Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
A13
WEDNESDAY
July 18, 2018
FOUR-legged caddies
Goats pack clubs on new Silvies challenge course
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
escriptions of McVeigh’s Gauntlet, the fourth golf course
at The Retreat & Links at Silvies Valley Ranch south of
Seneca, ranged from “beautiful” and “amazing” to “in-
timidating,” but the golfers trying out the course on opening day
most frequently described the seven-hole challenge course as
“fun.”
Two goat caddies, Mike LeChevon and Bruce LeGoat, stole
the show July 10, taking their maiden voyage on the course with
new friends.
The happy-go-lucky Boer goats are trained to be caddies for
visitors from all over the globe.
Two more caddies are also prepared for the task, and the own-
ers said they eventually would like to have six to 10 goats ready
to pack clubs and beverages on the course.
Sandy Campbell, who owns the ranch with her husband, Dr.
Scott Campbell, assisted with the goats during the opening event.
“The golfers walked them, and they did well,” she said, add-
ing the only problem was running out of the goats’ favorite treat:
peanuts.
Surrounded by hills of sagebrush and juniper trees, a unique
feature of the challenge course is the need to drive the ball from
ridgetop to ridgetop.
Some golfers may wonder if they should have packed hik-
ing boots, as the trails from hole to hole involve walking up and
down paths that are inaccessible to golf carts.
The goat caddies may seem like an odd idea, but Campbell
said, with the higher altitude, at almost 5,000 feet, the help of
four-legged friends comes in handy for golfers.
Golf course architect Dan Hixson said McVeigh is designed
to give golfers a difficult, but not impossible, game.
D
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Architect of The Links at Silvies Valley Ranch Dan
Hixson takes a swing at McVeigh’s Gauntlet July 10.
In back, from left, are Akbar Chisti, Sandy Campbell,
Sheryl Miller and Colby Marshall.
“The intent is to get someone on the tee to see something they
haven’t seen before,” he said.
If golfers hit a bad shot, he said, it’s going to end up in the
sage brush, but it’s still playable.
Hixson designed the other three courses at Silvies — Crad-
dock, Hankins and Chief Egan — and he is the vice president/
golf and resort general manager.
He’s also known for building the Bandon Crossings Golf
Course on the coast and the Wine Valley Golf Course in Walla
Walla, Washington.
The opening day was the first time Hixson had tried the course
since grass was added, and he managed to make it through the
course without losing his ball.
A bonus hole at the halfway point of the course gave players a
brief reprieve under the shade of the famous “Beer Tree,” which
had a cooler waiting for the participants.
An approximately 8-by-60-foot bumpy stretch of green on
the hole gave players a unique experience.
Three teams of three enjoyed that first round.
“I think this course is a lot of fun,” said Akbar Chisti of Bea-
verton. “It’s basically a fantasy golf course with lots of chances
to rejoice and grimace.”
Chisti, who owns Seamus Golf with his wife, Megan, de-
signed the golf caddie packs the goats were testing.
“It’s about as cool a project as we could have done,” Akbar said.
He said he was looking forward to returning to Silvies soon
and bringing his family.
PNGA member Jay Brandt and his wife, Cynthia, of Bend
enjoyed the morning at McVeigh.
“It’s beautiful and a delight,” Cynthia said of the course and
scenery, but added with all the nonplayable, out-of-bounds areas,
“it’s not for the faint of heart.”
Choosing the right club is important.
“I used my 7 wood a lot,” she said.
Michael Williams, who is director of travel and lifestyle with
golfWRX.com and host of the podcast “The 19th Hole,” was
also out enjoying the game.
“You get a look at these holes as something you’re not going
to see anywhere else, and that’s the fun of it,” he said. “The goats
are what these guys are about, making the land better and using
the resources better — that’s Silvies Valley.”
Silvies Valley Ranch includes the resort with a spa opening
soon, but it is also a working ranch, raising over 1,000 goats a
year as well as a herd of cattle.
Colby Marshall, vice president of livestock and guest ser-
vices, said the team is excited to open their fourth course.
“Our focus is to make destination travel fun and unique,” he
said. “That is what the McVeigh Gauntlet golf course was de-
signed to be.”
The cost for a round at McVeigh is
$77, and for a goat golf caddy, the price
is also $77.
