NEVADA, IOWA — There’s something wonderfully subversive about serious golf being built in quiet, unsuspecting locales.
Nevada, Iowa—pronounced “Nuh-VAY-duh” with a Midwestern drawl that shrugs off the glitz of Las Vegas—is one such place. Just south of town, you will find a weathered wooden silo atop a form of land that rolls like it was drawn freehand rather than surveyed.
Known for generations, Indian Creek Golf Club, with its modest nine holes, is now being reimagined as The Silo Club, a name that reflects geographic identity and personal history. The rebranding pays homage to the iconic structures that dot Iowa’s rural horizon, and to the Vier Family that has built those silos since the 1950s and now owns the club today.
To the Viers, that old silo is more than a symbol—it’s a cornerstone. And as the golf course approaches its centennial in 2026, it’s being transformed to thrive for the next 100 years.
Building The Best
Reconstruction at The Silo Club has been led by Kentucky-based architect Kevin Hargrave, a disciple of Keith Foster and a staunch traditionalist in his own right.
Hargrave doesn’t impose architecture, rather he coaxes it from the land. And on the outskirts of Nevada (pop. 7,082), he was handed ground he describes as “unlike anything I’ve seen in the Midwest.”
Set across more than 100 acres of ridges that feature mature oaks and hickory groves, the property lends itself to strategy, variety and rhythm.
“The land this place sits on is what makes it truly special,” said Cale Bultman, the club’s general manager. “The natural landforms and undulations you see within the property are unique and Kevin’s vision only amplifies all of that.”
The course’s original routing, which was altered multiple times since first opening in 1926, made limited use of the land’s potential. Hargrave’s new plan (par 36, 3,600 yards) flows like a great short story: Rising, falling, tightening and releasing.
Because it has nine holes, the project allows for an intensity of detail rarely seen in an 18-hole course. Fairway edges are hand-blended into native zones. Green surrounds are shaped for recovery shots instead of rough grabs. Hargrave is on site up to three days a week, walking lines and refining edges with a shaper. His goal is not to build something new, but to reveal what was already there.
“We get to take our time here, because it’s only nine holes,” Hargrave said. “And that means we’ll get it right.”
The course closed in late 2024 and will remain shuttered for 2025. That crucial decision was made to provide ample time to be thoughtful with every detail of The Silo Club.
“When players show up in the future, they are going to find a place that was extensively thought out,” said Bultman. “An immense amount of vision and planning is behind this project, along with precise execution. This group goes over every detail and nothing has been taken lightly, but that’s what it takes to make a place special.”
Backing him is Leibold Irrigation & Construction, the same group trusted by the likes of Medinah, Camargo, and Butler National. Their precision and patience have enabled Hargrave to obsess over detail: Sightlines, runoff, the grain of every slope. With only nine holes to shape, there’s time to get everything right.
The individual tasked with maintaining Hargrave’s new gem will be Ryan Ver Ness, The Silo Club’s first course superintendent.
Ver Ness’s resumé is an impressive one: Former superintendent at The Wilderness at Fortune Bay in northern Minnesota. More than five years as the manager of grounds for the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers. And nine years split between Bayonet Blackhorse Golf Course and Pebble Beach Resorts on California’s Monterey Peninsula.
“Ryan and his team are top-notch,” Bultman said. “The work they have done this spring and summer is truly incredible, and their expertise is only going to continue to elevate the course.”
A Unique Experience Awaits
It’s a short walk to the clubhouse after you arrive at The Silo Club. It’s also one of the more unique clubhouses you’ll see, as it was created to replicate the architecture of Indian Creek’s original structure.
The new clubhouse features a triple-dormer sloped roof, cedar shakes, and reclaimed barn wood. It’s not oversized or overwrought—it’s exactly what this place exudes: Authentic and straightforward, yet comfortable.
“You could put up a barn or bigger building and plan to host large events, but that’s not the plan for the clubhouse,” Bultman said. “We took a minimalistic approach with a focus placed on high-quality service for golfers and the course. That’s our main objective.”
In 2026, players will roll putts on a practice green that spans more than 30,000 square feet before taking just a few steps south to the first tee—an effortless transition from warm-up to play.
