Silvies Valley Ranch

Golf Resort Overview: The Retreat, Links & Spa at Silvies Valley Ranch

An Interview With Silvies Valley Ranch, Director of Golf

By Brian Weis

The ultimate golf vacation is staying and playing at a golf resort. Below is an interview with Silvies Valley Ranch who shares some valuable information about staying and golfing at The Retreat, Links & Spa at Silvies Valley Ranch.

Give our readers an overview of the golf resort.
Our Craddock and Hankins championship courses are one of the only two reversible courses in the USA. It is links style play at 4,500 feet elevation. Both courses can stretch out to 7,000 yards plus and rated in the top 50. The Chief Egan nine-hole par 3 is one of the finest executive courses anywhere. We challenge players to hit all 9 greens in regulation and/or shoot even-par. In 2018, Golf Magazine named the 7-hole McVeigh's Gauntlet course the best new golf experience in the USA. It is target golf at its finest.

Don't forget to ask about our Goat Caddies available on Chief Egan and the Gauntlet. They will never give you baaad advice.

Our championship courses offer a variety of tees for players of every skill level. The views are breath-taking as is the abundance of wild-life.

Share with us your room accommodations configurations. What group sizes can accommodate?
At Silvies we have 8 two-bedroom luxury Cabin Suites with a spacious family room area, 9 Ranch House suites with double king beds and 9 single king Ranch House suites. Maximum capacity is 68 guests.

What type of restaurants do you have on property and what type of dining experience can one expect?
The western themed Lodge offers fine dining and open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. One can always enjoy a snack at the Hideout (Silvies Pro Shop). Many have called it the best 19th hole in the country! I would not disagree with them.

Beyond golf what are the top three amenities golfers and non-golfers can enjoy on property?
Besides golf, we offer shooting, fishing, horseback riding, biking, hiking, Ranch tours in open cab 4-wheel Razors and Clydesdale rides to name a few. Last and certainly not least is our 17,000 square foot spa offering treatments and amenities of every type.

Please supply a sample itinerary for a long buddies weekend?
We will customize your itinerary any way you like. Golf in the morning followed by lunch. Perhaps shooting or fishing in the early afternoon followed with a quick round of golf on our 7-hole Gauntlet challenge course or the 9-hole par 3. There is still time in the day for a late afternoon tour of the Ranch. Silvies Valley Ranch is situated on 144,000 acres so there is much to see and enjoy.

Cocktail hour starts everyday in the Lodge at 6:00PM with the dinner bell ringing at 7:00PM. After dinner, head out to the large firepit and experience some of the most star-studded skies in America.

Please supply a sample itinerary for a long couples weekend?
One should not overlook our 17,000 square foot spa. It offers an indoor pool, workout room and even a rock climbing wall. One can indulge in a variety of spa treatments. After a day of golf or experiencing our other activities, the spa may be the perfect experience prior to the cocktail hour and dinner.

What area tourist attractions might you recommend while in the area?
Silvies is Simply Amazing! Once you are on property, you simply will not want to leave. Conde Nast placed us on their Top 10 Resort List and Golf Magazine named us the #3 Family Resort in the nation. There is something for everyone.

How can golfers inquire about golf packages for your resort?
Simply call 1-800-Silvies (745-8437) or info@silvies.us

Courses at Resort
Number of Course: 4
Number of Holes: 52

More Information »

Revised: 03/01/2021 - Article Viewed 10,366 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.