For more than 20 years Discovery Land Company has enlisted the work of renowned golf course architect Tom Fazio when creating the golf courses that stand as a cornerstone to its luxury residential private club communities. While each site has its own unique features – may it be the forest of Gozzer Ranch in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, the desert of Estancia in Scottsdale, Arizona or the dramatic terrain of the Blue Ridge Mountains at Mountaintop in Cashiers, North Carolina – one thing remains constant: world-class golf. The golf course at Silo Ridge Field Club in Amenia, New York, with its rolling terrain and expansive Hudson Valley scenery, will be no different.
“It’s one of those striking, immediate fall in love with kind of settings,” says Fazio of Silo Ridge. “Once you see it, you’d say I just can’t wait to play it, and if you’ve played, you say you just can’t wait to get back.”
Work on the course began during the fall of 2014 and, according to Fazio, it’s right on schedule to open Fourth of July weekend in 2016. Though a course once stood on the same property, the new course holds no resemblance to what was once in place. No piece of land went untouched and the result is yet another Fazio masterpiece and another world-class golf course added to Discovery Land Company’s already stunning portfolio of golf courses, which continually rank among the top private courses in America.
“Discovery Land Company gets a site, they call me and just say, ‘Here it is. You tell us what you want to do and let’s get started.’ How awesome is that? It’s total control—top of the line and no compromises,” explains Fazio. He’s used to the drill by now, having completed 13 courses for the company during a more than 20-year relationship. Just like previous projects for Discovery, the course is seamlessly integrated into the master plan—Silo Ridge’s plan featuring housing and more than $250 million worth of amenities—and also blends with the natural surroundings.
Silo Ridge’s setting provides an interesting contrast of environments, with sprawling views and high elevations both visible from the property. “The golf course kind of meanders through very much rolling terrain, down in a valley area, with the real estate development being in the tree-lined area and the upper elevations of the property,” Fazio explains. “So the houses are kind of hidden with the golf course out in the big open space. It’s very dramatic looking. You can see many of the golf holes from different parts of the property. The course certainly fits the environment that’s there.”
In regard to the course itself, Fazio says several factors were key during the design. “With member play, it’s really about enjoyment and fun...variety, certainly top-notch golf, but that doesn’t mean it has to be hard. Our program is never to create hard, difficult golf courses.” At Silo Ridge, variety certainly shines through to create an outstanding golf experience, whether in its range of elevations, or in the setup for each individual hole.
Expectations are, of course, high for the layout, but Fazio is positive that Silo Ridge’s quality will outmatch even the loftiest of expectations. “No question in my mind when people go to Silo Ridge, they’ll say it’s as good as anything they’ve ever seen.”
For more information on golf at Silo Ridge Field Club, and further details on the entire development in the Hudson Valley, please visit www.siloridge.com.
