Bandon Dunes GR
Bandon, OR (4.5 hours from Portland)
Yes, this is in the U.S.
Fat Guy Research: There's never a lack of info on the new Shangri-La of American destination golf, so here's a good synopsis on how to get there, how to get good deals, when to go, the skinny on the new courses, where to grub, what drink to order, and a few full-length articles from the major golf mags. It's a pretty complete guide.
Quote from T&L Golf: "Mike Keiser, a 55 yr old rich guy from Chicago, who as an Amherst College English major liked his poets dead and his golf courses old, began directing the fortune he amassed in recycled greeting cards toward creating 'golf as it was meant to be.' After warming up with a 9-hole underground classic (The Dunes Club, New Buffalo MI), he set out on a nationwide search for the same sandy soil that serves as the wondrous base for the links of the British Isles. He looked in vain until he got a 1999 call from a real estate agent in the coastal town of Gold Beach OR, who knew of 1,200 acres of dunes near the old fishing village of Bandon, population 2,900.
The virgin land was blanketed by prickly gorse, planted in the 1870s by Bandon's founder, Lord George Bennett, who brought it from his home in Bandon, Ireland. Going against advisers who considered the area too remote, Keiser bought it all for $5 million, a deal that'll go down as golf's version of Minuit's buying Manhattan for $24 in trinkets. When BDGR opened in '99, he expected it would get about 12,000 rounds. It got more than 35,000."
Build it, and they will come.
Bandon Dunes Course: 1999, David McLay Kidd-- "The-then 28-year-old architect's only previous course was literally in Kathmandu. The son of Gleneagles greenskeeper Jim Kidd learned his golf at the primordial links of Machrihanish. During his nothing-to-lose job interview, Kidd told Keiser that he'd get rid of all the gorse and keep the clubhouse off the coast to save the best land for golf. Going with his gut, Keiser made the cheeky Kidd the first Scottish architect to build in the U.S. since Ross." - T&L Golf
Green 6844, 74.2,138, 72
Blue 6483, 72.4, 133, 72
White 6112, 70.7, 127, 72
Pacific Dunes: 2001, Tom Doak, Ranked #1 Course You Can Play Golf Magazine 2008
Par 71, 6670
Bandon Trails: 2005, Crenshaw/Moore
Old Macdonald: 2010, Tom Doak & Jim Urbina, Site of 2011 USGA Public Links Championships
Bandon Preserve: 2012, Ben Crenshaw & Bill Coore, 13 hole par-3 course
The Sheep Ranch
Legend has it that during his work building Pacific Dunes, Tom Doak also roughed out a "private" 13-hole course for Mike Keiser and his college roommate, Phil Friedman. I can't tell from various things I've read if this is the same layout that became the par-3 Bandon Preserve or not. The unofficial Sheep Ranch was said to be quite similar in concept to Keiser's original course, The Dunes Club. There are multiple barely-recongnizable teeing grounds for each hole, and a mowed area (or three) that you might guess is the green. A local rule allows the winner of the previous hole to choose the tee and green for the next "hole." It's not exactly open to retail resort guests, although word on the street is that if you make an impassioned inquiry when making your Bandon reservations, or at the front desk of the A Bandon Inn (www.abandoninn.com), you might find yourself with an invite. The course is rumored to be closed during summer and on weekends, and greens fees are under $100. This is golf as it was meant to be played, like the first golfers at St. Andrew's would have played it.
There has also been some late 2011 scuttlebutt that Keiser is working with local government to build a 27-hole municipal course in Bandon, to be designed by Gil Hanse. The Bandon Muni Golf Links would be located 7 miles from the resort and just 300-feet from the ocean, on a site Keiser calls "better than Pacific Dunes." The bad news: It's pending a land swap with the Oregon Parks & Recreation Commision, who must vote if the arrangement meets their "overwhelming public benefit" criteria. And if it goes through, out-of-towners will pay full freight.
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Per T&L Golf, Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, and most major golf publications, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is pretty much the second coming of Old Tom Morris and Christ himself all rolled into one. Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes (#7 & #2 on Golf Digest's 2007 Top 100 Public Courses) are both as Old School as true links golf gets. Separate articles in T&L Golf waffled between calling Bandon GR "the best tandem of courses in the world" and the "best pair of publics in this hemisphere." The third course, Bandon Trails (by Crenshaw & Coore), is more of an inland links traversing three different terrains, but it still ranks #21 on GD's 2007 Best Publics. Old MacDonald is a seaside tribute to architect C.B. MacDonald, and was good enough to host the 2011 USGA Junior PubLinks Championship a year after it opened. The Preserve is a full-throated 12-hole par-3 course built into a spine in the dunes, perfect for an early morning warm-up or a less strenuous afternoon option after your morning 18.
This is the purest links golf you'll find in the States: indigenous gorse, sandy hardpan soil, hard by the Pacific, and howling ocean winds, a major factor in club selection. Walking only. Well-worth making it a vacation destination (fly into Portland, or N. Bend 30 mi. away on Horizon Air). T&L Golf gave both Bandon and Pacific Dunes 5/5 stars. The pentultimate U.S. Must Play.
Golf Digest Senior Travel Editor Matt Ginella summed it up best when he wrote, "Keiser has pieced this perfect puzzle together over a long time, adding elements only when they're necessary. The aesthetics of the property make it so easy on the eyes, complete with fire pits, caddies and no carts enhancing the architecture of the lodge, hotels and cottages that blend into the tree-filled scenery. The fact that it's hard to get to is one of the nitpicks, but in the end I think it leaves Bandon with an air of exclusivity that the public can get only if invited to stay and play at a place like Pine Valley. Bandon Dunes is a private club for the public."
In other words: DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO GET HERE BEFORE YOU DIE!
Best Bar Nearby: Realize that the remoteness of Keiser's field of dreams means a near-complete lack of anything to do after the dinner plates have been cleared, but that's largely because you'll be both satiated and exhausted from walking 36 holes every day, with the same early wake-up call looming tomorrow. A deck of cards, one finger of scotch, and two Extra Strength Tylenol should be plenty enough entertainment to kill the hour or two between a relaxed dinner and collapsing into bed.
