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Rating Index Rating
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3.0
365 Reviews (365)
5 Stars
66
4 Stars
160
3 Stars
75
2 Stars
35
1 Stars
29
Conditions
2.5
Value
3.5
Layout
3.5
Friendliness
4.3
Pace
4.2
Amenities
3.4
63.5%
Recommend this course
295 out of 365 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.3
3 Reviews (3)
5 Stars
1
4 Stars
0
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
0
Conditions
3.3
Value
3.7
Layout
3.7
Pace
4.7
Amenities
3.0
StaffFriendliness
5.0
66.7%
Recommend this course
2 out of 3 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
2.6
32 Reviews (32)
5 Stars
1
4 Stars
7
3 Stars
10
2 Stars
6
1 Stars
8
Conditions
2.1
Value
3.0
Layout
3.1
Pace
4.1
Amenities
3.2
StaffFriendliness
4.2
50.0%
Recommend this course
16 out of 32 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 6840 yards
Slope 125
Rating 71.4

Empire Ranch Golf Course, situated in the picturesque Carson Valley, features 27 holes of golf that overlook the Carson River. Located just minutes from downtown Carson City, Empire Ranch's three individual nines offer three different 18-hole combinations that have a convenient location but still provide a challenging golf getaway. The Comstock/River layout features lakes and wetlands coming into play throughout. The fairways are also well guarded by strategically placed bunkers. It provides a fair test, but the golf course is forgiving enough for beginning and intermediate players. In addition to the three courses, Empire Ranch also offers extensive practice facilities and a staff of PGA Professionals who can provide golf instruction.

Book a Tee Time at
Empire Ranch Golf Course
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Course Details

Year Built 1997
Golf Season Year round
Architect Cary Bickler

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes

Food & Beverage

Bar

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Banquet Facilities

Reviews

3.0
365 Reviews (365)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 13
Brunch 9
Patio Dining 8
Course Challenges Include:
Water Hazards 17
Bunkers 10
Forced Carries 10
This course/club is great for:
Locals 19
Seniors 19
Playing Multiple Courses 14
This Course's Location is:
Convenient to the City 16
Worth the Drive 10

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

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Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Horrible

Water damage from floods has only 10 of the 27 holes available spread out on two courses. The stagnant water smells awful and you can't escape it. Additionally, nobody seems to take the time to repair their ball marks on the greens and they are in incredibly poor shape. Staff has a ton of work ahead of them....

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Will be much better in late spring/summer!

Hazards drained for pond maint. Fairways still needing work, greens are good/firm. Should get better when vegetation starts growing again.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 10/11/2023

Hello and thank you for your 5-star rating! We're delighted you enjoyed your round. Please book another round with us soon, and thanks for choosing Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course!

Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Fair
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Poor
Default User Avatar
Commented on 10/05/2023

Hello, makimoto1. Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review. We see you rated the course 2-stars and are interested in learning what we can do to improve for your next visit.

We take customer feedback very seriously at our course. Please reach out to our team in the golf shop and tell us what's on your mind.

Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Fairways were poor, Greens very slow and bushy

Hard to figure out where many of the fairways were located from the tee boxes; and some were in pretty poor shape. Lots of wet, sloppy lies... Grees were quite slow, and needed cutting/rolling. All the toilets were locked at the club house... With few golfers there on a Friday, the pace of play was excellent.

Conditions Fair
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Fair
Pace Excellent
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/20/2023

Hi, u000003048174! Thank you so much for leaving us with your feedback. We value our customer experience, so your review is important to us. We will make note and we hope to see you back at Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course!

Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/13/2023

Hello u5508642. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave an excellent rating! We really appreciate your business. Please let us know what we can do for you in the future to earn that last star and thanks for choosing Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course!

Played On
Reviews 6
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Needs some grooming

Consistently lost balls in fairway and roughs. Grass needs to be trimmed on both. Balls just disappear.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/12/2023

Hi hopps2014,

We work hard to create an enjoyable experience so you can focus on enjoying yourself and let us do the rest. We also want to thank you for your honest and constructive criticism of the course. We are going to escalate your review in order to do what we can to improve before your next game.

Thank you for visiting and playing at Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course. We hope to see you again soon!

Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Worst Rough I've Ever Played In

Overall, the course has a lot of potential, but the poor state of the grounds cannot be overlooked. The rough was more weeds than grass, and what grass there was was ankle high as if it had not been mowed in months. My friend and I each lost at least 6 balls in play due to the rough being so high they disappeared as soon as we took our eyes off the spot they landed. Greens were inconsistent in terms of speed but overall not too bad. Fairway was standard. Ultimately this experience was not worth the money and I’ll be playing elsewhere next time.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Fair
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/06/2023

Hi, IwwbnefasgojvIBcFV3p! Thank you so much for leaving us with your feedback. We value our customer experience, so your review is important to us. Please know the current conditions are by no means the standard we strive to achieve. We will continue to work towards a 5-star experience and we hope to see you back!

Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Not What it Once Was

This course is in sad condition. Weeds in most the fairways, some fairways of weeds (the entire fairway is weeds on hole 16), standing water in the bunkers, slow bumpy greens, and so many misquotes. This was a favorite course many years ago, but the floods have done it in and ownership apparently does not want to invest what is needed to get it right. Bottom line, you're better off playing somewhere else.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/16/2023

Hello kurtkatzorke, thank you for taking the time to review us. We're sorry to hear the course may not have been in the best shape on the day of your round. We appreciate your feedback as we continue to work to offset the damage done by this years flooding. Thank you for choosing to golf with us, and we hope you give us another try soon at Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course.

Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Great Value

Empire Ranch continues to improve every time I play. The course is open on all 18 and the areas needing repair are coming back nicely. The course is being very well maintained and the staff are working hard to make it the best course valuer in the valley. After a round the food in the club house is exceptional in quality and value. Well done guys keep up the good work.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/14/2023

Hi, PastorGarry. We appreciate you leaving a review and rating us. Thank you so much for your kind words about the effort our team has been putting in to restore our course. We will inform the entire team, so they know their hard work is paying off. We look forward to having you back at Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course!

Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
First Time Playing

Top 5 worst golf experience.

Website advertises 2 for $40 with cart, which would probably still have been too much for this shambles of a course.

The conditions are downright horrific. While we did have historic winter weather, every other course in the area has recovered, but the conditions at empire ranch are abysmal.

Also, the full 18 hole course is not open. You play 3 holes of the par 3 course in place of holes 9, 11, and 18 of the 18 hole course. Meaning you're swapping 3 of the longest holes for 3 par 3s, one of which is maybe 70yds.

Signage is vague where it exists at all so be prepared to look around for the next hole you're playing in the current layout.

Roughs are ROUGH and there are lots of swamps or swampy fairways that swallow balls. But the pace of play was so painfully slow that we had all the time in the world to look and found enough balls to end the day net positive despite putting a few in the drink ourselves.

Eagle Valley GC is maybe 1 mile down HWY 50 and is in exponentially better shape, better maintained, and less expensive to play. Plus they have a flat fairly easy East course and a more challenging, links like west course to choose from, both 18 holes with no temporary tee boxes turning par 5s into par 3s.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Fair
Friendliness Poor
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/07/2023

Hi, u314164024482. Thank you for reviewing the course. Let us first start by apologizing for the poor experience you had during your visit. Your feedback about the course is important to us. We are working to get everything up to par. We have projects ongoing to continue recovering the fairways and greens. and are offering a play format that allows our golfers to play through 18 holes despite the holes currently in recovery. The current condition is by no means the standard we strive to achieve and we are continuing to make improvements, but we want to make sure our players have the opportunity to join us this season as we recover from significantly destructive conditions. We will continue to work towards an excellent experience while keeping your feedback in mind. Thank you for playing Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course. We hope to see you again.

Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Tee boxes, greens good shape. 50% of the fairways are being revitalized from what appears to be previously flooded stretches which are either still bare or have uneven overgrowth that too often hide balls. The views of surrounding mountains all around and course layout are pluses for me. The price made for a very appealing experience.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/31/2023

We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us, u215540496. We are going to pass on your feedback to the team. Thanks for visiting Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course, and we hope to see you again in the future.

Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Making a great comeback

Empire had a hard start with early flooding from heavy snows this winter. The course is making a great comeback and getting a lot of attention. The greens are excellent and areas damaged by flooding are coming along nicely. Would nightly recommend as there is no better course value in the area.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/02/2023

PastorGarry, thank you for your kind words! The team has worked very hard to get where we are, and we appreciate golfers like you taking notice. We hope to see you again at the course very soon for another great experience. Thanks for choosing Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course

Played On
Reviews 31
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Poor condition

Many holes under construction, some areas dry others soaking wet.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/24/2023

Hi, Ronaldfox. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. We understand your frustration with the construction projects underway. Please bear with us as we work diligently to make improvements. We hope you'll give us another try in the future.

