Rock Creek photo tour - all 18 holes

[PThomas]

dont think there's been a full picture yet, and the club was quite happy when i asked them if i could post pictures from my recent visit - everyone I met there, Fred and all his staff, etc... was great! - , so here goes...4 sets of tees, 7466 to 5445...yardages given will be from the second longest set at 6828

the 1st, par 4, 423, split fairway



a closer look at the first green



tee shot on 2, par 4 436yds dogleg left..play is just right of the bunkers if i remember correctly



approach to number 2...a backstop behind the pin/you dont want to leave your approach short



par 5 3rd, 543 yds, also with 2 fairways



a closer view as we move toward 3 green



down the fairway a bit of the 4th, 441 yds, #1 handicap hole



the uphill 5th, 354 yds

[Dan Herrmann]

You  know - I'm starting to really dig this Western golf.  Between RC, Sagebrush, Sand Hills, etc..  I'm awfully impressed.  Plus, I love the lack of humidity out there.

[PThomas]

6th, 383 yds



the rolling nature of the 6th...



look back at 6 from 7 tee



7 tee,443 dogleg left...note the white aiming rock...a little left of it is best, esp with a little draw



someone pulled his drive , so this view of 7 green is from the left



8 tee, 173 yds



9th tee, 372 yds...faiway tilts left



again from the left side, blind second shot to 9 green...i had to aim over the right edge of the left bunker



gotta go get a haircut!  back 9 later

[Adam Clayman]

What is that apparent line between the green and the hillock just beyond? Cart path? Colors from different grasses?

[Jim Briggs]

What is that apparent line between the green and the hillock just beyond? Cart path? Colors from different grasses?

Looks to be the short cut of the native.  You can see it in some of the other pictures as well (like behind 7 green).

Wow...can really see from the pictures why this course gets all the love here.  Lays beautifully on the land and looks like a blast to play.  Thanks for the pictures Paul...looking forward to the back 9.

[Tom_Doak]

Paul:

I'm at Rock Creek today, and the next three days.  It's rained a bit since you were here and the golf course is absolutely stunning right now, I wish I'd brought my camera.

Indeed, the line in the last photo is where they've mowed one pass into the native rough.  It's not as noticeable now after the rain, the grass has gotten over the shock of being cut low.

Played today with two members and the g.m., and my partner, Tom Devlin, shot 72 with three birdies.  I don't know why people think it's so impossible.  Couldn't have been much better than it was today.

[Jim Briggs]

Tom,

Can you speak the choice of sand there.  Is it common to the area?  The brightness seems a bit stark, but having said that, I like how it works.

[Garland Bayley]

I'm sure the sand looking as bright as it does is merely a function of the photographic technology and not a true indication of the actual color as seen by the eye when in that environment.

[Tom_Doak]

Tom,

Can you speak the choice of sand there.  Is it common to the area?  The brightness seems a bit stark, but having said that, I like how it works.

Jim:

Sand is not common to this part of Montana at all, it was all trucked in from a river 100 miles away or thereabouts.  It's whiter than I normally choose, but bunker sand is one element of the course where we generally let our clients have their way ... it doesn't pay to argue about stuff like that.  I will say, though, that the bunkers here are amazingly firm and tight .  They have really matured well and I guess all that bunker liner we put in was worth the hassle.

[Ben Sims]

Tom (or anyone else thats been there),

It looks like there are some "Stone Eagle-ish" teeing angles out there.  What I mean, is that a few holes--from the aerial--look like they'd be a bit more fun from right next to the preceded green, rather than the formal tee boxes.  Notably the 7th fairway from 6th green, 11th fairway from 10th green, and 15th fairway from 14th green.  Is this intentional?

[Matthew Petersen]

Tom,

Can you speak the choice of sand there.  Is it common to the area?  The brightness seems a bit stark, but having said that, I like how it works.

