Jim Engh's Black Rock Golf Club (Coeur d'Alene, ID) PICS

[Bill Satterfield]

Now that I've figured out how to post pics, I thought I would share some photos from one of my favorite courses - Black Rock Golf Club in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  The course and setting are amazing; it's like taking your golf ball on a trip to an amusement park!

Northern Idaho is really growing into a mini-mecca of fantastic golf.  Black Rock is easily the best course currently in the area, but Circling Raven is also a GREAT course for under $100.  Of course the area is mostly known for the Coeur d'Alene Resort which sports the world's only floating green.  Black Rock is adding a second course that Tom Weiskopf is designing and Tom Fazio is finishing his work at Gozzer Ranch up on Lake Coeur d'Alene as well.  Just over an hour north of Coeur d'Alene in Sandpoint is the new Idaho Golf Club that Jack Nicklaus is redesigning.  Formally known as Hidden Lakes, the course was just redone in 2001 but with the recent additions the owner wanted to make a big push at being the best course in the area so another great track should be opening soon there as well.

Anyway, onto Jim Engh's work at Black Rock (I'll post this in 3 separate six hole postings):

HOLE#1:  The first hole is a 90 degree dogleg left.  As you can see, Engh's unique "snake like" bunkers are featured right off the bat.


HOLE#2:  Engh tucks this multi-tiered par 3 green in the watery meadows.


HOLE #3:  This is a big, tough par five.  With your landing area out of view, and barely any view of fairway at all, take aim at the green and play a draw.  After you travel over 150 feet down you'll find the fairway is disected by rough in order to make the hole a much larger risk to go for the chasm protected green in two.


The challenge doesn't stop there as the slick green features much more slope than it appears.


HOLE #4:  The tee shot here is more forgiving than it looks.  A decent drive will leave you a low iron into a green that is protected by a marsh hazard on the right.


HOLE #5:  Uphill Par 5 with a very penalizing bunker running through the middle of the fairway.  I was fortunate enough to get on in two here with Jim Engh watching behind the green.  Although after Jim joined us my game went to pot; I was pretty nervous.


HOLE #6:  A mid-length par four with the green tucked behind a pond.  This is a tough approach considering how slick the green can be coming back from a long approach yet not wanting your ball to find a watery grave with a short approach.

[Bill Satterfield]

HOLE #7:  Great looking green and bunker complex at this long par three.  A player needs to get creative when working around Engh's bowled greens.  By the way, Jim is masterful on them.


HOLE #8:  This is one of the first holes Engh laid out on the course.  Identifying the natural pond/marsh area as an excellent spot to tuck a green behind, Jim made this attractive par 5.


As you can see, this hole plays WAY downhill.  Elevated tees are a trademark at Engh's courses.  When I asked him why he featured so many elevated tee boxes I had to agree with his response of, "Because they're fun!"


HOLE #9:  This par three concludes a front nine that features three par 3s, three Par 4s, and three Par 5s.  I asked Jim about that approach since he seems to be willing to incorporate it as much as anyone.  I again agreed with his reply that it simply provides more variety.  Why not?    Laying out a course 4/10/4 is fine but breaking from "tradition" is Jim's specialty.  Personally, I love a 5/8/5 layout.


HOLE #10:  The back nine is where this course takes off to a whole new level.  This dogleg left gets unique once to find the landing area . . .


. . . where the hole is designed to allow a player to PUTT from 100 yards out!  How well does it play?  Well, from 100 yards out Mr. Engh managed to putt one to about 6 feet from the hole.  It tooks me a couple of tries and some faith to follow Jim's instruction to just grab your putter and hit it like a punch wedge.  Apparently many of the older members love to bust out their hybrid clubs and run one through the corridour and nestle it near the cup.  Cool feature.


HOLE #11:  Now starts one of the best four hole stretches in golf.  This phenomal hole is right up with Pebble Beach's 8th and Cypress Point's 17th on my list of favorite par fours.  From the tee gorgeous views of Lake Coeur d'Alene are afforded and the golfer can't see the treat that awaits him 100 feet below . . .


. . . a stunning green complex 20 feet above the fairway; what an approach shot!  A couple of the boulders around the green are fake; I still can't tell which ones though!  This wasn't the orignal design, but after some dynamite exposed the rock complex it was a perfect find and fit.


A look back at the 11th green.


The 12th hole is a big, uphill sweeping par 5 that wraps around the side of a mountain.  The drop from the tee box affords a long enough tee shot to get to this green in two.

[Bill Satterfield]

HOLE #13:  Whenever you see back to back par 3s on a regulation length course it is because you are in for quite a treat; Black Rock is no exception.  This stunning hole features 40 foot waterfalls cascading off the rocks left of the green.


How can one not enjoy the views, setting, and sound of crashing water at the 13th green?  Just beautiful.


HOLE #14:  The green site was afforded by using dynamite to blowout the rock amphitheatre at this hole that requires a solid tee shot to carry the DEEP chasm.


