Montana ranch added a golf course, and now neighbors fear it is taking control of shared water

A fight over a new golf course at a Montana ranch now extends far beyond the fairways, raising bigger questions about water, land, and power in the rural West.

For nearby residents, this is not just another luxury addition on private property. It has become a flashpoint over whether an upscale development can reshape shared resources around its own needs.

What happened?

According to Teton Gravity Research, Crazy Mountain Ranch—an approximately 18,000-acre guest ranch at the base of Montana's Crazy Mountains—is undergoing a major expansion led by Lone Mountain Land Company and affiliated entities, including plans for a new 18-hole golf course.

Scrutiny has intensified because the project touches two long-running Western conflicts at once: scarce water and fights over public access.

The property is not undeveloped land. The ranch has long operated with existing lodging, roads, recreation areas, and a built-out town center, Teton Gravity noted.

However, opponents say the expansion fits a broader pattern in which luxury recreation developments alter working landscapes.

The debate is also tied to the Crazy Mountains' checkerboard ownership pattern, in which alternating public and private parcels have long complicated hunting, hiking, and trail access.

Why does it matter?

The biggest source of controversy is water usage in the area.

The Teton Gravity reported that in 2025, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation alleged via a court petition that the ranch used Rock Creek water on golf-course grass without approval for that purpose, despite having older water rights on the property.

That matters to local ranchers and other agricultural users because Rock Creek feeds the Shields River basin, where water is already scarce in dry periods.

As a result, neighbors view the situation as more than a permitting dispute. Many see a luxury development adding additional pressure on a shared resource that local livelihoods depend upon.

The ranch later entered into an agreement with DNRC, Teton Gravity reported, allowing it to continue watering the course with "properly vetted purchased water" while it moved through the required water-right change process.

At a time when many communities are being asked to conserve water more carefully, maintaining a luxury amenity that requires intensive irrigation highlights a growing tension over how limited resources are allocated and who ultimately bears the burden of conservation.

Neighboring landowner Tim Sundling summed up the frustration in comments to the Billings Gazette, cited by the Teton Gravity: "The bottom line is the rules are the same for everybody. It doesn't matter if you're the entitled...or simple country folk leaning on their shovel."

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