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Rating Index Rating
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3.4
457 Reviews (457)
5 Stars
77
4 Stars
196
3 Stars
103
2 Stars
45
1 Stars
36
Conditions
2.9
Value
4.0
Layout
3.7
Friendliness
4.3
Pace
4.1
Amenities
3.4
71.7%
Recommend this course
362 out of 457 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.7
7 Reviews (7)
5 Stars
1
4 Stars
4
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
0
Conditions
3.1
Value
4.7
Layout
4.0
Pace
4.7
Amenities
3.8
StaffFriendliness
4.6
71.4%
Recommend this course
5 out of 7 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.3
44 Reviews (44)
5 Stars
4
4 Stars
17
3 Stars
15
2 Stars
6
1 Stars
2
Conditions
2.9
Value
3.9
Layout
3.7
Pace
4.2
Amenities
3.6
StaffFriendliness
4.2
65.9%
Recommend this course
29 out of 44 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 6573 yards
Slope 123
Rating 70.3

The Sierra/Comstock Course is one of three 18-hole combinations provided by the three individual nines at Empire Ranch Golf Course. Nestled in the scenic Carson Valley, Empire Ranch features 27 holes of golf that overlook the Carson River. Although the golf courses have a seemingly secluded location rolling along dramatic bluffs, they are actually only minutes from downtown Carson City. Sierra/Comstock features smooth, fast greens and tight fairways, but the layout is forgiving enough for players of all skill levels to enjoy. Empire Ranch, in addition to the three courses, offers a full practice complex with a 300-yard driving range and a teaching facility that offers personalized instruction for all skill levels.

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Empire Ranch Golf Course
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Course Details

Year Built 1997
Golf Season Year round
Architect Cary Bickler

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Pull-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
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Reviews

3.4
457 Reviews (457)
Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 35
Handicap Don't know
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser

Fall weather coyrse

It was absolutely beautiful weathet this time of the year

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 11/12/2020

Thank you for your review, aeyon7511. We will pass along your positive experience to our team at Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course. We look forward to seeing you again soon.

Played On
Reviews 25
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Needs more grass on tee boxes and fairways. Restaurant needs to stay open later.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Poor
Default User Avatar
Commented on 11/03/2020

Hello, u855240021. Thank you for taking the time to review the course and rate us. We are going to pass along your feedback to the staff. Thanks for visiting Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course!

Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 10/26/2020

Hi kingstown80. Thank you so much for the great review. We are glad you had an incredible time, and we hope to see you again soon! Thanks for choosing Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course.

Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 10/12/2020

Hello and thank you for your 5-star rating, Kennyg45! 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 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Nice Round, Great Course!

Nice round of golf. Beautiful day. Everyone we encountered were very nice and polite.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 10/12/2020

Hi u364586490. We appreciate you leaving a review and rating us. 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 13
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

The course does make you think a little. If you need a boost in confidence, play here every once in awhile.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 10/14/2020

Hi, foreeee! 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 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Course condition is pathetic

Overall condition was poor control of watering with SLOPPY areas throughout. Tee boxes mostly weeds of various types. Fairways extremely irregular with clumps of weeds, dry spots and mud spots. Greens were ok but Very slow.

Pace of play was very slow.

Price was low but given all the negatives As noted would not recommend and will not return

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Fair
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Amenities Fair
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/29/2020

Hi, cpfkkf. Thank you for taking the time to review the course. 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. Thank you for playing Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course.

Played On
Reviews 40
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Good Value

Beautiful day and it played well (once we skipped around a slow two-some). Staff is always friendly and helpful (even the grounds personnel).

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/29/2020

Thank you for taking the time to review us RenoTom. Your feedback is valuable, and we look forward to delivering you excellent service again soon. Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course thanks you!

Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Previously Played
Conditions Fair
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Poor
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/28/2020

Hello, u9115710. Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We are sorry to see that your overall experience was anything short of 5 stars, but we hope you'll give us another try in the near future. Thanks for choosing Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course.

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

Great value for the money, but the course needs TLC

I was actually quite pleasantly surprised for the price. The staff was friendly, the course was laid out nicely, and it was easy to navigate for someone playing for the first time. A few things were a bit frustrating, and I guess this is the part where you get what you pay for. First, the grass was so tall on the course and so in need of mowing, that I lost multiple balls on GREAT shots that went straight on the fairway and should have been a breeze to find. That was quite frustrating, to hit a great shot, spend a while looking for my ball in the middle of the course, only to have to play a new ball. I went through 10+ balls on the course, without hitting any truly egregious shots. And I saw tons of other people doing the same thing, riding or walking in circles, trying to find balls that should have been obvious, in very tall grass. So bring lots of extra golf balls if you play here. Another frustrating thing was that people without reservations kept cutting in. There were two guys who didn’t meet any dress code and had no reservation time who cut right in front of me. When I asked what time slot they had, they said “we don’t have one, whatever.” So that delayed my start time and pace of play which was frustrating. The staff in the pro shop was super friendly but definitely could have used someone out on the course. Overall though, this was the best price i’ve ever played a round of golf for, so I feel like I really can’t complain!

