Old Works

 Over the summer, I was able to play several amazing new courses. A couple of those stood out to me as excellent venues for golf, one of which was Old Works in Anaconda, Montana. This Jack Nicklaus designed course is built on the site of an old copper mine and includes several remnants of the mining operation. Some of these are: old copper smelting ladles, large ruins of stone buildings from the mine that once stood there, and all the bunkers were filled with slag, which is a very fine black sand, a byproduct of copper smelting. Also there are several heaps of slag that are used as waste areas, a strange and unique touch.
   
   As for the course, it was wonderful (top 100 in the U.S), even though I was only able to play the front nine, what I found was a unique course in great condition with some stunning holes. Hole five, a downhill par 4 with a waste area and a pond guarding the green was fantastic.

 Hole 5

 #6

 The next hole, #6 is one of the best par fives I've ever played. This hole offers many interesting shot options as it weaves through several piles of slag. Hole seven  is a short but awesome par three that ends a fantastic three hole stretch of 5, 6, and 7. The shot plays from atop a slag heap to a green surrounded by waste areas, a great par 3.

Hole 7

The rest of the course was also very good, some of my other favorites are 3, a tough but fun par 5, and 9 a par 4 with a huge green (70+ ft putts). Overall, it was a great experience for a very reasonable price ($49 or less with cart).