Mountain West

Mountain golf is a genre all its own, but mountain golf of the caliber conjured by Tom Weiskopf at Spanish Peaks Mountain Club in Big Sky, Montana, is on a whole new level, literally and figuratively.

Not that it’s the highest track in elevation in America, in Montana or even in its neighborhood — the Yellowstone Club one ridge away grabs that distinction, and the Jack Nicklaus-authored course art Moonlight Basin a few miles to the north, on the other side of horizon-hogging Lone Mountain, comes close — but in terms of making the most of challenging terrain, and creating a hole-to-hole experience that immediately leaves you wanting more no matter what your score, Spanish Peaks reaches some rarefied air indeed.

And don’t let the fact that’s a private club deter you, at least in the short term. With several luxury rental cabins available to the public through the 2019 season, and the under-construction, high-end Montage Hotel set to offer guests course access come summer 2021, golfers who find their way to the soaring peaks of southwest Montana, about an hour’s drive south of Bozeman and not far from the West Gate to Yellowstone National Park, should plan to spend a day immersed in Weiskopf’s handiwork.

At least four things will come to mind as you take the winding, rising road from the village at Big Sky to Spanish Peaks Mountain Club.

1. The 360-degree sweep of mountain beauty is truly and undeniably awe-inspiring
2. This place is hopping with home construction — though not one handsome structure interferes with the golf experience or ventures that overbearing, “hey, look at me” ethic found at more than a few private golf enclaves throughout America
3. Perched perfectly between the front nine below and back nine above, the clubhouse complex is as luxury-meets-rustic welcoming as any comparable structure in the modern American West.
4. There are smiling member faces everywhere, and they’re not all of a certain, uh, advanced age. This a family club and development through and through and multi-generational enjoyment is encouraged if not expected.

In fact, during a round you’re liable to see mom, dad, kids and a grandparent or two loaded into a couple carts and heading for one of Spanish Peaks’ coolest perks: A “Snack Cabin” loaded with refrigerated drinks, pint-sized hot dogs and snacks ranging from classic candy bars and chips to fresh fruit and health-conscious protein bars. There’s one on the front, one on the back, strategically placed to serve a half-dozen holes, so there’s no excuse for getting parched or letting hunger pangs interfere with even one swing.

Then again, hunger or thirst have a tough time competing with the sheer joy of just being there to follow Weiskopf’s muse, to let his best mountain course’s seductive song of “polished seclusion” carry you through every swing, good and bad, with gratitude.

“I like playing fast, but I would never object to being held up all day at Spanish Peaks,” said Mike Fish, a visitor from Syracuse, New York enjoying his first extended foray into the Montana wild — not only for golf, but for hikes around Big Sky and in Glacier National Park, several hours’ drive to the northwest. “I will treasure this round. It’s special.”

Special enough, indeed, to be rescued from a 2011 bankruptcy filing on the heels of the worldwide economic collapse, which laid many a fledgling golf club low. After closing for a couple seasons to round up partners with the cash, clout and foresight to keep this Weiskopf wonder from disappearing into the woods forever, Spanish Peaks returned in 2013. It’s been adding members and racking up raves ever since.

But what makes the course itself so special, other than its rugged, God-given setting?

For one thing, among modern architects, Weiskopf has always been known for giving his layouts a certain pacing and rhythm that draw the player in right away, asking for his or her best game until the last stroke and throwing in a few features that, in lesser hands, could sink into gimmickry.

At Spanish Peaks, for instance, he designed the 18^th hole with alternate greens — it’s a par 4 to one, par 5 to the other. In either case you’ve got to keep your downhill, half-blind tee shot short of a broad ravine choked with greenery and tall grass — tricky at plus-6,000-feet above sea level — and clear it with your second shot. That could be a simple (maybe) flip wedge to the short green or a big decision to the long one, which hovers on a small cliff with the hotel rising in the distance behind it: hit a lay-up to a relatively flat lie or just go for it with a hybrid or fairway metal? It’s a common quandary on many a par 5, but ol’ Tom manages to give it a little extra pucker factor.

The course’s other three par 5s are just as tasty in their own way, including No. 2, which boomerangs around a long, narrow lake to plateau green, and No, 11, which, at around 230 yards from the members’ tees, narrows to just a few yards between a bunker and piney outropping — negotiate that bottleneck and the green is there for the taking with a well-placed baby draw.