HOLE #15:  After that stunning stretch of holes it is time to snap back to really and gather yourself in order to hit a big drive.  This 453 yard bunkerless hole plays uphill all the way.


HOLE #16:  Engh has a knack for building great par fives and this hole is yet another one of them.  Playing downhill the whole way, this 585 yarder is quite reachable in two with some great risk/reward options.


16th green looking back up the fairway.


HOLE #17:  The 17th hole features a blind approach if you layup your tee shot.

But the cool feature here reflects Engh's Irish flare with 13 pot bunkers crossing the hole.  I wish I would have taken a picture from behind this green!


HOLE #18:  This fantastic golf course concludes with a stern test of golf with another uphill par four.  Accuracy is critical on this hole that tightens up from mid-fairway to green and features deep bunkers awaiting to wreck your round.  Just a great course, I love Jim's work here!

[Andy Troeger]

Bill,
Thanks for posting, looks like a neat golf course and setting.

[Adam Clayman]

Are there any of the turtle back greens at BR like those Jim used effectively at Pradera?

[Kalen Braley]

Thanks Bill.

Those are very nice pics and lake CDA is just a gorgeous setting.  I played both the resort course and Circling Raven when I lived in Spokane and they are a treat too.  Summer time in that area is tough to beat.

[Matt_Cohn]

While I'm sure I'd enjoy playing the course, it looks like an awful lot of artificial features, a lot of heavy-handedness, a lot of manufacturing.

From the pictures the course looks completely unnatural despite having the most beautiful natural setting you could ask for. Is this a fair judgment? I know not everything has to look like a Crenshaw or Doak course, but why does this piece of land need to be enhanced with snake bunkers and fake boulders and waterfalls?

[Andy Troeger]

Matt,
I agree that not everything has to look the same. Some people like the natural look of Ballyneal and others like Black Rock to use the two courses in present threads. I'd love to play either one of them!

I think the more important comment buried in those pictures somewhere is that Engh designs courses that should be fun to play. That's the only criteria for me that really matters.

What makes a course fun obviously differs for everyone as well.

[Tommy Williamsen]

I'll be out there in August.  Can't wait to play it.  Thanks for the prieview.

[Eric_Terhorst]

Bill,
thanks for the excellent pics.  

I loved my one visit to Idaho, without golf--this course looks like a great reason to go back!

[Andrew Balakshin]

Thanks for the great pictures.

My favourite looking holes (from your pictures) are 8 and 9.

[Matt_Ward]

Matt C:

Engh certainly favors the sculptured look. That way be a major turn-off to those who favor more "classical" designs. I like Black Rock because of the fun meter -- that's something you often get when playing many of Engh's designs. I can fully appreciate those saying that too much of what you see with the photos is heavy-handed with man's involvement. But I didn't get the feeling from playing the course that quality play is ever thrwarted through the insertion of gimmicks and the like. Clearly, others will feel differently with some of the holes -- most notably the par-4 11th.

No doubt allowing the existing land to breathe naturally is something one can debate endlessly. In my mind, Engh is a very creative and different style of design than what many people here on GCA seem to prefer. No doubt those who prefer steak and potato type food will wince when they must dine with hot'n spicy Thai food. I have generally liked his work and would encourage others to play such standouts as Pradera and Lakota Canyon Ranch, both in Colorado.

[John Shimp]

Nice pictures.  Setting is unreal.

Has anyone noticed the pictures in this month's Links mag on Engh's new Creek course at Reynolds  Plantation?  The 2 holes shown really have horribly out of place mounding that doesn't seem to fit with the land in central GA at all.  

Interesting to think about how certain architect's sensibility and style may work well or less well depending on the piece of land given.  From looking at your pics here vs. the RP pics in Links I'd start to conclude that Engh needs bolder land for his style not to look over the top.

[Bill Satterfield]

Matt C:  I actually love everything he has done with the course.  The routing, shaping, and features take you through an experience; not just a round of golf.  As far as the "natural look", I just want it to look great when all is said and done.  The waterfalls off of #13 seem much more in place in that setting then the waterfalls behind the green at Trump National's 1st hole in L.A.  Up in Black Rock's mountain setting you could actually believe waterfalls would be tumbling down; at Trump L.A. it is painfully obvious it couldn't.  The bunkering is classic Engh and I like them.  Do Augusta's bright white sand bunkers look "natural."  Whenever you are going to fill bunkers with a sand color that isn't "native" to the area they are going to stand out in their own dimension anyway so then it becomes how you want to shape them.  

Engh certainly has a style all his own and I quite enjoy his work.  I think what he came up with certainly enhanced the setting rather than detracting from it even though the setting is quite nice on its own.

[Nick Church]

I love the approach shot on 10.

The 11th looks too manufactured.  Plus, the rocks & waterfalls look like some Senior Skins game course in Hawaii.