By Dick Stephens, CG Publisher
For more than a decade, I have been receiving invites to drive to the little, quiet town on the Oregon seashore called Bandon-by-the-Sea, to take in what everyone from Greenlake to Glasgow has been raving about.
The first invitation came for a grand-opening media trip in 1999. I wanted to go and be among the first to play it, but my daughter Lily was just born, and of course, being a new dad took center stage.
A little while later, two friends asked me to go – a spur-of-the-moment guys’ golf getaway. Typically, that would have been right up my alley, but enduring early-spring temperatures that range from freezing to 60 degrees wasn’t how I wanted to enjoy my first experience on the course.
Over the years, there were other chances, but travel, deadlines, family and other things kept me away from Bandon for over 10 years. In that time, I had the pleasure and honor to embark on two separate golf trips – one to Scotland and the other to Ireland. Knocking it around in the birthplace of golf, I thought about how everyone back home called Bandon a “true Scottish links experience” and said that it was on par with the real thing. I assumed, however, that in reality, it couldn’t possibly measure up to what I was experiencing in the British Isles.
Man, was I wrong.
Bandon — the resort, the four courses and the whole golf-only experience — not only met the lofty expectations I had set, but exceeded them. And I’m not just saying that because I am still brushing the sand out of my hair — this place flat-out rocks, and is indeed world-class.
As with any worthwhile golf road trip, I didn’t go alone, taking with me two other great playing partners, friends and co-workers, Simon Dubiel and Kirk Tourtillotte. Rather than drive, we decided to book an airplane charter, which really heightened our experience. We looked to Westwind Aviationto shoot us down the coast in just under two hours (see sidebar on page 40).
Sit back and enjoy our account of an incredible three days in Bandon. You may not think it could possibly live up to your expectations, or to the effusive praise that flows off of these pages.
You’d be wrong.
Bandon Dunes
Mike Keiser, owner of the resort and the land on which the current development exists, had a vision to make this seaside linksland dream patch be on a par with the greatest tracks in Scotland. Keiser saw in Bandon what Pat Ruddy saw in Ireland’s European Club or Old Tom Morris envisioned when he laid out the Old Course at St. Andrews.
To close your eyes and see something that clear – can you imagine? Ruddy and Morris are global legends, and I have to give props to Keiser for looking at land nobody wanted and doing what he’s done here in a little over a decade.
Keiser was no golf course designer, so he brought in an emerging, relatively unknown course architect – Scotsman David McLay Kidd, a wee lad just 27 years old at the time his work began. Some in the golfing establishment scoffed and asked, who? Billy the Kidd? Well, Keiser backed his man in the kilt to the hilt. He knew that his vision was innovative and uncharted. Keiser needed someone that knew how to take linksland and “shape” it into something that can stand for centuries like the courses in the British Isles, and for Keiser, David McLay Kidd was that man.
Mission accomplished. McLay Kidd’s stroke of genius was an immediate international hit and earned coverage from around the world. The signature course, Bandon Dunes, is different from the other three currently on the resort property. There are no power carts, and no houses – period. There is, however, the largest and most rugged water feature on any course west of the Mississippi – the Pacific Ocean, which comes into view from nearly every vantage point on the course.
Bandon’s turf is firm and reminded me of my lies at Carnoustie and Royal County Down. The harder surface, which drains remarkably well, is not hardpan, but will force you to change up your shots and play many bump-and-run approaches. Being true linksland, your every shot is threatened by long native grasses, rolling, natural berms and the ever-present ocean wind. I’m not just talking about a Northwest breeze like those you might see on a given Saturday at Jackson Park — this is a punishing wind, blowing steady and strong, and can make or break your round. Tee off before 9:30 or so, and you’re fine. After 11 a.m., be prepared to work with a new kind of game.
I flat-out loved it, as it suited my game. You can spray it a little on this track and still score, but it’s not easy. No. 5, my personal favorite, is the hardest hole on the course, and an absolute masterpiece. At 428 yards from the black tee, this par-4 is, for most, a three-shot approach. I made little notes in preparation for this story, and have more notes on this hole than any other. The prevailing wind makes the hole play 500-plus, and the layout forces you to play it straight on the final approach, with the hills on both sides pinching tight as the fairway closes in on the green. There are no disappointing holes, but No. 5 is one of the finest I have ever played, here or in Europe.
It’s followed by a hole featuring one of the coolest and most breathtaking views anywhere on the West Coast. On the tee, you’ll swear you’re at Pebble Beach, staring at a green that appears to be at the end of the world, backdropped by the Pacific rushing and roaring loud and proud, big and blue, threatening to swallow you whole. I swear on my children’s souls, I was so sad when I holed out; I wanted to replay this one over and over. Although it’s one of the easier holes, ranked 17 on the scorecard, this 160-yard-plus par-3 can easily play to 190 with the wind and crowned green.
