LAUREL — There won't be a shortage of trees when players tee off Thursday in Montana's men’s State Amateur Championship at Laurel Golf Club. Although trees won't be the only concern.
From the pro shop to the grounds crew, course staffers are putting in plenty of prep work to stay ahead of a loaded field showcasing guys who hit bombs off the tee box and throw darts at pins.
“There’s a lot that goes into it,” Laurel head golf pro Jacob Harr explained to MTN Sports on a recent afternoon as temperatures hovered around 100 degrees. “A lot of painting (boundaries), (setting) hole location … and then just making sure we’re on top of it whether it’s carts or clubs.”
The Men’s Amateur Championship, now in its 103rd year and considered by many to be Montana’s most prestigious men’s tournament, is maxed out with entries. The three-day spectacle unfolds Thursday through Saturday and is free to the public. Former Billings West standout Joey Moore is the reigning champion after winning last year at Old Works in Anaconda.
Laurel golf superintendent Bob Popp is in his comfort zone after working at the club for decades.
“We try to go to the extreme,” Popp said, pointing out some of the course's risks and rewards. He and his crew will be on site earlier than usual — at 5 a.m. — aiming to keep the course pristine and fair, but also challenging.
“We try to mow everything in the morning, so everything is fresh. We mow every day … normally we don’t do that,” Popp said.
Often the case in this tournament, players can expect greens to be fast with pins changing positions daily.
"We try to get the ideal location … no tricky pins, especially when the greens are rolling fairly quick," Popp said.
For those interested in a friendly tip: "The old-timers say that everything breaks to the (Yellowstone) river, or the refineries,” he added with a smile.
More high temperatures are expected this week, meaning Popp’s biggest concern — one out of his control — is a possibility.
“We just hope we don’t get the big storms. That’s our biggest problem,” he said. Popp noted how a recent late-night storm left the course covered in branches, leaves and other debris. His crew scrambled early the next morning able to return the course to immaculate conditions in time for another tournament.
Among some of the notable holes, No. 14 is a par 4 sometimes known to camouflage tee shots and approaches as it's lined with native cottonwood trees to the right,.
“We have seen this fairway when it’s covered in cotton, and it’s hard to find balls,” he said while collecting some of the cotton.
No. 18 can be an interesting risk-reward closing hole: a mostly straightaway par 5 reachable in two for heavy hitters, though protected by more than trees and bunkers.
“We do have a water feature a little hidden to the right and left,” Popp said, offering golfers a subtle heads-up to be aware of distances from tee to hazard.
Harr, meantime, believes players most likely to be in the trophy hunt will be accurate off the tee box.
“If you get in the trees out here, you’re going to struggle to make par,” he said.
It’s that easy: just keep the ball in the fairway.
