spacious and well designed and the beverage selection available in the bar was impressive. The pro shop could use some additional merchandise selections, however.

The course was scenic and routed through forests, rivers and some impressive rock outcroppings. The river valley keeps the soil fairly soft. With all the water available, I was surprised that several of the teeing grounds were not well conditioned...many divot marks with no sand applied.

The fairways were in excellent shape and the bunkering was clever and strategic. The sand; however was very inconsistent. I found the sand on holes 5-12 dry and playable while the others, particularly #14 to the left of the green were wet and heavy.

The course was tough, as I imagine Mr. Nicklaus and the founding members wanted it. I used every club in my bag and enjoyed the variety of tee shots you had to hit. I found the green complexes exceptionally difficult with many hard slopes and significant undulations. The green complex on #6 was pretty penal and perhaps coming in with a short iron was the reason behind the design of this hole. I found #4 green with a front pin placement to be nearly impossible. In our foursome, we were all within 25 feet of the hole...3 bogeys and one par, saved from 15 feet.

I love a challenge and definitely will play the course again. I liken it to the situation that Pete Dye must have found himself in after he first debuted the TPC at Sawgrass. There was some salty language tossed at the course by the tour pros and to Dye’s credit, he listened. He softened some of the courses more penal features and made it a very playable yet stern test.

Very tough track with lots of water and very undulating greens. Bring your short game.

Tale of two 9s: front 9 is in the mountains and back 9 is around the river and flat. The course is extremely difficult with lots of forced carries and water and from the tips it’s all you can ask for.

Highly recommend this course to any golf trip.

The course experienced rain the night before I played, so was really damp, but otherwise in good condition from tee to green. The front 9 is a little more difficult with more elevation changes and I think overall nicer and more challenging than the flatter back 9. Water comes into play on many holes. Course sits in a heavily wooded area, so on many holes, errant shots are heavily penalized. The overall layout was fun and challenging, with many scenic and creative holes. Would absolutely play again.

The Idaho Club is a MUST PLAY for golfers of all skill level. It weaves its way around the pac river and offers spectacular views from several areas around the course. The golf course conditions are immaculate with tee boxes, fairways, and greens all of superior condition. This is a Jack Nicklaus SIGNATURE course, which means Jack himself was on property to design this course hole by hole. Yes, it is a challenging golf course as stated in previous reviews, but given the several options of tee boxes, choosing the correct one for your skill level ensures one of the most enjoyable rounds you will ever have. The quality of golf and the blissful nature that this course provides is second to none, especially for the price. The new clubhouse is opening soon, which by all accounts, will fit the image and attention to quality and detail that the course already exhibits. I would HIGHLY recommend this facility. I was part of a stay and play package with 6 low-mid handicappers and the entire party was blown away with what The Idaho Club offered. Will definitely be going back.

Played the Idaho club earlier this month and I must say that some of the negative reviews of this course have nothing to do with the golf course itself because this is one of the most beautiful golf courses I have ever played.

Our group also played the CDA resort course and also Circling Raven which both were fantastic but the Idaho Club deserves some praises.

Ok, the clubhouse situation...they are in the midst of building a new clubhouse (9/2018) and looked like the foundation and framing work has begun but I don’t know the completion date. The current clubhouse looks to be a former model home but they have what you need inside so wasn’t a big deal for me.

There was no service cart during the round which again really isn’t that big of a deal because I had read about this and brought water and some snacks in my bag.

The price was an absolute steal for a course of this caliber...$95 rack rate on a Friday at 11a.

The driving range and practice green is great with grass hitting stations. The golf course and views are stunning, condition was great, the course is a lot of fun (14 hcp).

One negative is the marshaling of the course-we had 2 groups ahead of us that were playing some group format and were playing slow. We had to wait for 20 minutes on the first hole to tee off and it got so backed up on the 2nd hole we had to call the clubhouse to let them know we were going to jump ahead and finish the front nine later. We went ahead to the 5th hole and it was wide open and didn’t have to wait or have anyone push us.

The course was fun from the combo tees and made the course much more manageable than some of the reviews posted about being difficult.

Play from the right tee boxes and soak up the beautiful views this is a can’t miss course when you are in CDA!

