Rock Creek Cattle Co - Community Day

[carrera]

Pretty cool that RCCC offers this to the local area...golf, lunch and cart for locals for $125.  It is on my bucket list:

 

RCCC Post on Instagram re: Community Day

Edited April 16 by carrera

[Mullenboy]

That is really cool for sure.  It's on my bucket list also.. has been for a long time.  Have had many invites... never able to do.

 

One day... 

[carrera]

9 minutes ago, Mullenboy said:

Have had many invites... never able to do.

Copy.  I thought you had a bad experience there once, but I might be mis-remembering.

[Mullenboy]

Just now, carrera said:

Copy.  I thought you had a bad experience there once, but I might be mis-remembering.

They did lie to me several years ago... long story, different management, long since water under the bridge.  Looks very cool, always has.  🙂

 

 

[JKreborn]

"Community golf day". Does one have to move to Deer Lodge? Might be worth it! 

[Mullenboy]

If only Deer Lodge didn't have the winter.  🙂

[JKreborn]

As much as that sounds like a great deal to drive up from Deer Lodge for the day and enjoy the course and food; I must say that a good part of the pleasure of going to RCCC is staying on site and enjoying the lodging, food, gun range, ATVs, riding, fishing etc...

[JKreborn]

2 minutes ago, Mullenboy said:

If only Deer Lodge didn't have the winter.  🙂

Why one maintains a home in the south!

[Mullenboy]

9 minutes ago, JKreborn said:

As much as that sounds like a great deal to drive up from Deer Lodge for the day and enjoy the course and food; I must say that a good part of the pleasure of going to RCCC is staying on site and enjoying the lodging, food, gun range, ATVs, riding, fishing etc...

Of course.  But if one is local, one day to be able to access the course and have a BBQ sounds pretty darn cool... especially as opposed to never having access at all.

 

 

[JKreborn]

It's a very nice price for a wonderful day. Very few days of golf at that price anymore.

 

Like I said, maybe worth moving there for!  But you had to point out the winters! 😄

[sabram]

I looked into it a few years ago. Too remote for me. I stayed over in a nice cabin. The food and club house were excellent. It was cloudy and rainy (storms) the entire time I was there so didn't have the greatest time on the course. Click on the photo below to see photos of the course.

 

 

[Petethreeput]

I guess the PR campaign is working.  I have played there a number of times and I can't imagine they have any interaction with the locals other than the employees.  We bought a round for four for charity and when we tried to use it on a day when it worked for us (we all have jobs, etc.) we were told we couldn't use it on those days unless it was out of season because the members would be using it.  The course itself, assuming it's the same as Stock Farm is about 30 rounds per day, so it's hard to say it was going to be jammed up.  It was to keep the great unwashed from seeing members.

 

Anyway, we finally were able to get onto the course at the end of September, even though we contacted them in June.  We even had our pro call to see if we could play, outlining our experience and game and we wouldn't be ridiculous on the course... nope.  Can't bend policy. (I should add, this was not noted on the certificate, so it was a complete surprise to us).

 

I should also say it was my wife's first time going and when we bought the rounds I told her if she loved the course (and it is a great course), we could look into joining.  After the experience with the tee time, needless to say it wasn't an option.  Funny enough, at the end of the round we ran into some friends who are members and sat on the pro shop porch and had a quick drink before heading home.  The pro popped his head out, I assume to make sure the riffraff wasn't interfering with the member experience, but instead he found the riffraff having a good laugh with the well heeled (we have played golf with them over the years at our lesser course).

 

I presume they donate locally, but we don't hear about it, and lord knows Deer Lodge can use any help, but I am not buying the altruism.

 

 

Edited April 17 by Petethreeput

[Petethreeput]

I should add this as well.  Over the years MT has seen many of these places pop up, particularly in western MT.  Schwab started the Stock Farm (maybe '96), Blixseth started the Yellowstone Club around the same time, then Foley opened up RCCC and then branched out to Whitefish and opened Iron Horse.  I haven't played Yellowstone Club's course, but I have played all the others since I would be deemed a local, though objectively non-local to the various locations mentioned.

 

I know "local" members at all these courses, and most of them join because at certain times the MT residents would get a discounted initiation (we make about 80 cents on the dollar).  While the courses are no doubt beyond some of the local tracks, one of the main criticisms (and it isn't even a criticism really) I hear from all of the locals is there just isn't a consistent game.  The course is fantastic, but ultimately because the membership is national most of them end up playing alone or bringing a game with them.  For a few years we would pack up our group of 11 and head to Stock Farm to play with the member and he would come up often to play with us because he wanted that camaraderie.

