Silvies McVeigh’s Gauntlet

[Portions of this post are repeated in the other courses making up the Silvies Valley Ranch complex: Craddock, Hankins, and Chief Egan]

General Course Description

McVeigh’s Gauntlet is the par-27, 7-hole, realized fantasy course that is part of the Silvies Valley Ranch. Located in the high-desert plateau between John Day and Burns in Eastern Oregon, McVeigh’s Gauntlet is for fun, but takes a good level of skill to do well. After you ride/walk out the gravel road to the first tee, you look straight up and see nothing but sagebrush and the top of a flag stick.  At that point you should know that this is not a normal course. The only straight-forward hole is the last one. All the others have massive elevation changes or long carries.  Greens are soft and slow. There is a 2-par bonus hole in the middle (next to the beer tree). If you get frustrated by lost balls or tricked-up holes, stay away. If you want to have a fun and unique experience (where you could lose a lot of balls), it’s an adventure that will make you laugh. It is short, but there are steep hills. You cannot use an electric cart, so either take a goat caddie and/or get rid of the excess weight in your bag (the course has a challenge where you use less than seven clubs, and that’s about right).

Course History

Opened in 2017.

Why It Is There

The owner and developer of Silvies, Dr. Scott Campbell, wanted to build a fantasy course, with holes that you would see in video games or on fantasy posters (like Loyal H. (Bud) Chapman’s Infamous 18 Golf Holes), running along a series of ridges too steep for carts (but not goats).

I Wish I Would Have Known Before I Played

This is the course with the goat caddies that use special harnesses to carry two golf bags with up to six clubs, balls (fill your pockets with more), drinks, and peanuts for the goats. As of 2018, there was only a limited number of goat caddies, and they only work in the morning. If you want to use one, tell the pro shop the day before you plan to play and you will be entered into a lottery used to assign the caddies the night before you play.

Did You Know

The bonus hole is purported to be the only par 2 on a course in Oregon. It is a 25-yardish hole (with an extra large cup) on the top of a ridge where you can either putt or chip. If you par the hole, you are allowed to move your ball up to 7.7 inches in any direction on the remaining holes.

Good For Them

The goats are a cross between South African Boer and Kalahari Red Spanish and are raised on the ranch to be used for meat. But if a goat is selected to be a caddie, it will be trained by a livestock handler, serve out its caddying years, and retire to adoption. Also, a portion of the green fees go to support conservation organizations in the area.

Why Play This Course

You should not play this course if you (1) have to be serious about each golf round, (2) hate to lose golf balls, and (3) cannot consistently hit a club with an 160-yard carry. But if you have enough balls (literally and figuratively) and can play a course just for fun, play the course. It is unlike any other course in Oregon. The goat caddies just add to the unique and fun nature of the course.

General

• • Type: 7-hole public executive course (with a bonus 2-par hole)
  • Price: $$$ (a portion goes to charity)
  • Phone/webpage: (541)573-5150/www.silvies.us
  • Address: 10000 Rendezvous Lane, Seneca, Oregon 97873
  • Owner: Silvies Valley Ranch, LLC
  • Designer: Dan Hixson
  • Pros: Dave Lewis (PGA)
  • Practice Facilities: Driving range on grass, pitching and sand practice area, putting green
  • Pro Shop: A good amount of clothing
  • Food: A cafe in the pro shop (the building is called The Hideout) serves breakfast and lunch and has a full bar with a deck having a wonderful view of the course and valley below; there is also beer at the bonus hole
  • Bathrooms: Improved in clubhouse
  • Yardage Markers: None, except at the tee
  • Clothing: Be legal
  • Walkable: Hilly but short – either take a goat or unload your golfbag of unnessary items (including clubs)
  • Spikes: Soft only
  • Shoe Cleaning:  None
  • Rentals: Clubs, pull carts, and goats
  • Closed in winter