The Retreat, Links & Spa at Silvies Valley Ranch: Top 100 Golf Resorts in the World
Quick Facts
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Number of Rooms
46 -
Amenities
Shooting / cattle roundup / goat herding / fishing / exploring / wagon rides / Indian cave tours / hiking / biking / spa -
Number of courses
5 -
Course designers
Dan Hixson
Resort Overview
Don’t call it a dude ranch. It’s a working ranch, where the goats need herding, the horses need feeding and the cattle require someone to round them up. This being frontier Oregon, in the state’s eastern reaches, those duties fall to seasoned ranch hands, who are more than happy to have your help. Expect to get a little dusty if you saddle up for one of the resort’s immersive western-style adventures. Hixson’s ingenious reversible track is an adventure in itself, as are the pair of sweet par-3 tracks. You don’t need caddies on the latter, but you’ll want them, since those caddies are American Range Goats, born and raised on the property. With harnesses strapped across their backs to carry clubs and beer, these four-legged loopers make sure-footed and useful companions. Many of their siblings serve a different purpose at Silvies: In the lodge restaurant, they turn up on the menu.
Highlights
The resort features a team of goat caddies that carry your clubs.
Among the five courses is the reversible Craddock golf course that plays like two different courses.
Cattle roundups are among the many unique experiences on offer outside of golf.
3 things to know
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Best time to go
Spring and fall -
Best non-golf amenity
Horse corral and pasture lessons. -
Insider Tip
The bar in the main lodge is home to the largest whiskey collection in the region.
