The Coeur D’Alene Casino Resort Hotel in Idaho has a golf course with a unique floating green that is drawing golf enthusiasts from far away.
The public-access course at the Coeur D’Alene Resort was designed by Scott Miller, and its 14th hole features a USGA-regulation, floating 15,000-square-foot island green weighing some 5 million pounds on Lake Coeur D’Alene. It is the world’s only moveable floating island green.
Because it is a floating green, the course uses a network of cables to moves it around daily, making for a different challenge every time a golfer plays the par 3 hole, which can be as far as 220 yards from driving tees.
The resort says about 28,000 balls land in the lake each year, and golfers take a short boat ride to reach the green when their balls find the floating island. If the first shot lands in the water, players are encouraged to try one more time, before taking a drop on the green.
Head pro Andy Mackimmie says the golf course receives many calls from players who have heard about the floating green and are eager to play it and learn more about it. For many golfers, it has become a “bucket list” item, Mackimmie says.
Although it is a floating island green on a sizeable inland lake, Mackimmie says it is very stable in even the strongest of storms. The same cable network used to move the green’s location also help to keep it anchored in place.
