The Club at Black Rock
On a forested ridge above the southern shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene, Jim Engh carved one of the boldest private courses in the American West. Opened in 2003 and named Golf Digest's Best New Private Course that year, Black Rock is a par 72 of 7,130 yards of muscular shaping, plunging elevation change and rock walls, a course that announced Engh as a generational designer.
Photograph: The Golf Club at Black Rock, via Google · Matthew Lloyd
The verdict
Black Rock is the course that made the wider golf world pay attention to Jim Engh. Given a spectacular site of timber, granite and steep fall above Lake Coeur d'Alene, Engh produced a design unlike anything else in the region: muscular fairways that funnel a good drive, his signature flashed bunkering and rock outcrops, and greens framed by the kind of bold, sculpted ground that became his trademark. When it opened in 2003 it took Golf Digest's Best New Private Course award in the same year the magazine named Engh its first Architect of the Year, and it remains one of the most distinctive private courses in the West.
For a traveling golfer, the appeal of Black Rock is the combination of drama and intimacy. It is a private club rather than a public draw, so the experience is exclusive and unhurried, and the course rewards a player willing to take on its big, confident lines rather than play it safe. The setting, perched in the forest above one of the prettiest lakes in the country, makes it the headline private round of an Idaho panhandle trip, best paired with the public theater of the floating green a short drive away.
Black Rock at a glance
- Opened
- 2003
- Designer
- Jim Engh
- Type
- Mountain forest
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- 7,130 yds
- Access
- Private members
Designer, opening year, par and yardage verified June 2026 from course databases and club sources. Black Rock plays as a par 72 of 7,130 yards from the back tees, with a rating around 72.8 and a slope around 144, routed through forest and rock with dramatic elevation change above Lake Coeur d'Alene. It is a private members club; there is no public daily fee, so access is by membership, residency or invitation, and should be arranged ahead.
The holes worth the trip
Black Rock plays the way Engh's best courses do, with width off the tee that is more generous than it looks and fairways shaped to gather a well placed drive toward the ideal angle. The land does much of the work, tumbling and rising through the timber, and Engh accentuates it with deep, flashed bunkers, exposed rock and greens set into the hillside so that the approach is the heart of nearly every hole. It is muscular and exciting golf rather than a quiet parkland stroll, and it asks for confident commitment to the line.
The short holes are a highlight, using the elevation and the rock to frame dramatic one shotters, while the par 5s tempt the long hitter to take on carries that a careful player will lay up short of. Throughout, Engh's signature features appear: the muscle bunkers, the bold contours, and greens that feed and repel in equal measure, so a player who shapes the ball and reads the ground will find Black Rock endlessly rewarding.
What stays with you is the sense of a course built without compromise on a site that asked for ambition. Black Rock is conditioned to a high private standard, the views over the lake and the forest are constant, and the design has the personality that the best modern courses share. It is a genuine destination round, and the cornerstone of any serious golf visit to northern Idaho.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Private members club; play is normally for members and their accompanied guests, or through a residency at the community, with no public daily fee |
| Green fee | As a private club, Black Rock does not publish a public green fee; guest play is arranged through a member or the club, so always confirm directly before planning a visit |
| Booking | Through a member host or the club office; the short northern season means prime summer dates are limited |
| Walking and carts | Carts are the norm given the steep, forested terrain; the routing climbs and falls through the ridge above the lake |
| Season | A short northern season, roughly late spring through early autumn, with midsummer the peak window |
| Getting there | Above the southern end of Lake Coeur d'Alene, a short drive from Coeur d'Alene town and about an hour from Spokane International Airport |
Access verified June 2026 from club sources; rules can change, so always confirm directly before planning a visit. Ask about a Coeur d'Alene golf trip.
Where to stay nearby
The natural base is the town of Coeur d'Alene, a short drive down the ridge, where the lakeside resort, the marina and the waterfront restaurants make a comfortable hub for a golf trip. Staying in town keeps you close to Black Rock while giving a group the lake, the boats and the dining for the evenings, and works well for a non golfing partner.
Because Black Rock is private, most golfers pair it with the public draw of the area to fill out a trip. Combine it with the world famous floating green at the Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course on the lake below, and stretch the itinerary further into the Northwest with a resort round such as the Crosswater Club at Sunriver for variety.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts around Coeur d'Alene.
Build a Coeur d'Alene golf trip
Black Rock is the headline private round of northern Idaho, best played alongside the floating green and the lake on a Coeur d'Alene golf trip. We plan trips through the Northwest, arrange access and the order of play where we can, and handle the hotel and the logistics. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Black Rock questions
Can visitors play The Club at Black Rock?
The Club at Black Rock is a private members club, so play is normally limited to members and their accompanied guests, or to those invited through a member or a residency. There is no public daily fee tee time, so access is best arranged in advance; always confirm directly before planning a visit.
Who designed The Club at Black Rock?
The course was designed by Jim Engh and opened in 2003. It was named Golf Digest's Best New Private Course of 2003, the same year Engh was the magazine's first Architect of the Year, and shows his signature bold, muscular shaping.
What is the par and yardage at Black Rock?
The Club at Black Rock plays as a par 72 of 7,130 yards from the back tees, with a course rating around 72.8 and a slope around 144. It is routed through forest and rock above Lake Coeur d'Alene with dramatic elevation change.
Where is The Club at Black Rock?
Black Rock sits on a forested ridge above the southern end of Lake Coeur d'Alene in the Idaho panhandle, a short drive from the town of Coeur d'Alene and about an hour from Spokane International Airport.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, opening year, par, yardage and access verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.