Bandon Dunes
Bandon, Oregon
The O.G. and my favorite course on the property. Bandon Dunes is a pure interaction between golfers & nature - an authentic links experience.
As Stephen Goodwin explains in “Dream Golf: The Making of Bandon Dunes,” not many people thought Mike Kaiser’s idea to build a cart-less golf course in remote southern Oregon was a good one, at least at first.
Keiser hired David McLay Kidd (a rookie architect) to turn his vision into reality - together, they brought Scotland to the Oregon coast. Kidd believed the best land at Bandon should always be set aside for golf - an ethos that Bandon has stayed true to over the years. 21 years later, it attracts golfers traveling worldwide looking to fulfill a bucket list trip.
A special bond is forged between people who have been to Bandon Dunes. “You’ve been to Bandon!?” Stories are shared, tips are exchanged, and arguments ensue over personal rankings of the properties 6 courses. Nothing encapsulates this familial attitude? More than the “Treasure Box” inconspicuously buried along the right side of the tenth hole - Disguised as an electrical box, uncovering the lid unearths several handy gifts for strangers to pass onto each other. A guest book to sign, a bottle of whisky, a deck of playing cards, tees, and ball markers from around the world - leaving something behind for the next group means you’re now family.
Bandon Dunes prioritizes all of the right things & as David McLay Kidd notes in the yardage book, Bandon Dunes is “Golf as it was meant to be.”
Public: Course Website | Opened: 1999 | Designer: David McLay Kidd