No. 1: The course opens with a bold par 4 stretching 470 yards with a broad and forgiving landing area. The tee shot plays slightly uphill, followed by a second shot dropping downhill approximately 35-40 feet to a green nestled in a natural hollow and set within a pocket of stately oaks and hickories.
No. 2: Plays from the back tees as a short par 5 at approximately 520 yards. The tee ball is an uphill, semi-blind shot over an existing natural ridgeline to another wide fairway. Once a player reaches their tee shot, they are faced with two options: a layup safe short of the green into a lower natural valley, leaving a short, uphill blind pitch into a long green. The second choice is to play for home into a heavily contoured, slightly angled green (front left to back right) set into a natural ridge and guarded with bold bunkering along the front and back right sides.
No. 3: A short par 3 from the back tees at 145 yards. The hole can unfold from two separate lines of play. The left tee complex is no more than 5-7 yards to the right of the No. 2 green and is all carry to a tightly-bunkered green over a natural waste area with no approach cut. The tee from the right plays to an elevated green with a narrow fairway approach, with the green angling from front right to back left.
No. 4: From the tee, the hole appears longer than it plays. At 420 yards in length, the tee shot must be hit far enough left to avoid a large oak tree inside the dogleg on the right, which could block your approach. Hit it too far left off the tee, and a series of fescue hillocks can catch your ball. The approach shot plays gradually uphill to an infinity green set on a natural high. The green complex is bunkered along the left, right, and behind, with a green surface contoured with multiple pinable areas.
No. 5: A picture-perfect par 4 that spans 435 yards. The hole starts from an elevated tee through a beautiful hollow and along meandering Indian Creek. A perennial stream cuts across the fairway, meaning players must decide whether to play it safe and short, or try to carry. The green is against the bank of Indian Creek, taking advantage of its natural features.
No. 6: This striking 165-yard par-3 green sits naturally below a dramatic hillside that acts as a playable backstop. The green is fronted by a twisting stream that was unearthed by Hargrave and left untouched for its natural fit. The green is slightly contoured, 40 yards wide, and only 25 yards deep. This is a breathtaking hole by any standard.
No. 7: A testing par 4 over water that stretches to 405 yards from the back tee. Left of the landing area, formal fairway bunkering has been shaped, short of the existing swale. Waste bunkers exist along the right side of the landing area. The green complex has been built out to enlarge the surface that naturally ties into the ground features. The cornfield beyond the hole rests perfectly as though you hit into it.
No. 8: A huge par 5 stretching to 630 yards from the back tee. Two options exist off the tee: Play to the right for a shorter carry over the pond with a longer route to the green, or play to the left for a longer carry over the water and a shorter route to the green. Large waste bunkers and two large oak trees split these two lines of play. Bunkers and fescue mounds have been strategically placed along the sides of the hole. The large plateau green sits at the location of the previous clubhouse.
No. 9: A long par 4 of 475 yards finishes the round. The tee shot plays over a slight valley to a landing area with fairway bunkers to the left and right. Approach shots play downhill to a slightly elevated green that directly ties into the heavily contoured practice putting green. Bunkers will be lurking along the left, front right and back right.
After a round, players will be able to take in the view from the covered patio that overlooks the No. 1 and 4 tees, and the No. 9 green. Between the fairways stands the original 1926 wooden silo—a quiet landmark on the property and the inspiration behind the club logo, name, and identity. It’s a view that reflects the character of the land and the vision of The Silo Club.
What’s Next?
With grow-in scheduled through late summer 2025 and infrastructure nearing completion, The Silo Club will officially reopen in May 2026 to celebrate its centennial. The final product will be unlike any other nine-hole course in Iowa, if not the country.
And with its grain storage landmark standing tall and rural setting, The Silo Club is poised to offer golfers something increasingly rare: Extraordinary golf that feels like home.
“We have an incredible amount of confidence in what is being created here and we believe that ultimately this course will be able to compete with the other nine-hole greats across the country,” said Bultman.
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Please direct inquiries to:
Cale Bultman, General Manager
cale@siloclub.com
515-554-9918