Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is a complex of five links and a par-3

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

on the

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of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, located alongside the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

in southwest

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, just north of the city of Bandon.

Courses

The first course at the resort, Bandon Dunes, opened on May 19, 1999. Bandon Dunes was designed by

Scotsman The Scots ( sco, Scots Fowk; gd, Albannaich) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded t ...

David McLay Kidd, and it instantly garnered high praise. The course was one of Kidd's early efforts in designing a golf course. Since opening, the original golf course on property has been adjusted. Alterations include significant amounts of

gorse ''Ulex'' (commonly known as gorse, furze, or whin) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus comprises about 20 species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are n ...

removal and a rerouting of the par 3, second hole. Bandon Dunes is traditionally home to resort guest's lowest scores, thanks to its forgiving landing areas off the tee and mildly to moderately undulated green complexes. The resort's second course, Pacific Dunes, opened on July 1, 2001. Pacific Dunes was designed by

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

architect

Tom Doak Tom Doak is a golf course architect. He has 6 courses ranked among the top 100 in the world according to the "Top 100 Courses in the World" March 2021 list compiled by ''Golf Magazine.'' These include Pacific Dunes in Oregon, Ballyneal in Colorad ...

, and sculpted by his design firm, Renaissance Design, Inc. Pacific Dunes also opened to glowing reviews and quickly surpassed Bandon Dunes as the highest-rated course on the property. Pacific Dunes was rated the number one resort golf course in the country in 2005 by ''

Golfweek ''Golfweek'' is a golf magazine and digital media outlet based in Orlando, Florida, United States. It is part of Gannett's USA Today Network. History and profile The magazine was founded in 1975 by Charley Stine and was originally named ''Flori ...

'' magazine, placing just ahead of

Pebble Beach Pebble Beach is an unincorporated community on the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey County, California. The small coastal residential community of mostly single-family homes is also notable as a resort destination, and the home of the golf course ...

. It is ranked 8th in the best links courses ranking by

Golf Magazine ''Golf Magazine'' is a monthly golf magazine. It was started in April 1959 by Universal Publishing and Distributing, who sold it to Times Mirror in 1972. Time Inc. acquired it in 2000. It was acquired by Howard Milstein in 2018. It was the world ...

in 2014. The resort's third course, Bandon Trails, was designed by the team of Bill Coore and

Ben Crenshaw Ben Daniel Crenshaw (born January 11, 1952) is a retired American professional golfer who has won 19 events on the PGA Tour, including two major championships: the Masters Tournament in 1984 and 1995. He is nicknamed ''Gentle Ben''. Professiona ...

. Bandon Trails opened on June 1, 2005. Bandon Trails departs from its siblings in that no holes are routed along the

. The course meanders through dunes, meadows, and forest land. Upon its opening, ''Golf Odyssey'', the preeminent newsletter devoted to golf travel, named Bandon Dunes, ''The Best Place on the Planet for Golf''. The fourth course, Old Macdonald (in honor of Charles Blair Macdonald), was designed by a team led by Tom Doak and Jim Urbina. It opened in June 2010. The fifth course, Bandon Preserve, is a Par-3 short course There are 13 holes on the course. It was also designed by Coore and Crenshaw, and the course opened on May 1, 2012. A more recent addition to the Bandon Dunes family, The Punchbowl, is a putting course designed by Doak and Urbina. It opened in 2014 and is adjacent to the first tee at Pacific Dunes. It has 18 holes and takes about an hour to play. The area is a collection of natural hollows. Punchbowl is a longstanding design concept by golf architects. The 18th hole at Old Macdonald shares the same principles and is aptly named "Punchbowl." The sixth and newest course, Sheep Ranch, opened on June 1, 2020. Located to the north of Old Macdonald, it has a mile of ocean frontage over a series of promontories, with several holes featuring shots over water and cliffs. The property had been a wind farm in the 1970s, but had been abandoned because the winds proved to be too intense for turbines of that era. Resort owner Mike Keiser bought the land in 2000 along with business partner Phil Friedmann, and originally intended for it to be a private course separate from the main resort. Doak and Urbina started work on the property after completing Pacific Dunes, and had completed 13 greens before Keiser and Friedmann stopped construction once locals heard about the project, fearing that the project would cause problems for the resort. For more than 15 years, the property sat largely vacant; the greens were not irrigated, and only a select number of resort guests who asked the right individuals were allowed on the incomplete course. Eventually, Keiser and Friedmann decided to incorporate this land into the resort, and enlisted Coore and Crenshaw to design a full course. Three pairs of holes that travel in different directions share teeing areas. Use of

golf cart A golf cart (alternatively known as a golf buggy or golf car) is a small motorized vehicle designed originally to carry two golfers and their golf clubs around a golf course with less effort than walking. Over time, variants were introduced t ...

