“I Witnessed a One” at The Ranch Club

On a warm Thursday morning, I was a witness. High on a hillside overlooking a 138-yard par 3 at the Ranch Club, I saw my friend Harley Paugh make a one.

With a wedge he landed his golf ball a few feet left of the pin along a little ridge in the green and spun it to the right. With eyes wide, we all saw it track its way toward the hole and teeter on the edge of the cup before dramatically dropping in.

Instinctually the yelling and cheering started, creating an epic din that could be heard all throughout the Ranch Club. High fives were exchanged, quite a few expletives were dropped in disbelief, and we all gut laughed and cheered long after the ball hit the bottom of the cup.

Then it was my turn to hit and I joked, “How am I supposed to follow that?”

The Ranch Club is a links style golf course that protects its greens with deep pot bunkers and long fescue rough. If your tee shot finds the fescue in some of the areas at the Ranch Club, the ball is as good as gone.

The 7^th hole at the Ranch Club is a 585-yard par 5 that seems to have more water than land as you stand on the tee and survey the landscape. A large pond runs the length of the hole and cuts across the fairway midway through the hole forcing players to consistently be wary of the hazard before approaching the large greens of the Ranch Club.

One of my favorite holes at the Ranch Club was the par 4 10^th that plays 383-yards from the tips. A sharp dogleg left, the tee shot needs to negotiate the dangerous bunkers along the right of the fairway and sets up a downhill shot to the protected green that slopes from back-to-front.

After Harley had made a one at the 4^th hole, the rest of our round was spent focusing on the upcoming shot and then reminding ourselves with a, “Did that really happen?”

The par 5 17^th hole at the Ranch Club is a 544-yard hole with a landing area along the left of the fairway on that will shoot your ball down the fairway and bring the green into play on the second shot. A slightly downhill shot protected by a pond to the right of the green and bunkers surrounding the putting surface faces the golfer if their drive is long enough.

After our round, Harley, his buddy Will, and I, had to go into the clubhouse to tell our tale. Each version of the hole-in-one we all saw was even more dramatic than the previous. Sitting at the bar in the clubhouse of the Ranch Club having a beer compliments of the hole-in-one hitter himself, I even told a tale or two about the epic shot to anyone who would listen.

My first trip around the Ranch Club was a phenomenal experience highlighted by seeing someone make a one.

Because, I was a witness.

Thanks to Harley Paugh and the Ranch Club for a great day of golf in Missoula. This is a fantastic golf course I am eager to play again.

 

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“A Fantastic 4th of July” at The Highlands Golf Club

“We’re a drinking club with a golfing problem,” was the way Mike O’Connell described The Highlands Golf Club to me as I toured the old mansion style restaurant called The Keep before our round.

A building with high vaulted ceilings, old stone fireplaces, and old wooden beams, the clubhouse of The Highlands Golf Club is housed downstairs while the restaurant is up above offering amazing views of the whole Missoula valley.

The Highlands Golf Club begins with a 380-yard downhill par 4 that turns slightly right-to-left. With a pair of bunkers midway through the fairway and another bunker farther down the right side this downhill par 4 is a challenging opening hole. The fairways at Highlands are very tough because of the sidehill lies you get on every one of the holes.

Another downhill par 4, the 2^nd hole at Highlands Golf Club is a challenging tee shot through a narrow corridor of trees. This rolling fairway has out-of-bounds to the left of the rough and leads to an undulating and extremely sloped green.

As Mike and Mike’s friends Will and Andrew and I walked our way around this unique little golf course, one of the most surprising things was the number of deer and fawns on the course. Not at all timid these deer would watch you hit shots from within feet away.

The 9^th hole at Highlands plays as a par 4 on the front nine but a par 5 on the back. From the tips it measures 515-yards up a steep hill toward a green near the clubhouse. A steady climb with a pair of bunkers on both sides of the fairway in the landing area. The ninth green is a turtleback with a large ridge running down the middle of the putting surface that also has a pair of bunkers surround it.

After we had finished our nine and before Mike and his buddies continued their round we sat on the patio and had a drink to celebrate our round. As we visited and looked out on the backdrop that is the greater Missoula area, Mike invited all of us over for a 4^th of July barbecue later in the day.

In true 4^th of July style, hot dogs and hamburgers were cooked on the grill and beers were put on ice in the cooler. A number of my cousins and extended family showed up and we sat in lawn chairs in the sun on a great day and visited.

