World-class courses carved from working cattle ranches and mountain wilderness. Legendary players who put Big Sky Country on the national golf map. This is Montana golf.
Montana is home to four nationally ranked golf courses — an extraordinary achievement for a state with such a small population. Each one takes advantage of Big Sky Country's dramatic terrain, mountain vistas, and wide open spaces.
Carved from a 30,000-acre working cattle ranch in the Rocky Mountain foothills north of Deer Lodge, Rock Creek Cattle Company is Tom Doak's masterpiece in the American West. The course starts in open pasture, climbs steadily to the 7th tee through pines and over the ravines of Rock Creek — one of Montana's finest fly-fishing streams — then bursts back into the open with sweeping hogback ridges and dramatic elevation changes on the back nine.
The winding dirt road through barren ranchland leading to Rock Creek speaks of desolation — then the verdant green fairways suddenly appear against the rocky terrain. Cabins for guests, an on-property spa, heated pool, and a log cabin pro shop complete one of golf's most immersive retreat experiences.
Golf Digest has called Rock Creek "high-country golf at its finest." The course has been ranked first in Montana every year from 2017 through 2026 — and has cracked America's Top 100 Greatest Golf Courses, one of only a handful of courses from the Rocky Mountain West to do so.
Sitting just 8 miles from the Canadian border — closer to Canada than any major Montana city — Wilderness Club is both Golf Digest's #44 course in America and Golfweek's #1 public course in Montana. Designed by Sir Nick Faldo in 2009, the course surrounds three mountain ranges: the Whitefish, Purcell, and the Rockies. Lakes and streams flow through the property, most dramatically on the par-3 17th and par-5 18th which run along the 21-acre Wilderness Lake.
Unlike Rock Creek which is invitation-only private, Wilderness Club welcomes the public — making it Montana's most accessible world-class course. The sandy soil native to the site creates free-form waste bunkers and firm, fast conditions you won't find anywhere else in the state.
Many lakes are in play throughout the round, but none more dramatically than the finishing stretch. The 17th and 18th holes run alongside Wilderness Lake — a 21-acre natural lake that comes into play on both shots. It's one of Montana's most visually stunning finishing holes.
Designed by Jack Nicklaus in 2016 and built on the site of an old ski mountain near Big Sky, The Reserve at Moonlight Basin sits at 7,500 feet — making it the highest-altitude course in Golf Digest's national rankings. The 360-degree panoramas of the surrounding Rockies are breathtaking, and the championship yardage of 8,000 yards plays shorter than it looks in the thin mountain air.
Jack Nicklaus took advantage of the former ski mountain terrain to create holes that race, slalom, and dive across circuits of dramatic topography. Numerous downhill shots through thin mountain air reward aggressive play — but the mountain terrain punishes anything offline severely.
The Reserve earned its first national ranking when it debuted in Golf Digest's 2023 rankings — only the third Montana course ever to crack the national list. Its debut made headlines in the Montana golf community.
Tom Fazio's 1999 design in Hamilton's Bitterroot Valley was Montana's #1 ranked course for most of the past 25 years — before Rock Creek emerged. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Bitterroot Mountains, Stock Farm is a private club retreat that combines classic Fazio design sensibilities with Montana's natural grandeur. The course cracked Golf Digest's national Top 200 for the first time in 2025 after recent renovations and enough panelist visits to qualify.
The Bitterroot Valley stretching south from Missoula toward Hamilton is one of Montana's most scenic corridors. The Bitterroot Mountains lining the western edge of the valley provide a dramatic backdrop for every round at Stock Farm.
Tom Fazio is one of America's most celebrated course architects — his other designs include Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, Quail Hollow in Charlotte (host of the 2022 Presidents Cup), and Augusta National's par-3 course. Stock Farm represents his only Montana work.
Old Works is one of the most unusual golf courses in America. Designed by Jack Nicklaus in 1997, it was built on the Anaconda Copper Smelter — an EPA Superfund cleanup site. The old smelter ruins, ore flues, and industrial artifacts are preserved throughout the course as historical features. Most strikingly, the bunkers are filled with black copper slag instead of white sand — creating a visual unlike anything else in golf.
Old Works is Montana's most accessible world-class course and one of its most historically rich. The preserved smelter ruins throughout the property tell the story of Anaconda's copper mining era — making a round here as much a history lesson as a golf experience.
