15th Hole Spanish Peaks Mountain Club
SPANISH PEAKS MOUNTAIN CLUB
RUNDOWN: We were really excited when we found out we would have a chance to come to Spanish Peaks! Everything didn't aline on our first trip to Big Sky, but we jumped on the chance for a return trip when we knew we would be coming here. We are very glad that we did because this quickly became one of our favorites of the year. Spanish Peaks is set up as a course that we could easily play every single day! Not every course fits into that category, but this course is very playable and will still test you in every way.
Tom Weiskopf is did a fantastic job on this mountain layout. You will have the chance to hit every club in the bag and attempt every shot shape you think you have. The course was in perfect conditions and the greens played fairly firm and were rolling quick for us. The greens were not overly difficult to read, but the subtle breaks will definitely bite you if you can't seem to read them. The course will not kill you with length since the tips play 7,200 yards. The yardage, with the thin mountain air, will seem very playable no matter where you choose to tee off from.
Tom Weiskopf also has the ultra exclusive Yellowstone Club in the area. He has shown his ability to shape these courses with the land he is provided. Spanish Peaks really takes advantage of the land it is built on. It is not a manufactured course, but follows the lay of the land. One of our other favorite courses, Snake River Sporting Club in Jackson Wyoming, was also built by Tom Weiskopf. He doesn't force his design into the landscapes he is provided, instead he seamlessly blends them into the surroundings. You find yourself in awe at times that you get to play golf in such settings. He also throws in a drivable par 4 on his courses, so you really can't go wrong enjoying a round of golf on his designs.
COURSE INFO AND DIRECTIONS
Designed by Tom Weiskopf and opened for play in 2007.
Private golf course.
5 sets of tees ranging from 4,813 to 7,200 yards.
Par can be 71 or 72 depending on how you play the 18th hole. It is set up with a par 4 and par 5 green.
https://spanishpeaks.com
406-999-0038. 181 Clubhouse Fork, Big Sky, Montana 59720.
Tom Weiskopf is did a fantastic job on this mountain layout. You will have the chance to hit every club in the bag and attempt every shot shape you think you have. The course was in perfect conditions and the greens played fairly firm and were rolling quick for us. The greens were not overly difficult to read, but the subtle breaks will definitely bite you if you can't seem to read them. The course will not kill you with length since the tips play 7,200 yards. The yardage, with the thin mountain air, will seem very playable no matter where you choose to tee off from.
Tom Weiskopf also has the ultra exclusive Yellowstone Club in the area. He has shown his ability to shape these courses with the land he is provided. Spanish Peaks really takes advantage of the land it is built on. It is not a manufactured course, but follows the lay of the land. One of our other favorite courses, Snake River Sporting Club in Jackson Wyoming, was also built by Tom Weiskopf. He doesn't force his design into the landscapes he is provided, instead he seamlessly blends them into the surroundings. You find yourself in awe at times that you get to play golf in such settings. He also throws in a drivable par 4 on his courses, so you really can't go wrong enjoying a round of golf on his designs.
COURSE INFO AND DIRECTIONS
Designed by Tom Weiskopf and opened for play in 2007.
Private golf course.
5 sets of tees ranging from 4,813 to 7,200 yards.
Par can be 71 or 72 depending on how you play the 18th hole. It is set up with a par 4 and par 5 green.
https://spanishpeaks.com
406-999-0038. 181 Clubhouse Fork, Big Sky, Montana 59720.
REVIEW AND HIGHLIGHTS
Hole 2 Par 5 - 527 Yards
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The opening par 5 on the course is one of the best risk/reward holes out here. We absolutely loved the way this hole looked from tee to green. The landing area off the tee is actually pretty large, but the optimal position is hugging the left side of the fairway. However, there is not much room on the left as the trees come out into play. Anything too far left will quickly fall off to the cart path and quickly be lost to the high grass out here. A drive down the right side can bring trouble into play off the tee, but will ultimately affect your approach shot to the green. The approach from the right will require you to carry it all the way to the putting surface. Right or short will most certainly bring about a penalty stroke as there are thick trees on the hill that guard the putting surface. A layup here is no walk in the park either as the fairway pinches down with water on the right side. Hopefully your tee shot sailed down the left side of the fairway and even with that, you still may not be able to see the pin on this green. The length of this hole will not get you, scoring will all be determined by your shot placement here.
Hole 3 Par 3 - 231 Yards
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This hole definitely had my number while we were here! Kevin always seemed to gain strokes on me as I racked up a triple bogey and bogeys the other two times. On the other hand, he seemed to hit this green each time and had a decent birdie chance every time. It plays slightly down hill, but it plays long from most of the tee boxes. I can only imagine how tough it can play if the wind is up. The large putting surface is guarded on the left by an equally large bunker. Short and right are the bailout areas here and will provide you with the chance to get up and down. When the pin is in the front, its tough to get your chip to stop by the hole from in front of the green. Overall, this hole will make you strike a long iron or hybrid well if you want to save par and move on.