Jim:

Sand is not common to this part of Montana at all, it was all trucked in from a river 100 miles away or thereabouts.  It's whiter than I normally choose, but bunker sand is one element of the course where we generally let our clients have their way ... it doesn't pay to argue about stuff like that.  I will say, though, that the bunkers here are amazingly firm and tight .  They have really matured well and I guess all that bunker liner we put in was worth the hassle.

I had previously wondered if they were deliberately going for something bright white because of the way it resembles a snow bank on the ground. Seems fitting for the area, even if that was not in fact the idea behind it.

[Tom_Doak]

Matthew:

I forgot to think about that because the snow is off the mountains right now ... but it is snowing up there today, actually.  Six inches possible above 6500 feet.  The top of the golf course is at 4960 but the mountains up behind the property go to 9000 feet.

[PThomas]

Paul:

I'm at Rock Creek today, and the next three days.  It's rained a bit since you were here and the golf course is absolutely stunning right now, I wish I'd brought my camera.

Indeed, the line in the last photo is where they've mowed one pass into the native rough.  It's not as noticeable now after the rain, the grass has gotten over the shock of being cut low.

Played today with two members and the g.m., and my partner, Tom Devlin, shot 72 with three birdies.  I don't know why people think it's so impossible.  Couldn't have been much better than it was today.

Tom, i thought the course was absolutely stunning when I was there!

and i didnt think the course was impossibly hard...I played from the 2nd set of tees, though i did move up to the third set on some of the longish par 4s

and i will be  posting the back nine either today or this weekend...

[PThomas]

10 tee, , a cool par 5 down then up, 576



closer to 10 green...10 shares a common fairway with 11



from right side of 10th fairway



11th tee, 412 yds....



approach to 11



12 tee, 148 yards down the hill

[PThomas]

the long par 3 12th, 265 from the tips, 221 from the 2nd set...long or left you are down the hill into nasty often/usually? unplayable scrub, which can be found off other fairways as well



the tricky par 4 14th, 548 from the tips, 454 from 2nd set...a dogleg right, big hitters may not need a driver



a look back down 14 from behind the green..not how narrow the fairway gets...if your tee ball doesnt land in a pretty precise spot you will have a semi-blind/fully blind second shot...



15, donwhill par 4 299 from 2nd set, 352 from the back, certainly driveable for big hitters if they are accurate



back up the hill at 16, 426 yds from 2nd set



back down the hill at the gorgeous 17th, 169 yds



18 tee, dogleg left, 555, bunkers in play on 2nd shot

[Phil McDade]

10 tee, , a cool par 5 down then up, 576



closer to 10 green...10 shares a common fairway with 11



from right side of 10th fairway



11th tee, 412 yds....



approach to 11



12 tee, 148 yards down the hill

[Phil McDade]

10 tee, , a cool par 5 down then up, 576



closer to 10 green...10 shares a common fairway with 11



from right side of 10th fairway



11th tee, 412 yds....



approach to 11



12 tee, 148 yards down the hill

[Phil McDade]

Shivas:

This is your get-on-a-plane and go forth for here course?

I'm not seeing it -- not compared to recent GCA photo threads of Sand Hills and esp. Old Macdonald.

I agree #7 looks really cool. The rest? Enlighten me (you, too, Paul...)

[Gene Greco]

Shivas:

This is your get-on-a-plane and go forth for here course?

I'm not seeing it -- not compared to recent GCA photo threads of Sand Hills and esp. Old Macdonald.

I agree #7 looks really cool. The rest? Enlighten me (you, too, Paul...)

Shivas, Jim Franklin:

    You may want to add some blurbs here to help your case because...

... I'm still pointing my plane to Mullen, Nebraska, Southampton, NY, Carmel, CA, Pine Valley, NJ, Melbourne, Australia, Newcastle, N. Ireland, County Kerry, Ireland, Dornoch, Scotland, Banff, Canada, Ardmore, PA, Oakmont, PA, Fisher's Island, NY, Bridport, Tasmania, or Northland, New Zealand.

