Sidney golf course, weather will make State A tournament tough

When it comes to where to play the Class A state golf tournament, the venue should be difficult. Not impossible, just a difficult test for the players and teams.

And the venue for the 2015 Class A state tournament is a tough one.

Friday and Saturday, the Havre Blue Ponies, and the rest of Class A will put their golf skills to the test, and the exam will be the Sidney Golf Club. Set in the Yellowstone River Valley, Sidney Golf Club is an 18-hole, semi-private course. It’s considered a championship course and is one of the only ones in the region.

From 1929-1962, Sidney was a nine-hole course with sand greens. It underwent a major grass renovation in 1963, and the course became 18 holes in 1999.

As for what the Blue Ponies will be facing in Sidney this weekend, the course looks flat, but it’s really not. It has rolling elevation changes, typical of river valley courses. It also has something else in common with river valley courses — trees, and plenty of them.

Many of Sidney’s fairways are tightly lined with tall cottonwood and fir trees, and because many of the Par 4s and Par 5s at Sidney are dogleg holes, tee shots will be critical at the state tournament.

Sidney is a traditional Par 72 course with four Par 3s and four Par 5s. It’s not an overly long course, as it plays 6,901 yards at its longest, and 5,537 from the women’s tees. Still, driving and accuracy are at a premium at Sidney. Tree-lined fairways, several water hazards and plenty of bunkering make Sidney a true shot-maker’s course, and in a way, that could be an advantage for the Blue Ponies, who play every day on a true ball-striking course at Prairie Farms.

Of course, weather will also play a factor, as it always does at the Class A state tournament. Friday’s round calls for rain showers throughout the day, a high of just 64 degrees, and winds picking up in the afternoon. Rain is also in the forecast for Saturday, with temperatures even colder at just 57 degrees, with wind again picking up in the afternoon.

So, put a rough weather forecast together with a tough golf course, and this weekend’s Class A state tournament will truly by a stern test for the Blue Ponies, and the rest of the Class A field.