Bandon Dunes: Where Golf Is Exactly What It Should Be (Part 1)

Even after spending just 30 or so hours at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, I am a full-fledged convert. Though the resort in the middle of nowhere (Eugene is the nearest "city", a full 3 hours away) has racked up just about every accolade possible in its 14 years of existence, what makes Bandon special is the feeling it seems to leave with each and every golfer fortunate enough to grace its fairways, a feeling that is hard to describe but might just make Bandon the golf equivalent of Mecca and the resort the game's Kaaba.

In my first of hopefully many pilgrimages to this holy site on the Oregon Coast, there was only time to take in the first two tracks, Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes, in addition to a late afternoon run around the recently opened 13-hole par-3 Bandon Preserve. Though a tee time gap prevented me from taking better advantage of the resort's famed "play two and the third of the day is free" deal, a costless round on the Preserve was more than worth it after a long battle against the elements on the big tracks.

I have way too much to say about this place to confine it to just a single post. Rather than cut thoughts short, I am going to start out with just the front nine on Bandon Dunes in this post.

Sunrise over the 18th green as I get in a few putts before my 7:20 tee time 

Early morning is no doubt the best time to play Bandon Dunes. Although I guess it is probably the best time to play any of the four courses at Bandon so in that case its a darn tough choice. But teeing off into the rising sun beside the Lodge was the perfect setting to begin a day out on the links at Bandon Dunes.

The 1st fairway provides plenty of room to get off to a good start

The 1st hole is a perfect introduction to what golf is all about at Bandon Dunes. Flanked to the right by the Lodge, proshop, and neighboring McKee's Pub, the fairway provides plenty of room to get the round going on a good note. Tee shots must stay left of the ridge separating the course from the "village" (not a difficult task), with the best angle coming from a tee shot played straight at the fairway bunker and utilizing the left-to-right slope.

The elevated 1st green is tough to hold and a great preview of things to come

After a relatively benign tee shot, the fun begins. The first green, many times accessible only by way of a long iron approach, is elevated above a massive swale, with collection areas ready to gobble up shots that stray too far to the right or fail to climb up to the medium sized putting surface.

But the approach shot at the first can also serve as a preview of what is to come at the 2nd. Previously played from a tee box behind the 1st green, the first par-3 at Bandon Dunes has undergone a 45 degree rotation since its opening, now leaving players with a tee shot that must cross the deep ravine to a putting surface lying atop a stark ridge and protected by a sharp falloff on the right side that collects any shot struck less than perfectly to a righthand pin location.

The long par-3 2nd hole made even more difficult by the blinding early morning sun

 The trek to the coast begins as players reach the top of the dune and the 3rd tee box. A definite scoring opportunity, the third requires a tee shot that stays left of the bunkers and gorse on the right side and at the same time close enough to those hazards to leave an open angle to the elevated green. Tee shots that stray too far from the right hand side make the hole a definite three-shotter, with the massive bunker short left ready to gobble up any ill-conceived attempts at reaching the green in two.

The elevated tee shot on the par-5 3rd must avoid the gorse to the right 

While the 3rd green is just a couple hundred yards from the sea, it is the 4th hole that truly complete the walk to the beach. After a blind tee shot that reveals no secrets, the hole opens up to the most spectacular vista on the property. Tee shots that avoid bunkers left and gorse right leave players with a mid-iron approach to a green that is bordered by mounding on both sides, a series of small bunkers on the left (with the mounding serving to feed balls toward said bunkers), and of course, a backdrop of pure Pacific Ocean unparalleled in the game of golf.

The tee shot on the par-4 4th hole is blind, leaving no hint of the challenge to come

After reaching their tee shots, players are faced with this approach to the 4th green.
Doesn't get any better 

Though the 4th takes the cake when it comes to scenery, the par-4 fifth is arguably the best two-shot hole on the entire property. With a fairway tucked between the ocean cliff and a steep sand dune serving simply as the prelude to a dune-enclosed green complex, the 5th is one of those holes that cannot help but come up in each and every 19th hole conversation back in the lodge. Natural green sites are what make Bandon the mecca that it is and the 5th at Bandon Dunes is about as natural as it gets.

Tee shots on the par-4 5th must shoot the gap between the cliff left and sand dune right

Looking back at the 4th green from the oceanside tee box on the 5th

The 5th green is perfectly set between the competing sand dunes,
with a massive bunker carved out on the right side

 The first of three oceanside par-3's at Bandon Dunes, the 6th hole is very much a love it or hate it design. With the ocean again providing backdrop, the mid-length par-3 features a green that falls off on every side, to a collection area short and right and to clifftop gorse both left and long. Shots that do manage to find the putting surface are rewarded with many a flat putt (rare at Bandon Dunes), but the great majority that miss leave no easy means of recovery.

There isnt much room to land the ball on the breathtaking par-3 6th green

Marking the northernmost spot on the course, the 6th green gives players a glimpse of the
10th and 11th holes at Pacific Dunes

 After a relatively non-descript par-4 7th, non-descript other than an elevated green fronted by one of the sharpest ridges on the course, the par-4 8th heads back off the ridge and toward the water. Starting from an elevated tee box, the shortish par-4 puts Kidd's Scottish heritage on display both in the style of bunkering and in the use of fairway for strategic means. Bunkering short of the green makes the left side of the fairway (the most accessible portion of that fairway) a difficult spot from which to approach the guarded and tiered putting surface.

A design straight out of the Scottish highlands, the 8th heads briefly toward the water as
the trek back to the clubhouse begins

 Completing the brief trek back to the lodge, the par-5 9th sweeps from left to right around a set of four bunkers that split the fairway near the landing area and another duo closer to the destination of layup shots. Players who successfully avoid those obstacles must choose their approach club wisely as the long green puts club selection at a premium and penalizes mistakes with a series of ridges that make long putts almost impossible to stop dead.

Returning to the clubhouse, the long and narrow green at the par-5 9th puts club
selection at a premium

The opening stanza of my Bandon experience was enough in itself to keep me wanting much much more. Take away the rest of the day and I'd be sold on the concept of this resort on the Oregon coast. Sold on its simplicity, its authenticity, and its devotion to keeping golf what it should always be: fun.