Stillwater Golf Course Review
October 3, 2024
Golf is amazing. That’s right I said it. Golf is amazing. Here is one reason why. Five days ago Kathy and I played one of the best resort golf courses in Idaho. Today we played a 9-hole local course in Montana.
Awesome, right?
Stillwater Golf Course was right near the RV campground where we were stopped for an overnight. We pulled in early enough to quickly find a course to play. Just 2 miles away and we were teeing off. To go from one of the most enjoyable, pristine, golf courses we have ever played, to a nifty little 9-hole course in the middle of nowhere, you would think that the difference would be so vast that we would not like the course. But, no.
Stillwater Golf Course was a great 9-hole track.
As soon as we walked into the clubhouse at Stillwater Golf Course, Jeff made us feel welcomed and wanted us to enjoy the course we were about to play. He gave us a great course brief. He even tossed in a little course history. Stillwater Golf Course was one of the last courses to have sand greens. They went to grass greens in the 1960s.
There are two sets of tee boxes that allow you to play 18 holes from different boxes. But, the first thing that stood out to me was the black sand on the course. It is copper slag brought in from local copper mines. It was very neat to see and to play out of. Kathy blasted out of the traps a couple of times without any problem.
As we continued to play Stillwater Golf Course we both noticed the quality of the course was much better than the $30.00 dollars we paid….and that included a cart. The fairways and greens were in great shape. We could see that care in the course was complete. There was nothing that stood out as under-tended or neglected.
I often talk about the beautiful views that golf courses have been built around. Stillwater Golf Course is no different. The views were all around us. The mountains were in the background of almost every hole we played. The fairways were lined with trees that started to change colors. The yellows, reds, and greens were coming out and seemed to be changing as we played.
Stillwater Golf Course is a fun course to play. My take is that Stillwater Golf Course is a solid 9-hole course with an 18-hole feel. We consider ourselves lucky that we stumbled across this course. It was a last-minute search that yielded a fun/quick round of golf.
And bonus….we were able to get our Montana state sticker on our golf bucket list map. That’s number 33 for those of you that are counting!!
It is hard for us to rate any 9-hole course a birdie. But, we enjoyed everything about playing Stillwater Golf Course.
Based on our golf scorecard, we give Stillwater Golf Course a very strong Par.
If you are in the Billings Montana area, don’t miss this golf course. You will be happy to have played it.
Fairways and Greens – We are 18 Holes and Counting
Written By: Marc Festa
COURSE REVIEW SCORE CARD
Course: Stillwater Golf Course
Type: Public
Date Played: 01 October 2024
| HOLE | PAR | SCORE | COMMENTS |
| 1 – Tee Time Availability | 4 | 4 | We were able to get the tee time we requested. |
| 2 – Cost of Green Fees | 4 | 4 | Very reasonable green fees. |
| 3 – Condition of Tee Boxes | 4 | 4 | Clean and clearly marked. |
| 4 – Condition of Fairways | 5 | 5 | The fairways were well-groomed. |
| 5 – Condition of Greens | 4 | 4 | Fast and well maintained. |
| 6 – Length of Course | 5 | 5 | Back tees play to 6410 yards, Forward tees play to 5390 yards. |
| 7 – Hazards | 4 | 4 | The bunkers and water hazards made for some intimidating shots. |
| 8 – Starter/Marshal | 3 | 2 | Jeff took the time to give us a thorough brief of the course, being sure to include a few tips and tricks. |
| 9 – High Handicap Friendly | 3 | 3 | The track offers plenty of challenges for higher handicap players. |
| OUT | 36 | 35 | |
| 10 – Practice Area | 5 | 5 | Practice greens, chipping area, and driving range. |
| 11 – Locker Rooms | 3 | 3 | Bathrooms available. |
| 12 – Pro Shop | 4 | 4 | Well stocked with all the golf essentials. |
| 13 – Location | 4 | 4 | Just a quick drive from Billings, MT. |
| 14 – Rental Equipment | 4 | 4 | Nice new golf carts and rental clubs available. |
| 15 – Food Cart | 4 | 4 | No real need for a food cart. |
| 16 – Restaurant/Club House | 4 | 4 | Snack bar and beverages available. |
| 17 – Parking | 3 | 3 | Plenty of room to park our Heavy Duty Truck. |
| 18 – Customer Service | 5 | 4 | Jeff was very friendly and happy to welcome us to the course. |
| IN | 36 | 35 | |
| TOTAL | 72 | 71 | PLAYER: Marc F. ATTESTED BY: Kathy F. |
Hi Marc and Kathy,
I am sorry that I did not meet you when you were at the course. I did not realize we would be getting any review or that you were coming to the property. I am glad the staff and members are always so friendly and that my absence was really nothing to note!
Just a couple items. Our course did not officially exist until the 70s although the formalitities of incorporating began in 1968 or so, and the greens became grass in the late 70s/early 80s! It is a neat bit of history.
The sand is a black composite of no-one-seems-to-know-what, not made from any mine material. It is a nightmare to play out of and to work around condition-wise! A neat gimmick but a misdirected decision by Board members past. We hope you stayed out of them in any event!
I am forwarding this to our Super, Eric Williams as he has worked very hard to maintain his conditions and you were very complimentary to the course. It is his second season as a Superindendant and he is doing fantastic.
We certainly appreciate your kind words. Stillwater is a really fun litle track and we are happy you had a great time. It seems that great times follow certain people, doesn’t it?!
Safe travels,
Emily Anderson
PGA Certified Professional
GM
Stillwater Golf & Recreation
406.322.4298
Emily – thank you so much for the background on your course. We really did enjoy our round and was so happy we were able to squeeze in a quick 9! Fairways and Greens….XoXo…Kath