Conditions Fair
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/30/2020

Hi RJTwo. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. Thank you for the 4 stars! We aim for a 5-star experience, so we always welcome feedback for improvement. Thank you for playing Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course.

Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

like the old days

The way courses used to be: no attitude, everybody friendly, including the other golfers, course is in fine shape and the greens are excellent. Every hole is different as they all meander along the Carson River.

Lots of history here, views are insane and so are the prices...my new favorite spot, hands down, and I'm an hour away. Very pleasant and relaxing, from the folks working there -great little restaurant too- to the course itself. Where have I been?

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/23/2020

Hi tunatic. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. Thank you for the 4 stars! We aim for a 5-star experience, so we always welcome feedback for improvement. Thank you for playing Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course.

Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Empire Ranch is great place to golf !

Very nice layout, with really nice fairways. And the greens are well maintained. Always enjoy playing here .

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/21/2020

Hi Steffen11. We appreciate you leaving a review and rating us. 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 2
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Like playing in a marsh, rude staff

If these guys invested half as much energy into groundskeeping as they do being condescending jerks to their golfers this course could be a Wolf Run or Lakeridge. It was so wet on every inch of the fairways, just full of puddles and torn up grass which was made worse by golf carts. Just ridiculous how wet it was and while we were there they were still watering something, god knows what and why they thought they needed MORE water. We could have caught them on a bad day but that just didn’t feel like the case. Some of the tee boxes didn’t even have a spec of grass, they were just weeds and dirt. The tee times felt very close together and there were a bunch of doubles groups flying through the course. Why they wouldn’t just try to consolidate a few of those groups into 4 to space us out more is beyond me, especially on such a busy weekend. The staff were really rude and were not wearing masks correctly when indoors or talking to golfers in close proximity. They treated us like we were stupid when we’re fully aware of common course courtesy and know how to play. I would go back to pull on whatever sticks are up their butts but I might drown if I ever step on that grass again.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Fair
Friendliness Poor
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart
Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Fair
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/02/2020

Hello, drloller. Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We are sorry to see that your overall experience was anything short of 5 stars, but we hope you'll give us another try in the near future.

Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Previously Played

Bang for your buck!

Empire is a course rich in Northern Nevada heritage and gives you great value for your dollar. Improvements are largely noticeable and the course is very enjoyable.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/02/2020

Hi HunterMoses. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. We aim for a 5-star experience, so we always welcome feedback for improvement. Thank you for playing Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course.

Played On
Reviews 37
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Pass until more rain

I wanted to really like this course, but other courses in the area are in better condition. Spend a little more and enjoy a quality game of golf.

Staff was excellent, but many things need improvement on the course. Maintenance has completely given up on taking bunkers. Many tees are mostly weeds. While greens are good, areas around greens are struggling—weeds are winning!

Picture provide the story.

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/11/2020

Hi, u000003302779. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. We are going to pass on your feedback to the teams in charge so they can work to make changes. Thanks for visiting Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course. We hope you'll give us another try in the future.

Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played

Great little course

I've played here many times and always enjoy it. The staff is friendly and for the most part the course is in good shape. There is at least one tee box that could use some attention. Otherwise, it's a fun course to play especially for a golfer with limited golf talent like myself.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/11/2020

Hi FrancisoH, thank you for the 4-star rating. We are happy to hear you have enjoyed our course and staff over the years. We also appreciate the feedback on our tee boxes so we know what we can improve on. Thanks again and we hope to see you soon.

Played On
Reviews 43
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Course Needs Extra TLC

I am not sure it’s COVID -19 related vis- a vis the economy or a combination of several other contributing factors, but the course has not totally recovered from the last major storm damage (~ 3 years ago?) and lacks some urgent, constructive and definitive care and maintenance. Still a reasonably great TeeOff Deals but it’s not a $30 a round GC right now?

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/12/2020

Hi u000005134607. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. Thank you for the 4 stars! We aim for a 5-star experience, so we always welcome feedback for improvement. Thank you for playing Comstock/River at Empire Ranch Golf Course.

Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Average
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/28/2020

Hello, srid4072. Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We are sorry to see that your overall experience was anything short of 5 stars, but we hope you'll give us another try in the near future.

Played On
Reviews 13
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Hidden gem

In today’s world of Covid-19, it appears many courses raised their rates to accommodate the loss of tee times in an hour to provide better social distancing. However, Empire managed to keep the green fees down and very reasonable in today’s world. The course condition was a little soupy due recent rain and there’s a few cancer spots on a few greens. Given the circumstances versus the price it was a good experience and I will return to play again

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/22/2020

Hi u000006687482, we are so happy you enjoyed your latest trip to the course. We know things are so different right now and we are happy to maintain the same great prices you are used to. Thanks again and we hope to see you soon.

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