Old Works Golf Course
In the Deer Lodge valley beneath the Anaconda Range, Jack Nicklaus built a public course on the ruins of one of America's great copper smelters. Opened in 1997, Old Works is a par 72 that stretches to 7,705 yards, threads through preserved smelter flues and brick ruins, and fills its bunkers with the black slag the works left behind. It is one of the most unusual rounds in the country, and one of the best public values in the West.
Photograph: Old Works Golf Course, via Google · MD K
The verdict
Old Works is the most original golf story in Montana. The site was the original location of Anaconda's copper smelter, idle for the best part of a century and so contaminated that it became a federal Superfund cleanup site in the 1980s. Rather than simply fence it off, the reclamation turned it into a Jack Nicklaus signature golf course, capping the ground and weaving the holes through the preserved industrial ruins. The result is a course where you drive past hundred year old brick flues, play over ground that once poured molten copper, and rake your ball out of bunkers filled with glassy black slag.
It would be a curiosity if the golf were not also genuinely good, but Nicklaus delivered a substantial, well routed course on a grand scale. It plays long from the back tees, gives generous width for the average player from the forward tees, and frames its holes against the mountains and the ruins in a way no other course can. For the traveling golfer, Old Works is the kind of round that justifies a detour: a one of a kind experience, a serious Nicklaus design, and an outstanding public value all at once.
Old Works at a glance
- Opened
- 1997
- Designer
- Jack Nicklaus
- Type
- Reclaimed parkland
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- Up to 7,705 yds
- Access
- Public daily fee
Designer, opening year, par and yardage verified June 2026 from Nicklaus Design and course databases. Old Works is a Jack Nicklaus signature design that plays as a par 72 stretching to around 7,705 yards from the championship tees, built on a reclaimed copper smelter with its signature black slag bunkers. It is a public daily fee course and one of the best golf values in the region; rates are seasonal, so always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
The first thing every visitor remembers is the black sand. The bunkers at Old Works are filled with slag, the dark, glassy waste of the smelting process, and the contrast of that black sand against green fairway and blue Montana sky is unlike anything else in golf. The preserved smelter flues, long brick channels that once carried smoke from the works, run alongside several holes and act as enormous historical hazards, framing the round in a way that turns a walk through an industrial ruin into a feature rather than a scar.
The golf itself is big and bold, as a Nicklaus design on a wide open valley floor tends to be. It stretches a long way from the championship tees, so the strong player gets a real test of length and control, while the multiple forward tees keep it fair and enjoyable for everyone else. Water comes into play through Warm Springs Creek, the greens are large and well guarded, and the elevation in the thin mountain air adds carry to every shot.
What stays with you is the marriage of golf and place. Old Works is not a manufactured theme; it is a genuine piece of reclaimed industrial land that has been given a second life, and playing it feels like walking through Montana's mining history with a club in your hand. For a golfer who values story and originality alongside a solid, scenic round, it is one of the most memorable public courses in the West.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Public daily fee; visitors are welcome and can book directly, with no membership or resort stay required |
| Green fee | Indicative public green fees for the 2026 season are modest for a Nicklaus signature course, with twilight rates available; they are seasonal, so always confirm directly before booking |
| Booking | Direct with the course; weekends and the short prime summer window fill, so book ahead |
| Walking and carts | Walkable for the fit, with carts available; the routing is spread across a large, gently rolling valley site at altitude |
| Season | A short mountain season, roughly late spring through early autumn, with summer the peak; weather can turn quickly in the high country |
| Getting there | In Anaconda, about thirty minutes west of Butte and roughly two hours from Bozeman or Missoula in southwest Montana |
Access verified June 2026 from course sources; rates are seasonal, so always confirm directly before booking. Ask about a Montana golf trip.
Where to stay nearby
Anaconda itself is a characterful old mining town with simple lodging, while nearby Butte offers more choice and a deep mining heritage of its own. Many golfers base in the wider region and treat Old Works as a memorable stop on a Montana road trip, pairing the round with the town's history and the mountain scenery of the surrounding valleys.
For a fuller golf trip, Old Works pairs naturally with Montana's marquee mountain golf to the south. Combine its industrial originality and public value with the alpine grandeur and exclusivity of The Reserve at Moonlight Basin in the Big Sky country for a trip that spans the full range of Montana golf, from reclaimed smelter to high mountain.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts around southwest Montana.
Build a Montana golf trip
Old Works is the one of a kind round that anchors a southwest Montana golf trip, best played alongside the state's mountain courses. We plan trips through the Northern Rockies, arrange the tee times and the order of play, and handle the hotels and the logistics. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Old Works questions
Can visitors play Old Works Golf Course?
Yes. Old Works is a public daily fee course, so visitors are welcome and can book a tee time directly. It is regularly cited as one of the best public golf values in the Northwest. Rates are seasonal, so always confirm directly before booking.
Who designed Old Works?
Old Works is a Jack Nicklaus signature design that opened in 1997. It was built in partnership with a major environmental reclamation of the historic Anaconda copper smelter site, making it one of the most unusual Nicklaus courses anywhere.
Why are the bunkers black at Old Works?
The bunkers are filled with black slag, a glassy byproduct of the copper smelting that once happened on the site. Rather than truck it away, the design used the slag in the bunkers, giving the course its signature black sand and a direct link to its industrial history.
What is the par and yardage at Old Works?
Old Works plays as a par 72 that stretches to around 7,705 yards from the championship tees, one of the longest public courses in the region, with multiple forward tees for every standard of player. It sits at altitude in the Deer Lodge valley beneath the Anaconda Range.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, opening year, par, yardage and access verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.