Golf in Montana
Overview
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This page explains golf in Montana. The sorter handles the local question by city or ZIP.
Golf in Montana
Montana's public golf season runs roughly May through October given the mountain climate, and cities such as Billings, Missoula, and Bozeman each have multiple public courses open to all. Big Sky Resort operates an Arnold Palmer-designed 18-hole public course open from mid-May through late September with tee times bookable online.
Published local price
Briarwood Golf Club (Billings, MT): guest weekday 18-hole fee $35; guest weekend 18-hole fee $40. Public play available. Rates vary by season and tee time.
Published range: $35 to $40.
Briarwood Golf Club Billings Membership Dues and Fees 2025 · as of 2025Where to go
Golf score
49th of 51 states for retirement golf
Golf score blends year-round playability (34%), playable access (16%), affordability (16%), course pedigree (12%), and statewide course density (22%).
Courses
A sample of marquee courses across Montana, with where to play and how to book.
Built on a reclaimed copper smelter site with black slag bunkers · Jack Nicklaus
A Jack Nicklaus public course in Anaconda built over an old copper smelter, where the bunkers are filled with jet-black slag. The setting is one of a kind, and locals get a much friendlier rate.
Opened 1997 · $$$
Photo: Montanabw (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Links-style holes along the Gallatin River under Lone Peak · Arnold Palmer
An Arnold Palmer resort course set 6,500 feet up, with Lone Peak in front of you and the West Fork of the Gallatin running through. The thin mountain air sends your drives a little farther.
$$$$ · Slope 133
Tree-lined holes with named tributes and mountain views
The championship South Course at Montana's busiest golf club, where every hole carries its own name and the pines frame your shots. It is right in Whitefish and open to everyone.
Back nine wraps around the Stillwater River in the Flathead Valley · Andy North & Roger Packard
An Andy North design in Kalispell with a links-style front nine and a back nine that bends around the Stillwater River. Walking is welcome if you have the legs for it.
Opened 1996 · Slope 132
Plays through Hellgate Canyon with five holes along the river · Brian Curley & Lee Schmidt
Missoula's standout, tucked into a canyon east of town with several holes right along the river. Walking is allowed, though the long hikes between some holes make a cart the easier call.
Opened 2006 · Slope 125
Mature parkland with lakes, ponds, and grazing antelope · George H. Schneiter Sr.
A mature, friendly public course in Billings with water in play and antelope often grazing the fairways. The gentle slope rating makes it an easy walk-up round for most golfers.
Opened 1957 · Slope 114
Bozeman muni at the base of the Bridger Mountains · Mac Hunter
Bozeman's scenic public course sits right at the foot of the Bridger Mountains, just minutes from downtown. It rewards accuracy and a sharp short game over raw distance.
Slope 119
We've mapped 7 courses across Montana so far.
What Montana costs
Cost of living
95
BEA index, U.S. = 100
State income tax
~5.0% state income-tax planning rate
Social Security
Partly taxed
How people start
Most metros list city-run courses with published fee schedules. Those set the affordable floor before any private club enters the picture.
Many courses post a reduced weekday senior rate and a season pass. The difference between pay-per-round and a pass is the number that usually drives the yearly cost.
In warm states the season runs most of the year; in cold ones it is a few months. The yearly cost is rounds-per-year times rate, plus cart and equipment.
Common questions
Montana's public golf season runs roughly May through October given the mountain climate, and cities such as Billings, Missoula, and Bozeman each have multiple public courses open to all. Big Sky Resort operates an Arnold Palmer-designed 18-hole public course open from mid-May through late September with tee times bookable online.
Montana has a cost-of-living index near 95 (U.S. = 100), about a 5.0% state income-tax planning rate, and taxes some Social Security. The full state guide breaks down property tax, sales tax, and long-term-care costs, each sourced.
Sources
The life your money is for