So where is the trademark Tommy W. drivable par 4? That would be No. 17, which tips out at 342 yards, translating to about 305 at elevation for a single-digit player. He puts one bunker right in landing zone, of course, but it’s also an apt aiming point. What the hell — if the wind is favorable, pull the dog and give ’er a go.

But it’s a par 3 that seizes “signature hole” honors. No. 15 is a heart-stopping, suitable-for-framing mountain tableau that just happens to have a broad, inviting green in the foreground. It plays downhill with a water feature left, trees right and behind and the soaring, serrated edge of the Spanish Peaks themselves soaring into the distant horizon.

Might want to take an extra deep breath before pulling the club back here, friends. And when driving down to the green, take a moment to appreciate the way Weiskopf mirrors the shape and line of those mountains on the course’s sculpted scapes. “You might call it peak, or peek, symmetry,” said Mike Fish. He’s right both ways.

In fact, playing this course is a lesson in that brand of man-in-nature symmetry all too few of us experience enough. Every step, swing and breath is a blessing.

Clearly Spanish Peaks has mastered the language of mountain golf, backed by a crack maintenance crew that can bring every hole back to midsummer form within a few days of a freak snowstorm, and even has the chops to erase, overnight, the dance-on-the-green tracks of resident elk.

Fish marveled at the conditioning, and what must be some impressive technology behind it. “I’m guessing there’s a subtle, world class drainage system that each spring prevents the winter snowpack from destroying the manufactured artwork blending in beautifully with Mother Nature’s sloping canvas,” he wrote in an e-mail several weeks after his round there. “How many miles of drainage pipes must be involved?”

And how many miles on the road or in the air is a trip to Spanish Peaks worth? As many as it takes.

•••

If you have time to add rounds at The Reserve at Moonlight Basin (also private but accessible via onsite lodging) and Arnold Palmer’s public Big Sky Golf Course while you’re up there, all the better. But start at Spanish Peaks Mountain Club, and do so while the sun is still high in the sky. By late September, Big Sky’s collective mind turns to winter sports (Big Sky boasts North America’s largest expanse of skiable terrain), and the snow may even be flying by then. By mid-October the golf courses bed down until May at the earliest. (Remember, the course will be closed to the public in 2020 only, then available when The Montage opens.)

Bozeman-Yellowstone International Airport is served by Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue and United Airlines, with direct flights from several large cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.

Reservations/Information:

www.spanishpeaks.findyourbigsky.com

If Circling Raven Golf Course could be cloned, blade for blade and bunker for bunker, and plopped down in a major metro area or any place that could handle the infrastructure, it could host a U.S. Open.

All golfers seem to make that claim about one of their favorite courses at some point, but Circling Raven is the real, championship-worthy deal. It’s that good, that spacious, that engaging, that telegenic. That tough, certainly, from the tips.

But it can’t be cloned, nor should it; it will forever be connected to the stunning Northern Idaho landscape surrounding Coeur d”Alene Casino Resort-Hotel, not far from the southern fingers of Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Named for a Coeur d’Alene tribal leader and laced through a sprawling 620-acre parcel of some of that tribe’s most beautiful ancestral ground — coniferous forest and rolling grassland and stream-fed meadows — Circling Raven was not conceived and laid out by a front-line golf course architect with a name like Trent Jones, Doak, Coore, Hanse or Nicklaus. Not one of them summoned the outside-the-box vision of the man who eventually won the contract, Gene Bates.

A DIFFERENT VIEW

The Florida-based designer, who has worked with Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Johnny Miller and Fred Couples, and who continues to design projects around the world, arrived on the scene as the tribe’s leaders decided that their growing casino-resort needed a good golf course among its amenities.

“At first they thought they might just need a nine-hole course, but once they knew how important and special a great golf course can be, and how many fine Native American-run courses there were around the country, their vision got bigger,” said Director of Golf Dave Christensen, a native of Eastern Washington at the helm of Circling Raven for the second time, having been there when Bates signed the line and opening the course to the public 15 years ago.

In fact, he was there from the start of the proposal process. The Coeur d’Alene tribal leaders called in all the big names for initial plans. To a man, all of them looked to the relatively flat parcel just west of the resort, where water was readily available and access was a snap. Only Bates looked to the east and south, across and along an elevated railroad bed, for his inspiration.

“He was the one guy who had a different vision of what this course could be,” added Christensen. “He saw all that beautiful land across the tracks, the hills and wide corridors, and knew it was special.”