 

I realize my original post was derogatory sounding, but I have played RCCC a few times with a group of guys for the same reason.  The local member just wanted a game and brought us out and it was a great time.  As we sat in the bar after re-hashing the good, bad, and the ugly (our shots, not the holes by that name), he also lamented the dearth of consistently available games. 

 

[JKreborn]

PTP. You point out an important issue with these national membership type clubs. There just are not enough local members to make it a great "club". Have to bring a game. Not sure what else can be done though. It is unlikely Deer Lodge could ever support the infrastructure necessary for Foley to have his dream there without the jet crew flying in.

[Petethreeput]

On 4/18/2025 at 9:53 PM, JKreborn said:

unlikely Deer Lodge could ever support the infrastructure

Deer Lodge has nothing in it except the Old Prison, a car museum, and National Park called the Grant-Kohrs Ranch.  We didn't stop at the A&W when we were there last, but it is a single strip town as I see it.  We were at RCCC on the Friday before the NHL draft and the Knights intelligentsia were flying in on private helicopters, a couple of the players were there as well, but they landed on site, not in Deer Lodge and driving in.  I think you said you've been there so you know it is like a 15 minute drive just from the gate, and more like 25-30 from the Deer Lodge McD's.

Edited April 21 by Petethreeput

[JKreborn]

6 hours ago, Petethreeput said:

We were at RCCC on the Friday before the NHL draft and the Knights intelligentsia were flying in on private helicopters, a couple of the players were there as well, but they landed on site, not in Deer Lodge and driving in. 

Yes, Bill lands the helicopter on a pad near the first green after flying the jet to Missoula.

 

I've done it a few ways. Not bad drive getting picked up from 38S. I was being facetious with the "unlikely" comment. We did stop in Deer lodge to pick up a fishing license and the locals were friendly and complementary of what RCCC being there does for the local economy.

 

RCCC is not a "club" in the way a place like SFGC is. PTP, is there any club in MT that feels like home? Where you can show up and find a game?

Edited April 22 by JKreborn

[Petethreeput]

I am going to say yes and no. 

 

Generally speaking the clubs are predominantly local, and MT local is 75,000 on the high side (don't know about Billings, but I have heard YCC and Laurel also have active memberships) so many of the new members joined because they know people that are already there.  In our case, the pro shop/club doesn't do a great job of finding groups of matching skill and personality, so for a person moving into the area and joining it can be lonely.  Just at our place, because the games are run privately by members I have seen a few cease to get invites, usually its a personality thing.  Enough folks say he isn't fun or whatever and they are no longer invited.

 

With this caveat, I find myself in a regular weekday game and we block off four tee times and last week we had 19 people.  I also play in another weekly game and we cap the groups at 2.  In the spring pre-lake season its a rush to get in but then it slows down during the summer on weekends so who wants to fiddle with trying to find a third foursome.  There are intergroup games, and team games in all these groups.  All of us are friends outside the golf course.  So definitely yes.

 

Which is why many of those locals who made the move have since moved on when they were able.  The nationals (RCCC and SFGC) in our area are equity memberships so they have to try to replace themselves before they can leave.  Just in the last two years one RCCC member I know had been trying to sell for a year and a half, and I just heard a man who had aged out of golf just had to walk away from SF because he couldn't find anyone who wanted to take his place.

 

There are a number of local clubs.  Each town has one or two, and many of them are hidden gems.  Old courses that have been around for a century or more.  We are really lucky because of the distance between towns we get reciprocal privileges at the other local clubs (BZM, Great Falls, Helena, Billings, and YCC in Billings, note none of the clubs in this discussion are included in this) and we can charge food/bev back to our accounts.  And while I have a bias in regard to the national clubs, when we had a huge windstorm last summer and lost about 10% of the trees and the course was closed, SFGC stepped up and offered us cheap greens fees and carts ($75 if I remember correctly) to play down there while we were closed.  But, and I think this is important, the offer (I believe) was more based on strength of our GM and his relationship with their pro than Schwab saying it was neighborly.

[CDM]

RCCC is pretty cool place. 

 

Maybe just me, but I thought the front 9 was "okay".  The back 9 I thought was great.  Excellent routing and holes. Now I probably set an expectation in my head having grown up in the area and that fact we fished/hunted on the land well before the course was built. 

 

Oddly have one  of the carts they had. RCCC was getting rid of some golf carts and we ended up getting one for my parents so they could use it at lake to get around.  

 

As noted the food was excellent and the staff were great. 

 

If you get the chance to play, for sure worth playing. 

Edited April 22 by CDM

[rustyneversleeps]

I tried going to the original instagram post and have been looking for more information on it, but can't seem to find anything. Did they have the date or any other relevant details in the post? I'm probably going to end up calling them, as I would love to take advantage of the "community day". 

Edited April 22 by rustyneversleeps