The Retreat, Links and Spa at Silvies Ranch Named 2018's Best New Golf experience By Brian Weis

The Retreat, Links and Spa at Silvies Ranch Named 2018's Best New Golf experience

World Famous Goat Caddies at Silvies Valley Ranch Debut at Top of GOLF Magazine List

By Brian Weis

After its first full season of operation, Silvies Valley Ranch has been recognized by GOLF Magazine as the Best New Golf Experience in 2018, an award which was
unveiled in the December issue. The 18 hole courses, named Hankins and Craddock after local pioneers, introduced the golf world to the first new reversible 18 hole layout in 450 years. Silvies also opened a fun family oriented nine-hole par 3 course named for the last War Chief of the Northern Paiute, Chief Egan, that has garnered much acclaim. Then this July, Silvies opened its 4th course, McVeigh's Gauntlet, a stunning 7-hole ridge course and combined it with Silvies World Famous goat caddies! Silvies is already known as a swank western destination with adventures that include gourmet food, the largest scotch collection in 14 counties, horseback riding, bicycle trails and pistol shooting is now taking the golf industry by storm by being named "The Best New Golf Experience for 2018."

"Since the opening, our team at Silvies Valley Ranch has been dedicated to providing a new and exciting golf experience that defies traditional thinking and is fun for the pro and normal golfer alike," said Director of Golf, Randall Fritz. "It is an honor to be recognized for this effort by one of the top publications in the industry. We are proud of our golf and the many other adventures waiting for our guests at Silvies."

Silvies Valley Ranch is open year round and just this month opened the Rocking Heart Spa, a brand new 17,000 square-foot facility that sits on the north end of the Ranch. This luxurious spa features single and couples massage and treatment rooms, a special manicure/pedicure salon, steam saunas, indoor and outdoor hot tubs, a half-Olympic length lap pool, the latest in fitness equipment, an indoor rock-climbing wall and relaxation room complete with a stone fireplace.

GOLF Magazine says, "As entertainment goes, from golf to goats to cattle drives to rifle shooting, Silvies Valley Ranch is worth the journey." In addition, guests at Silvies can also enjoy a plethora of winter activities, including snowshoeing, ice fishing, Clydesdale sleigh rides, cross country skiing, and just invented this winter, a new game called Cool Golf! Silvies indulges guests with down home western ranch service and top of the line amenities for those looking for a true luxury destination and fun adventures on and off the golf course.

Revised: 11/14/2018 - Article Viewed 2,367 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.