Played On
Reviews 31
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Poor signage

The “directions “ provided provided by the starter were in short inaccurate. Several holes were under construction (reseeded) and it was difficult to find the next tee box. No yardage markers, gps was useless!
I’m not going back 😏

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Poor
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/17/2023

Hello, Ronaldfox. Thank you for reviewing the course. We would like to apologize for your recent experience.

We're sorry to hear you were less than satisfied during your round. We pride ourselves on our providing great service and the high-quality standards we maintain.

We would like to make things right. Please reach out to our management team at the pro shop.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
First Time Playing

Very poor conditions right now

Here are some photos of the actual conditions of the course right now. Nothing at all like the course photos in GolfNow.

It's in terrible shape, the fairways are bare, the rough is full of some kind of clover that eats balls and the rough around the greens is very long too.

The reeds have grown so tall most of the tee shots are blind and you can hardly tell where the fairway or green are located.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/17/2023

Hi, alwolff. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. We understand your frustration with the course recovery conditions since the spring flooding. Please bear with us as we work diligently to make improvements. We hope you'll give us another try in the future.

Played On
Reviews 6
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Course fairways are in really bad shape

I don't like leaving bad reviews, but I feel others need to know before you make a tee time here. While the greens are in very nice shape, everything else, fairways, rough around the greens, signage directing you to the next hole (when there are forks in the path), are in terrible shape.
I don't know why, but save your money for now and play at a better managed course.
I hope they can fix the issues, as it really has potential to be a nice course, but they need to plow under the fairways and start over. They are mostly bare and just off the fairways are this weird clover like stuff that if your ball goes in there, you may never find it. If you do find it, it's almost impossible to hit out of.
Even the rough around the greens is so tall, you need a machete to get out of it.
Also, the reeds have gotten so tall, you can hardly tell where to hit your tee shot as you can't see the fairway or in some cases, the green or flag.
Pace of play was good as there weren't many folks out there.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/17/2023

Hi, alwolff. Thank you for reviewing the course. Let us first start by apologizing for the poor experience you had during your visit. Your feedback about the course is important to us. We are working to get everything up to par. We have projects ongoing to recover the fairways and roughs since the spring flooding, and are currently offering deals on our tee times to compensate for the recovery state of our facilities. The current condition is by no means the standard we strive to achieve. We will continue to work towards an excellent experience by using your comment for guidance. Thank you for playing Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course. We hope to see you again soon.

Played On
Reviews 39
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Course Has Had Flood Damage

Due to the recent excessive and somewhat rapid snowmelt in the Sierras some of the flatlands in the valleys have experienced flooding and this course has had its share of flood damage and disruptions. Like to support them though by playing there but will wait for a few more weeks to see how there deal with the recovery.
Course layout has been convoluted due to the flooding.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/17/2023

We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us, u000005134607. We appreciate your patience as our course recovers. Thanks for visiting Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course, and we hope to see you again in the future.

Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Rough hidden gem.

This course is hidden away and based on my first round there, also less frequented by players than Eagle Valley down the highway.

Pace of play was great, hardly saw anyone else on the course.

The course is in rough shape right now, the excess water from the record snowfall winter has done a number to it. That being said, it's mostly fairway damage, both tee boxes and greens are in great shape as they're almost all elevated.

Conditions Fair
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/10/2023

Hi, u314164024482. Thank you so much for your feedback. We are glad you had enjoyed your time at Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course, and pride ourselves on delivering the best experience possible.

We hope to see you again soon!

Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Flooded only front 9 open also flooded

The course has 27 holes it is flooded due to snow melt. Only front 9 open also flooded. No mention of this in golf now. I believe it will take a month or more for course to be playable. Greens are in very good shape.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/06/2023

Thank you for reviewing the course. Let us first start by apologizing for the poor experience you had during your visit. The current condition is by no means the standard we strive to achieve and are working diligently to improve the course. Thank you for playing and we hope to see you again soon.

Played On
Reviews 34
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Poor
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 06/30/2023

Hi, u314159610164. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. We see you rated the course 1 star and are interested in learning what we can do to improve for your next visit. We take single-star feedback very seriously at our course. You are welcome to comment further or reach out to our team in the golf shop. We always appreciate the feedback. Thanks for choosing Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course.

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