Reversible Golf Course, Say What?!
Before our trip to Silvies Valley Ranch, I had never heard much about reversible golf courses. When I think about reversible golf courses, it reminds me of my childhood. As a kid, I grew going to Kings Dominion in Northern Virginia. They were well known for their reversible roller coaster called the “Rebel Yell.” The “Rebel Yell” featured two lines where you could either ride the coaster from front to back or back to front.
Never having the opportunity to play or walk a reversible golf course, the design of Rebel Yell was stuck in my mind. With “Rebel Yell,” it was the same ride, same track, just in reverse. Making the trip to Silvies and knowing that they had a reversible golf course advertised as two different golf courses, I was skeptical about how different the courses would be.
After spending three days at Silvies flip-flopping between The Craddock and The Hankins, I can honestly say I’m now a huge fan of reversible golf course design. They did it right at Silvies. The courses are very different. They have 27 greens, and 27 tee boxes spread across the reversible design, making the two courses feel and play very different.
Our first day at Silvies, The Craddock was the course setup for play. All the golf courses at Silvies share the same clubhouse, but they all start in very different directions. After rolling a few putts on the practice green outside of the clubhouse, we made our way to The Craddock’s 1st hole.
It’s not Steroids. It’s Silvies!
A long par-5 awaits, but you quickly learn that you’re going to gain about 20% extra distance on top of your regular game. Chalk it up to the altitude difference, thin air, etc. The ball flies in Eastern Oregon. Not only does the ball carry better, but the most significant difference is in the amount of runout. After playing a few holes, I was reminded of playing links golf in Scotland and Ireland. The fairways are rock hard, and a well-struck, let’s be honest, a poorly struck shot will run like it stole something on these fairways.
I found myself feeling like a PGA Tour pro during the rounds on Craddock and Hankins. I have to crush a drive even to consider getting on the green in two in a typical round. During my rounds at Silvies, I found myself deciding if I wanted to hit a 4-iron or hybrid to try and get home on a par-5.
The best part about the golf experience at Silvies was around the greens. You had to know the course to understand how the ball would bounce. Trying to go at the pin is impossible. The few times I tried, my ball always ended up long and typically off the back of the green. The best way to approach the greens at Silvies is to play well short of the pin and play for the rollout. Don’t be scared to bump and run, or even use the Texas wedge. By the time I played my second round, I was using the old bump and run with my 9-iron a lot to approach the green.
The 7th – A Mile Long
The standout on the front nine was the par-3 7th hole. I have to tell you the par-3’s on both courses are exceptional. The 7th plays 200 yards from the short tee and 260 from the back. It will feel like a mile long, but don’t worry about the distance. Both times I played, I hit my 180-yard club and had the pleasure of sitting back and watching it chase up to the green towards the pin. The elevated tee box gives you the perfect vantage point to watch your ball work from left to right towards the hole. My aiming point was always the large tree left in front of the green. I found aiming at that the ball would land and jump hard right towards the middle of the green.
The 13th – The Ambush
As you make the turn and play the back nine, two golf holes stand out. The 13th, in my opinion, is the best hole in Eastern Oregon. A par-5 that shares the tee box with the 7th on Hankins, but this is also the highest point on the course at 4,887 feet above sea level. The 13th tee is the highest point for golf in the state of Oregon.
The 13th is a monster, I mentioned feeling like a PGA Tour pro earlier, but this one brought me crashing back down to earth. Playing 550 yards from the back tees and seemingly always into the wind, this uphill battle to the green is challenging. A sloping fairway will most likely have you feeling ambushed by the trees in the fairway. Both rounds, I found myself over on the left in the fairway behind trees, they mention creative recovery shots in the course guide, and that’s what you’ll need. A well-guarded green awaits. If in the position, I recommend bumping it up the throat between the greenside bunkers.
The Games Never Stop
I love Silvies because they try to make the game of golf more fun at every turn. I love to gamble and play games of chance. At Silvies, they tempt you with a free hat or a round of drinks all the time. Finish the final three holes level par or better, win a round of drinks—single putt the last green, win yourself a drink. The fun never stops, and even if you haven’t had a great round, you have something fun and different to look forward to on all the courses at Silvies.
The 18th – Horseshoe Nail
The 18th is just a fun hole, a short par-4 at only 360 yards from the tips. Not to mention, the hole plays downhill to make it just a bit shorter. Be careful on the tee. I broke out the driver for the first round, trying to get as close to the green as possible. I found my ball and a few others in a stream on the bottom left of the fairway.
Silvies Ranch calls the 18th on Craddock, a hole of opportunities. The opportunity to make a birdie or a double bogey. The opportunity to show off to your buddies watching from the porch of Egan’s Hideout. For me, it was the opportunity to win a free drink which is the signature drink at Silvies Valley Ranch– The Horseshoe Nail.
My final round on the Craddock might not have been a score to write home about, but that entire evening I was able to brag about my chip-in on the 18th, thus earning myself a free drink. The Horseshoe Nail not only features a pickled crabapple from the only fruit-bearing tree on the ranch, but it comes with a real horseshoe nail, now my newest divot tool and keepsake from The Ranch.
The Ultimate Question – Which is better, Hankins or Craddock?
You have to be wondering. Our rating of the Hankins course totaled 4.62, an excellent course rating considering all the factors that go into a Golf Aficionado rating. The Craddock earned a 4.64, just edging out The Hankins by .02 percentage points. Our first reversible golf experience and we’re already asking ourselves why more designers don’t employ this approach. Play them both, and you decide. You can’t go wrong with either one!