It was a great day for golf, for a barbecue, and to see family and friends. And it got off to a great start at The Highlands Golf Club, “a drinking club with a golfing problem”.

Thanks to Mike O’Connell and his family and the staff at The Highlands Golf Club for a great 4^th of July

“Wishing My School Had a Golf Course” at the University of Montana Golf Course

I wish my school had a golf course.

At the base of Mount Sentinel just past the University of Montana is a nine hole golf course. Decorated with Griz flags and tee markers, this par 35/36 track is an old staple in Missoula. Originally called the Missoula Country Club, the University of Montana Golf Course was established in 1924 and has matured into a tree-lined beauty in the Garden City.

The University Course is a reasonably flat track that you can cruise around and play a quick nine in about an hour and a half. That was just the case when my friend and former college teammate Taryn Campbell, her older sister Carlan, and myself made our way out for an afternoon round.

An opening tee shoot from right by the deck of the Iron Griz restaurant operated by the University’s Dining program on the par 4 364-yard 1^st hole welcomes you to this fun track. A relatively straight course keeping your shots in between the trees is the most important part of playing this course. Twin bunkers protect this turtleback green to open up the round.

The best view of the course is from the 3^rd tee perched on the hillside of Mount Sentinel for the 462-yard downhill par 5. With trees left and out of bounds past the trees on the right this tight fairway needs a straight tee shot to give players any hope of getting on the green in two. A small pond in the front left of the green protects this putting surface and can force some players to lay up just to be safe going in to this crowned green.

As you make your way around the University Course you will have to hoist shots over the tops of skyscraping pine trees while also punching low shots underneath the low hanging branches of some other deciduous hazards.

Finishing the round at the University of Montana Golf Course is the par 5 535-yard ninth hole. Another long tree-lined fairway, this closing hole has the driving range to the right of the rough and a tall fence protecting the student apartments left of the left rough. Twin bunkers protect this putting surface from any shots intending to roll their way up from the sides of this hole and onto this back-to-front sloping green.

After our round at the University Course, our group headed over to the Iron Griz to grab a quick bite and a beer. As the men’s league went out to go play their matches on a beautiful summer’s night we visited and watched them tee off from the 1^st tee right outside the windows of the Iron Griz.

It’s too bad my school doesn’t have a golf course like this.

Thanks to Chris Anderson and the staff at the University of Montana Golf Course for the hospitality and for a great round of golf on this fun track.

 

“It Will Always Beat Fishing” at Canyon River Golf Club

East of Missoula, there is a golf course just barely visible from the Interstate. At 80 miles per hour, if you blink you might miss the wide fairways or tall fescue rough that combine to create an amazing golf experience at Canyon River Golf Club.

The fairways at Canyon River are the first part of the course to catch your eye, as these sprawling stretches of green grass seem to meander on endlessly as you stand on the opening tee. There is of course the deep fescue rough at Canyon River that lines every hole and can quickly steal a ball away from you after any wayward shots find their way into it. What Canyon River also has are gigantic undulating greens, the kind of greens that can leave you with putts of over 50-feet if you find yourself in the wrong quadrant.

It is on this gorgeous golf course that is nestled along the Blackfoot River among the mountains that encapsulate this immaculate valley that I met my playing partners just off the 1^st tee Gary Chumrau and Bill Hill. Gary and Bill were gracious enough to join me on a windy day that made Canyon River an even tougher track rather than go fishing as they had originally planned.

“I’m not sure I would want to be on a boat right now with this wind,” Gary said as we began our walk down the first fairway. “The fishing is probably terrible today anyhow.”

The opening hole at Canyon River slightly turns right-to-left past a bunker on the left side of the fairway. A slow rolling hill will catch longer tee shots and bring the ball past the cart path leaving less than 80-yards into a pin that can be tucked behind the deep front right bunker. This 398-yard hole is an early opportunity to make birdie if your game is strong off the tee to begin the round.

One of the most exciting holes at Canyon River is the drivable 338-yard 8^th hole that turns slowly right-to-left past a deep fairway bunker. This risk/reward hole is best played by flying the bunker on the left to leave a short approach up the hill to a sloping green. Staying to the left side of this fairway will also help players avoid the dangerous and deep greenside bunker to the right of the putting surface that will leave you short-sided for this green that slopes away.

