Next time you’re in Montana….
Sure, Montana is a big place, our 4th largest state, but if you get a chance to visit there, I would highly recommend that you seek out and play Old Works in Anaconda. Anaconda is a nice little community about a half an hour from Butte. It is a famous town in the annals of the U.S. mining industry.
Not only is this a beautiful Jack Nicklaus signature golf course, and really fun to play, it was constructed on a Superfund site where the Anaconda Copper and Mining Company smelter stood for a century. Many people in the community and the state felt this project could never be accomplished, but through perseverance, ingenuity, and skill, it was indeed accomplished with the help and support of the Atlantic-Richfield Company, the owner of the Anaconda Copper and Mining Company. The Old Works stands as a testimonial to re-claiming land that was both toxic and environmentally destitute.
The course was completed in 1997, and after 10 years of operation has matured into a wonderful venue. It incorporates many of the relics from the old mill that once stood there. Fresh water creeks are also abundant on the property. But the most striking and memorable feature of the Old Works are its bunkers and waste areas that are all black in appearance. This is because they are filled with a material called ‘Slag.” Slag is the by-product of the process to smelt ore and purify metal. It is soft and slightly granular, and has many uses. Often it is used as the material to line railroad beds for ties and tracks to rest on.
Old Works has five sets of tees for all levels of player. If you think you’re up to the task, stick your peg into the ground from the Slag Tees, at 7705 yards, with a course rating of 75.8. Not this cowboy!
The Old Works is managed by Troon Golf, the worldwide leader in golf property management. The overall facilities, experience and professionalism at Old Works clearly display the Troon fingerprint. The course is owned by Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, MT.
Golf Magazine has called Old Works the best course in America with under a $50 green fee, and one of the 100 best public courses in America. This is high praise, and entirely justified.
Old Works is located at 1205 Pizzini Way, Anaconda, MT. 59711. They can be reached at 406-563-5989. Also, check out their website at www.oldworks.org