BIG, BROAD CANVAS

Bates also knew his imagination and skill wasn’t hemmed in by fences or ownership issues of any kind. This was tribal land, wild and wide open and infused with deep native spirit, and he took full advantage of its promise, its sheer scale.

He’d made his bones as a shaper, so he knew instinctively how to mold the heaving Idaho landscape to mimic its vast horizons — the distant mountain peaks, the rounded foothill forms closer afoot, the tree lines jutting into that endless azure sky. He made each hole its own set piece — why limit himself to scoping out one or two “signature” candidates when every hole site will produce a stunner?

Christensen watched Bates and his crew pull magic out of the soil, was onsite for the grow-in and maturation process, and marveled at how the final product managed to coalesce into a seamless, balanced and cohesive golf journey even though it took up more than three times the acreage of most courses.

[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”6″ display=”basic_imagebrowser”]That journey begins with a bang — a cape-style par 5 swooping around reedy wetlands. It’s reachable in two from every set of tees, especially when the prevailing southwest breeze is up, but only if the drive is properly drawn off the fairway bunkers guarding the landing area’s right side; 3-wood isn’t a bad play as it’s usually easier to turn over.

Then it’s over the tracks and out into the open, rolling grassland for several holes, starting with No. 2, the first of several par 4s that aren’t exactly short but can be driven by the brawny, brave … or foolhardy. Hole 5 is stout, left-turning par 5, hole 8 a downhill par 4 with a creek up the right side and a severe, forested bank to the left, leaving no margin for error from the box — in other words, the dog might have too much bite here.

The back nine kicks off with a risk-reward winner, a right-angled par 4 that’s definitely drivable, but you’ve got to negotiate 150 yards or more of wetlands, plus two tall trees that essentially split the landing area in two. Go left of them and you’ve got a mid- or short iron in; roll the dice right of them and you’re set up with a flip wedge home.

The back nine offers more forested holes than the front, with a couple forays into the open. No. 12 is a fine transition hole and, to some, the best par 5, moving downhill from an explosed tee, with a few pines perfectly placed between forked fairways to force you into yet another decision — go safe to the left, or challenge the right side with a shot at an uphill approach to an elevated green. No. 17 is Christensen’s favorite three-shotter, straightaway with a drive over the course’s only pond, leaving another decent shot at the green in two, while the final hole, a par 4 with mounding and the highway to the left and trees right, is one last risk-reward opportunity.

This is Bates at his wily, come-and-get-me best; he shares a certain playful design gene with Pete Dye. There’s plenty of room off the tee almost without fail, but it might not look that way when you step up and pick a line. Greens are big and rangy but not overly contoured, bailout areas abound and bunkers allow at least some forward progress.

It’s all fair, and right there, but play all the way back from nearly 7,200 yards, squeeze in the fescue, and yeah, we’re talking Open-caliber stuff.

ONE-TWO PUNCH

But back to resort golf reality, where Circling Raven dwells through its five- to six-month season, and dwells well, thanks to Christensen’s oversight and an excellent, well-equipped maintenance staff, a sweet pro shop nudged alongside the Twisted Earth Grill (also named for a revered tribal leader), and a very good hotel just a walk or short shuttle ride away.

It’s really all you could want in a challenging, upscale resort course, and proves the perfect counterpoint to The Coeur d’Alene, with its famed floating 14^th green and somewhat friendlier (though sneaky tough in places) Scott Miller design, some 40 minutes to the north.

In other words, you’ve got to play it, too.

After a fairly substantial reworking of several holes about a decade ago — most notably on the front nine — this high-end resort course became even more of a joy, with its well-trained forecaddies, flawless conditioning, optional classic wooden speed boat ride from the main resort’s marina to a dock just below the clubhouse (don’t miss it) and, of course, views of lovely Lake Coeur d’Alene at nearly every turn. And the 14^th isn’t the only conversation-piece par 3; the other four — including back-to-back gems at holes 5 and 6 — boast their own sweet lake views.

Of course a night or two in the waterfront hotel is and should be an option, but at a minimum work in dinner at Beverly’s, the hotel’s five-star signature restaurant, with a bottle or two from the largest wine collection in the Pacific Northwest (even arrange a cellar tasting with an accredited sommelier). It’s a day you’ll savor through the long winter months.

GAMING AND MORE GOLF

One thing the lakeside resort doesn’t have is a casino, which is why Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort-Hotel makes for such a multifaceted home base. Guests have access to a full-service spa-pool complex and several restaurants serving fresh farm to table fare including the Red Tail Bar & Grill and Chinook, a fine steakhouse with an outdoor deck.

Beyond Circling Raven, plenty of outdoor pursuits await, and there are several small towns and local attractions to explore — including the H2H bison ranch, where you can get close (but not too close) to the huge animals and sample some bison-based cuisine.

Oh, and one other thing: Christensen says that a third nine and reconfigured practice range is in the works.

“It’ll be across the road, on a little flatter land, working back into those trees,” he said, pointing to the southwest. “Gene had designed a third championship nine that’ll be a little more walkable, and it’s under review by the tribal board. The idea is to get it built, then close each original nine, one at a time, to do some renovations. We’ll still have 18 holes available at all times. And we want to make the range more convenient to the clubhouse.”

Those renovations will touch bunkers (with a few to be removed, and a few new ones added, too) and tees, while greens will get a new poa annua-resistant strain of bent grass.

New “destination golf accommodations” are also in the master plan, giving players the option of staying right next to the course.

In the meantime, Christensen adds that Circling Raven is finalizing an agreement to host a Symetra Tour “Road To The LPGA” event next summer. “Those gals can really play, and this is a perfect course for them.”

For you, too.

GETTING THERE

Circling Raven and Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort-Hotel are located in Worley, Idaho, just over the Washington state border, about a 55-minute drive from the Spokane airport, which is served by Alaska, American, Delta and Southwest airlines. Shuttle service to the resort is available, or rent a car and soak up the scenery. RV’ing it? There’s plenty of room for even the biggest rig.

For tee times: www.circlingraven.com

For hotel reservations or information: www.cdacasino.com

The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe is the first AAA Five Diamond resort in the Lake Tahoe area. Nestled mid-mountain at Northstar California Resort, the resort is a contemporary mountain retreat featuring slope-side ski-in, ski-out access in winter and mountain concierge services for golfing, mountain biking and hiking in the summer. 

Golf Aficionados will relish in the “High Sierra Golf Experience,” a package tailored to satisfy the desire for a luxurious getaway with the links as the star attraction.  This annual package combines exciting play with luxury mountainside resort accommodations.  Golfers enjoy two 18-hole rounds of golf at their choice of either Gray’s Crossing or Old Greenwood, as well as deluxe accommodations at the resort.  This offer also capitalizes on the resort’s Mountain Concierge, which handles all the details of a seamless golf game, from golf-club storage and booking tee times to sharing valuable insights about the region’s various golfing opportunities. It’s available through October 21.

Want more than golf? Spend quality time with the family on wilderness hikes in the expansive forest, enjoying fun lawn games in the property’s backyard, and splash around during pool time at the resort or during water activities lakeside.  With the “Discover with You” package, offered through December 20, 2019, guests will enjoy deluxe accommodations, daily breakfast for two at Manzanita (the resort’s signature restaurant) a special s’mores kit to use at the fire pit, and $100 resort credit.

Beginning Memorial Day weekend, guests will have the opportunity to experience Lake Club, The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe. Located just ten miles from the resort, the Lake Club adds an extraordinary new dimension to The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe experience, providing resort guests with a unique, stunningly designed waterside venue and an accompanying host of amenities that include al fresco dining, leisure and water activities, and direct access to the lake. 

All Ritz-Carlton packages are subject to availability and cannot be combined with any other offer. Blackout dates and the resort’s cancellation policy applies. Advance reservations are required; rates do not apply to groups. Rates listed are per room, per night, single or double occupancy, and exclusive of taxes, gratuities and other charges unless otherwise noted. For more details and booking, click here.

Silvies Valley Ranch, a 140,000 acre eco-resort featuring four stand-alone award-winning golf experiences will open for its second full golf season on May 1.  Recognized by major golf media including Golf Tips for its creative approach to the golf experience including a unique goat caddie program, The Links at Silvies Valley Ranch intertwines amazing golf opportunities with the natural vegetation and expansive views of Frontier Oregon.

The resort’s 18-hole designs, Craddock and Hankins, which were named among the top four best new golf courses to open in 2018 by Golf Digest, have matured over the last year and are in prime condition to host avid and novice golfers alike.

