On my recent trip to the Spokane area, I took the time to play Circling Raven in Worley, ID. Since its been talked about here recently, and many have said they liked it, I thought I would do a hole by hole review of the course. It's a Gene Bates design and the finest of his works that I have played so far.
My general impression of the course is that it really has a
"big" quality to it as Matt Ward has defined in talking about other courses. Its laid out over a sprawling area of rolling hills, wetlands, and forested areas which in turn are bisected by an active railroad line, (no stops at the clubhouse guys).
Its a tale of two 9s as the front 9 plays relativly wide open as many of the other holes on the front 9 can be readily seen while playing. Whereas on the back 9, its more intimate in that you can't see any of the other holes other than the one you are playing.
The course is comprised of short to midrange par 5's, a nice mix of varying length par 4s, and longish par 3s. Its biggest defense, besides the existence of lateral hazards on almost every hole, is the forced carries that are required off the tee on 15 of the 18 holes. The course is fairly well bunkered, and interestingly enough, the vast majority are on the left hand side of the fairway or green complex. I could only speculate that this is to make it less difficult for the average right-handed golfer who fades/slices thier shots. In addition, and I know Sean is going to absolutly hate this, many of the bunkers lie between the green/fairway and a hazard.
The fairway countouring holds one's interest on most holes and generally seems to follow the lay of the land. However, IMO, thier strength lies in that most holes are either played uphill or downhill, requiring a variety of sidehill/uphill/downhill approach shots. Even though the greens were recently punched, they still rolled well. While they didn't seem to possess a lot of internal contouring, as with all courses on rolling terrain, it was critical to look at the surroundings to determine the break.
Overall, in terms of eye candy, this course is
crack-o-licious. It was especially nice playing during the peak fall-color season as they contrasted well with the browns and greens on the course. But its not just a pretty face, there is a lot of strategy to be found on many of the holes, including the split fairway 4th and the short par 4s and 5s. IMO I would put it between a 6 and 7 on the Doak scale. It also seems to pass the casual golfer test as all of my golfing buddies in Spokane love it.
Hole 1 - Par 5
Tee shot over the "enviromentally sensitive" area that plays down the entire left hand side of the hole
From the fairway:
Hole 2 - Par 4
A uphill tee shot on a shortish par 4. Big hitters can get close to the green in 1.
The approach in for a mere mortal such as myself:
Hole 3 - Par 3
Downhill par 3 with the tracks as a backdrop. Normally this plays into a crosswind and is a tough green to find from the tee.
A look at the collection area short and right of the green.
Hole 4 - Par 4
A split fairway hole, which actually works IMO. Keep it low and left and have a shorter yet partially blind approach in. Go to the right and its a little longer, but the line to the green has less trouble in the way.
A look at the slope of the fairway from a sideview, (taken from the 5th hole):
If you choose left off the tee, here is the approach in with a bombed tee shot:
Hole 5 - Par 5
This normally plays into the teeth of the wind and is the toughest forced carry on the course.
The approach in, notice the bunkering in between the green and the hazard.
Hole 6 - Par 4
The first real driveable par 4 on the course, yet still takes a big shot to make it all the way up the hill.....
....and avoid the massive bunker "outcropping" left and short of the green.
A look back down the hole with the 1st hole in the distance.
Hole 7 - Par 3
A mid-distance par 3 where short is dead.....obviously.
Hole 8 - Par 4
You'll see this hole a lot in thier advertising photos. Just don't go right and its usually just a wedge in.
The short approach to a tucked pin with a beautiful backdrop to the green complex.
Hole 9 - Par 4
This hole is a long beast which usually plays into a tough crosswind with OB right and the hazard left.
If you hit it long like Huck, you could have this reasonable approach in from the right. Otherwise you are SOL as the green doesn't support a run-in approach with a long iron or fairway wood
Back 9 to follow...