THE FRONT ROW with Jason Elliott Aug. 24, 2013

When Bob Bostwick stepped on the grass at Circling Raven Golf Club 10 years ago, it changed his life.

As the club celebrates its 10th anniversary today with a tournament, both Bostwick and golf director Tony Davidson are still keeping things fresh at the course at the Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort in Worley.

AT FIRST, just watching the process of the course being built was something that kept Bostwick intrigued by what the finished product might be like.

"Those first days to me were about meeting the expectations and hopes we had after two years of construction," said Bostwick, director of public relations of the Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort and Hotel. "As a golfer, and one who plays a lot across the country and overseas, I was taken, like so many others, by the design. I knew it was going to be a good golf course, but didn't know it was going to be a great course until we played it. The realization of that kind of quality was pretty stunning."

The resort has been open for 20 years.

"The beauty of my job is that I've got something to publicize like that," Bostwick said. "Right away, we were ranked in the top 10 new courses by Golf Digest, and then the accolades started flowing like a steady stream. Just watching it gain and gain in both accolades from players, it's the best course I've played. It makes you pretty proud and what the tribe is doing then and now, their adding amenities to make it a destination resort."

Bostwick added on any given week, he can run into golfers from around the country in the parking lot with one common theme - playing the course.

"We're continuing to draw interest from all around the world," Bostwick said. "Folks from New York City, Toronto, Florida and Arizona keep coming in. We're blessed with this summer climate and when they come from where it's super dry and just can't believe how the climate is."

Some courses in the area have signature holes, but Bostwick said Circling Raven - built on a 620-acre piece of land - doesn't necessarily have one.

"We argue that there's no such thing as a signature hole," Bostwick said. "On the back side of the course, the only hole you see is the one you're playing. It's an almost unheard of size of property and only 110 acres of it is cultivated for the holes. You've got a sense of isolation and serenity. You've just got a feeling that's really rare. This course steals your heart and that's the greatest impact and how people fall in love with it. Not only is the experience great, but it's unique."

Early on, Bostwick just couldn't stop playing the course.

"Playing 18 just wasn't enough," Bostwick said. "You just didn't want the experience to end. I had to play either 27 or 36 holes because I just didn't want it to end."

THE COURSE celebrates its anniversary today with a "Decade of the Raven" tournament, with green fees and menu items reflecting 2003 prices. For $65, golfers can get a GPS-enabled cart and access to the course's practice range, as well as on-course contests.

"It's mainly a throwback celebration and a lot of our vendors that we deal with have donated some items to play for," Circling Raven Director of Golf Tom Davidson said. "It's just a way to show appreciation for all the support we've gotten."

As for what's next at Circling Raven, stay tuned.

"Our primary challenge is keeping our goods and services at a high level," Davidson said. "Doing it at a high level is a very difficult thing to do and continuing to search for ways to broaden our customer base. We're just trying to do more of the same and offer different things that keep people entertained when they come to play."

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press and can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected].