Old Works Golf Course (Anaconda, Montana)

 golf course, metallurgy, mining, smelter, environmental protection agency

This golf course is a Jack Nicklaus signature course and is built on a Federal Superfund cleanup site. Anaconda was home of the largest copper smelter in the world. Ore was transported by rail from neighboring Butte, which was once the largest source of silver and copper in the United States.

The golf course itself is built on the site of the original copper smelting site, thus the name Old Works, which consisted of two phases - the Upper Works (built 1884)and the Lower Works (1887). The site was chosen because Warm Springs Creek provided enough water to refine the ore, unlike dry and arid Butte.

In 1902 the enormous Washoe Smelter was built across the valley and replaced the Old Works, which was demolished. The site lay idle until 1983 when the site became a Superfund site and the citizens of Anaconda advocated for development of a world class golf course on the site in cooperation with ARCO who had bought the site in the 1960s. The construction of the course took 2 years and was a fascinating process.

The course incorporates many of the remnants of the historic features of the original site. For instance, the slag left over from the mining operations is used in the sand bunkers on the course, making the sand bunkers black in stark contrast to the usual white bunkers. The course, from some of the elevated tees on the front 9 holes, is a strikingly attractive black and green pattern.

The foundations of the two works can still be seen on the hills above the course.

www.oldworks.org/