Silvies Ranch

Silvies Ranch isn’t a “resort” in the traditional sense. It’s a golf outpost; remote, expansive, and unapologetically different from the usual luxury circuit. This is high-desert ranch country where the landscape is the main amenity: endless horizon, big wind, fast turf, and a feeling that you’re playing golf in a place that doesn’t really care if you showed up or not. For the right group, that’s exactly the point.

The experience revolves around two championship courses: Hankins and Craddock, and they’re the kind of designs that make you fall in love with the ground game again. Both are built for width, bounce, and creativity, with routing that feels natural across open terrain. Shots can be played low, chased in from 40 yards short, or shaped into contours that do half the work for you. It’s links-style golf without the ocean; more about firmness, wind, and decision-making than aerial target play. Hankins tends to feel slightly more direct and “gettable,” while Craddock brings a touch more quirk and strategy, but the real magic is that neither course feels scripted. Every hole gives you options, and every option has consequences.

Because the courses are so playable and the setting is so open, 36 a day is absolutely feasible here; and in many ways, it’s the correct way to do the trip. Silvies rewards repetition. The more holes you play, the more you understand how to use slopes, how to ride the wind, and how to stop fighting the ground and start partnering with it. A perfect itinerary is Hankins in the morning, Craddock in the afternoon, then a sunset loop on the short course that keeps the competition alive without requiring another full round.

That short-course piece is Chief Egan, and it’s the glue that holds the whole vibe together. It’s not an afterthought; it’s a daily ritual. Quick loops. Wedge shots. Constant match play. The kind of course that turns “we’ll play a few” into “why are we still out here?” in the best way. Chief Egan is where Silvies becomes social; where the serious golfers loosen up and the less-serious golfers suddenly become dangerous.

The River Course adds another layer and a change of rhythm. It brings a different look and feel from the open ranchland, with holes that lean more into natural water corridors and a slightly more conventional “golf course” texture. In the context of Silvies, that contrast matters; it keeps the trip from feeling like one long, windy linksy blur and gives you a round that’s scenic in a different direction.

The vibe is what makes Silvies unforgettable. It’s not polished in the way a five-star coastal resort is polished. It’s authentic: ranch hospitality, relaxed evenings, and the sense that everyone on property is there for the same reason; to play golf until they’re tired, eat well, and do it again tomorrow. It’s the kind of trip where you’ll see more carry bags than carts, and where the post-round scene feels like a campfire conversation rather than a hotel lobby.

Seasonality is a big part of the planning. Silvies is best in late spring through early fall, when the turf is firm and the days are long enough to justify the full “golf marathon” approach. Wind is always part of the experience, so pack layers and show up ready to hit knockdowns. This is not the place to be precious about conditions; it’s the place to embrace them.

And here’s the move that turns Silvies from a great golf outpost into a complete trip: pair it with time in Bend. You can go in and out of Bend; one of the best towns in the region; for a different kind of energy: breweries, restaurants, walkable downtown nights, and that sense of being somewhere lively after a couple days of ranch-country quiet. Silvies gives you the remote reset. Bend gives you the social finish. Together, they make an Oregon golf trip that feels balanced: wild and wide-open, then modern and fun.

Silvies Ranch isn’t built for everyone. It’s built for golfers who want something different; less resort gloss, more landscape, more golf, more story. If that’s your group, you’ll leave convinced you found one of the most original golf trips in America.

Silvies Ranch is a destination that feels like its own world: Hankins and Craddock for the pure, rugged core golf experience, Chief Egan for the quicker, more relaxed change-up, and the River Course for a totally different pace and setting. It’s not just “more courses on property”—it’s a full ranch-golf atmosphere where the remote vibe is the point as much as the scorecard. But if you want to extend the trip with a second stop that still feels golf-first (and keeps you in the same Oregon outdoor mood), bending the itinerary through Bend is the perfect move.

The cleanest extension is Tetherow, which adds a modern, high-desert edge that contrasts Silvies’ remote ranch feel. Tetherow is bolder and more architecturally sharp—more exposed, more demanding, and more “serious test” in the way it asks you to commit off the tee and manage firm conditions. It’s a great add-on if your group wants one round that feels more like a destination championship exam after the pure escape of Silvies.

For a true two-course premium stop, Pronghorn (Nicklaus) and Pronghorn (Fazio) are the best “upgrade” extension. The value here is variety without changing the travel theme: Nicklaus gives you the structured championship backbone, while Fazio delivers a smoother, more scenic complement. Together they feel like a mini-resort inside the Bend ecosystem, and they’re easy to justify if you’re already committing the trip time and want to add depth.

And if you want one more standout round that feels like a different kind of luxury, Crosswater is the perfect closer. It’s more lush, more resort-polished, and more comfortable in rhythm than Silvies or Tetherow, which makes it an ideal “final day” round when the group wants high quality without another grind. It also changes the visual palette—less rugged ranch isolation, more classic Pacific Northwest resort golf—so the extended trip feels like a complete Oregon tour rather than one long stretch of similar golf.

Logistically, the Bend courses work best as a clear second chapter: finish Silvies, spend a night or two in Bend, and let the town be part of the payoff. It keeps the trip from feeling like constant driving, and it gives you a clean contrast between two Oregon identities: remote ranch golf at Silvies and premium high-desert resort golf in Bend.