There's not much reason to leave the resort, so for after-golf drinks, the on-premises bars include: The Bunker, a quintessential 19th hole, serves up single malts, selections from an extensive and well-balanced wine list, local microbrews, and pool tables. Guess the locale of all the pix of famous bunkers hanging on the walls. Golf Magazine named the resort's McKee's Pub as one of their best 19th holes in the country. "The food is solid and the drinks keep coming, making McKee's a perfect location to relive the magic of the 36 holes you played today. But don't expect to be partying into the wee hours: By 10pm McKee's is like a morgue. Everyone is in bed, dreaming of another 36 tomorrow." The patio is a great spot for post-round reckoning. In the cooler months, McKee's outdoor fireplace fills the air with scents of cedar and shore pine. The Tufted Puffin Lounge has ocean views and is a great spot for lunch between rounds.
If you do head into town, T&L Golf says try Lloyd's of Bandon (541-347-4211).
Best Drink: The Bandon Martini, T&L Golf March 2006, by Scott Mowbray
"What is it about gin and the Pacific Northwest right now? Maybe it quenches a thirst brought on after trampling the aromatic ground cover—piney, sweet, spicy plants—in the hills everywhere north of San Francisco and on up to the Cascade Mountains. In any case, there's an American gin party happening there. Anchor Distilling in San Francisco, most famous for its beer, has been making an intense Junípero gin for a few years; a small venture called Distillery No. 209 is also now producing a gin in San Francisco; and in Portland, Oregon, a restaurateur is teaming with a local distillery to produce GBT Summer Gin and, later, GBT Winter. But our favorite West Coast juniper juice comes from Bend, Oregon. Bendistillery's Cascade Mountain Gin is a pale yellow spirit infused with the berries of the wild junipers that can be found thick on the ground in local mountains. It's spicy, crisp and aromatic with a lot of backbone, and at ninety-five proof it has an extra kick that makes it particularly well suited to a large martini with tart, chewy olives. Phil Sabol, sommelier at Bandon Dunes, says: 'We've done very well with that and with Crater Lake Vodka [also from Bendistillery]. We're proud to serve Oregon goods here.' Bendistillery makes a lower-octane (eighty-two proof) gin as well, called Desert Juniper, which is the sort of soft, smooth type that's aimed at vodka partisans. The excellent No. 209 is also worth hunting down if you like a citrusy, complex gin in the vein of Tanqueray No.10 or Citadelle."
Where To Grub: Among the surprisingly good food at the above-mentioned bar & grills (the chefs and menus were all hand-selected by Keiser), The Gallery is the more formal spot for a meal at the resort. The menu features beef, seafood, and an Oregon wine list. Order the Grandma Thayer's meatloaf. $$
T&L Golf says the only reason to venture off-resort is Bandon Channel House's lovingly grilled seafood (480 1st St SW, $$$, 541-347-9057).
Wheelhouse Restaurant & Crowsnest Lounge (125 Chicago Ave, Bandon, 541-347-9331,$$) Pacific NW cuisine, emphasizing seafood & steak. Unbeatable lighthouse and river views, and the home base of the crazy crews who built Bandon's three courses.
Believe it or not, you can actually get good barbeque in Bandon. Hit Charley's Texas BBQ (980 Oregon Ave) for good ribs, great sauce, and awesome cole slaw, washed down with (you guessed it)... local Oregon microbrews on tap.
Where To Stay: Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. Lodging here has a functional, modern charm. While accommodations aren't as luxurious as one might find elsewhere, it's comfortable and very much in keeping with the rugged surroundings. The stylishly rustic Lodge was expanded in '05 and features 19 single rooms and 2 four-bedroom suites, ranging from $180 to $1,200. This is the hub of activity at Bandon, and as a result should be booked well in advance. The Lodge made Golf Magazine's 2003 "50 Coolest Places In Golf." For more secluded digs, the Chrome Lake rooms and suites ($300–$425) are well-appointed forest cabins, while the Lily Pond rooms ($260) represent the best value at the resort. The Grove cottages ($1,200), are spacious, deluxe accommodations designed for foursomes. The choice for a spare-no-expense buddies trip is a four-room cottage ($1,200 to $1,800, depending on the season). Keiser has also improved cell-phone and wireless reception. A fifth lodging option, The Inn, has 39 single rooms just south of Bandon Dunes' 18th green. Opened in 2009, it has all the amenities golfers love: space, a bed, a big showerhead and a flat-screen TV. Room rates range from $100 in the off-season to $340 during peak months (May to October). [Golf Digest]. The second-floor rooms all feature king beds. The first-floor rooms offer two queen beds. North-facing rooms (toward the main lodge and Bandon Dunes clubhouse) are more expensive than the rooms which face south (toward the forest). Says James Turner, the resort's hotel manager, "We want all of our guests to be able to stay and play without ever having to get in a car." --T&L Golf.
Lighthouse B&B
(650 Jetty Dr; 541-347-9316) The Coquille River Lighthouse circa 1896 can be seen from all 4 rooms, some w/ fireplaces. $105-$175
Best Western Inn @ Face Rock
(3225 Beach Loop Dr, 800-638-3092) Condo-suites w/ ocean views & fireplaces. $60-$229
GETTING THERE
Bandon Dunes is famously remote, but the great links golf is worth the long trip and then some. If you have a private jet at your disposal, fly into North Bend, a small airport served primarily by propeller craft from Horizon and Alaska Airways. The best way for us middle class masses to get to the resort is to fly through Portland or San Fran, then connect to 1 of 4 daily flights to North Bend. From there, Bandon is a 30 minute drive down the PCH (Route 101). If it's a road trip you're after, Bandon is 4-1/2 hours from Portland and 9 from San Fran, or 150 miles and 3 hours from Eugene. Flights from my hometown of Philly start around $500. Eugene Airport is serviced by United, America West, and Northwest.
Budget / When To Go:
Weather & 2011 Greens Fees: Prime season for weather is May through October, which feature the highest temps and greens fees (average highs in the 60's, $225), and the lowest chance of rain (avg rainfall 0.4-4.0 inches/month). Greens fees drop in April (avg high 58, $165), November (avg high 57, $130), March (avg high 56$120), February, (avg high 56, $90), and December/January (avg high 54, $75), while the chance of rain goes up (10 inches Dec, 9.25 inches Jan,
Note that greens fees do not include a $40 caddie fees + tip, Walking Only (Discounted rates Nov-Apr. OR try www.golfgetaways.com). Bandon GR's replay rates were ranked among the best deals in golf by Golf Digest 2008: "Assuming you're man enough, pick a late May/early June date with enough daylight, and you can play all 3 Bandon courses for $370 on their replay rates (1st round $265, 2nd round $105, 3rd round free)."
