Crazy Mountain Ranch
Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s latest project is at Crazy Mountain Ranch, which is 18,000 acres in the foothills of the Crazy Mountains, a 50-minute drive from Bozeman, Montana.
The design team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw have always been selective about who they work for and the land they work with. One of their latest projects is taking them to Montana where they’ve started building at least 18 holes on the Crazy Mountain Ranch, which is 18,000 acres of eye-melting beauty that sits in the foothills of the Crazy Mountains, about a 50-minute drive from Bozeman.
Coore and Crenshaw are building their course for Sam Byrne, co-founder of CrossHarbor Capital Partners, which also owns the Yellowstone Club, the exclusive ski resort and residential community. Crazy Mountain Ranch will be managed by Lone Mountain Land Company, a subsidiary of CrossHarbor Capital Partners. Byrne bought the ranch in 2021 from Phillip Morris, who had owned and operated it as a guest ranch. The “town,” which came with the purchase, consists of a cattle operation and 20 buildings that present the façade of a wild western movie set. Some rooms are located in the “bank,” others are in the “barber shop,” you eat and drink in the saloon, but the rooms, chef, food and service are anything but rough and dusty. Surrounding the town is a world-class zipline course, skeet shooting, biking, hiking, fishing, a small spa, an events center for intimate concerts and more.
Byrne gave Coore and Crenshaw their pick of anywhere on property to build their course. And he promised both architects and the neighboring town of Clyde Park (population 332) that there would be no residential subdivision within the ranch.
Byrne insists he’s committed to being a thoughtful steward of the land and a good member of the community.And as it relates to the golf, who better to help with that stewardship than Coore & Crenshaw?
The Fire Pit Collective has been hired to document the building of the course, the history of the land and the ongoing evolution of the ranch, which will consist of a private membership.
Much more to come in the form of social cuts, digital shorts and podcasts.
Matt Ginella has been covering golf for 25 years. First at Sports Illustrated, then Golf Digest and Golf World magazines and most recently for Golf Channel, where he appeared as the Travel Insider for “Morning Drive” and wrote for Golf Advisor.com.
Dear Matt,
I’ll start by saying that I am sixty-five years old and have played golf since I was ten years old. I’ve had the privilege of playing some of the most noted golf courses in the U.S. and Scotland and have a deep appreciation for the history of golf courses and the architects responsible for creating them.
With that said, I am saddened to read that some of the most breathtaking landscape in North America is being developed as a private golf course for the 1%. The last thing that the Bozeman area needs is more gazillionaires arriving to drive up the real estate market, squeeze out the middle class, compromise the environment, and promulgate a narrative that they are there because of their love of the land. (If they loved the land so much, why don’t they leave it alone?)
And while Mr. Byrne claims that there will be no residential subdivision within the ranch, does anyone really believe that there won’t be groundbreakings for million-dollars homes all around Crazy Mountain before the wagon-wheel chandeliers are hung at the 19th hole?
There are a lot of hand-wringing stories written in the golf world about the need to “grow the game.” I am much more interested in efforts to save beleaguered munis from the hands of rapacious developers (see: Goat Hill Park) than I am in the paid promotion of yet another venue that reinforces the elitist stereotypes associated with golf.
I am an avid follower of the Fire Pit Collective, and a long-time admirer of all your work, but I’ll be scrolling past your updates about Crazy Mountain.
Well said Bill, I agree.
Well put I feel the same save America’s muni make golf affordable and accessible for all👍💪🏻💯ghp
Even though I belong to a private club in AZ which has been around since the mid 60’s , I hate to see all of the newer golf courses be ultra private. What a waste ! The difference I see in private membership is that some of these courses are now in super remote areas which means unless you have money to burn , you will never play it. Yes my club is private but it is in a populated area that allows more than the ultra rich to join. Also, if you belong to a neighboring club there is reciprocity play. Building a course for the 1% is not growing the game . The game is already out of control from a financial perspective.