Bandon Dunes: Links Golf For The Ages

Andrew Penner

Posted 2005-04-04

Pressed hard on the rugged shores of the Pacific Ocean in southern Oregon - threaded through gorse and dunes and leaving the purists of the game rejoicing long after their wind-battered scores have been tallied - is a golfing kingdom called Bandon Dunes. With two epic courses (and a third set to open in June) that toss and turn through enchanting seaside land, Bandon Dunes is a world-wide contender when the best of links golf is considered.

Typically, when pondering the best links golf destinations in the world, the mind drifts to Scotland. St. Andrews, Turnberry, Dornoch, Carnoustie, these are the sacred seaside sites where golf is at its brawny best. Ireland, too, is bursting at the seams with incredible links courses: Ballybunion, Lahinch, Royal Portrush, just a few of that country’s best. North America is simply a major underdog when it comes to this, the purest form of the game. But, thanks to owner Mike Keiser’s vision and a remarkable lineup of architects, the Oregon coast is now as far as you need to go to get an “old-world,” soul-stirring game.

Opened in the spring of 1999, the resort at Bandon Dunes has done things differently from the get go. When compared to its west coast counterparts - Pebble Beach, La Costa, Pelican Hill, and the like, where the Rolls Royce powercarts have just as much authority on the streets as the Jags and the Lincolns - Bandon Dunes is a complete throwback. It’s a pure and relatively simple golf resort. It’s a place where the lovers of the game take refuge and immerse themselves into the heart and soul of the game.

There are no powercarts available at Bandon Dunes. Golfers walk. Well, actually, they ramble among massive dunes that have been sculpted by a million storms. They scramble high on bluffs clothed with beachgrass and heather. And they wander among scraggly, wind-blasted shore pines that yield to lush and mystical forests thick with beech and fir.

Sole owner, Mike Keiser, who made his fortune in the greeting card business, is the man behind the approach at Bandon. Wanting a golf resort that transcended the typical North American “let’s-take-‘em-for-all-they’re-worth” approach, Keiser has done many things - including foregoing millions in buggy revenue - that are “out of the box.” For instance, he didn’t, and for the most part still doesn’t, advertise in glossy magazines or issue press releases for a grand opening. And he hired two virtually unknown architects (at the time) to build his first two masterpieces.

David McLay Kidd, a Scotsman with relatively few courses to his credit, routed the original course at Bandon. Tom Doak, a minimalist who searches every inch of property to find the ultimate “natural” route, created the second, Pacific Dunes. Doak’s courses are raw, daring, and melt into the site with minimal disturbance. Together, they have created a pair of links that will be revered for many years to come. Both courses, in fact, are comfortably positioned in the world’s top 100, with Pacific ranked 19th and Bandon ranked 74th in GOLF Magazine’s latest world rankings.

As you would expect with those lofty positions in the rankings, there is an awesome collection of holes that hug the shore (12, in total). Golfers playing Kidd’s course, for example, get their first blast of sea mist on the fourth. Here the green clutches a rugged patch of land that, from the landing area, appears suspended on the waves. Then comes the fifth, a colossal 460-yard par-4 with a split fairway and the foaming sea immediately to the left. The long-iron approach must be threaded to a thin green that’s pinched between a ring of dunes. The epitome of “beauty and beast,” for sure.

Pacific Dunes is shorter (6,557 yards, par 71) than Bandon Dunes (6,732 yards, par 72) and is quite different in character. Green complexes are smaller with more undulation. An emphasis is placed on creative play around the greens and short iron approaches are hit to tighter areas. And then there are the high bluffs and massive blowout dunes that creep into play throughout the route. In terms of visuals, this one will knock your socks off. It’s America’s closest counter to Ballybunion, the ancient and awesome Irish links.

And the third course at Bandon, you ask? It’s currently being grown in and massaged by masters Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, who are probably the most respected architectural duo honing the craft right now. “Bandon Trails” will be the first inland course on the site. It will open in June 1st of 2005 and will, undoubtedly, be an incredible journey as well.

While the premise at Bandon Dunes is simple (golf your tail off, then sleep, then do it again), the accommodation and dining is set up to appease fine tastes. The new Chrome Lake Suites are modern and secluded. The Lodge offers 19 rooms and 2 suites, many with wonderful views of the course. Fittingly, the meals at Bandon Dunes are hearty (walking 36 holes with a caddy, which is what most guests do, takes a bit out of you). The Gallery Room, located in the main lodge, has a world-class wine list and specializes in fresh Pacific Northwest cuisine. The resort also has two lounges and the Scottish-themed McKee’s Pub, a great place to unwind, have a pint, a pie, and talk about who’s hole-in-one was better.

When asked to defend his choice of architects, Keiser’s response is simple and to the point. “I admire most name architects, but they often superimpose their design style on your site. If you have a great site, why diminish it with a pre-formed sculpture? Finding holes as if they were blown in by the wind is a far more poetic use of a great site.” Keiser believed his chosen architects – Kidd, Doak, and Coore and Crenshaw - would find the wherewithal to allow the gales from centuries past to really dictate the plans. He was right. To play Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes is to sail along with nature, to experience timeless forces, and, ultimately, to play our game on one of the greatest canvasses in the world.

For more information on the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort visit www.bandondunes.com.

Andrew Penner has written for Golf Magazine, Golf Canada, Scottish Golfer, and many others leading golf publications. He lives in Calgary and can be reached at andpenner@shaw.ca.