In the beginning, before the other three courses were built, Bandon Dunes was reason enough to put this obscure corner of the Pacific coast on your travel agenda. In my opinion, the course was the fairest and presented opportunity on each hole. I played to my handicap on this course and was buzzing when I walked off, ready for whatever next test Bandon could bring.
Pacific Dunes
I have had the great fortune to have played 25 of the top-200 courses in the world – not well, have you, but I’ve played them. So, I feel I can give a fair, educated viewpoint on what defines a great golfing experience. The Pacific Dunes course at Bandon is best track I have ever walked and/or played in my 30 years with the game.
Maestro Tom Doak brought everything together so wonderfully, and did it with land and features that could have easily resulted in a mishmash of holes ranging from world-class to total dud. Here, he stitched together 6,600 yards of prolific design that has been recognized by GOLF.com as the No. 1 course in the U.S., and by Golf magazine as the 13th-finest in the world.
Pacific Dunes is the Banzai Pipeline of golf in America today, and you need to treat it with no less respect. Like the famed surf spot in Hawaii, it can tear you (in this case, your game) limb from limb as easily as it can sweep you away into an emotional stir of bliss. The melding of the land, earth, sky and ocean is breathtaking, as is the wind, which was still when we started, but blew in on the third hole and was a constant companion for the rest of our round. Most of the holes feature enough elevation changes to require technical decisions with regard to club selection — decisions affected that much more by the ever-present wind.
Besides the utter beauty and soothing ruggedness of the course, two other things made their way into my notes. The trees and branchy bushes that dotted some of the holes were something we did not see much of at Bandon Dunes. The other was something that you can only find on fewer than 10 percent of the world’s great courses – real, untouched, natural bunkers that come into play on six of the holes (four on the inward nine alone).
I read some journaling from Doak, who said he kept his focus on not moving much earth during the design – rather, routing a path through the seaside acreage and letting “the dunes” lead the way. The sand traps and natural bunkering are in the foreground and periphery on nearly every shot, where one slip-up will leave you hacking it out. But, it’s still fair, with Doak leaving places on every hole for anyone from a scratch to a 16 handicap to place their shot, provided they swing true. Not that an 18 or a 20 can’t score well or have fun, but I can see how Pacific Dunes would give them their money’s worth.
The layout does come a little inland and features a small collection of holes that look like heathland courses – pastoral features, with vistas of the Pacific briefly blocked. These holes, in my opinion, accentuate the experience and give you a sampling of a different kind of golf. But, I did miss the sound of the waves and birds as Kirk, Si and I meandered into the rolling landscape in finishing the outward nine.
The reward for our patience was one the greatest stretches of four holes you can imagine. Numbers 10-13 will blow you away. Holes 10 and 11, back-to-back par threes, are gorgeous. I hope the wind is kicking up when you play, because that makes the tee shots genuine. Slightly downhill, 10 looks harder than it is, but the sandy hill to the right, gorse to the left and a green that needs to be hit with some precision will force you to focus on your shot while the jaw-dropping scenery threatens to draw your mind away. The 11th is one of the signatures in my book. It’s only 150 yards or so, but the natural bunker blocking the view of the green gives you the feeling of playing a rugged Scottish test like you would find at Lundin Links or Kingsbarns.
Then, there’s the 13th … ahhhhhh. This is the hole that’s on magazine covers and posters and wall offices. The one you tell your friends about and think of over and over.
What’s amazing about this hole is that even if the crashing Pacific weren’t on your left, it would still get tons of attention because of the high, rolling natural sand bunkering that frames the entire right side of the hole. This hole epitomizes Doak’s ability to let the land win, not the bulldozer. At 444 yards, this tough par-4 is rightfully one of the resort’s most difficult tests. You become so wrapped up in the view, the bunkers and the rolling, uphill terrain, that you have to make sure you focus the job at hand. A bogey is a great score.
I enjoyed my round on Pacific Dunes immensely. Outside of the Old Course at St. Andrews, if I could play any course, right now, this would be it.
Bandon Trails
Bandon Trails is totally different from the two Dunes courses – and that’s exactly how it was meant to be. Keiser tabbed the tandem of Bill Coore and PGA Tour legend Ben Crenshaw to see the forest through the trees, and weave an 18-hole line through the foliage. Bandon Trails mixes up the Bandon Dunes Resort experience, throwing a totally different experience at you from the two oceanside courses.
