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Silver Oak
Golf Course
Review
By Doug Saunders, golf writer
Carson City, Nevada - Silver Oak Golf Course sits at the north end of Carson City, Nevada’s capital, and demonstrates how thoughtful design, strong conditioning and affordability can create a memorable experience. This 18 hole golf course was designed by two golf professionals, Tom Duncan and Sid Salomon, who leaned on their various experiences in golf course operations to design a golf course that would stand on its own and compete for players and plaudits amid the competitive Carson City and Nevada golf scenes.
“We built this golf course backwards in a way,´ explained Tom Duncan. “We understood our target market and knew that we wanted a golf course that all levels of golfers could play. We didn’t want a lot of length and wetlands. We wanted the golf course to be challenging and to keep players’ interest throughout. Most importantly we wanted a golf course that people could play for $50 every day,”
This par 71 golf course has four tees stretching the course from 4,725 yards to 6,564 yards from the tips, and features two distinctly different nines. The front plays across a relatively flat Nevada landscape - accentuated with a few lakes. The back nine climbs up into the rugged, rocky canyons west of Carson City, providing a stern test for walkers. The good news is that the $50 greens fee includes a cart.
“While the golf course isn’t long for today’s standards, it requires solid play,” Duncan explained. “We designed the golf course to be playable and in a realistic amount of time.” “We put hazards around the par five’s so that the average player would have to lay up in most cases to keep things moving on a busy day.”
The two first developed a routing that would complement the necessary home sites yet worked its way into some dramatic Nevada landscapes. Through each facet of design balance was key to build an enjoyable golf course within a responsible budget. “The golf course cost around $3.5 -- $4 million to build including an irrigation plan to use effluent water from the Carson City water treatment plant, “said Duncan. “The golf course was also built with cash over a three year period to avoid any debt load upon completion.
The golf course first opened for play in 1999 and has since added an impressive clubhouse that now is the social anchor for the entire facility as a popular gathering spot for civic groups, weddings, meetings, as well as the playing public.
The commitment to golf is evident in the massive driving range behind the clubhouse. This range is over 100 yards wide (?) and allows over 40 golfers ample room for warmup or practice. The range is dug into the ground, which helps to keep the balls away from the golf course and also helps in ball collection. In the distance above the range dramatic canyon holes - glisten green on the rocky hillsides, indicating an upcoming challenge that is uniquely Nevada.
The treeless site allowed Duncan to create wide fairways while the designers held large mounding and shaping to a minimum. Get off the tee and this golf course can really let players score. The trouble is found on the approach shots as Duncan and Salomon used water features and bunkering skillfully to protect the greens.
On both par 5s on the front side, water features put teeth into the holes. Two lakes frame the tee shot on the 6th hole and a small creek runs across the front of the green to make getting home in two a tough proposition. A large lake almost surrounds the green on the 542-yard 9th hole. A player is forced to hit a 130-yard shot to find the green. Without these features the front nine might lull a player into thinking record round. As it is, it sets up the back nine for a memorable Nevada golf experience.
The back offers some real drama and challenge. The par 5 12th is only 484 yards long but the hole makes a steep climb up to the severely sloping green. It takes a big drive to get into position to even reach this green in two so most play this hole for three good shots.
The par 4 14th hole is only 335 yards on the scorecard but another uphill shot to a tricky green demands a well placed drive in the fairway. This 2nd shot calls for two extra clubs to reach a green that looks like it is draped around the rocky outcropping.
The back nine also features back to back par 3s across the canyon that produced more challenges for the designers. The 15th and 16th are separated by a long swath of land. ”We managed to get in a series of good golf holes that add a bit of drama to the golf course,” said Duncan. ” You aren’t going to find any golf courses anywhere for $50 that have golf holes like these on them.”
“I can’t tell you how many times we have had players come in to tell us that they broke 100, 90, or 80 for the first time here. That tells us that must have done something right when we laid it out,” Duncan said.
THINGS I LIKE - don’t let the price fool you, this course is kept in immaculate condition year round. These big greens roll true.
THINGS I DIDN”T LIKE - This course is popular among locals so it can get congested on weekends.
RATES - Friday-Saturday $50 (?); Mon-Sun $40 including cart $30 after 2 pm. Children $5.
DIRECTIONS - From central Carson City take Route 395 north to College Parkway. Turn left to Country Club Drive and turn right. The golf course is on the left.
Silver Oak Golf Course Website | Golf Course Map & Directions
Reserve a Tee Time | Book a Package | Carson Valley
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The Club at Genoa Lakes
Silver Oak
Sunridge
Silver Oak Golf Course
1251 Country Club Drive
Carson City, Nevada 89703
775-841-7000
Course Spec
Holes: 18
Slope: 130
Rating: 70.8
Par: 71
Length: 6,488
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