Golf Advisor

They don’t call it the “wild west” for nothing.

The states that make up the mountain west are synonymous with the words from America the Beautiful … ‘Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain.”

The plains, prairieland and farm fields of Nebraska bleed into the front range and Rocky Mountain high of Colorado. From New Mexico in the south to Montana and Idaho in the north, these places feature some of America’s most rugged and rewarding landscapes. In other words, it’s ideal for golf.

None of these states are true hotbeds of destination golf like California, Arizona, Florida and the Carolinas; the exception being, perhaps, Colorado. However, there are pockets of golf worth discovering. For example, I played golf in Nebraska, Utah and Wyoming along the Interstate-80 corridor while moving and driving from Michigan to California over five days. What a memory.

You can get in your car and choose your own golf adventure, too. Here’s where:

Montana’s Big Sky
One hour from Bozeman and 6+ hours from Boise.

Big Sky is a destination on the rise. The Big Sky Resort is home to the public Big Sky Golf Course, Arnold Palmer’s first-ever design. The two major private clubs nearby, the Reserve at Moonlight Basin and Spanish Peaks Mountain Club, are adding resort accommodations in the years to come, which will open up more public access. The 150-room Montage Big Sky adjacent to the clubhouse at Spanish Peaks is expected to debut in 2021 as Montana’s first luxury hotel. Vacationers who rent homes in these communities can already gain access to these high-end experiences on a limited basis.