A 3-night, 3-round peak season package here will likely run you in the $2-grand-plus range, including airfare. 4 nights and 4 rounds will run closer to $2,800. It's ridiculous, I know. But it's likely more "worth it" than any golf destination in the vast sea of overpriced American golf resorts (other than maybe Pebble). Think of it this way: Bandon is probably (or should be) in the Top 25 on your life bucket list, and easily in the Top 5 of your golf bucket list, so it's a Must Do. It's just a question of when and how. And demand for a golf paradise like this is never going to wane, so it's never going to get any cheaper than it is right now. Ten or fifteen years from now you'll look back at today's prices and think, 'I should have gone to Bandon back when it was affordable.'
36-a-day is the prevailing attitude for the serious golfers who make the trek here, despite the walking-only policy. You could save about $650 by making it a 2 night stay and playing 36 both days. Or make it a 5 day weekend; arrive on a Thursday night, play 36 on Friday, 18 on Saturday and Sunday, and leave Monday as a stress-free travel day so you can enjoy one last evening with your crew.
Per Golf Digest's Matty G., the only real way to make Bandon more affordable is to ignore Fat Guy's normal advice by rolling the dice on off-peak weather. As of 2010, from November through February, for $580 you get 3 nights of lodging (double occupancy), 3 rounds on 3 of the GD Top 14 courses in the U.S., 2 dinners (including tip), 3 breakfast buffets, and unlimited range balls and practice. Yes, you read that correctly; $580 for the full Bandon experience (not including flights or caddie fees)! That's a savings of $700 off the peak fees. This deal is popular, especially on the fringes of the season, so they recommend making reservations at least 6 months in advance. Anecdotal evidence that this is do-able: One buddy trip group has been coming in mid-November for six years now, and through 18 rounds of golf, they've only had 1-1/2 rounds cancelled due to weather, and they've worn more shirt-sleeves than thermals.
So start dripping water on the wife now by showing her every article you stumble across about Bandon Dunes and emphasizing your passion to go there "someday". It might take you five years to build up the points to finally get the, "OK, fine, if you'll shut up about it, go ahead, I don't care!" If you're single, just go ahead and book it for Chrissake. This is why the credit card was invented.
With 4-and-a-half courses to be open by 2012, plus the cost of a long weekend here, Bandon Dunes Resort should be destination enough all by itself for most. If you're among the idle rich, retired very well, or a lottery winner on an extended stay (or maybe you're on your 5th trip here), you could Also Play:
Bandon Crossings Golf Course, Bandon (public)
Hoping to draw on the popularity of nearby Bandon Dunes Golf Resort by providing a more affordable, cart-friendly alternative, a couple from Eugene bought a former sheep ranch and hired architect and Oregon native Dan Hixson to "discover" the property's natural holes. They paired him with Tony Russell, a contractor who helped build the three renowned courses at Bandon Dunes. No one is claiming this one belongs in that league, but it does offer a fine combination of tree-lined and grassy dunesland holes. Architect: Dan Hixson. Yardage: 6,850. Par: 72. Greens Fee: $70. Tee Times: 888-465-3218, www.bandoncrossings.com.
Tetherow Golf Club T&L Golf November - December 2008 by Brandon Tucker, Bend, Oregon (Public--for now)- worth the 5-1/2 hour drive from Bandon
In the year that David McLay Kidd is debuting his much-awaited Castle Course at St. Andrews, it’s to be expected that another of his fledgling courses, the Tetherow Golf Club, would generate far less buzz. But this sporty layout, covering craggy high-desert terrain, also merits lavish praise. Tall pines frame some of the holes, but much of the acreage was ravaged by wildfire fifteen years ago, leaving open expanses that the Scotsman used to linksy effect. He created firm and wide fescue fairways pitted with penal bunkers and greens that invite run-up approaches. The most remarkable aspect of the course, though, is the plethora of playing options it presents. The par-four sixth, with its twin upper and lower fairways, is a dare-it-or-don’t driving hole. You can play safe to the upper fairway on the right and face a long second shot or try to reach the small, lake-guarded landing area of the lower fairway in hopes of having just a wedge into the green. The course will be part of a private resort community, and plans also call for a hotel to open within the next few years, at which time only residents and overnight guests will be allowed to play Tetherow. Until then, all are welcome.
Salmon Run GC, Brookings OR (about 2 hours from Bandon), ~$60, 1999 Troy Claveran
Recommended to Fat Guy by a passing acquaintance who lives in Oregon and travels alot of weekends to play regionally. This course gets its name from the Chetco River, which runs alongside the course and is one of the largest salmon spawning rivers in the country. During spawning season, hundreds of fish can routinely be seen making their way upstream. The maturely-wooded design is accented by twelve bridge crossings, as well as panoramic views of the surrounding hill country. The narrow fairways are difficult to hit off the tee and the greens are large and slightly contoured.
Salmon Run Avg. Golfcourse.com Player Review: 4.0/5.0 stars. "Very scenic and challenging for the first timer, tight from the tips, disappointing facilities for the greens fees, play with a local, carts were wet from being left out all night, unique challenges, blind carries, could be upgraded to challenge the Bandon courses . . . Bring lots of ammo, we lost 17 as a twosome . . . One of the most challenging I've played, still maturing, target golf, unbelievable views, buy a yardage book and read the WHOLE page before you hit . . . Beautiful, a good value, awesome scenery . . . Penalizes anything less than the perfect shot, much work to be done, easy to lose 10 or 20 balls in a round . . . Great experience in beautiful surroundings, greatly in need of a marshall to speed up play . . . Needs time to mature, good deal, target golf . . . Well-maintained and manicured."
Further Diversions: Crater Lake, fishing, whale watching, hiking trails, horseback riding, sea kayaking, and a nearby casino. Fat Guy Translation: Unless she's the uber-granola-and-completely-self-sufficient type, this is not one of those places you bring your non-playing wife just as a concession to get approval to go. She'll be bored out of her mind.
What To Read Before You Go: Dream Golf: The Making Of Bandon Dunes by Stephen Goodwin (www.amazon.com/Dream-Golf-Making-Bandon-Dunes/dp/1565125304/ref=sr_1_1/102-4765478-4386507?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183741063&sr=8-1) Fat Guy Review: Goodwin tells the complete tale of how Mike Keiser's obsession turned from recycled greeting cards to finding the perfect linksland in the U.S... the ensuing battles between the architect, the visionary entrepreneur, the golf management companies who wanted to build it according to the modern blueprint, and how the groundswell word of something this pure spreads through the golf world like wildfire. An easy read, Fat Guy burned through this book in two sittings over about seven hours within 24 hours of buying it. Goodwin could have actually spun a slightly better tale here; his writing style is a little dry, but the story needs no authorial flourishes. If you enjoyed John Feinstein's Open about the U.S. Open staged at Bethpage Black, then you'll love this one too.
