23 Days, 22 Courses – The Great Northwest Golf Adventure (Part 1)

Before embarking on an extended golf trip of 22 courses in 23 days and over 6,000 miles driven, you have to begin.  That seems simple enough but it was a bit of a problem.  Oh, the first day went fine.  It was just your ordinary 11 hour drive from Ohio to Omaha, Nebraska.  It was day two that started in an interesting fashion.  It was suppose to be a quick trip through a McDonald’s drive-thru.  Once we were in line, I realized we were in Hotel California.  You can place your order but you can never leave.  This drive-thru was very narrow with a guard rail to the right.  After we ordered, we had cars in front, cars behind and the guard rail to the right, and no one was moving.  Twenty minutes later, we finally made it through the line and had our “quick” little breakfast.  (We found out that they were hit by lightening and all their systems and cooking operations were affected.)  After this experience, we thought we were home free until we entered Interstate 80 west and then realized we were in a 150 mile two lane parade of traffic from four states heading for the total eclipse in central Nebraska.

Despite this interesting and somewhat challenging beginning, the rest of the day was worth the effort.  We had played Wild Horse Golf Club (#71 on Current List) four year ago and fell in love with it.  To break up the trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming we decided that we would revisit this outstanding prairie golf course.  It sits at the beginning of the Nebraska sand hills and is a joy to play.  The fairways are wide and the greens are large which means that most players will not have to deal with the long prairie grass (called Wooga by the locals) which is just beyond the rough.  The course contains some strategically placed “blow out” bunkers that add to the over-all strategy and also the appearance of this design.  With wide fairways and large greens, what is the biggest challenge that Wild Horse presents to the golfer?  The green complexes with their run off areas and interesting slopes provide all the challenge a golfer can wish for.  The other challenge on this prairie design would normally be the wind, but fortunately for us, we played it on a very calm day.  The condition of the course was outstanding.  The fairway turf is thick and tight which promotes a lot of roll and the ball sits up very nicely.  It is hard to get a bad lie on these fairways.  I loved the greens as they were very smooth and quick.  Despite several 3 putts, I still loved these greens.  Perhaps the best memory of this day will be the total eclipse that we were able to witness while on the course.  This was truly an amazing experience as the course came to a standstill for the few minutes of this phenomenon.  Wild Horse is truly deserving of its current Top 100 rating, and at $62, this course is probably the best value in the Top 100.

Day two of this extended trip continued to give us some driving issues, but the view of the Grand Tetons made it very worthwhile.  The Jackson Hole area not only had their usual summer tourist population, but there were many leftover eclipse travelers to add to the masses.  Wyoming estimated that the number of visitors that came for the eclipse doubled the normal population of the state for a few days.  When planning this trip several months in advance, the eclipse was not a known event to this golfer.  Another issue, and one that I should be aware of by now, is that the car navigation system does not always get you where you want to go.  In this case, it was not the fault of system, but mine for not doing a little better due diligence.  We left the hotel in plenty of time to get to Jackson Hole Golf and Tennis Club (#64 Last Ranked 2003) but after a 12 mile drive, we came upon a bridge that was out just one half mile from the course.  We then had to backtrack and take the longer alternate route, so 25 miles later, we were ready to go.  First and foremost, this golf club has some of the most awe inspiring views of any that I have played.  Sitting at the base of the Teton mountain range and looking up to Grand Teton made for a very special round. The course itself was in very good condition and was an interesting layout but much flatter than I anticipated.  Many of the members we saw were walking the course.  It played fairly but still had plenty of challenges for misdirected shots.  The pro shop, restaurant and restrooms were all top notch.  On the negative side, there are many homes encircling the course and even though they were low profile and fit well into the local landscape, I feel that to be one of the top courses in America, you do not want that distraction from the course or the beauty of the mountains.  There were also many planes leaving the airport directly over the course which is a small distraction but still a bother to an otherwise very enjoyable day.  After playing Jackson Hole Golf and Tennis Club, I can see why it was a Top 100 course when it first opened but I can also see why it is no longer in that stratosphere.  With green fees at $180, I feel that it is overpriced for the course itself, but when you add the natural setting of the Teton Mountains, it is worth paying extra to experience this Robert Trent Jones, Jr. design.

After a scenic ride through much of Yellowstone Park, and an overnight stay in West Yellowstone, it was off for a round at Old Works Golf Club (#94 in Current Rankings) in the little town of Anaconda,  Montana.  This course, built by Jack Nicklaus, sits on the site of one of the largest EPA Superfund waste areas.  That in itself would make you wonder about this course, but if you are ever in this area of Montana, treat yourself to a round at Old Works.  This area was the country’s first copper ore smelting site at the turn of the last century, and after closing many years ago, left behind many very harmful byproducts.  The ground had to be capped and sealed before construction took place and Nicklaus then built a course that is one of my favorites.  The bunkers are filled with a black slag, which is a safe waste product of the copper smelting process and plays very consistently, much like a coarse damp sand.  There are many interesting holes and a very good variety with respect to the lengths of the holes, doglegs both left and right, strategic bunkering and a few water hazards to spice up the round.  I have played some Nicklaus courses in the past that I have felt were too penal to enjoy but this course gives you the ability to take on the challenges, or you can choose to avoid them.  The course conditions were very good except for several bunkers that were completely washed out from earlier flooding.  The clubhouse facility was not over the top but very nice and functional.  I feel that it is the perfect size for a good public facility.  The restaurant was excellent and was quite busy with many of the locals stopping in for lunch.  The staff was very friendly and helpful.  Old Works is an outstanding course design on a unique site that is fun to play, and at a $60 green fee, one of the best values in the Top 100 along with Wild Horse.  If it was located near a larger city or had a sister course to make it a destination instead of a stand alone course, it would get more play and probably have an even higher place in the course rankings.

The fourth course on this trip was inserted at the last minute as we had to adjust our travel schedule to accommodate a corporate outing at Old Works but this allowed for more time in Yellowstone.  Since we had this day to fill before heading to our next scheduled course, we were able to book a tee time at The Ranch Club in Missoula, MT.  This course has never been ranked in the Top 100 by any publication, but we chose it since it was ranked as the Number 2 public course in Montana by Golfweek.  This is a semi-private course built primarily for the members and has nice amenities other than golf for them.  Many times when playing a course like this, outside play is not always welcome but all of the staff and people we met were very friendly and helpful.  The course conditions were excellent and it was a very fair, playable course with just enough hazards and undulation in the greens to make it a challenge.  It was designed by Les Faber but had a lot of characteristics of some Arthur Hills’ courses that I have played.  The Ranch Club will never be in consideration for a Top 100 national list unlike most of those that we play on our trips, but it is a very nice lay out that I would enjoy playing as a member. It was a good day and Marilyn and I really enjoyed our time at The Ranch Club.