New this year, the world-famous Silvies Valley Ranch goat caddies will be available to assist players on both short courses at the property – McVeigh’s Gauntlet, the 7-hole challenge course, named Best New Golf Experience by Golf Magazine in 2018, and Chief Egan, the 9-hole par-3 course.

“The four courses at Silvies are shaping up nicely for our second full season of golf,” said Sean Hoolehan, golf course superintendent. “I’m grateful to work with an owner who respects the land and provides the opportunity to care for these award-winning courses in an ecological and sustainable way. We’re looking forward to welcoming players from across the country to Silvies Valley Ranch this season.”

Silvies Valley Ranch unveiled a host of golf packages for the 2019 season that offer a variety of ranch experiences to complement the golf getaway experience at Silvies Valley Ranch.

Silvies Valley Ranch opened to guests in May 2018, its first full season of operation and has made its mark as a new frontier for travel and golf in a largely unexplored area of the Pacific Northwest.

With luxurious Western-inspired accommodations, fine dining options from an award-winning chef, an extensive Scotch collection, and one of the largest spas in Oregon, the boutique eco-resort is a must-see destination for families, couples, buddy trips, corporate groups and visitors across the globe.Visit the golf packages page for more information.

www.silvies.us

There is a place to relax and unwind in the American West, a bigger-than-big ski destination in the northern Rockies that slips into flip-flops and T-shirts when the snow melts and summer arrives. It’s called Big Sky.

Located an hour’s drive south of Bozeman, a trendy little town of tidy brick buildings known for its gastropubs (local ales, bison burgers) and Museum of the Rockies (dinosaur boneyard), Big Sky Resort loomed into view after the 1992 release of A River Runs Through It, the fly-fishing epic starring Brad Pitt that was filmed on the nearby Gallatin River.

Unmatched for alpine splendor, Big Sky is dominated by Lone Mountain, a 11,166-foot, Matterhorn-like peak that pierces the sky and ranks among the tallest peaks in the Madison Range. On a typically sunny day, the play of shadow and light on its slopes and ridges is mesmerizing.

Big Sky recently embarked upon a 10-year, $150-million development program intended to catapult it into the league of the West’s top mountain resorts, including Aspen, Colorado, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Sun Valley, Idaho. In addition to its massive size and rustic charm, it has one distinct advantage: the resort is only 18 miles from the northern boundary of Yellowstone National Park, the nation’s oldest park and the most active geothermal region on earth.

Despite the anticipated growth, Big Sky Resort will always be a “more rawhide, less chiffon” getaway for those who crave outdoor adventures as much as golf. The list of activities includes hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, paddle boarding, sporting clays, zipline tours, and fly-fishing on blue-ribbon trout streams. Wildlife? You’re likely to see elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep and brown bear during your stay.

Big Sky will always be a “crunchy granola” kind of place that attracts fitness-oriented enthusiasts, but the recent emergence of golf as a major pastime in this exalted landscape is drawing players to a trio of vacation-worthy courses.

In ascending order, there’s the Arnold Palmer-designed course at Big Sky Resort, a lightly bunkered, 6,800-yard layout circa 1973 that stretches across the valley floor. Moose frequent its bushy streams, which are forks of the Gallatin River. The gently rolling fairways are generously wide, but a thick collar of primary rough will snare errant shots. If you’re looking for a sporty warm-up round to shake off the rust, Big Sky, a straightforward parkland-style layout known for its speedy, tilted greens, is a perfect place to let out the shaft and get acclimated to the altitude. Walkers are welcome, but at 6,300 feet above sea level, make sure your lungs can handle the thinner air before setting out.

Settle into one of well-appointed guest rooms in its clubhouse or book a golf package, and you can gain access to Spanish Peaks, the tony four-season resort community set below a curtain of jagged mountains. The centerpiece of the 3,500-acre community, 70 percent of which is preserved as open space, is a majestic spruce-beamed clubhouse that resembles Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Lodge. Managed by Montage Resorts (a future 5-star hotel is planned), the clubhouse is a stone’s throw from a splendid Tom Weiskopf-designed course routed in a secluded valley below the serrated Spanish Peaks. Weiskopf roamed the land on horseback over 10 years ago to get a feel for the flow of the terrain before charting the holes through a rolling, wooded valley dotted with specimen fir and spruce trees.