Bandon Trails Course
Golf Magazine Review: Bandon Trails won Golf Magazine's 2005 Best New Course You Can Play, and debuted at #47 in their Top 100 U.S. courses. Crenshaw and Coore lived up to the 2 predecessor tracks. Bandon Trails doesn't cling to the cliffs like the other two, but it's no less spectacular. Opening in massive dunes, the course plunges into pine forest and grazes linksy meadows before returning to the dunes. Along the way you'll find stirring views of the Pacific and a superb set of wildly varied par 3s.
T&L Golf Review, May '05: "The most important aspects of Bandon Trails are the things that link the course to its neighbors and to the resort as a whole. From a playing standpoint, the Trails will feature the same sandy soil and firm and fast conditions that make Bandon and Pacific such shot-making pleasures. It will be a fair test for all levels of golfers—the quintessential cliché of golf PR, but there isn't a truer place to apply it than here. And if you're without your regular foursome, you will likely be paired with some of the most passionate golfers anywhere."
Another Bandon Beauty
Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw add a third chapter to the legend of Bandon Dunes
T&L Golf MAY 2005
by Thomas Dunne
I'm standing on the peak of a vast sand dune, watching an endless procession of whitecaps roll in on the Pacific. In the distance a red flag snaps in the breeze, the sentinel of a narrow and well-defended green. It's a mild, sunny morning in early February, and Bandon Trails looks superb—dewy and verdant, if still a little rough around the edges.
"This is a par four, and it's drivable," Bill Coore says.
The magic words.
This massive dune, anchored in place by beach grasses and scrub, is the fourteenth tee of a hole that seems destined to dole out heartbreak and glory in equal measure. The land vanishes a few steps away from us, then reappears beyond the manzanita-covered slopes in a valley fairway, which itself is split in tiers from high to low, left to right. "It's only about 300 yards," Coore continues, which is hard to believe, given the sweeping dimensions of the scenery. "But it's also downhill and downwind. Long hitters might occasionally drive it over the green."
Coore and I started out at dawn, carrying cups of coffee instead of golf clubs, just walking and talking about the new course. Seven holes were briefly open for special preview play last fall, but other than Bandon Dunes resort owner Mike Keiser, I would be the first to explore Bandon Trails, start to finish, in the company of one of the architects. It's an exceptionally pleasant way to see a course, especially one as significant as Bandon Trails, which will add an entirely new dimension to golf at Bandon Dunes when it opens in June. The silver-haired Coore, outfitted in work boots, jeans and a white cable-knit sweater, stops to joke with crew members and consult with them on a wide range of finishing touches.
Now we're standing at the lowest point in the fourteenth fairway, about 150 yards away from the green. The top of the flagstick is just barely visible, and the eye is drawn to a fierce-looking bunker built into the greenside slope. My imagination struggles to envision hitting, from this lie, a seven-iron on a sand wedge trajectory. Coore picks up on this and smiles.
"Come down here, and you're cooked," he says.
On second thought, maybe it's two parts heartbreak, one part glory.
It's somehow fitting that before Bill Coore studied the architects of the golden age of golf—the earthbound alchemies of MacKenzie and Ross, MacDonald and Maxwell—he studied classics of another kind. At Wake Forest in the 1960s, Coore parsed the finer points of such ancient luminaries as Herodotus, Thucydides and Xenophon. His early ambition was to be a college professor and maybe play a little amateur golf on the side. Instead, he linked up with Pete Dye and launched a remarkable design career, but it's easy to see his path not taken. Given his soft-spoken, thoughtful manner, Coore would fit right in on a university campus if he were to exchange his denim for tweed.
This isn't a minor point—as any student of the classics will attest, reading dead languages demands a sense of aesthetics, great attention to technical detail and a level of comfort within an esoteric discipline that very few truly understand. And to a certain degree, this also describes the craft of the golf course architect. Over the past two decades, working with his partner, former Masters champion Ben Crenshaw (a serious student of golf's golden age in his own right), Coore has demonstrated a flair for creating nothing less than a series of modern classics. From the sandhills of Nebraska to the lava flows of Hawaii to the rugged Oregon coast, the team's designs have succeeded in both capturing the imaginations of amateurs and testing the best players in the world.
By now, only golfers who have spent the past half decade in a cave will be unfamiliar with the majestic, windswept links of Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes, but Bandon Trails is different—"stunningly different," in the words of Keiser, who adds, "I don't think anyone will believe it, given how close it is to the other two."
Over dinner with Keiser and Coore, the owner described the highs and lows of his inaugural eighteen-hole round on Bandon Trails, which he'd played that day in the company of two visiting USGA officials. In his fifties, Keiser has the searching gaze and measured speech of a businessman accustomed to clearly articulating his message, but he also displays a wry, slow-burning sense of humor. A twelve-handicap, he refers to himself as "the retail golfer"—in other words, all aspects of his talent are so unremarkable that if someone were to market an off-the-rack golf game, it would be his. This may or may not be true as it applies to his swing, but it does reveal an affinity for the average duffer, for whom he has spoken during the design processes of all three courses. In point of fact, however, Keiser had tuned up on the Trails for his appearance the next day at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. When asked whether he'd be attending Pebble's legendary star-studded after-hours parties, Keiser feigned surprise and deadpanned, "I thought it was all about the golf."
But the Keiser quote that stayed with me most was "stunningly different." After touring Bandon Trails with Coore, I decided that this is about as accurate a two-word description of the course as you'll find. The most obvious difference between the Trails and its predecessors is that this course isn't routed hard against the Pacific bluffs—Bullard's Beach State Park hems in the coast along the southern portion of the resort's property. But it's a marvelous piece of land in its own right. From its beginnings high in the interior dunes, the routing traverses a pristine meadow studded with manzanita, huckleberry and wildflowers (a heathland setting that reminds Coore of the Melbourne Sandbelt in Australia), then enters a towering pine and spruce forest before returning to the dunes in a roller-coaster finale.
The key is that not one of these movements is remotely predictable when you're playing any given hole. Bandon Trails unfolds naturally—which is another way of saying, seemingly at random. "In exploring the property," Coore explains, "a lot of the course came to be routed along deer trails, paths the animals took naturally."