[Rob Rigg]

It looks like RC3 has a lot of variety?

Is that one of its strengths?

At least on the longer holes, it appears from the photos like there is a mix of downhill, flat and uphill approaches - and also some different views on the drives as well?

Where do you all put this in the pantheon?

[DMoriarty]

Shivas:

This is your get-on-a-plane and go forth for here course?

I'm not seeing it -- not compared to recent GCA photo threads of Sand Hills and esp. Old Macdonald.

I agree #7 looks really cool. The rest? Enlighten me (you, too, Paul...)

Shivas, Jim Franklin:

    You may want to add some blurbs here to help your case because...

... I'm still pointing my plane to Mullen, Nebraska, Southampton, NY, Carmel, CA, Pine Valley, NJ, Melbourne, Australia, Newcastle, N. Ireland, County Kerry, Ireland, Dornoch, Scotland, Banff, Canada, Ardmore, PA, Oakmont, PA, Fisher's Island, NY, Bridport, Tasmania, or Northland, New Zealand.

I'm sure one couldn't go wrong with any of those destinations.  But it would be a mistake to write RCCC out of your travel plans because you aren't overly impressed with some pictures.   It is hard to capture the scale and movement in photos.    Picture something like the movement on the eighth hole at Crystal Downs or the eighth at Prairie Dunes, only super-sized. 

Here is a photo from behind the long two shot 14th which might give a better feel for the nature of the land.  Those bunkers are the only two on the hole.  The tees are on the ridge near the horizon over the left side of the green. 

[PThomas]

Shivas:

This is your get-on-a-plane and go forth for here course?

I'm not seeing it -- not compared to recent GCA photo threads of Sand Hills and esp. Old Macdonald.

I agree #7 looks really cool. The rest? Enlighten me (you, too, Paul...)

Phil, lots of very good holes out there...some of mine include par 5 3rd with its dual fairway - i used each one during my 2 rounds there -, the par 3 8th...in fact all the par 3's there are quite good, 17 across a beautiful rushing creek being my favorite ...
 the par 5 10th, down then quite uphill for your 3rd...14, where choice of club off the tee and placement of your tee ball are so important, the drivable 15th,.....

RCC is certainly a beautiful place to play golf, you get the feeling of being totally isolated from the rest of the world....unbelievably quiet out there, which i always appreciate...snow-capped peaks, a flowing stream with cold water which people fish out of...there's only 1 hole out there I believe with 2-3 houses.......

overall the course was in very good condition...and as i said earlier ALL of the staff i dealt with were great, including my caddie

Tom and his crew did their usualy great shop of shaping i think...i love how the bunkers fit/blend into the landscape, how natural they look

the course is quite walkable...you do go up some hills so it is a decent workout, but it is definitely a course that can and should be walked

wow, after typing this it makes me want to go back out there right now!

[Scott_Burroughs]

The pics of #11 don't give an idea of the right side of the fairway, which drops 30 feet (a guess) from the left side.  This is some topography in use...a look back from the green:



Tom Doak,

While playing #17, I wondered why the right half of the green didn't abut the creek like the left half did?

[Tom_Doak]

Gene:  Well, I've been here the past three days, and there is nowhere I'd rather be.  Not even the places you're a member.  I realize I'm biased, but until you have seen this place first-hand, you just have no idea.  I appreciate Paul taking the time to post all of his pictures, but they do not do this landscape (or these fairways and greens) any justice.

Scott:  You'll notice just in front of #17 green the ground is actually a bit higher than the green ... we built up that area so that in case the creek goes over its banks in a wet spring, it wouldn't wash out the green proper.  Once the water hits that bank and turns, we figured the green was safe and we could sneak a bit closer to the creek.

[Patrick Kiser]

Really does look like one hell of a place and thanks for sharing Paul.

This is what makes GCA still cool at times.