Bandon Crossings
Well worth the effort
by Yvonne Pepin-Wakefield
“Watch out for the crows, they are ruthless,” said Matt Hubbard, PGA Associate at Bandon Crossings, a popular 18-hole public course located just a short jaunt off Highway 101 in Bandon, Oregon. “You also don’t want to land in a bunker.” But apart from those two caveats, this is an excellent course for many reasons.
“We fill a niche market by offering a price-point alternative for people on a budget,” says Crossings’ owner, Rex Smith. The course offers a stay and play package with the Ko-Kwel Resort and Casino, up the highway in Coos Bay.
Rex and his wife Carla purchased the property, formerly a sheep ranch, in 2005. Two years later, the couple, working with Pacific Northwest architect, Dan Hixson, opened Bandon Crossings. It was Hixson’s first design, and it put him on the map. Green fees are about one-third of neighboring courses, so its popularity quickly grew among local residents as well as golfers from all over the world. In 2021 it was voted by Golf Magazine as one of the top 100 courses under $150 to play in the entire nation.
“The beauty of playing at Crossings,” said Smith, “is the course is built on sand dunes, so you can golf year-round because the drainage is so good. It is never muddy and plays well even after several inches of rain. We are also able to sponsor community events and educational programs.”
Of the course itself, Hubbard notes fairways with lots of forced carries, cross bunkers and approaches that include hitting over wide, brushy ravines and water.
“There is also more elevation changes than you think,” he said, alluding to the par-3 17th, which is only 60 yards from the reds, but faces a swampy hazard. “But to experience the integrity of this hole, you should play it from the whites.”
I teed up that hole from the 110-yard marker, only to hear a splash. The shorter approach resulted in a similar loss.
Coastal firs, redwoods and cedar trees line open Fescue and Poa annua greens with doglegs in both directions. Pull and power carts are available for rent to negotiate the layout, which has some long stretches to walk between holes.
The routing is an “out and back,” which means the clubhouse is not nearby at the turn. This is where the snack shack is a welcome respite. Located between holes six and 13 it offers clean restrooms and food and beverages served with a warning: “Beware of the Crows.”
Jessie Morones pointed to a sign taped on the snack shack window. In her second year as a turnstand worker, Morones has experienced a number of flighty unpaying patrons.
“I can’t put condiments out because the crows take them,” she says with a smile. “I’ve seen onions, pickles and ketchup packages fly away. Once a crow unzipped my purse and got my Nutty Buddy. I’ve seen them take hot dogs out of a golfer’s hands. Don’t leave any food in your cart.”
Each hole on the course has its own name. Hole 16 – “Deceit” – had my playing partner looking down on me in a bunker with a straight, tall lip and asking, “How are you going to get out of there? Is that even doable?” Well, yes. Eventually. After three swings, I finally got out.
Holing out on the par-5 18th included exchanging a few stern words with the ravine that split the hole in half. A layup at 200 yards downhill to the green, missed twice. I return to my cart for another ball just in time to see a crow dive in and fly away with a pricey bag of mixed nuts in its beak.
“This would be a really tough course to establish a handicap on,” I said to Hubbard as I turned in my cart at the pro shop. “And you were right about the bunkers. And the crows.”