The Silo Ridge Field Club is an idyllic place in the country where families gather to celebrate life. The concept may not be new, but the Discovery Land Company expression of it attains new heights of happy.
Silo Ridge Field Club is a private, gated community that spans 1,200 acres in the horse country along Route 22 in Amenia, NY. The $500 million development under construction on the site centers around a fine, new Tom Fazio-designed golf course, but it’s far more than 18 fairways lined by McMansions. It’s a total lifestyle devoted to relaxed fun.
Among the seemingly endless list of amenities providing that fun is a lakeside pavilion that offers a jumping-off point for water adventures and a family-activity barn that houses arcade games and a bowling alley, as well as guides ready to take members fly-fishing on the Housatonic or backcountry hiking or biking. There’s an Olympic-caliber equestrian complex, shooting activities that include access to Tamarack Preserve for hunting, and even auto racing at nearby Lime Rock Park. The year-round field house, scheduled to open in late 2017, will have something for every athlete in the family, too, from tennis and basketball to a climbing wall and golf simulators.
At the heart of the place will be the clubhouse, a 30,000 sq ft lodge with a spa and fitness center, pools, movie theater, bar and grill, and a dining room specializing in farm-to-table cuisine with produce often harvested from the huge on-property gardens.
The new golf course is both delightfully playable and steadily challenging. It meanders up and around the surrounding hillsides so your eye is constantly drawn to dramatic scenic vistas. The opening three holes play out to the first of two comfort stations that are to halfway houses what Stone Barns is to Burger King. Free-form bunkers, burbling streams, lakes, and protected wetlands present numerous risk-and-reward opportunities on the 7,107-yard course, while strongly contoured greens keep everyone on their toes.
 |
While the golf course rivals the best in the Hudson Valley, it’s probably the least stuffy place you’ll ever tee it up. Many golf carts have sound systems so you can blast your favorite tunes while you play, and the dress code is basically nonexistent, so feel free to wear your denim cutoffs and turn the bill of your cap around to wherever you want it. Old, rusty pickup trucks serve as targets on the practice range — kids love nothing better than hearing the clang of a ball on their doors. The key word at Silo Ridge is “play” golf, as in make it fun.
All of these wonders are part of the membership package at Silo Ridge, which is reserved for property owners. Living options range from spacious condos and townhouses in the $2 million to $3.5 million price category to a variety of single-family homes in five distinct neighborhoods where prices will start at about $3.5 million and go up to $10 million or more. Plans call for just 245 homes of all types, leaving hundreds of undeveloped acres for woods and wildlife.
The drive from Manhattan is about 90 minutes, making weekend trips easier than to the Hamptons. New Yorkers can also take Metro-North to the Wassaic station, which abuts the property. Negotiations are underway for private railcar service, as well.