What appears to the untrained eye to be a wild, chaotic landscape, of course, is the by-product of countless logical processes over time. Whether it's the movement of water to low ground or the animal trails, nature takes the path of least resistance. Respect for the designs of nature is at the heart of the Coore and Crenshaw design philosophy, and it's not just lip service—it constantly influences the team's decision-making process. For example, on the tenth fairway, bunker expert Jeff Bradley, who has lent his distinctive wild style to nearly a decade's worth of Coore-Crenshaw courses, points to a distant bunker and says, "I would have loved a flashed face there, but it wouldn't make sense. The wind would never blow sand there."
Bradley was picturing what might have happened had he never set foot on the site. It's a unique way of thinking, and it often inspires features that look as if they have been on the ground forever.
On occasion, though, one also has to strike a compromise with the natural environment. When I came back several days later to play a few holes, I was particularly excited to try my hand at number five, a gem of a par three with one of the most undulating greens in golf. It was such a natural site that it was one of the first holes the architects "found" on the property. The green is framed on each side by trees, almost like a proscenium stage, and the closest one on the left is known as "Mike's Tree"—named for Keiser, who's had it in for the fir since day one. The architects didn't want to remove it, but Keiser had a basic strategic qualm, in that it blocked access to left-side hole locations. The solution: Superintendent Ken Nice climbed up with a handsaw and lopped off the treetop, allowing for a good wedge shot to clear safely. Mine didn't—I caught the ball thin, and it caromed off the upper branches of Mike's Tree to points unknown.
Bandon Trails also stands apart for the sheer scale of the project. This may seem hard to believe, but Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes combined do not equal the expanse of the Trails, which sprawls over eight hundred acres. Keiser compared the feeling of splendid isolation to that of Pine Valley: "One thing I love about Pine Valley is that it took thirty rounds for me to figure out where I actually was on the course. I was disoriented, in a good way. Each hole is its own world, and that's what we have here." That definitely stands in contrast to Bandon Dunes, where at certain points you can see the flags of as many as five different holes, all in a line.
Given the size of the canvas, one would expect a team of the caliber of Coore and Crenshaw to find some great golf holes. And find them they did. But the process involved some diplomacy with Keiser, who had originally designated about half as much land for the new course. "During the selection process," Keiser recalls, "Bill and Ben basically ignored my boundary lines. They were the only ones to do that, but I was impressed. If Bill hadn't been the brilliant land planner that he is, he wouldn't have thought outside the box. . . ."
"That's because," Coore interjects with a laugh, "I knew you owned the box outside of the box!"
This strategy proved wise. Coore and Crenshaw also knew that David McLay Kidd and Tom Doak had set an extremely high bar for golf at Bandon; indeed, some even questioned what the team had to gain by taking on the project. How would they clear thick forest without making it look strictly like monotonous corridor golf? How would they incorporate the dunes, some of which were so high as to be practically unworkable? The answer was to take elements of each type of land and create a course that, by seamlessly moving from one environment to the next, is greater than the sum of its parts. There's a feeling of unity to the course because on many holes the dominant feature (dunes, meadow or forest) often contains echoes of the other two, whether it's the beautiful, mossy old spruce behind the second green that ushers the player away from the dunes or the vast, natural sandy washes in the forest to remind the golfer that the turf beneath his feet is the same throughout.
After touring the Trails, I arrived at a few conclusions. For one, it might well prove to be the most challenging course at the resort, not because of mere length (greater than Pacific but less than Bandon), but because of the number of holes that play directly with and against the prevailing wind. The three finishing holes, a long par three sandwiched between two daunting uphill climbs, will provide plenty of drama down the stretch. And while the Trails doesn't feature as many all-world ocean views as its neighbors, the grounds are rich with flora, and the course will explode with color in the summertime.
Some golfers will prefer the spectacular oceanside play at Bandon and Pacific (and who can blame them), but I have little doubt that the Trails will find a loyal following. Over coffee with Grant Rogers, the resort's director of instruction, I heard an anecdote that seems astonishing in retrospect. "I was here when Pacific Dunes first opened," he recalled, "and people would come out from Indiana or wherever, and they'd play Bandon Dunes three, four days in a row. I'd say, 'You know, you really should try our new course, Pacific Dunes.' They'd say, 'Oh, but I've never heard much about it. Is it any good?
Today, Tom Doak's Pacific Dunes ranks alongside Coore and Crenshaw's Sand Hills as two of the finest modern courses in the world. Where Bandon Trails fits into the equation hardly matters, but I wanted to touch base with Doak, who knows the area as well as anyone, to hear his thoughts on how the Trails might distinguish itself.
"I walked some of the new course with Bill and Ben in late October," he responded by e-mail. "And I was impressed with what they had done with their site. The main thing I saw at Bandon Trails is that in trying to keep the native areas in view, Bill and Ben have made many of their fairways relatively narrow, even though the clearings are wide. Pacific Dunes has a lot of short grass around the greens so you can putt the ball from thirty feet off; Bandon Trails is hemmed in more tightly. I'm curious to see whether that makes it more difficult for the average golfer, or whether the native grasses can be maintained to keep the course playable—if anyone can do it, [superintendent] Ken Nice can."
Doak's right—the Trails is narrower, but for those who haven't made the pilgrimage to Bandon, he's also speaking in relative terms. Both Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes have plenty of fairways on which you could comfortably land the Goodyear blimp, much less a ProV1. I should immediately add that this hardly makes either course any less challenging—and Bandon Trails still offers much more room to play than many courses. Par at the Trails, as at its illustrious neighbors, is defended on and around the greens rather than by penal hazards in the fairways.
For all of this talk about difference, though, the most important aspects of Bandon Trails are the things that link the course to its neighbors and to the resort as a whole. From a playing standpoint, the Trails will feature the same sandy soil and firm and fast conditions that make Bandon and Pacific such shot-making pleasures. It will be a fair test for all levels of golfers—the quintessential cliché of golf PR, but there isn't a truer place to apply it than the Bandon Dunes resort. Like its sister courses, the Trails has a modest clubhouse of its own, staffed by people who don't need a sign on the wall reminding them to smile. It will take part in the same caddie program that should be the blueprint for American resort golf. And if you're without your regular foursome, you will likely be paired with some of the most passionate golfers anywhere.
