Old Works Golf Club (Anaconda, MT on 08/31/12)

I played here on 08/31/12 from the Gold tees at 73.4/131/7211 on a cross country move and Old Works was my favorite of the ~15 courses that I played on the trip. In addition, it is my favorite course that I have ever played to date. I did not stumble upon this one by accident as it has been well document in the golf community as one of the most unique courses in the Northwest. I booked a mid day on Golfnow for $37 for my friend and I and even found a couple other times after booking it on EZLinks for $29. Troon manages the course and since they do such a nice job with the maintenance on other courses I expected Old Works to be in good shape. The course was in fantastic shape. It was lush, not over watered, and the tee boxes and fairways were like carpet. The greens rolled true and seemed to break the way that I thought on most holes, so nothing too deceiving on the reads. The course is a Jack Nicklaus design, and like most of his other designs, the course was a little more difficult than the average course. The yardage did not make it tough as the ball flew a little farther at the elevation and it was an open course off the tee for the most part. The difficulty came with big slopes in the greens, many semi-blind/blind shots, and tucked flags which made it tough to get approaches close. It was pretty tough to play for the first time with blind shots on #1, #2, #3, #10, and #11. The course featured an open layout and almost had a “linksy” feel to it as there were not many trees. Plus, it was windy when I played. The course had a couple holes with some elevation change, but not more than a club. There are some really good holes on the course and the par 3’s on the front are as good as I have played. Hole #5 is a big downhill par 4 with scenic views of the area. Hole #7, a long downhill par 3 to an island green surrounded by sand, has to be the signature hole. What makes the course unique is that the sand is black, and according to the course website, is a by-product of the copper smelting process in the local area. The course was very aesthetically pleasing with all the different colors. Driving into the parking lot you can see the whole course so it had the feeling that it could be a bit boring to play. That feeling went away very quickly as the round went along and turned into an excitement about what the next hole might bring. If Old Works was in any major metropolitan area it could command a $100+ green fee as it really has everything. The course is crazy difficult to get to, but I am so glad that I stopped.

Welcome sign!