Rock Creek Cattle Company
Deer Lodge, MT • Private
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Overview
In the high plains north of Butte, Mont., minimalist master Tom Doak fashioned a splendid inland links from a working cattle ranch. His broad, looping routing starts in pasture, makes a slow but steady climb to the seventh tee, then plays through pines and over the ravines of Rock Creek, as gorgeous a fly-fishing stream as can be imagined. At the ninth, the course bursts back into the open, atop rolling hills offering hogback, punchbowl and sideslope fairways, then rolls downward and homeward, finishing back along the stream. Doak moved little earth because it was so rocky. Greens are huge to fit the scale and bunkers shaped to emulate those blown out by constant winds. Rock Creek Cattle Co. is high-country golf at its finest.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
100 Greatest: Ranked since 2013.
2023-'24 ranking: 56th (highest).
Previous ranking: 81st.
Second 100 Greatest: Ranked from 2013-'20.
Best in State: Ranked first, 2011-'14, 2017-'24. Ranked second, 2015-'16.
2023-'24 ranking: 1st.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“The strategy on the approach shots and beautifully crafted Doak greens were each distinctive and strategic but other than #11, the landing areas are generous and indiscriminating. This place is definitely about the quality of the golf course and fishing as the views are very limited which is rare for a mountain golf course even when it plays along internal water features. The green complexes would be much more interesting if the course was firm and fast but it wasn't in mid-June when I played it which may not be unusual for a mountain course. The course was oddly not as much fun as a course with this high of shot values and design variety. I do the multitude of blind tee shots where you aim at a rock on #2, 3, 6, and 7 are a little monotonous to kick off a round. So when I score distinctiveness hole-by-hole, it scores well but as a whole it does not pass the test of being close to my ideal course for distinctiveness. Hole #1 is one of my favorite starting holes in all of golf. I played it 3 times over 3 days under various weather conditions and the run-ups and greenside shaping are just too velcro and soft to utilize."
Read More2022
Review
“Shot options will be many and varied on this course. It is a big property with a lot of movement. You will encounter many uphill, downhill and sidehill shots. Approaches to most greens have a side where you can run up your approach shot or fly it in with the aerial game. You must hit your approach shot to the proper portion of the green because those uphill putts will be greatly rewarded here. The biggest challenge presented here is the fast-undulating greens. Your misses must be beneath the hole on these greens. The course has a nice mix of short vs. long holes, holes that dogleg each way, and uphill vs. downhill holes. The place provides a beautiful setting for golf. You have wonderful views of the mountains, Rock Creek meandering throughout the property and the enormity and expansiveness of the Big Sky Country. Drives in the fairway bounded away as conditions were firm and fast. Approach shots took one bounce and grabbed. The greens were fast and true. Truly isolated setting where you feel you're the only group on the course. Course was fun to play with putts you might not see anywhere else."
Read More2022
Review
“The Kentucky bluegrass throughout the course creates a sticky playability, especially around the greens. Ideally the playing surfaces would be a bit firm and faster so that contours could be used as they were intended. Otherwise this is a fantastic design with world class aesthetic values."
Read More2022
Review
“This course highlights a diverse routing through a great landscape, maximizing elevations, hazards, blind spots, trees and plains into green complexes that seem both natural and created. Plenty of width to push this course to member fun, several areas where backstops and other means can be played to great effect. You have to have variety to be able to hold off on par threes so long on the front, just to turn and put some back to back without feeling repetitive."
Read More2021
Review
“Rock Creek is one of the best and most beautiful courses out there. If you can get on, it is worth a special trip to Montana. Gives Pacific Dunes a run as Doak's best in the US."
Read More2021
Review
“A really good Doak design in the middle of nowhere. The facility has great golf, horseback riding, 4 wheelers and a western style lodge. It also has cabins on the property. Hard to get to but well worth the trouble."
Read More2018
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