All in all this is one of the best courses I have played and wouldn’t hesitate to go back

Played the Idaho club earlier this month and I must say that some of the negative reviews of this course have nothing to do with the golf course itself because this is one of the most beautiful golf courses I have ever played.

Our group also played the CDA resort course and also Circling Raven which both were fantastic but the Idaho Club deserves some praises.

Ok, the clubhouse situation...they are in the midst of building a new clubhouse (9/2018) and looked like the foundation and framing work has begun but I don’t know the completion date. The current clubhouse looks to be a former model home but they have what you need inside so wasn’t a big deal for me.

There was no service cart during the round which again really isn’t that big of a deal because I had read about this and brought water and some snacks in my bag.

The price was an absolute steal for a course of this caliber...$95 rack rate on a Friday at 11a.

The driving range and practice green is great with grass hitting stations. The golf course and views are stunning, condition was great, the course is a lot of fun (14 hcp).

One negative is the marshaling of the course-we had 2 groups ahead of us that were playing some group format and were playing slow. We had to wait for 20 minutes after our slated tee time on the first hole to tee off and it got so backed up on the 2nd hole we had to call the clubhouse to let them know we were going to jump ahead and finish the front nine later. We went ahead to the 5th hole and it was wide open and didn’t have to wait or have anyone push us.

All in all this is one of the best courses I have played and wouldn’t hesitate to go back. As a matter of fact of all 3 courses our group played in Coeur d’Alene (CDA resort, Circling Raven) the Group was split on favorites. If your into playing golf in the wilderness then this is the course for you.

The course itself was in spectacular condition. The layout is fun - we played the combo tees, wasn’t as difficult as some of the reviews I read, course was forgiving enough but yes it was challenging. I think I lost maybe a few balls but nothing crazy. All the reviews that I read made this course sound like it was super difficult - I disagree and herein lies the reason courses have different tee boxes.

Pick the right tee box for your handicap and you will love this course! Have fun, swing easy!

Made tee time in advance and requested rental set LH. Arrived for time and was told they only had one set and someone else had it reserved. Unbelievable. And the level of contrition was modest at best. Vacation day planned around this was wasted.

Hands-down one of the best, and most difficult, courses I've played (and I've played many). Half of the course is hilly, tight, and tree-lined, while the other half is flat and plays through wetlands (plenty of water hazards). This is target golf at its best, plenty of forced carries, plan on losing 3 times as many balls as normal. Tees, fairways, and greens all were in excellent condition. Some great deals can be found online, or weekday twilight is good rate. The clubhouse burned down sometime ago, so they operate the golf shop out of a regular house next door. No restaurant, but they do have beverages at least. If you're a glutton for punishment, this course is for you!

Keeping in the tradition of a Nicklaus design course, this is a beautiful course in superb surroundings. However, in keeping with the usual Nicklaus design, it is way way way too difficult for the average golfer, even when playing from appropriate tee boxes. The greens are extremely slippery and fast with lots of contour making putting difficult. However the most difficult part of the course are the enormous "carrys" that are needed over marshes and rocks. It was so difficult that it was not fun on many holes. In addition, the course is extremely poorly marked so it is difficult to find one's way from one hole to the next..signage is poor. There is no diagram on each tee box of each hole and difficult to know the yardage to all the trouble on the course...needed my laser pretty much all the time. Bent grass fairways and greens and beautiful. No decent bathroom facilities on the course other than a port-a-potties and no water facilities. Staff in pro shop are very nice. No restaurant. I would not return to this course due to the extreme difficulty and the extreme concentration required for every single shot.

The Idaho Club is an extremely well cared for golf course with tons of beauty and challenges. Plan on losing at least 8 balls. The club house unfortunately burned down so they have a temporary one that has minimal space. Staff was amazing and friendly making the overall experience one that will be hard to top!

see above, is a valid reply

It is a Jack Nicklaus designed course. No more is needed to be said.

For a private course it did not provide drinking water on the course. A lot of the bunkers were not maintained. It seemed as to be an O-Hum type of course management.

My wife and I played The Idaho Club and everything that you read is true. The course need a bit of help in some places, the facilities are kinda lacking, the golf carts are possibly on their last leg (ours had the hardest seat cushion ever) and the routing and layout require some impossible shots (220+ yard carries, etc).

Now I can say I played it. Probably won't be going back.