RED LODGE -- If you enjoy beautiful views while swinging the sticks, Red Lodge Mountain Golf Course is a must-play.
“The views up here at Red Lodge, especially when you’re up on the bench – most of the golf course is on the west bench – we have great views of the ski area up on the hill, views towards the pass and then of course views of the Rosebuds,” Red Lodge Mountain guest services and marketing director Spencer Weimar said.
Soak in the scenery, because the golf is tough. Narrow fairways and small greens make it a tough course to score on. The course’s largest green is the Par-3 15th, but it’s the most treacherous shot of the round.
“Mentally, you just starting thinking about the water," Weimar said. "You’re going, ‘Water. Not in the water. Not in the water.’ And all you’re swing is hearing is, ‘Let’s see if we can put this ball in the water.’ The elevation makes you feel like you’re looking down on it, feel pretty good, and then that water just works against that.”
The Par-5 18th is a perfect finishing hole, as it encompasses all parts of Red Lodge Mountain Golf Course. There’s the breathtaking views off the tee box, but there’s plenty of trouble.
Errant tee shots to the right will find a pond, while there’s also a creek that splits the fairway in two. Navigate the first set of obstacles and another creek lies in wait of a poor shot.
“The beautiful thing about is, it gives you the final epic views as we finish a round of golf here. You’ve got the Rosebuds straight out there, and then up slightly to our left is the ski hill, so you finish out with a great view," Weimar said. "There’s a little bit of water, but we also aren’t very forgiving on the left here, either. You can’t cheat over and avoid it, you’ve got to kind of play towards it and really play your distances right. You’ve got to have a little bit of club knowledge and control at this point.”
Two-time club champion and head of Red Lodge junior golf Kory Rountree and Red Lodge Mountain Golf Course employee Chelsea Ditmore joined our Alec Bofinger to play Nos. 15 and 18, which you can watch in the video above.
