The mythical bandon
Golf Magic Along the Oregon Coast
The long journey to get here is intentional. You aren’t
meant to come here casually. It’s a full-on commitment.
But mostly it doesn’t feel like a journey at all. It’s a life-
giving adventure. And everything ramps up as soon as
you step foot on property.
Languages, accents, logos from across the world of golf.
Clouds fizzing past your head, holes sprawling out as far
as the eye can see, the roar of the waves clashing
against the rocks. Crescendo after crescendo. Trying to
process it in the moment is impossible. Best to just let it
wash over you.
Months later, it’s still there, in your dreams. That
perfectly clipped shot into the horizon, riding the wind
like the seabirds that float along the cliffs plunging into
the Pacific. The golden gorse that clings to the sandy
soils like a heavy duty Velcro, as beautiful bloom as it is
nefarious to your golf ball. The ridges, the rivers that
whisk you along the drive from the Eugene airport. Your
ears ringing in the darkness from a 36-hole day battling
the breeze. A complete sensory overload.
The dunes. Bandon Dunes.
Six courses, five clubhouses. If you’re even remotely
connected to golf, and especially if you’re a certified
sicko, the name itself is enough to give you
goosebumps, whether you’ve been there or not.
The golf itself is on another level. God, the golf is so, so good it
makes your heart melt. Intelligent links design
that makes this singular land shine so brightly is so overabundant
here that it’s hard to keep your head on straight,
hard to separate the greatness.
Favorite hole? “Sheep’s opening hole is all-time. Oh, 16, and
six—genius. That short par-four on Trails,
what was it, 14? Yeah, just a total doozie. And seven at Old Mac is
just…” Good luck picking one, let alone ten.
Months later, it’s still there, in your dreams. That
perfectly clipped shot into the horizon, riding the wind
like the seabirds that float along the cliffs plunging into
the Pacific. The golden gorse that clings to the sandy
soils like a heavy duty Velcro, as beautiful bloom as it is
nefarious to your golf ball. The ridges, the rivers that
whisk you along the drive from the Eugene airport. Your
ears ringing in the darkness from a 36-hole day battling
the breeze. A complete sensory overload.
The dunes. Bandon Dunes.
Six courses, five clubhouses. If you’re even remotely
connected to golf, and especially if you’re a certified
sicko, the name itself is enough to give you
goosebumps, whether you’ve been there or not.
The golf itself is on another level. God, the golf is so, so good it
makes your heart melt. Intelligent links design
that makes this singular land shine so brightly is so overabundant
here that it’s hard to keep your head on straight,
hard to separate the greatness.
Favorite hole? “Sheep’s opening hole is all-time. Oh, 16, and
six—genius. That short par-four on Trails,
what was it, 14? Yeah, just a total doozie. And seven at Old Mac is
just…” Good luck picking one, let alone ten.
Every day is a roulette. No matter how much you packed,
you’ll probably need to visit the pro shop for another layer.
The elements will eat you up and spit you out, but you’ll be
laughing all the way through, giddy like a kid. Spirit of the
game? Bandon is dripping with it. The only thing you’ll be
left wanting at the resort is a few more days here. If you
walk off that first 18 and aren’t already plotting your return
trip, this might not be the place for you.
There was no magic formula to making Bandon what it is
today. No “get out there and hire the best from the best.”
Bandon is what it is because it’s a melting pot. Great golf
minds coming together with simply great people, starting
with Mike Keiser, who founded the property in the 90s. A
staff who genuinely love to take care of others, who are
passionate about sharing the specialness of Bandon with
everyone who visits.
amazed at this place. In 25 years,
I’ve only seen two frowning faces.”
Take Shoe, for example. Local guy, played a little golf, took his first
step on the property when it was mostly just
sand and scrublands. Without knowing too much about what it was, he
instantly fell in love with it. Knew he had to
be involved in whatever was going on there. Still is. You can’t miss
him.
That’s the thing, however many memorable holes you play, scenic photos
you take that make your golf buddies
drool, it’s the characters that make the difference. Bandon invites
them, it nurtures them. To “get” Bandon is to get
the team that defines it.
“Golf as it was meant to be.” That’s a lofty, kind of
uncharacteristically absolutist slogan for a place that delights in
such subtlety, humility, such a lack of try-hard mentality. But like
everything else here, it’s not hyperbole. It just is.
The best? What does that even mean? Their goal is to be true to their
calling, to give their absolute best focus to
be the best they can given what they are blessed with.
Isn’t that just golf, or life really?
Special thanks to all the staff at Bandon for their gracious hospitality.