For Montana residents and visitors on a budget, Old Works offers the rare chance to play a Jack Nicklaus-designed course at a fraction of what his private designs cost. It's been called "the best public golf value in Montana."
Yellowstone Country Club in Billings is Montana's most historically significant private club. It appeared on Golf Digest's list of America's 200 Toughest Courses in both 1966 and 1967-68 — making it one of the first Montana courses ever to receive national recognition. For the Billings golf community, Yellowstone CC has been the center of competitive golf for generations, producing some of Montana's finest players.
For a golf dad in Billings watching his son compete, Yellowstone Country Club represents the deep roots of Montana golf. The club's history stretches back generations and its competitive traditions have shaped the game in Big Sky Country more than any other single institution.
"Montana is not just wide-open spaces. It is a state of mind — and nowhere is that more true than on a golf course with the Rockies behind you and nothing but sky ahead."
Montana produces fewer elite golfers than sun-drenched states like California or Florida — but those it does produce have made a real mark on the national and international game.
Montana's most successful professional golfer. A six-time winner on the Canadian Tour (now the Mackenzie Tour — PGA Tour Canada) between 1997 and 2009. Grob was the leading money winner on the Canadian Tour and played well enough at age 51 to qualify for the lucrative Champions Tour — an extraordinary achievement.
Montana's greatest female golfer and one of the state's most impactful golf figures. Won the 1982 US Senior Women's Amateur — the only Montana resident ever to win a USGA national championship. She founded and coached the University of Washington women's golf program, and an invitational there still bears her name today.
Currently Montana's most dominant senior amateur player. Won the State Senior Tournament in 2019 and again in 2024. State Senior Amateur Champion in both 2024 and 2025. Qualified for the US Senior Amateur Championship at Oak Hills CC in San Antonio. Inducted into the Montana Golf Hall of Fame class of 2026.
One of Montana's most decorated current junior golfers. Multiple-time Overall Girls Champion at MSGA junior events. Has won the girls individual medalist title at multiple state and divisional tournaments, consistently shooting the low round among all girls competitors. A name to watch as Montana's next great junior player.
Montana's first dominant female golfer. Won six consecutive state championships starting at age 14 in 1944 — an extraordinary run that established the standard for women's golf in Montana. Continued her career winning numerous titles across the Northwest as Edeann Ihlanfeldt. Her story is the foundation of women's golf in Big Sky Country.
Sisters Cathy and CeCe Studer of Billings each won three Montana State Championships between 1978 and 1988 — six combined state titles between two sisters from the same Billings family. Both played college golf. Their dominance of Montana women's golf in the late 1970s and 1980s has never been matched and represents Billings' greatest golf legacy.
From the MHSA State Championship to the Montana State Amateur, Big Sky Country's competitive calendar runs all summer long.
The Montana High School Association State Golf Championship — the biggest day in Montana high school golf. Class AA, A, B, and C divisions compete for state titles across Billings. The top HS golfers from across Montana converge right here in your backyard.
The MSGA's flagship event — the most prestigious amateur golf tournament in Montana. Conducted by the Montana State Golf Association since 1917, the State Amateur has crowned over a century of Montana's finest golfers. Jerry Pearsall, Mike Grob, and the Studer sisters all competed here.
The women's counterpart to the State Amateur, held annually by the MSGA. The 2024 Women's State Amateur was held at Butte Country Club with Lauren Greeny taking the title. This event has a proud history stretching back decades and is the crown jewel of women's golf in Montana.
The senior division of Montana competitive golf — Jerry Pearsall has dominated this event, winning in 2019 and 2024. Multiple age divisions compete: Freshman (50+), Sophomore (55+), Junior (60+), and Senior (65+). A fiercely competitive field of Montana's experienced players.
The MSGA conducts five regional junior events each June, qualifying boys and girls for the State Junior tournament. Montana also sends teams of four boys and four girls to the Junior America's Cup — annual competition bringing together the best juniors from 15 Western states, Mexico, and Canada.
The Montana Open brings together the state's best amateur and professional golfers in open competition. A rotating venue format takes the tournament to different courses across Big Sky Country each year — from Billings to Missoula, Bozeman to Great Falls. Montana's most competitive open event.
Billings is Montana's largest city and has the deepest golf tradition in the state. From Yellowstone Country Club to the public courses that serve the community, the Magic City is Big Sky golf country's beating heart.
The Montana State Golf Association was founded in 1917. Over 100 years of competition, tradition, and Big Sky Country golf history.