Bandon Dunes is open, rolling and linksy. Pacific Dunes is natural, rugged, sandy and loaded with impact. Bandon Trails, the third of the four courses at the resort, rewards you with a smorgasbord of golf design: a couple holes of links, followed by healthy portion of heathland and a generous sprinkle of parkland, with a final dash of links again. The ocean is not with you on this journey, but the trees and elevation changes are.
You will remember your round on the Trails in a different way. Fifteen of the holes here could easily be located in Snoqualmie, Wash., or Vail, Colo. It’s a natural surrounding that teeters between rugged and serene. After two days of battling the windy shoreline, it took a few holes on the Trails to remember how to play the game to which I was more accustomed.
The spruce and fir trees are a major part of the layout. While it’s not particularly long, at 6,200-6,700 yards, it’s no cakewalk; of the three courses we played in our first three days, I posted my highest score on the Trails. Simon took fire on the front nine, where course management meets risk-reward considerations in an amplified state – which really underscored how awesome this course is. I have enjoyed many a round with ol’ Si and this was the best golf I had ever seen him play.
My favorite was hole was No. 17, which combines all the best elements of the Trails into one par-3 thrill. The features on this hole are so dramatic and differing, it has to be seen to be understood. The home hole brings you back from ridin’ the range and eases you into a world of dunes and salt water. In its variety of holes, it reminded me of a course in Dundee, Scotland, called Monifieth Medal — a lofty comparison, indeed, and a third purely enjoyable round.
Old MacDonald
Our gracious host and a flat-out great guy, Bandon’s marketing and events manager, Todd Kloster, gave the three of us a sneak peek at what will soon be a global golf story by allowing us to play 10 holes on the yet-to-be-opened Old Macdonald Course, which will debut in June of this year. Doak was paired with Jim Urbina in completing Bandon’s fourth and, possibly, final track.
Little has been written about Old Macdonald, named for Charles Blair Macdonald (1856-1939), the father of American golf course architecture and founder of the U.S. Golf Association, so it was a rare treat to play it. The 10-hole layout we experienced was not in its final form; in fact, we hit from some tees that will not exist. That said, we were able to get a real sense of the layout, which is different from the other three courses. Old Macdonald clearly rolls with the land, featuring some of the highest and lowest elevations on the resort. It will be a long, windy links test, more in the style of Bandon Dunes than either of the others. Kirk lit it up on this course and played it like a Scot, with low, wind-cheating punches and chips that rolled all the way to the flag. When this it completed, expect that it will earn the same acclaim the other three have received.
Hotel, Food and Amenities
The resort offers many lodging options, but what you won’t see is any “bling.” This is a golfer’s haven. It’s not about sailing, hiking, shopping excursions and dressing to the hilt. Bandon Dunes is about golf, great food, good drinks (make sure you have a Guinness at McKee’s Pub), meeting new people and relaxing. The design is comfortable, and the practice and instruction center – led by Grant Rogers – is one the best on the West Coast. We stayed in the Lily Pond Lodges, where I slept with the door open to let the Pacific’s waves and nighttime wildlife help me sleep like a baby.
For a couple of meals, we headed into Bandon-by-the-Sea, which is a smaller and more quaint version of the famed Carmel-by-the-Sea on the California coast.
We dined at Lord Bennett’s (541-347-3663), owned and operated by a golf nut named Rich, who is a member of the men’s club at Bandon Dunes. This is a must-stop dining experience. The fresh seafood, chops, wild greens and incredible Northwest wine selection was on par with anything you would find in Portland’s Pearl District or San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. And it wasn’t stuffy at all – Rich’s staff was funny, over-delivered with made-to-order dessert and kept the wine coming. We called ahead and said we were on a golf trip, and Rich gave us tips on how to play Pacific Dunes the next day. The view through his big windows of the rocky beachline is to die for.
We also dined at Alloro Wine Bar and Restaurant (541-347-1850; allorowinebar.com), which offered a different experience with a smaller, artistic bistro atmosphere. The menu, with fresh seafood, local twists on salads and pasta, was highlighted with some Bandon-specific wild game and fowl. I couldn’t pass up sampling two game dishes and pairing it with an Oregon Pinot. Owned by a young couple that is throwing everything at the service and ambiance, we really relaxed and felt the Bandon culture there.
Don’t be like me, and let a decade pass by without making this well-within-reach pilgrimage to Bandon Dunes. Their website, bandondunesgolf.com, tells a complete tale and will be helpful in booking this dream experience.
You may have been to Scotland and Ireland and think you’ve played the finest links courses in the world, but if you haven’t been to Bandon, you don’t know what you’re missing.