Routed at nearly a mile and a half above sea level, this beguiling layout, stretching to 7,200 yards, offers risk-reward scenarios at nearly every hole. Greens are subtly contoured and very swift. The bunkers are beautifully sculpted and well-placed. The front nine, set at lower elevation and more heavily wooded, gives way to a rollicking back nine that’s reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands, the fairways pitching and tossing across rolling alpine meadows.

Weiskopf, ever the clever strategist, built an 18th hole with two greens that plays either as a par 4 or a par 5 depending on how the course is set up that day. To settle bets, he also designed a short, entertaining 19th “Bye” hole.   

A short hole is a fun way to end the round, but the best and biggest reason to visit Big Sky is to experience The Reserve at Moonlight Basin, a literally breathtaking Jack Nicklaus-designed world-beater debuted in 2015. Walled in by towering crests and stretching to 8,000 yards from the tips, Moonlight Basin has over 1,000 feet of elevation change. Spread across more than 800 acres and linked by 10 miles of cart paths, the course is grand-scale in a Himalayan kind of way, with near limitless mountain views in all directions, including massive peaks in the Madison Range and a pleated wall of Spanish Peaks. You can hear the silence: the layout possesses a quietude not often found on modern courses. By round’s end, Moonlight Basin, quite simply the most spectacular mountain golf course in America, will leave you gasping for superlatives. It’s also wild: The golf carts carry bear spray.

There are lengthy drives from green to tee at Moonlight Basin, and no one completes a round in under five hours, but that’s part of the experience. Instead of a yardage guide, there’s a Trail Map. The topsy-turvy layout offers more than jaw-dropping views as it rambles across rugged mountain foothills. Each hole is strategized to reward bold play while giving players of lesser attainment plenty of bail-out room. Conditions are uniformly firm and fast. Not every hole is an architectural triumph—the terrain is unyielding—but there are several holes that are by turns incredibly challenging and totally unforgettable. As an aside, the slick bentgrass greens are anything but an afterthought—they have plenty of movement and command respect.

The par 4 opener makes quite an impression. From a series of top-of-the-world tee boxes slotted into a hillside hundreds of feet above an angled fairway, the tee shot, a forced carry over a gulch, is aimed directly to Lone Peak.  Players must select a club that will put the ball in play, a theme repeated throughout the round. Like Jack in his prime, you can tee it high and let it fly, but distance must be squared with accuracy. There are no guardrails at Moonlight Basin. The golf course is embraced by oblivion. Bid wayward shots a hearty “hasta la vista.”

The par-4 fifth hole plays to an infinity-edge green that clings to the side of a mountain and hangs above a yawning abyss. It resembles a hole you might see in one of those outlandish fantasy golf calendars. The stunning par-3 seventh, backdropped by Fan Mountain, plunges downhill to a two-tiered green staked out by mature Douglas fir and spruce trees.

While the magnificent 590-yard 15th hole skirts a pair of central bunkers and climbs to the high point of the course at 7,500 feet, the gargantuan par-5 17th, which tops out at 777 yards, is an overland journey that takes its place among the grandest three-shotters in the nation.

After the round, drop by the Moonlight Basin Tavern, which serves excellent pub fare, pours an array of regional microbrews and stocks more than 75 fine whiskies. 

One caveat about Big Sky golf. Make haste. The season is short. Locals claim they’ve seen snow in every month of the year, but from early June through late September, players can expect warm sunny days, clear blue skies and a huge WOW factor.

BEYOND THE COURSE

Legends of Golf

Experience Big Sky at its best by booking the destination’s exclusive Legends of Golf package. The program features three nights in a private residence, a round of golf at Big Sky Resort, and a round each at the otherwise-private clubs at Spanish Peaks and The Reserve at Moonlight Basin. Rates start at $308 per person, per night based on quad occupancy.  www.lonemountainland.com

Family Fun & Fine Dining

As a family-friendly resort, kids may have the best of it at Big Sky. The Ramcharger chair lift ascends from Big Sky’s village plaza to ‘Adventure Mountain,’ a summertime playground where kids can try their hand at archery, bungee trampoline, disc golf and other games. Would-be prospectors can dump rubble into a sluice and sift for tiger’s eye, amber, amethyst and other gemstones. (Montana is the Treasure State).

Also located at the head of Ramcharger is Everett’s, a handsome log dining room set at 8,800 feet that features locally sourced American alpine fare at its finest. (The demi-glace morel mushrooms served on butter-grilled sourdough are alone worth the ride up the mountain).  More casual dining is available on Everett’s spacious deck, which features stupendous mountain views. Accommodations at Big Sky are available at multi-bedroom chalets, lodges and cabins as well as The Summit, one of the finest slope-side hotels in the Rockies. 

