Have you ever wondered where the best and worst Montana golf holes are located? In this article, we will rank the best 5 holes and the worst 5 holes in NW Montana. Obviously, this is just my opinion based on the design and playability of these holes. If you would like to offer your opinion, please leave a comment below.
Best Northwest Montana Golf Holes
There are some great golf holes in NW Montana, many of which did not make the list. It was hard to narrow it down to only 5, but I tried to include holes of every length and difficulty. So here we go, we will count down from #5.
5. Meadow Lake Golf Course #5, Columbia Falls
The Par 3 5th hole at Meadow Lake makes our list at #5. Playing 175 yards from the back tees, this downhill Par 3 requires the perfect club selection and an accurate shot. The 2 large pine trees just off the tee boxes protect the right side of the green and a creek runs along the front of the green. The green is not very deep from front to back and the right side of the green drops down to a lower tier. Behind the green is a bunker and forest. There is really no good place to miss the green. Be sure to double-check the wind and distance on this hole!
Here is a full review of Meadow Lake Golf Course. To make a tee time at Meadow Lake, click here.
4. Indian Springs Ranch #6, Eureka
This monster Par 3 at Indian Springs is all carry. 223 yards from the back tees, an iron may not be enough if there is any wind. A deep ravine and a bunker will catch anything short of this green. There is a narrow area to bail out on the right if you don’t have enough to reach the green. If you use too much club, there is a natural area with long grass behind. From the tees, there are great views of the Tobacco Valley and into Canada. Read the full review of Indian Springs Ranch here. To make a tee time at Indian Springs Ranch, click here.
3. Iron Horse Golf Club #10, Whitefish
Not only is this one of the best golf holes in NW Montana, but it is also one of the best golf holes in all of Montana. Tom Fazio designed this beautiful Par 4 at Iron Horse. Playing 439 yards from the back tees, a long, accurate drive is required to set up your approach. The fairway bunkers on the left and right are definitely in play on the tee shot.
If you find the fairway with your drive, the approach will be downhill to an elevated green that is protected by bunkers on 3 sides. With fast greens, a good approach shot is required to have any chance at par. Read the full Iron Horse Golf Club Review here.
2. Whitefish Lake Golf Club #7 South Course, Whitefish
This great Par 3 is the 7th hole on the South Course at Whitefish Lake Golf Club. Surrounded by water on 3 sides, this tee shot will challenge the nerves of most players. Playing 195 yards from the back tees, wind can play havoc with tee shots. It is a tough shot on a calm day and a back left hole placement adds to the difficulty. For a full review of Whitefish Lake Golf Club South Course, click here.
1. Wilderness Club #18, Eureka
The finishing hole at Wilderness Club comes in at the top of our list for the best golf holes in NW Montana. This Par 5 plays 593 yards from the back tees. There is a lake down the entire left side and numerous fairway bunkers on the right. Long and straight is required for every shot on this hole.
The green is long from front to back and slopes towards the lake with bunker on the right side. A Par on this hole is a great finish! To read the full review of Wilderness Club, click here.
Worst Northwest Montana Golf Holes
Before I get any hate mail, let me just say that my ranking of the 5 worst holes has no bearing on the golf courses as a whole. These are just certain holes on a course that I feel are bad. As you will see, some courses have a hole that is ranked as one of the best and one of the worst. So here we go, let the debate begin!
5. Whitefish Lake Golf Club, #10 North Course Par 4
Number 10 on the North Course at Whitefish Lake Golf Club is a terrible Par 4! Any hole that you are forced to layup from the tee is not a good hole. This hole measures 276 yards from the back tees, 240-260 yards from the most popular tee boxes. As you can see above, there is no view of the green, it is hidden behind the large trees on the right. It is a 90-degree dogleg right. Most people will pull out a mid to long iron from the tee to layup.
Here is where it gets really frustrating. If you hit a perfect iron down the middle, you will be sitting right behind a tree in the MIDDLE of the fairway. Unless you are lucky and your ball lands in a 10-yard window before the tree, or after the tree, you will now have to punch a shot under the tree for your approach. The reason this is such a bad hole is that you should never be penalized for hitting a shot down the middle of the fairway. If they ever cut this tree down, this hole will come off of the list of bad holes. Here is the full review of the North Course at Whitefish Lake Golf Club.
4. Indian Springs Ranch, #12 Par 4
Indian Springs is one of my favorite courses to play in NW Montana. Unfortunately, the 12th hole makes the list of worst holes in NW Montana. As you can see from the view above, it is a blind tee shot. What you can’t see from the tee, is there is a pond just over the hill. The photo below shows the layout from above. As you can see, not much room for a drive.
If you hit a drive anywhere around 200 yards and you don’t end up in the sliver of fairway on the left side, you will be in the pond. If you hit a short drive down the right, the photo below shows the view of the approach shot. On a blind tee shot, there should be a much larger landing area to make it a fair. For the full review of Indian Springs Ranch, click on the link.
3. Meadow Lake Golf Course, #4 Par 4
The 4th hole at Meadow Lake and the next hole in our rankings are very similar. They were also built by the same golf course designer. A 90-degree dogleg left, the tees are located in a chute of trees that require a layup. There is no view of the green from the tee or the landing area.
If you are able to hit an iron 170-180 yards with a bit of a draw, you will be inside of 150 to the green. The approach is a blind, straight uphill shot. There is an extra-long flagstick to give you a target and thankfully there is no sand around this green. Here is the full review of Meadow Lake Golf Course.
2. Whitefish Lake Golf Club, #5 South Course
Similar to the last hole, a 90-degree dogleg left. Instead of trees down the left side, here in Whitefish, there are houses down the left (OB) up to the corner. Another hole that requires a layup off of the tee, this tee shot also needs to stay as far to the left as you can keep it. If your shot is sliced at all, it will end up a long way from the green for the approach.
As you approach the green, the fairway dips down and the houses (OB) continue along the left and right behind the green. I have always felt like they had run out of space while building the course and just stuck this hole in where it fit. Here is the full review of Whitefish Lake South Course.
1. Buffalo Hill Golf, Championship Course #17
The 17th hole at Buffalo Hill is the clear winner for the worst golf hole in NW Montana. At this point, I would have a hard time believing that this isn’t the worst hole in the state! This Par 4 is a dogleg left with a fairway that slopes hard from right to left. To make things more interesting, there is OB along the entire left side. If the drive isn’t hit high up the right side of the fairway, there is a chance it could kick OB.
The photo above shows the severity of the right to left slope on this fairway. It also shows that you will have a blind approach shot to this green. Good luck trying to hit a fade with the ball above your feet and this slope to deal with!
Once you are about 50 yards out, you will finally have a view of this small green. The fence line on the left and behind is OB. A par on this hole is probably lucky. For the full review of Buffalo Hill Golf Club, click the link.
Best and Worst Golf Holes in NW Montana Summary
I hope you enjoyed our rankings of the best and worst golf holes in NW Montana. As I said earlier, this is just my opinion based on my golf background. Feel free to comment on any of my choices and enjoy golfing in NW Montana!