As Gary, Bill, and I battled the wind that was sweeping through the canyon east of Missoula we came to one of Canyon River’s signature holes, the par 3 12^th hole that catches of the eye of people traveling along the Interstate. This downhill 190-yard par 3 plays a club or two shorter than listed to a green protected by a handful of bunkers left of the subtly front-to-back sloping green.

After battling the wind and the fescue at Canyon River Golf Club, Gary, Bill, and I went inside to grab a beer as a reward for finishing our long walk across this great course. The three of us clinked our glasses together as Gary joked, “There is no way the fishing would have been better than this.”

Canyon River is one of the best golf courses in Montana and one of my favorite tracks to play. If you’re driving on the Interstate heading north into Missoula, don’t forget to look for Canyon River Golf Club.

Thanks to Canyon River, PGA Professional Edward Bezanson, and the rest of the staff for a wonderful day at such a fantastic golf course.  

“The Oldest Green and a Mo Burger” at The Missoula Country Club

The 16^th hole at the Missoula Country Club is a historic place for golf in Montana. A white sign with green lettering hangs on a tree behind the green and reads:

16 GREEN

Was Constructed in 1931

It Is The First Grass Green

In The State Of Montana

This historic and wonderful golf course is a tight track lined by countless trees that drape over the fairway and can block out shots into greens if you’re not on the correct side of the fairway. It’s a challenging test of shot making at such a wonderful course.

My host for my round at the Missoula Country Club was my friend Bryan Porch who I’ve known from refereeing basketball all around the state. Porchy, as he’s called, is as fun as it gets. Originally from Florence, he’s a fast talker full of jokes and one-liners. Joining us for the round of golf was Bryan’s older brother Robby who I played golf with in Hamilton.

The 362-yard 1^st hole at the Missoula Country Club is a perfect example of the type of golf you’ll be playing at the MCC. A straightforward par 4 lined by trees on both sides of the rough your tee shot has to be far enough back and favor the right side to be able to dodge the limbs on a tall deciduous tree that hangs over the left-hand side of the fairway the runs up to a green protected by a bunker on the right and one behind the back-to-front sloping green.

Robby joked, “I’m just here so the conversation isn’t completely one-sided,” after Bryan had made a great up-and-down and congratulated himself before we had the chance. “But it doesn’t look like I’m going to be much good.”

Playing with these two brothers was as much fun as you could imagine. Listening to them tell different versions of the same stories throughout the round had me laughing all afternoon.

The 10^th hole is a 468-yard par 5 that runs down between banks of trees toward a gorgeous pond with a rock wall in front of the green. A bunker on the side of the fairway completely wraps its way around a tall ponderosa pine tree ready to make shots into this well protected green even more difficult. An undulating and elevated green the 10^th can be a challenging place to make birdie depending on the position of the pin.

With Bryan and Robby providing the humor as made our way through the back nine at the Missoula Country Club, we found ourselves at the gorgeous 17^th hole. From an elevated tee this 150-yard hole has water to the right and left and a set of bunkers protecting it as well. Playing a club shorter than the scorecard would recommend, this is an excellent par 3 that demands precision.

The closing hole at the Missoula Country Club is a 502-yard par 5 that heads back up the hill toward the clubhouse. With trees lining the left of the fairway and a pair of bunkers on the right the real danger on this hole is the out-of-bounds on the right of the rough all along this hole. Reachable in two, the green on this hole is protected by a trio of bunkers in the front left, the right, and behind the putting surface.

As the three of us finished our round and the two Porchs and I walked off the green, I had the last laugh. I said, “After playing golf with both of you guys, I’m pretty sure I know who my favorite Porch is… It’s Brad.”

We were rolling with laughter once again as we decided on dinner plans and headed downtown to the Mo Club to get a Mo Burger and a beer to complete a “real Missoula experience” as Bryan called it. Inside The Missoula Club the three of us looked up at the walls adorned by all the team pictures and action shots of great teams and players from Montana.

Eating my Mo Burger and having a cold one with the Porch brothers talking about my golfing plans all around Missoula, I figured I had had a pretty great day of golf.

It isn’t every day you get to play the first grass green in Montana and then reminisce about it with a Mo Burger and a cold one.

Thanks to the Missoula Country Club and to the Porch brothers for a fantastic day in Missoula playing golf