It takes some dedication to make the journey to Bandon, but those who do are richly rewarded. And regardless of whether you make eagle or snowman on the fourteenth, after your round you'll still have the chance to repair to the Lodge and enjoy a glass of Oregon pinot noir while the sun sets on the links. It's often said that half the visitors here prefer Bandon Dunes, the other half Pacific, but by midsummer a third faction will likely have emerged, taking its place at the bar to defend the spirit and strategy of its new favorite course.
Bandon Basics
OVERVIEW
Since opening in '99, BDGR has made a meteoric rise to the forefront of American golf. Owner Mike Keiser selected Scottish designer David McLay Kidd for the resort's 1st course, Bandon Dunes, then turned to Tom Doak for the 2nd, Pacific Dunes (2001). Both are authentic links in the mode of Great Britain and Ireland—walking-only paradises replete with crisp turf, shaggy bunkers, tricky greens and all the wind you can handle. The new Bandon Trails was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw.
THE GOLF
The 3 courses at Bandon Dunes, as well as the practice facility, are all located within minutes of each another, and shuttle buses run continually between them and the various lodgings. A central reservation system handles tee-time bookings for all three courses. Greens fees for guests in the summer high season are $175 at each course, with $90 second rounds for those who wish to make a day of it.
We highly recommend taking advantage of the resort's caddie program, at least for the 1st round or 2. Bandon caddies are friendly and extremely knowledgeable. The base fee is $50 for a single bag, with a tip structure ranging from more than $25 for a senior caddie to $10 for an "A" caddie to the player's discretion for an apprentice. The vast practice facility, meanwhile, is only getting better. Visitors can take lesson.
In an intriguing footnote, David Kidd also recently completed nine green sites and informal teeing grounds in the heart of the main practice facility. Kidd is no stranger to this type of project—prior to his success with Bandon Dunes, his claim to fame was designing a world-class practice facility at Gleneagles in Scotland. In a touch of Bandon ingenuity, it is possible for this area to function as either a part of the driving range or as a walkable par-three course, depending on the demands of the day. But don't expect to play it right away—the resort is adopting a wait-and-see attitude as to how often (if at all) the short course will be open to the public this year. However, Josh Lesnik of Kemper Sports, Bandon's management company, did say that they plan to open the facility to local high school golfers during the offseason. Those lucky enough to play it will have a treat in store. Far from a wimpy pitch-and-putt, the course has "amazing" bunkering, according to director of instruction Grant Rogers, who adds that the nine holes (among them a Redan) will "challenge experts as much as it will beginners."
WHAT'S NEXT
The next wave of speculation regarding the future of golf at Bandon Dunes will probably begin as soon as the first drive is struck at the Trails. Resort owner Mike Keiser hopes there will ultimately be four or five courses, but "it depends on how Bandon Trails is received." With 15,000 rounds already booked at the Trails as of press time, three months before opening day, we fully expect to see Keiser back in action by mid-2006. The land is there, and it's extremely promising—of the two potential sites Keiser has mentioned, one is directly inland from Pacific Dunes, and the other is the awesome oceanfront property at the quasi-course known as the Sheep Ranch. Back in 2000, Tom Doak's right-hand man, Jim Urbina, bulldozed a few green shapes there during the construction of Pacific Dunes. Visible to the north from the resort's coastal holes, the wilderness golf played by a handful of insiders at the Sheep Ranch has become the stuff of obscure legend, but its days as a Shangri-la may be numbered. Stay tuned.
Pacific Dunes Course
Ranked #1 Course You Can Play, Golf Magazine 2008
Bandon And Beyond
T&L Golf
"As for me, the overused word that nevertheless seems to apply perfectly is 'pure'. Bandon Dunes is undeniably at the top of the list of the new classics. The question now is, will Pacific Dunes be good enough for the pair to be comparable with duos such as National Golf Links and Shinnecock, and Pebble and Cypress?
The man Keiser entrusted with the mission is Tom Doak, who for more than half of his forty years has been completely immersed in golf architecture. He followed Robert Trent Jones to Cornell, apprenticed under Pete Dye and has visited more than a thousand courses worldwide. His 1996 book, The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses, is perhaps the most provocative work ever written on the subject. He has also designed twelve courses, all in the deeply committed way he learned from Dye.
In person, Doak is a slightly disheveled guy with the bemused physiognomy of the late Jim Varney and the distracted but pensive manner of Peter Falk's Columbo. He's not much for small talk but comes alive when the subject is architecture. "I want holes that combine strategic interest with golf shots that you relish hitting," he says. When the old man asks him his favorite project, Doak answers, "Golf courses are like your children. You love them all equally. But Pacific Dunes is definitely my most gifted child. I'll never have land like this again. Never have a project like this again."
Despite fitting flush against the northern border of Bandon Dunes and sharing the same number (seven) of holes that play along the coast, Pacific Dunes has its own look. Doak moved far less dirt than Kidd, letting the natural mixture of dunes, valley, cliffs, trees and links dictate the character of the holes. He even left a lot of gorse, which yields incandescent yellow blooms in the spring. No slave to convention, he constructed a layout that includes a couple of drivable par fours and back-to-back par threes to rival the fifteenth and sixteenth at Cypress. The back nine includes four par threes and three par fives, and concludes with a majestic six-hundred-yarder that employs a massive two-acre natural sandy "blowout" as a strategic and visual fulcrum.
In The Confidential Guide, a ten on the Doak Scale describes a course in which every single hole is worth seeing. Doak is chary with the ultimate rating, giving it to only a dozen courses worldwide, including Dornoch and Pine Valley, and only "a perfect ten" to Cypress Point. It's clear Doak favors the intimate and artistic over the grand, a taste reflected in his creation at Pacific Dunes. A par seventy-one of 6,670 yards from the back tees, it's not designed as a tournament site, but definitely as a place "with golf shots that you relish hitting." It's quirkier and riskier than Bandon, and will evoke stronger feelings, good or bad. For me, it is a ten, even if modesty prevents Doak from rating it.
The list of golf sites that can claim dynamic-duo status is short: Pebble and Cypress Point; Shinnecock and National Golf Links; the two tracks at Winged Foot; Olympic Lake and Ocean; Ballybunion Old and New; St. Andrews Old and New; and Pinehurst Nos. 2 and 8. I've been fortunate enough to see them all, so I'm not just cavalierly tossing off superlatives when I say that I'm convinced it won't be long before Bandon and Pacific—given their public accessibility, unspoiled environment, dramatic setting, thoughtful design and true golf spirit—are considered the best tandem of courses in the world.