We were lucky to run into the elk one of the evenings we were out with the drone. We were talking as we drove down number two that we hadn't seen anything all day and just wanted to see some animals. As we rounded the corner we saw this small group surrounding the green and enjoyed some time capturing some photos and watching them feed. They only ran away when one of the workers walked onto the green to remove the flag for the evening. They remove the flags and place them on the ground each evening to avoid having the elk walk onto the greens and snap the flagsticks. They for some reason are attracted to them and as you can imagine, can cause some extensive damage to the putting surface. It's so awesome to us that we are playing the game we love up in the mountains where you can see these cool animals.
We were lucky to run into the elk one of the evenings we were out with the drone. We were talking as we drove down number two that we hadn't seen anything all day and just wanted to see some animals. As we rounded the corner we saw this small group surrounding the green and enjoyed some time capturing some photos and watching them feed. They only ran away when one of the workers walked onto the green to remove the flag for the evening. They remove the flags and place them on the ground each evening to avoid having the elk walk onto the greens and snap the flagsticks. They for some reason are attracted to them and as you can imagine, can cause some extensive damage to the putting surface. It's so awesome to us that we are playing the game we love up in the mountains where you can see these cool animals.
Hole 4 Par 4 - 398 Yards
I actually loved the look of this hole from the tee box. However, I can imagine that it looks tough to most individuals when teeing it up. The hole moves right to left pretty much the entire way and has some large trees on the right side ready to knock down wayward drives. Too far left and you find yourself in a fairway bunker with a tough shot in. Besides the one shot I lost way right, I was able to draw the ball in nicely and have a wedge into the putting surface the other few times. This hole can be a great birdie opportunity and can just as easily become a tough bogey save.
Hole 8 Par 3 - 174 Yards
Here is just a fun, fairly short, par 3. The putting surface is large but there are bunkers short left and back right that will protect it. The large hill on the right side of the green will definitely influence your approach shot. The hill can provide a side/backboard to certain pins and I can imagine has provided some individuals with a great hole in one. Our third guy on this trip, Keslen, nearly dunked it in our evening round from about 130 yards out. Watching it sail through the air we knew it was going to be good, but it surprised us when it landed just a couple feet from the hole and released slightly to about 6 inches. That would have been fun to see, but I guess we will wait until our next round to try for one again.
Hole 11 Par 5 - 523 Yards
Another reachable par 5 and it ended up being one of our favorites on the property. It probably helps that I birdied this 3 out of 4 times and had solid chances at eagle on two of those. Kevin also played it really well and it just seemed to fit our eyes really well. From the tee the fairway looks large and easy to hit. The landing area is very generous and provides the chance to take a rip at it in hopes of getting on in two. The fairway really pinches down beyond the landing area though. A drive too far to the left or right of the fairway will then require you to shape your approach shot into this green. The large mounds on each side of the fairway with the ever present trees really make it seem like a small chute to fit your ball through. I loved the look from this to the green on the other side. There is a deep bunker that guards the front left of this green and there is actually a generous bailout area short and right of the green. You will also want to make sure you are on the proper side of the ridge that runs through the middle of the green. It is very pronounced and will greatly affect your putting line and speed.
Hole 15 Par 3 - 220 Yards
This hole will definitely pass as the signature hole on the property. While many others will push for that position, this one will be enjoyed by most everyone. It's easy to see why with Kevin's photo at the start of the write up. Every tee box shows a great view of the hole and the mountains surrounding you. The farther back you go, the more you are forced to carry the water and the deep bunker on the left. The green is large and I am sure there is not a shortage of pin positions here. While the one on the back left may look like the most intimidating on the surface, you do not have to shoot right at it to get the ball back there. The back left of the green sits well below the other tier of the green and a large U-shaped ridge will feed your ball towards the pin. The ridge can also push your ball away from a right side pin and cause a difficult two putt. Pull out the camera and snap a couple of photos here since this is one that you will want to look at whenever you are not on the property.
Hole 17 Par 4 - 359 Yards
I love that Tom Weiskopf puts a drivable par 4 into his designs. It brings about a chance to really gain some strokes on the round and make you feel good about yourself. The 17th here will not be an easy test at getting on in one and sinking an eagle though. It requires the ability to carry the ball well off the tee to fly over the bunker in the middle of the fairway. Working the ball left to right will give you the best chance of hitting the putting surface here. The fairway will kick the ball down the hill and depending on what side of the ridge you ride, you can have a short or long eagle chance. Working the ball right to left will give you a chance, but you will have to smack the ball a little further as you will not have the hill to aid you in reaching. I can only imagine the bunker in the middle of the fairway would be an awful place to be! The green here is not tame and will most likely provide a difficult putt. While he gives you hope that you can be the hero here, chances are more likely that you will be just an average joe. But swing away and shoot for the elusive eagle on a par 4! No matter your score here, you will likely look at this being one of the most fun holes on the course.