From Day One, golf was unapologetically the foremost amenity at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. Today, as it was in 1999, Bandon Dunes’ incredible service — from its caddies to the wait staff to its athletic massage center — work hand-in-glove to ensure that this minimalist-by-design experience on the breathtaking, walking-only golf course would never go unspoiled.
Perched high on the rugged cliffs of the Oregon Coast, much has changed at Bandon Dunes in the 20 years since the visions of owner Mike Keiser and architect David McLay Kidd delighted those first Bandonistas. The original Bandon Dunes is now one of four universally lauded championship designs — in addition to a beloved 13-hole short course unlike any other in the country. Golfers are inevitably drawn to the Punchbowl, a 100,000-square-foot putting green where bets are settled and drinks are shared. And a 50-acre practice facility and free short course, aptly named Shorty’s, invites guests to fine-tune their links games.
The resort has grown to 186 rooms and cottages, and golfers now can choose among any of its six award-winning restaurants. Shuttles zip golfers to anywhere on the sprawling property and reservations agents ensure that everything is perfectly synced months before a Bandonista puts his or her first tee in the ground.
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A Texas-sized influence from the Lone Star State has come to Bandon Dunes, too, thanks to Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, partners in Austin-based golf architectural firm Coore & Crenshaw. The duo designed Bandon Trails in 2005, giving the resort its first and only inland layout, wending through a coastal forest, meadow, and over and around massive sand dunes. Even without the close-up views of the Pacific Ocean, Trails has proven to be a test of golf worthy of the best in the world.
Coore & Crenshaw returned to design Bandon Preserve, a beloved par-3 course with a philanthropic mission. The incredible views and laid-back vibe — it’s not unusual for groups much larger than a foursome to tee off — have made Preserve an indispensable part of the Bandon Dunes experience.
Despite Bandon Dunes’ growth in popularity, the same feeling that inspired its pioneers — one that many would go on and tell the world about — endures still today. Bandon Dunes has never lost that early sense of pilgrimage. Golf is always a shared experience, even if traveling to the resort alone. It’s a place to bond — with old friends or new acquaintances — coming together over the love of an ancient game.
Twenty years ago, the opening of Bandon Dunes showed us all the meaning of “Golf as it was meant to be.” And it still does today.
For more information or to begin booking a trip to Bandon Dunes, visit: www.BandonDunesGolf.com or call 855-220-6710.
