Old Works GC
Anaconda, MT (23 miles west of Butte)
Golf Magazine, 2007
TravelGolf.com
1997, Jack Nicklaus
'03 Fees: $29-$40
Ranked #3, Golf Magazine's 2007 Thrifty 50 (Top 50 Courses under $50)
One of Golf Digest's Top 10 Most Important Course Designs of the 1990's: "It took a golf course to rectify the landscape that a mining operation had despoiled, a harbinger of golf's future role."
Golf Magazine Review: Old Works has the distinction of being the only U.S. course that sits atop an EPA Superfund Cleanup site. Anaconda's copper mines and smelters are long gone, but Nicklaus transformed the site into one of the most unique reclamation projects ever conceived. In the process he grabbed a Top 10 spot on Golf Magazine's '98 list of Top 100 You Can Play. More than a mile above sea level, the front 9 is routed around Anaconda's old Upper Works--the original ore smelting facility--and the back 9 used to house the Lower Works. Brick flues, slurry chutes, granite slabs from the old mill, and remnants of the old smelter still stand. A historic preservation trail for tourists passes right by the 4th tee. The black slag (a remnant of the smelting process) bunkers add a sureal look. Despite the site's industrial roots, Old Works is a natural-looking layout, with Warm Springs creek and 4 manmade ponds to keep you honest. Some breathtaking views of the Anaconda Pintler mountains. The 2,400-square-foot clubhouse adds to the full service appeal. Warm up on the 3-hole "Little Bear" course.
Where To Stay: This small, rustic mining town has struggled as a golf destination, largely due to lack of accomodations. A 30-room lodge is under construction at Old Works, scheduled to open Spring '04. OR try the newly remodeled Trade Wind ($59/night), or the Vagabond is just a 5-iron away. A fine nearby stay-&-play spot is Fairmont Hot Springs Resort (on I-90, 17 mi E of Anaconda & 15 mi W of Butte), which features a fun Lloyd Wilder design ($39 plus cart, 6741 yards), 2 hot springs pools, the Mile High Dining Room, Springwater Cafe, and Whiskey Joe's Lounge. Lastly, you can arrange golf packages with lodging in nearby Butte.
Further Diversions: Play Old Works twice, then check out Anaconda's saloons, theaters, abandoned mines, and old railroads. Explore Pintler Primative area, Lost Creek state park, Discovery Basin ski area, and the Big Hole National Battlefield.
TravelGolf.com Review: Standing in downtown Anaconda in 1885 and looking onto the nearby hillsides, your eyes would meet a horizon dotted with smoke stacks, mine workings, and smelters.
"Everybody would get up in the morning and look to see if there was smoke coming out of the stack, and if there was, God was in His heaven and all was right with the world and we knew we were going to get a paycheck," says Anaconda historian Bob Vine, when summing up the importance of the stack and the mines.
Today, the mines have all shut down and many locals have a much different routine in the morning. Instead, they look outside to see if the sun is poking through the clouds so they know what to wear to the golf course.
Designed by Jack Nicklaus and routed through one of the most unique sites in the country, the Old Works Golf Course is about as good a play as you'll find in the northwest. Actually, Golf Digest ranks Old Works as the top-ranked public course in Montana. After playing the course, you'll be shouting a few accolades yourself.
Keeping the "mining" theme front and center (and off to numerous sides), are the black slag bunkers. Unique to the entire United States (there is one other course in Canada that uses the black slag for sand traps as well - Christina Lake, British Columbia), using the slag (which is actually a by-product from the copper smeltering process) was a natural fit for a course that is dedicated to environmentally sound practices. Interestingly, the initial idea behind building the Old Works Golf Course was to create a stunning course on a site that was, in essence, an ecological disaster.
Before 1994, the site on which Old Works stands was filled with abandoned mine workings and laced with industrial and mining waste. It was left untouched and unofficially designated as Anaconda's irreparable eyesore. Then in 1994, enter one Jack Nicklaus, a few bags of cash, and.presto! A world-class championship golf course - the first ever built on a Federal EPA site.