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
The first golfing group to try out McVeigh’s Gauntlet July 10 at The Links at Silvies Valley Ranch are, left, golf course architect Dan Hixson, who designed all four golf courses at
the ranch, Michael Williams of golfWRX.com and Akbar Chisti of Seamus Golf. The men lead the goat caddies along to the next hole. In back is ranch owner Sandy Campbell.
Two local youths qualify for National Junior Olympic meet
Four athletes
compete at
regional event
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Two Grant County youth
athletes, Mason Morris and
Anna Jacobs, qualified for the
July 23-29 National Junior
Olympic Track & Field Cham-
pionships.
The event, sponsored by
USA Track and Field, will be
held at North Carolina A&T
University in Greensboro.
Morris, 14, who will be a
freshman at Grant Union Ju-
nior-Senior High School this
fall, placed first in the triple
jump (40-3.5) and second in
the long jump (18-4) at the
July 5-8 Junior Olympic Re-
gion 13 Meet in Bend.
“Going in to nationals, he is
seeded third in triple jump and
15th in long jump,” said his
coach Sonna Smith.
Morris has opted out of
taking the trip to Greensboro,
but he said it was “pretty cool”
to rank well nationally. This is
Morris’ first year in the sport.
He had some training from
Grant Union jump coach
John Houk last spring as an
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Contributed photo
Long jumper Anna Jacobs, 8, of Prairie City
qualified for the National Junior Olympics,
competing at a regional event in Bend.
eighth-grader on the junior high
team.
When Houk became ill,
Morris continued learning
from coach Smith and team-
mates.
He and his family, includ-
ing his mom Sophia Morris,
Mason Morris practices at the long jump
pit on Thursday at Grant Union Junior-
Senior High School in John Day.
moved to the area in April,
and since there was no oppor-
tunity for baseball, his usual
spring sport, he decided to try
track and field. Mason said he
caught on easily, and he’s en-
joyed it.
“It’s more of an indepen-
dent sport, and I made new
friends,” he said. “It’ll be fun
to get back to it.”
Morris also competed
well in the 200-meter dash,
javelin, triple jump and the
4x100 with Justin Hodge,
Daniel Henry and Dylan
Clark at Grant Union.
Jacobs, 8, will be in Lorie
Croghan’s third-grade class at
Prairie City School this fall.
She qualified at region-
als with a third-place finish in
the long jump (9-4.5). Jacobs
expected to know where she
stands in the national rankings
past press time.
She is planning to attend the
event with her mom, Jenny Ja-
cobs, who is also her coach.
When she started practicing
long jump last year, Anna could
jump 8 feet.
This year, she’s hit marks of
10 and 11 feet in practice.
“My mom did long jump
when she was in high school, so
she’s teaching me,” Anna said.
“It’s just kind of fun because
you meet new people.”
Anna also enjoys the 400-
and 100-meter dashes.
She’s looking forward to
nationals and has plans to vis-
it a roller coaster park with her
mom during the trip.
Jacobs’ mom is starting an
Eastern Oregon track and field
club next spring for Prairie City
and John Day youth, ages 8-18.
She imagines most partici-
pants would be elementary and
junior high students with com-
munity members and parents
who specialize in events help-
ing coach the youth.
If there is enough interest,
she would schedule four or five
competitions at Track Town
youth league meets and US-
ATF meets to help expose kids
to track and field.
Jenny said the competitions
are fun and exciting.
“Big city meets have a to-
tally different atmosphere,” she
said. “The more you can ex-
pose your kids to a high-level
competition situation, the more
apt they are to rise to the occa-
sion. It will help them flourish
in their sports career.”
The goal would be to even-
tually host a Track Town event
locally.
Anna likes the idea of the
local club.
“Practicing by myself is
boring, so having other kids
compete with me would be
fun,” she said.
For more information about
the track club, email Jacobs at
jencjacobs@gmail.com.
Also competing at the
regional meet were Trini-
ty Hutchison, who will be a
Grant Union senior this fall,
who placed 10th in triple jump
with a mark of 33-3.5, and
Jordan Hall, who will be a
Grant Union sophomore, who
placed ninth in the triple jump
at 37-6.5 and 13th in 110 hur-
dles at 18.56.