9
BANDON DUNES
GOLF RESORT GOLF RESORT
PAR 4 363 YARDS
BANDON, OR
Chicago businessman, Mike Keiser, went out on a very long and unreliable limb when work
began at the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in the mid-1990s. The nearest sizeable city, Portland,
Oregon, was a four-and-a-half-hour drive north. The sand dunes that characterize the coastline
were covered in unruly gorse that would take years of arduous clearing before a single hole
could be built. There was no guarantee the U.S. was ready for golf on so raw a property and
David McLay Kidd, the Scotsman Keiser,chose to design the first course, was barely known
inside his native land let alone internationally.
Twenty-five years later, however, with the addition of four more 18-hole layouts, three short
courses, a vast putting green, numerous highly-rated restaurants, and several comfortable
lodging options, the once risk-laden development has blossomed into a paradise golfers will
travel around the world to experience.
Some golf holes rely on beauty and exceptional natural surroundings to get your attention.
Others use interesting, thought-provoking designs to engage the golfer. You have something
genuinely special when you combine the two and get a breathtaking backdrop with a
stimulating sequence of shots,where you must judiciously choose your path to the hole.
This glorious short-4 on the resort's original course not only brings you to the edge of the
continent–providing a mesmerizing panorama of the Pacific Ocean–but it also forces a
decision; Carry the diagonal ridge of sand and broken ground to leave a pitch/chip to the
green, or reject the risk and lay up with a mid-iron to leave a full, and mostly blind, wedge.
Your choice depends on how you're striking it, the position of the flag and, most importantly,
the direction and strength of the wind.
There's a lot to see, plenty to think about, and much to enjoy.
Architect: David McLay Kidd
Photograph courtesy of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
Scan this QR code to view an
aerial flyover showing the
strategy of playing this hole
H O L E
16
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