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Bandon Dunes Oregon
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 April 2006 |
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It's the only resort with three Top 100 Courses. So what are you waiting for? By Eamon Lynch
Senior Editor, GOLF MAGAZINE Bandon Trails
6,765, par 71
No. 47, Top 100 Courses in the U.S.
Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore
were given the least impressive
property at Bandon and did a
decent job with it. But Bandon Trails
is just that—a decent resort course.
The terrain is ho-hum, tee shots end
up in divot-riddled collection areas,
and the greens are so slippery and
prone to sudden, unexplained shifts
in direction that only a masochist or
congressman could love them.
The Trails has some fine holes—
No. 14 is so perversely tricky that
your caddie may advise you to
intentionally miss the green—but
it’s just not in the same league as
its siblings. Play it first.
Bandon Dunes
6,732 yards, par 72
No. 40, Top 100 Courses in the U.S.
This first course at the resort
opened to raves in 1999. And
rightly so: David McLay Kidd’s
design may labor under the everlengthening
shadow cast by Pacific
Dunes, but it’s still one of the best
tracks you’ll ever play.
The course picks up steam at
the 428-yard 5th hole, where your
drive and approach shots must
thread rough-strewn mounds. The
bunkering is masterful, deep sodwalled
affairs that goad aggressive
players into foolhardy plays while
steering higher handicaps to safer
terrain. No. 13—a 553-yard par 5—
has no bunkers at all, but the
rolling ground presents no shortage
of quandaries.
Hole No. 16 at Bandon DunesJohn & Jeannie Henebry
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The only weak hole is No. 18, a
nondescript par 5. But perhaps it
seems weak only when measured
against the strength of the
seventeen holes that precede it.
Local Knowledge:
THE COST
Greens fees at all three
Bandon Dunes courses are
$185 for resort guests, $240
for nonguests. Same-day
replays are $95. Before May
greens fees are $75-$130
for guests, $100-$175 for
non-guests. To make tee
times, call 888-345-6008.
NEED TO KNOW
Bandon is a walking-only
resort so a caddie is a smart
investment.and not just as
a Sherpa for your bag. His
knowledge of the tracks will
save you from more big
numbers than a crooked
accountant. Cost: $50.
WHERE TO STAY
The Lodge at Bandon
Dunes is as simple as golf
resorts get: good food and
drink and close to the action.
There are 19 single rooms
and two four-bedroom suites.
Rooms are $180 May to
October. A suite is $1,500 in
high season. Cottages start at
$280. Call 800-742-0172.
GETTING THERE
Alaska Airlines flies into
North Bend four times a day
from Portland. The flight is
one hour. The resort is 25
minutes from the airport on
Highway 101. Driving time
from Portland is 4.5 hours.
THE SHEEP RANCH
Known jokingly as "Area
51," the Sheep Ranch isn't a
conventional course. Tom
Doak laid out 13 tees and
greens on the bluffs. Drop a
ball, choose your target and
begin a journey that takes
you back to how the game
was first played. Then pull
the gate behind you. That's if
you can persuade the resort
to let you out there. No harm
in asking, right?
WHERE TO EAT
The Gallery at the Lodge serves up
great local seafood and steaks. The
bone-in Cowboy ribeye is as daunting a
challenge as the courses. 541-347-5737
McKee's Pub has all the warmth of a
Scottish highland hostelry, and is the
perfect spot for pub grub while reliving
the round. 541-347-5733
Lord Bennett's in Bandon has great
steaks.with ocean views and prices to
match. 541-347-3663
WHAT TO DO
Take a sunset tour of the Cape Blanco
Lighthouse with the keeper, including a
climb up to the lantern room. $35;
541-332-2750, lighthousekeeper.com
Shore Acres State Park has a
Monterey pine listed on the National Big
Tree Register. It's 95 feet tall with a
74-foot crown spread. 541-888-2472,
shoreacres.net
The hazards at West Coast Game Park Safari 7 miles south of Bandon have even more bite than the courses: lions, snow leopards and panthers. $13; 541-347-3106, gameparksafari.com
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