|
RED LODGE, WHITE TEES, AND BLUE
SKIES
by Anthony L. ScaggsAn early start was in order—taking pictures and playing golf
makes for an arduous day. My first stop was the Red Lodge Mountain Resort, a
72-par course with some type of water on 13 of the 18 holes. The open fairways twist around houses, trees and across
meadows. The course designer was Bob Baldock and the head pro is Jim Halberg. I
met Sherry Weamer who knows her way around the Pro Shop as well as the Real
Estate Marketing Department. The locals say that the sun shines five out of seven days
and if you are not playing golf you can ski. The 2,016 vertical drop with over
30 runs covering 25 miles and 250 inches of snowfall makes the Red Lodge
Mountain Ski Resort a winter solution to keep your golf game in shape. Remember
it is the legs that give you golf swing power and balance. After stretching and hitting a bucket of balls, I headed for
the #1 hole—a very friendly 372 yard, par 4 to start the round. The other
inviting holes are 3, 4, 5, and 13. You have probably figured out that these
are the dry holes. I played from the blues tees. This turns the Golf Course
from 5,603 yards at the forward tees, to 6,408 yards from the white tees to
6,768 yards. This course is challenging enough to make it interesting, but
friendly enough to make it fun.
Yellowstone Country Contacts:Travel Montana, 800 548-3390, http://visitmt.com Red Lodge Mountain Golf Course – P.O. Box 750 – Red Lodge, Montana 59068, (406) 446-2610 Red Lodge Real Estate Marketing Department, (406) 446-2358 Images copyright 1999 SearchWrite |
|
TM
Pause for a minute at Hole 6, their
signature hole. After the shock wears off, you tee off from a hill sloping down
to the island that looks like a thimble floating upside down in an ocean. For
the faint of heart and, at times, the smarter one may lay-up to the left or the
far right with the hopes for chipping near the pin and a tap-in par. If you are
like me, you pick your line of flight, address the ball, focus, take a smooth
back swing with a gentle rotation of the hips which pulls your arms and hands
through. After making contact your wrists rotate and you complete the swing. By
the way, if you are like me, buy an extra sleeve of balls.
Houses meander along the boundaries of the course, while
streams flow through {Red Lodge Image #2} the fairways and ponds {Red Lodge
Image #1} dot the landscape, these esthetic touches combined with a friendly
golf course make this a golf stop worth making.