What Golfers Say About These Big Sky State Layouts

Rivers Bend

Montana is home to some of America’s most spectacular golf destinations. Courses like Wilderness Club Resort, Old Works Golf Course, and Rock Creek Cattle Company routinely earn national praise for their scenery and design.

But not every course in the Treasure State receives rave reviews.

Finding truly “bad” golf courses in Montana is difficult because the state has relatively few courses and many enjoy strong local support. However, based on available golfer reviews, recommendation percentages, and player feedback, these three layouts have generated some of the lowest marks or most consistent criticism among Montana golfers.

1. Rivers Bend Golf Course (Thompson Falls)

Nestled along the Clark Fork River, Rivers Bend offers beautiful scenery, but golfer feedback has been sparse and largely unfavorable. On GolfPass, the course carries a recommendation percentage of 0%, with no positive reviews recorded in the site’s rating index.

To be fair, the lack of reviews makes it difficult to draw sweeping conclusions. Still, when compared to many Montana courses that boast recommendation percentages above 90%, Rivers Bend stands out for the wrong reasons.

The course’s remote location and limited visibility among traveling golfers have also contributed to its relatively low profile.

2. Red Lodge Mountain Golf Course (Red Lodge)

Red Lodge Mountain GC

Red Lodge Mountain Golf Course enjoys one of the most scenic settings in the state, sitting at the base of the Beartooth Mountains. Unfortunately, some golfers have reported conditions that fail to match the stunning backdrop.

In a discussion among golfers, one player described the course as being “run into the ground” and claimed it had “the worst greens in the state.” While that’s certainly one golfer’s opinion, complaints about course conditioning have surfaced repeatedly in online discussions.

Most golfers agree the layout itself remains enjoyable, but inconsistent maintenance has hurt its reputation among players who expect premium conditions at a mountain resort course.

3. Eagle Bend Golf Club (Bigfork)

Eagle Bend

This inclusion may surprise some Montana golfers.

Eagle Bend is not a bad course by traditional standards. In fact, many golfers enjoy the facility. However, criticism often centers on value rather than design.

One golfer who traveled through western Montana rated Eagle Bend as the worst value among the courses he played during his trip, citing expensive green fees, average conditioning for a private club, and a layout that failed to justify the premium price. He gave the course a value rating of just 1 out of 5.

The reviewer noted that several holes felt ordinary compared to other Montana golf experiences and questioned whether the prestige matched the cost.

Again, many golfers would disagree with that assessment, but value complaints appear more frequently here than at many other highly regarded Montana courses.

A Word of Caution About “Worst” Lists

Unlike states with hundreds of public golf courses, Montana has only about 100 golf facilities statewide. Many courses are community-run operations serving small towns, making review samples much smaller than in golf-heavy states like Florida or Arizona.

As a result, a handful of negative reviews can have an outsized impact on a course’s reputation.

The reality is that even Montana’s lower-rated courses often deliver something special—whether it’s mountain views, wildlife sightings, or a memorable small-town golf experience. In a state known for wide-open spaces and dramatic scenery, even the “worst” golf course might still offer a better backdrop than many highly rated courses elsewhere.

For golfers planning a Montana trip, the biggest challenge usually isn’t avoiding bad golf—it’s deciding which great course to play next.