CLUB DOWN FOR ALTITUDE

It’s important to remember that shots will fly farther in the thinner air of Montana’s mountains. This is especially true for strong players. Light hitters who don’t carry the ball more than 150 yards on their drives won’t notice an appreciable difference in the length of their shots at higher altitudes. However, golfers who hit the ball hard, resulting in a steep launch angle, high trajectory and extended carry time, should figure on roughly 2% added distance per 1,000 feet above sea level. Club selection must be adjusted accordingly.

Players should spend time at a distance-marked practice range to determine how far each club travels. Because each course In Big Sky is situated at well over a mile above sea level, power hitters can subtract 10 percent from marked yardages. For example, from 150 yards, select the club you hit 135 yards. Lofted shots that hang longer in the air will travel farther than low, boring shots.

Don’t trust your visual frame of reference on Big Sky’s courses. Players accustomed to “eye-balling” distances on their home turf will be fooled at higher altitudes, where the air offers less resistance to the ball’s flight. Gauge your distance for each club on the range–and club yourself accordingly on the golf course.         

www.bigskyresort.com | www.findyourbigsky.com

Farmington, New Mexico, is an ideal destination for golf trips. The area features four incredible courses, breathtaking scenery and temperate weather throughout the year, making fall the perfect time to plan an affordable and memorable golf vacation.

“Whether you’re planning an extended trip with all of your golf buddies or wanting to enjoy a day of golfing as an addition to your vacation, Farmington has options for every type of golfer,” said Tonya Stinson, Executive Director of Farmington Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Additionally, with over 300 days of sunshine per year, Farmington provides the perfect fall golf trip. It’s a great opportunity for golfers to enjoy the scenic beauty of the Four Corners Region and explore some of the best public golf courses in the nation after the summer crowds have left.”

San Juan County is home to multiple golf courses, including Piñon Hills Golf Course, Civitan Municipal Golf Course, Aztec Municipal Golf Course and Riverview Golf Course in Kirtland, as well as San Juan Country Club—a private, challenging 18-hole golf course.

One of only six public courses in the nation to receive a 5-star rating, Piñon Hills Golf Course is a true gem of Farmington, and has received acclaim from Golf Magazine, Golfweek Magazine and Golf Digest as one of the top public courses in the nation. The affordable and accessible course has received awards as “America’s Best Golf Bargain,” and offers year-round afternoon and twilight specials.

Civitan Municipal Golf Course offers a variety of options for beginners or those looking for a quick afternoon golf game. The 9-hole, Par 3 course also offers footgolf. For those looking to include additional courses in their trip, both Aztec Municipal and Riverview courses are a short drive up the road. Both are 18-hole courses set among incredible landscapes.

“Best of all, a trip to Farmington will provide you with an amazing golf trip without breaking the bank,” added Stinson. “Piñon Hills has been named ‘America’s Best Golf Bargain,’ and much like all of our lodging, restaurants, and activities, it certainly fits the bill. In Farmington, you can get away, relax, and enjoy a world-class trip on a budget.”

After a day of golfing, visitors can enjoy great beer and food at Three Rivers Eatery & Brewery or taste local wines at St. Clair Winery and Bistro or Wines of San Juan. Farmington also offers a wide variety of outdoor adventures—including water sports, fishing, hiking and off-roading—as well as cultural attractions and National Park sites.

Visit here for more information on golf courses in Farmington, or to plan your visit, go to www.FarmingtonNM.org.

Everyone knows golfers are nuts, but they’re really gonna go crazy for the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe’s 25^th annual Golf Classic at Edgewood Tahoe on Oct. 15, whether it’s playing in the tournament or shopping online as an auction goes live featuring 25+ predominately golf-related prizes.

The tournament itself features a round of golf at scenic Edgewood Tahoe, a Golf Digest Top 100 Course hard along the shore of the Lake. There’s a $40,000 Toyota 4-Runner for an ace on No. 17, courtesy of CardinaleWay of South Lake Tahoe; $10,000 for aces – split with the B&GC on the other three par 3s; along with breakfast, dinner, beverages, raffle prizes, tee prizes and camaraderie.

Playing spots for foursomes at $800 and individuals at $225 are going fast, a major savings considering seasonal green fees and the numerous perks. Various hole sponsorships for the community and business-minded are also available.

