Rock Creek Cattle Company- hole 10
History
The land that is now The Rock Creek Cattle Company was once a part of the historic Grant- Kohrs ranch, encompassing nearly 10 million acres of south western Montana
Bill Foley, who founded Fidelity National, bought part of that original proprety- an 80,000 acre working cattle ranch- in 2005.
Foley was a good golfer, and appointed Tom Doak to build a course for him
Rock Creek Cattle Company golf course opened for play in 2008
Course
Rock Creek Cattle Company- hole 15
Doak is known for his less is more approach. Many of his courses have been built in linksland by the sea.
However in Montana it was a different environment altogether.
The scale and grandeur of the property- towering mountain ranges, and vast grasslands meant that the golf course had to add to the drama to be relevant
And they succeeded with a course that fits right into it's surroundings but is not overpowered by them
This is not links land but it plays firm and fast- perhaps it could be labelled links like?
The greens are typical of Tom Doak and will test your ability to read the greens
The wild natural looking bunkers are also a feature
But it is the routing that often sets Doak ahead of the pack and at Rock Creek the course heads off in all directions to find the most interesting land- giving a diverse set of holes that somehow gel as one
Rock Creek Cattle Company- hole 12
I know they hit some roadblocks along the way.
When shaping some of the greens and bunkers they would touch on buried rocks in key positions and find they had hit the tip of an iceberg (so to speak)
The size of the giant boulders was staggering- a major effort to extract, and a significant hole to fill!
And there are some outstanding holes at Rock Creek- the par 10th hole is world class, and the short par 4 fifteenth is also impressive
Most of the very best courses in the world boast at least one outstanding short teasing par 4, and Doak understands this
Fifteen is that hole at Rock Creek.
And I loved the pretty par 3's at 8 and 12. Very Classy!
Notable holes include:
- hole 8 (Rio Lobo), a spectacular par 3 over a ravine
Rock Creek Cattle Company- hole 8
- hole 10 (High Noon), one of the better par 5's I have encountered anywhere (see pic top of page)
- hole 12 (The Good), another magnificent par 3 over a dip to a green surrounded by bunkers (see pic mid page)
- hole 15 (Shootout at the OK Corral), a teasing short par with options (see pic mid page)
- hole 16 (The Hanging Tree), a longer par 4 with a fairway that leaks to the right and a nice green complex
Rock Creek Cattle Company- hole 16
Rock Creek Cattle Company- hole 16 approach
- hole 17 (Rio Bravo), a testy little par over the Rock Creek
Rock Creek Cattle Company- hole 17
- hole 18 (Rio Grande), a closing par 5 with the creek in play for the length of the hole
Rock Creek Cattle Company- hole 18
I have played most of Tom Doak's courses world wide and am a big rap for Rock Creek.
Despite rather inhospitable terrain Doak has manufactured a course that could be described as 'wild west meets links golf'
It's firm and fast and favours the bouncing ball.
I rate Rock Creek one of Doak's best 10 courses- and that's a tough field to crack!
Renaissance Cup
In September 2008 I was fortunate enough to be invited to Tom Doak's Renaissance Cup at Rock Creek
I was joined by my wife and son Tim who is pro golfer.
Our few days at Rock Creek were memorable.
Yes, the golf course is outstanding but the cabins, the clubhouse and other outdoor activities all added to the experience
Highly recommended!
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