With Doak and his shaper, Jim Urbina, we play Pacific Dunes in a free form, hitting it and chasing it in a way that might have been more appropriate with a shepherd's crook. Doak is a single-digit player, but his approach is rough hewn—no head covers, no waggle and a healthy rip. Urbina is a former college noseguard from Alamosa, Colorado, but with a Dead Head, sixties mellowness. His huge cuts produce some awe-inspiring slices, and he smiles as his drives soar over vast parcels of his work. As we are walking down to the Redan green on the 220-yard seventeenth, he says, "I really think it's great you can do this with your dad. You're lucky."
Doak is interested in my father as representative of a type of player who will be coming to Pacific Dunes. He plays close attention to where the old man's drives carry, studying their brief flight so intently it becomes funny. Self-conscious at the scrutiny of his popgun efforts, my father pipes, "Don't worry, I'll be there when the putting starts." At the same time, Doak delights in his subject's knack for the bump-and-run and his expert use of Doak's carefully crafted contours. After one of my father's run-up seven-irons stops a couple of feet away, he looks at Doak's appreciative gaze and decides to reciprocate. "Your course," he starts portentously, "is really such a real . . . tremendous . . . treat!" Another long road to a little house. Naturally, Doak offers a sincere thank-you.
On the way back to Eugene, we take a more northern crossover at Florence along Highway 126, which gracefully traces the Siuslaw River. The mood is the same as when we ended our excursions in Scotland and Ireland—part reprise of sensations from the playing ground, part wistfulness. Finally the old man gathers his thoughts and issues his verdict: "That was a wonderful trip," he concludes. "Amazing."
This time I don't roll my eyes."
Old Macdonald Course
Golf Digest, 5/10
Away Game | Bandon Dunes
Bandon's Newest
By Matt Ginella
Photos by Stephen Szurlej
May 2010
Your ball has come to rest 50 yards -- not feet -- from the front of the green. Though your instinct is to reach for a club with some loft, your caddie knows better. He hands you the putter.
It's not that he dislikes your work with wedges. It's just that this is the smart way to play the tight lies and big greens of Old Macdonald. "I tell people to put away the wedge," says Jim Urbina, co-designer of the new, fourth course at Oregon's Bandon Dunes resort. "You can bump-and-run all day. It's just a different style of golf."
Urbina, who teamed with Tom Doak on the project, doesn't just mean Old Mac is different from the three other courses on the property -- he means it's different from anything the public golfer has seen in the United States.
Old Macdonald opens June 1. It's a tribute to Charles Blair Macdonald, the granddaddy of golf architecture in the United States and designer of the National Golf Links of America in Southampton, N.Y., among others.
Bandon's existing courses -- Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes and Bandon Trails -- are all among the top 14 in Golf Digest's ranking of America's 100 Greatest Public Courses. With the addition of Old Macdonald, the resort has become "the epicenter of golf on Planet Earth," says no less of an authority than David B. Fay, executive director of the United States Golf Association.
Fay, one of the first to play Old Macdonald, places it and this summer's U.S. Open venue, Pebble Beach, side by side. "If someone gave me tee times at Pebble Beach, Cypress, Spyglass and one of the two courses at Monterey Peninsula Country Club versus the same deal at Bandon -- four courses in two days -- it's no contest: I'd take Bandon hands down, and I think I've seen just about everything there is to compare it to. I love everything about the place."
Bandon owner Mike Keiser built the new venue despite hitting into a three-club recession. He has his reasons: "From Day One, there was always that big open field just sitting there, wanting to be a golf course," Keiser says. "And when I finally decided, with George Bahto [a C.B. Macdonald historian] and Tom Doak, that it should be a Macdonald homage, I hoped it would be good for the resort, and if not a total revenue add-on, certainly an enhancer. I think it's a rare resort that would have a strong business case to build a fourth golf course."
I can vouch for the resort being busy: I was there in November, and the place was packed. And Keiser didn't just add a course. He recently built a fifth lodging option, The Inn, with 39 single rooms just south of Bandon Dunes' 18th green. Opened in 2009, it has all the amenities golfers love: space, a bed, a big showerhead and a flat-screen TV. Room rates range from $100 in the off-season to $340 during peak months (May to October). The choice for a spare-no-expense buddies trip is a four-room cottage ($1,200 to $1,800, depending on the season). Keiser also improved cell-phone and wireless reception. "The best way of communicating used to be two cans and a string," Fay says. "Now they've got very good service."
Much as I love Bandon, this is not an ideal destination for once-a-year golfers or anyone allergic to playing 36 holes a day. This is more for the hard-core clientele who play 36 rounds a month and only use carts when they are told they have to. Carts are allowed at Bandon Dunes if you bring a note from a doctor, but all-terrain pullcarts are available, as are good caddies (a single bag costs $55, and the minimum suggested tip is $25).
The other thing you should know about Bandon is, it's hard to get there -- though that is improving. United Express has added daily flights from Portland and San Francisco into the North Bend airport, which is 25 miles from the resort. And Keiser says the airport will be adding 500 feet to its landing strip in the next two to four years, which is what's needed to accommodate jets. In the meantime, golfers averse to prop planes can fly to Eugene and drive about three hours -- a winding trip that I suggest you do not take in the dark.
In Old Mac, a par-71 with tees that can range from 4,400 to 7,200 yards, you'll discover a course that's more user-friendly than the other three. Which isn't to say it's easy. When Macdonald "designed hazards," Bahto explains, "if you challenged them successfully, you'd be rewarded. For the lesser golfer, he provided an alternate route that was longer with a different approach to the green, but you could also still enjoy the round."
If you've been to the Old Course at St. Andrews, you might see some similarities. There are stretches that are flat and open: It will be nearly impossible to lose a ball. There's a Hell Bunker, a Road Hole and greens that are the size of some driving ranges. But Old Mac is no Old Course. Its Road Hole doesn't even come with a road, and there's too much elevation change throughout the round to elicit a direct comparison.
Old Macdonald, in the end, is one of a kind. Standing at the top of the third fairway or the fifth tee or the seventh green -- spots that offer some of the best views of the course and Pacific Ocean -- you'll find it hard not to agree with David Fay. 
Bandon's Fourth Starts To Take Shape
Old Macdonald, the newest course at the Oregon resort, promises mostly heaven--and a little bit of hell
By Golf Digest's Matt Ginella September 5, 2008
Mike Keiser, the mastermind behind the game's newest—and perhaps best—mecca, has learned that if he builds something, golfers will come. So here's the news, golf fans: the fourth course at Bandon Dunes is on its way.
