Big Sky Golf: Where Drives and Views Go On Forever

Big Sky is the only golf destination in the United States that not only offers up incredible vistas, but Yellowstone style wildlife viewing opportunities as well. Elk, moose, and black bears are frequent visitors, grizzlies much less so. But that's why the golf carts are equipped with cans of bear spray.

THEN THERE ARE THE FLAG PINS. For some reason, elk are attracted to the hole markers and will break them like twigs if they’re left in the holes overnight. “We now pull them every evening when the course clears,” says Moonlight Basin’s Assistant General Manager Greg Wagner. “It can be quite an adventure for the crew in September during the rut.”

That’s the thrill, and charm, of playing in Big Sky. It’s as close to golfing amongst the famed wildlife herds of Yellowstone as you can get.

Of course, there are also incredible vistas. With views of the Spanish Peaks and Beehive ranges, sight lines down the Gallatin and Madison river valleys, and of course the looming sentinel of Lone Peak, every shot will be perfectly framed. “One of Tom Weiskopf’s goals,” says Yellowstone Club’s Director of Golf Drew Glover of the famed course designer’s courses at both his club and Spanish Peaks, “was to frame 18 different views.”

Not to be outdone, golf legend Jack Nicklaus, who designed The Reserve course at Moonlight Basin, describes it as the most beautiful course that he ever designed–that’s out of 300 courses across the globe.

Then there’s the elevation: Yellowstone Club’s first tee sits at 8,000 feet, and rolls downhill. Because the thin air at that elevation adds 15 percent to most drives, some golfers may hit personal records on their opening shot.

The only downside to the altitude? Snow sticks around late into spring, so golf season in Big Sky spans just June to mid-October. But with daylight lasting until 10 p.m. in summer, a lot of golf gets squeezed into those months. Not that it’s crowded—between Yellowstone Club, Spanish Peaks Mountain Club, and Moonlight Basin, not to mention Big Sky’s public Arnold Palmer-designed course, there are a lot of courses catering to a total population of just 5,000.

And if the prospect of golfing with bears has you nervous, know this: There’s no need to worry about conflict with the charismatic megafauna (bears, moose, elk). No bear spray has yet been discharged on wildlife.

THE DRIVE FOR MORE GOLF in Big Sky

Big Sky is no longer just for skiers. But across Yellowstone Club, Spanish Peaks Mountain Club, and Moonlight Basin, visitation in summer now equals that of winter. That boost means more golfers. And that makes sense, because even Big Sky’s public course is as legendary as its course designer, ArnoldPalmer. With mountain biking, rafting, andperhaps especially golf, the word is out.

“We've noticed an increase in membership engagement in tournaments and in our clinics,” says Matt Kidd, President, Lone Mountain Land Company. “Additionally, with the opening of public hotels like One&Only Moonlight Basin and Montage Big Sky at Spanish Peaks, hotel guests are eager to enjoy golf during their vacations. The growing demand highlighted the need for additional courses at the clubs for not just seasoned players, but also golf newcomers seeking a leisurely yet challenging outing.”

To meet the needs of the more recreational end of that golf spectrum, this past summer Spanish Peaks opened Tom’s 10, a 10-hole par-3 course designed by late famed course designer Tom Weiskopf. “The par-3 trend is great not just for golfers new to the sport,” says Spanish Peaks’ Senior Director of Golf, DJ Poland, “but for anyone who doesn’t have several hours to spare. With family or with friends, you can get around Tom’s 10 in just 90 minutes.”

Each hole at Tom’s 10 pays homage to one of the 16-time PGA tour winner’s favorite par-3 holes from around the world, including the seventh at Pebble Beach, 18th at Loch Lomond, eighth at Royal Troon, and 16th at Augusta National. Tom’s 10 was Weiskopf’s last project before he passed away in August 2022, from pancreatic cancer. The work kept his mind off the illness. As did walking his dog among the timber, streams, and wetlands of the 35-acre site that became Tom’s 10.

The other thing that par-3 courses are great for? Producing hole-in-one shots. In the first four months Tom’s 10 was open, players carded four of the once-in-a- lifetime shots. The plans are still in the works, but famed Scottish course designer David McLay Kidd is bringing a similar opportunity to Moonlight Basin. “I love that a par-3 course can help new players learn the game without a big-time commitment,” says McLay Kidd. “When golf is multi- generational—kids playing with grandparents—so much more fun can be had.”

Another of golf’s superstars has also chosen to make Big Sky his haunt for the foreseeable future. This past summer,Lone Mountain Land Company signed all- time-great player and broadcaster Sir Nick Faldo to an ambassadorship deal for the company’s golf operations. The Brit recently moved to the Gallatin Valley and spent the summer playing in club events and mingling with members. Faldo has been excited by the growth of the sport in Big Sky. “There’s a lot going on up here,” he says. “I’m grateful to be a part of the big plans afoot for golf in Big Sky.

GOLF IN BIG SKY BY THE NUMBERS

• 8.9 MILLION - FOOD BANK MEALS paid for by The Match , the nationally televised 2021 charity game played on The Reserve at Moonlight Basin by Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, and NFL legends Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.

• 8,000 FEET - ELEVATION IN FEET of Yellowstone Club’s first tee, serving up altitude-enhanced opening drives.

• 7,200 YARDS - LENGTH IN YARDS of Spanish Peaks Mountain Club’s 18-hole course from the Triple Black Diamond Tees—a nod to Big Sky’s notoriously challenging ski terrain.

• 777 YARDS - LENGTH IN YARDS of The Reserve at Moonlight Basin’s Hole 17—one of the world’s longest.

• 576 YARDS - LENGTH IN YARDS of one extraordinary drive by a local pro on The Reserve’s Hole 17 thanks to the course's elevation at 7,200 feet.

• 35 MPH - TOP SPEED OF A GRIZZLY BEAR; double the top speed of most golf carts.

• 15% FARTHER - THE DISTANCE most golfers will see their drives fly at Big Sky’s high-altitude courses.

• 10PM - TIME that many players finish rounds in Big Sky during summer’s extraordinarily long days.

• 4 - HOLE-IN-ONES recorded at Tom’s 10 par-3 course in its first summer of operation

• 104 CARTS - In the Spanish Peaks fleet EQUIPPED WITH A CAN OF BEAR SPRAY.

• 98 WEEKS - RANKED #1 IN THE WORLD for Lone Mountain Land Company’s new golf ambassador—Sir Nick Faldo—at his career peak.

• 70 YARDS - DISTANCE IN YARDS that famed pitcher Roger Clemens threw a baseball from the first tee in July 2024 to ceremonially open Spanish Peaks Mountain Club’s new Tom’s 10 course.

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