s is not permitted at the resort, unless required for medical reasons. In 2009, ''

'' named the three courses existing at that time to its list of the 50 best courses built in the last 50 years. Pacific Dunes ranked second, Bandon Dunes twelfth, and Bandon Trails as thirty-third. In 2013

Golf Digest ''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its sports unit under its Warner Bros. Discovery Golf division. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competiti ...

ranked Bandon Dunes (Old MacDonald) fifth in its list of the Top 50 Golf Courses for Women.

Tournaments held

The

United States Golf Association The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rules ...

has staged eight amateur championship tournaments at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, the most recent being the 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur. The USGA first came to Bandon Dunes in 2006, staging the

Curtis Cup The Curtis Cup is the best known team trophy for women amateur golfers, awarded in the biennial Curtis Cup Match. It is co-organised by the United States Golf Association and The R&A and is contested by teams representing the United States and ...

, a biennial women's amateur team competition between the United States and Great Britain/Ireland. The matches took place on the Pacific Dunes course, and the U.S. won 11½ to 6½. The next year, 2007, saw the resort host the

U.S. Mid-Amateur Golf Championship The U.S. Mid-Amateur, often called the Mid-Am for short, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for post-college amateur golfers, organized by the USGA. It was first played in at Bellerive Country Club in Creve Coeur, Missouri, ...

. Bandon Dunes was the primary course for the event, with Bandon Trails used as the second course for the stroke-play portion of the event. Bandon Dunes hosted the 2011

U.S. Amateur Public Links The U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, often referred to as the Public Links or the Publinx, was a men's amateur golf tournament, one of 10 individual amateur championships organized by the United States Golf Association. The USGA typically cal ...

and the

U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links The U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship, often referred to as the Public Links or the Publinx, was a women's amateur golf tournament, one of 10 individual amateur championships organized by the USGA and first played in 1977. The USGA o ...

championship tournaments. It was the first time the USGA held the men's and women's Public Links events jointly. The tournaments were played on the Old Macdonald and Bandon Trails courses. In 2015, the resort hosted the first-ever U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball, an event the USGA created to replace the Public Links, which was discontinued. The event was held on the Pacific Dunes course. Bandon Dunes was also the site of the 2019 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. Old Macdonald was the primary course used for the event, with Pacific Dunes also used. In 2020, the resort hosted the U.S. Amateur Championship for the first time. Bandon Dunes was the primary course, with Bandon Trails used as the second course for the stroke-play portion of the event. Tyler Strafaci won the tournament, defeating Ollie Osborne in the final match, during which the contestants played through thick fog during the final holes. In 2021, the USGA announced that 12 additional championships would be held at the course through 2045 including the 2025 U.S. Women's Amateur, and 2029

Walker Cup The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and Great Britain and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup Match (not "Matches" as in Ryder Cup Matches). It is ...

. In 2022, the resort hosted the U.S. Junior Amateur for the first time. Bandon Dunes was the primary course, with Bandon Trails used as the second course for the stroke-play portion of the event.

Scorecards

Gallery

image:Bandon Dunes Resort-1.jpg image:Bandon Dunes Resort-5.jpg image:Bandon Dunes Resort-2.jpg image:Bandon Dunes Resort-6.jpg image:Bandon Dunes Resort-7.jpg image:Bandon Dunes Resort-8.jpg Bandon_Dunes_-_4th_hole.jpg View_of_Bandon_Dunes_from_lodge_patio.jpg View_of_lodge_and_clubhouse_from_18th_fairway_-_Bandon_Dunes.jpg Golfer_on_the_16th_green_at_Bandon_Dunes.jpg Bandon_Preserve.jpg Golfers_on_the_16th_green_at_Bandon_Dunes.jpg Bandon_Trails_approaching_the_18th_fairway.jpg

References

External links

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Aerial view
from

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{{Authority control 1999 establishments in Oregon Buildings and structures in Coos County, Oregon Curtis Cup venues Golf clubs and courses in Oregon Oregon Coast Tourist attractions in Coos County, Oregon