For golfers or travelers looking for unbelievable gifts, a variety of trips combining golf and lodging are available including a Masters Golf Tournament experience with tickets, lodging in a private home; a Caribbean visit to Puntacana Resort & Club; Southern California, Phoenix, and the Bay Area, a Sonoma Wine and Dine trip, as well as lodging packages at major properties in South Lake Tahoe and Reno.

Golf at private courses include The Olympic Club in San Francisco; the California (Cal) Club in South San Francisco; Clear Creek Tahoe, near South Tahoe; Stone Eagle Golf Club in Palm Desert; and Winchester Country Club in Meadow Vista near Auburn. The Tahoe-Truckee-Graeagle area’s most popular courses are offering foursomes at Old Greenwood, Gray’s Crossing, Tahoe Donner, Lake Tahoe Golf Course, Grizzly Ranch and Nakoma Resort.

Major one-week vacations from two of the world’s leading hospitality and vacation ownership groups, The Ridge Resorts, and Diamond Resorts are both offering travelers a choice at their member properties around the world. It’s memorable destinations, countless activities and opportunities to recharge, reconnect with family or friends.

There’s also a private, secluded, two-night stay at Sidney Peak Ranch House, a working ranch and upscale community near Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where views of the stars and Steamboat Mountain are unforgettable.

In addition to golf, Clear Creek is delivering an intimate look at its private lifestyle with an overnight stay for four in a two-unit cottage overlooking the 18^th fairway and the Carson Valley, along with dinner at the Clubhouse Grille & Pub. Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo is partnering with its nearby Hampton Inn to provide two packages for a foursome with overnight accommodations and two rooms for four. ARCIS Golf is providing foursomes at three of its Phoenix area courses: The Raven, Stonecreek, and Ancala Country Club. The Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel is providing a two-night stay and there’s four tickets to neighboring Disneyland.

South Lake Tahoe’s resort/hotels have stepped-up as usual with Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel gifting three nights in a balcony suite, private dinner prepared by Chef Sal, free parking and complimentary breakfast daily. Harveys/Harrah’s, Hard Rock and MontBleu all donating two-night stays with restaurant dining credits. Tahoe Lakeshore Lodge & Spa, the all lake-front property a mile west of the state line will put two folks on the beach in a two-bedroom condo, along with a spa treatment and bottle of wine to watch the sunset.

For Reno fans, there’s a two-night golf package at one of The Row Hotels: Silver Legacy, Eldorado, or Circus-Circus, $100 dining credit, two show tickets, two bottles of wine, Callaway golf balls and golf caps, plus a round of golf for four at private Somersett Golf and Country Club. The Atlantis Hotel Casino will host a two-night visit as well.

The San Francisco Giants are also sending various memorabilia – if a 60^th anniversary bobblehead doll of legendary Hall of Famer Willie McCovey and an autographed jersey from first baseman Brandon Belt will add to the collection, get online soon! For college basketball junkies, there’s a game at Stanford for four, attendance at a pre-game afternoon shoot-around and a chance to meet the coach and players.

For visitors to Tahoe looking to capture the local vibe, Tahoe Tastings is taking four guests on a wine cruise to Emerald Bay with 8 flights of wine; Heli-Tahoe is hovering with a birds-eye view above the water with a surreal helicopter tour; and Heart Rock Herb & Spice Company is providing some Tahoe-themed spices in a special gift basket sure to continue the memories long after a visit to the Lake.

To improve play, sets of three Wilson Staff wedges are available courtesy of the American Century Championship.

In addition to a memorable day and auction, 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe. For the 25^th consecutive year, Edgewood Tahoe is donating the course – waiving green fees and providing meals and beverages for free to the Club to help generate maximum funding. For visitors with early arrivals or late departures, the Lodge at Edgewood, voted the No. 1 hotel/resort in the United States in a poll of Travel & Leisure readers, is offering a special overnight accommodations rate. Opened in June 2017, 154-room resort and spa sits 50 yards from the Lake with spectacular sunsets and sunrises.

For information to participate with the tournament via sponsorship, playing spots, auction, donations or for more details about the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe and its mission, please visit us at www.BGCLT.org or call (916) 542-0838. The Boys & Girls Club helps make a difference to the youth of the community by serving more than 800 children a year, providing them with homework help, enhancement education, fun activities and experiences, and a free snack and hot meal daily.