The Old Course at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort

Fairmont Hot Springs Resort Golf Course in Anaconda/Fairmont, Montana is the resident 18-hole layout at one of Montana's most-storied hot-springs resorts, a 1974 Lloyd Wilder design that plays 6,741 yards par 72 with a 71.5 rating and 128 slope. The mountain-valley setting combines Anaconda Range views with easy drive access from Butte (15 min) and Missoula (75 min), and the resort's hot-springs mineral pools are the post-round tradition. The signature moments are both unusual. The par-5 5th, 'mile-high, mile-long' in local parlance, plays 649 yards from the back tees, making it one of the longest holes in Montana and the anchor of the course's reputation as a legitimate championship test despite its resort-amenity marketing. The par-3 3rd features Montana's largest green at a three-tiered 10,000 square feet, a massive putting surface where pin position can swing club selection by three or four clubs. For the Old Works / Anaconda-area trip visitor, Fairmont is the companion round to the flagship Old Works course (Jack Nicklaus's reclaimed smelter-site design 15 minutes away).