Keiser made a fortune in greeting cards and recycled paper products, then used his wealth to build Bandon Dunes, a golf resort on the Pacific Coast in Oregon's southwestern corner whose first three courses—Bandon Dunes, designed by David McLay Kidd in 1999 (No. 7); Pacific Dunes, designed in 2001 by Tom Doak (No. 2); and Bandon Trails, designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore in 2005 (No. 21)—all rank among the top 21 public courses in America, according to Golf Digest. Coupled with the resort's general aesthetics and pure golf atmosphere (caddies not carts), Bandon Dunes is arguably perfect. But Keiser hasn't stopped making additions and improvements.
In February workers broke ground on Old Macdonald, Bandon's highly anticipated fourth course. Keiser's strategy was unique, to say the least. He selected Doak and his partner, Jim Urbina, for the job and then gave them an extraordinary assignment: He asked them to "be" Charles Blair Macdonald.
Many historians consider Macdonald the father of American golf. He was one of the co-founders of the USGA in 1894 and a talented enough player to have won the first U.S. Amateur in 1895. But his greatest contribution to the game was as a course architect. Macdonald designed Chicago GC, Yale GC in Connecticut and the National Golf Links of America, on Long Island (among others). Keiser is so fond of National GL and Macdonald's overall design style, he wanted the newest course at his Oregon resort to emulate it.
When Old Macdonald is finished, says Jeff Brinegar, the head pro at Bandon Trails, it will be "a beautiful but robust golf course that pays tribute to Macdonald." When it opens in 2010, Old Macdonald will play roughly 7,100 yards, longer than Bandon Dunes' other three layouts by almost 400 yards. A dozen holes have already been shaped and grassed. Doak and Urbina are still not sure if the course will play to a par of 71 or 73, leaving the option of stretching some of the par 4s into par 5s prior to official opening day. According to Brinegar, the sixth, 15th and 17th holes will be par 5s; the second, fifth, eighth and 12th will be par 3s.
A flat course without a lot of protection from the wind, 12 of its 18 holes will sit in a bowl between dunes just beyond the resort's mammoth practice facility and east of Pacific Dunes. This fall, Keiser plans a "partial opening" of Old Macdonald (he did the same with both Pacific Dunes and Bandon Trails). Each day, a very limited number of golfers will be allowed to play a 10-hole layout: Nos. 5-10, 11, 14 and 3, before finishing on No. 4. There will be more availability for the public to play the 10-hole track in June 2009. Doak and Urbina will start building the rest of the course in the spring.
Old Macdonald will not only separate itself by length—there will be elements of the course that will look and play like the Old Course at St. Andrews (Macdonald learned golf at St. Andrews from Old Tom Morris in the 1870s). The 580-yard sixth hole will have a version of the Hell Bunker, which dominates the Old Course's 14th hole, and Old Macdonald's 11th is going to resemble the 17th at the Old Course, the diabolical Road Hole, with trouble down the right side of the fairway and a pot bunker just short of the green. The fourth course also features enormous putting surfaces, just like the Old Course. The fifth hole has an 18,000-square-foot green, and it's not the biggest on the course. That distinction belongs to the eighth, which is 20,000 square feet.
By going back to Doak and Urbina for the design and hiring Ken Nice, who "grew in" Pacific Dunes and Bandon Trails (and by tapping into the existing irrigation system at Pacific Dunes), it's no wonder Keiser's latest looks so good so fast. This is Urbina's first official co-design with Doak, and he has been on property more than his mentor although both are very involved. So is Keiser—two weeks ago, he and Urbina walked the course together.
There is more news at Bandon Dunes besides Old Macdonald. Responding to demand for more lodging, a new hotel (located between the 18th hole of Bandon Dunes and the clubhouse of Bandon Trails) opened Aug. 1. It has two floors and 39 rooms. The second-floor rooms all feature king beds ($220 per night during peak season, which is May 1-Oct. 31). The first-floor rooms offer two queen beds (up to $320 per night during peak season). North-facing rooms (toward the main lodge and Bandon Dunes clubhouse) are more expensive than the rooms which face south (toward the forest). Says James Turner, the resort's hotel manager, "We want all of our guests to be able to stay and play without ever having to get in a car."
Meanwhile, at Pacific Dunes a new pro shop and restaurant opened Aug. 15 2008, located 20 feet behind the back tee of the first hole. "We plan on keeping the tees where they are," said Jeff Simonds, Pacific Dunes' head pro, dismissing rumors the new building would force changes to the opening hole.
The course had utilized a temporary golf shop and snack bar in a trailer next to the 18th green since its opening seven years ago. That structure has now been removed, and Urbina is building a dune in its place that will restore a natural feel to the finish of the course.
Golf Digest's Matty G. returned in 9/09 for a preview of Old Mac's back 9. Read the full article (with plenty of pix) here: http://www.golfdigest.com/courses/blogs/mattyg/2009/09/the-new-old-macdonald.html
Bandon Preserve
Golf Digest reports that Keiser is planning a 5th "course" for 2012. Golf Digest's Ron Whitten previews, "The 13-hole par-3 Bandon Preserve layout, designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, is intended as a low-impact alternative to an afternoon second 18 on one of the resort’s four regulation courses, but it may prove to be a refreshing morning workout prior to tackling Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails or Old Macdonald. The Preserve is no pushover pitch & putt. Its collection of one-shot holes play atop, along and between spines of ocean sand dunes, some fully exposed to Pacific winds, others eerily calm in pockets beneath ridgelines. Yardages haven’t been established yet, but it looks like a course where distance will mean less than feel. It’s all fescue turf, same as everything at Bandon, and by next spring, we predict it’ll be firm and fast and full of surprising bounces and fearsome rolls down slopes. We’ll be calling it a challenging pitch-bump-bounce-kick-roll-run & putt."
Golf Magazine says, "The Preserve is hugely entertaining. The longest shot you'll face is about 175 yards, the shortest less than 70. There are blind shots, curvaceous greens, threatening bunkers, and multiple opportunities for an ace, all in a gusty wind with stunning Pacific Ocean views. It is the ideal spot for a foursome to wind down the day with a couple of beers and a lot of bets. The course will cost $100 to play, with all proceeds going to a conservation program on this rugged stretch of coastline. The Preserve takes about two hours to navigate and is an easy walk, no small concern for golfers who can't walk 36 a day but who can handle 18 and the Preserve."