Golf at the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is a world class venue that offers four full-size true links courses and a spectacularly scenic thirteen-hole par 3 course. Our first encounter with resort employees exceeded our expectations with smiles and professionalism; this delightful trend continued throughout the rest of the trip as we explored the remaining courses. The resort conveniently provides a shuttle service between the property for all resort and outside guests making it desirable to continue practicing after your round (if the wind hasn’t beaten you up enough already).

Bandon Dunes

Our first stop at Bandon Dunes was the golf resort’s original track built in 1999. We got to the course a solid two and a half hours before our tee time to enjoy a delicious breakfast and to ensure we took advantage of the resort’s outstanding practice facility to warm up. Bandon Dunes requires well placed tee shots onto the fairways with slopes that can be generous in adding as much as twenty or more yards if used correctly. The large fairways are enjoyable after experiencing the more difficult approach shots. The large and beautifully undulating greens often over looking the pacific ocean make this one of the best golf experiences in the world!

Pacific Dunes

The second course we teed it up on was outstanding! Pacific Dunes has a little bit of everything, so to get the full links experience, we decided to tee it up on the back tees that can stretch out to 6600 yards. Pacific Dunes offers quite a few scoring holes, considering the nature of the golf course (firm, fast, and windy). The par 5’s have fairly wide landing areas with most of them playing much longer than the posted yardage due to a strong North West wind, but a long second shot should leave you with a short iron to wedge in your hand. The greens at Pacific Dunes are wonderful to look at from the fairway; the inviting contours make you think your way to the best possible area on the green to try and make birdie. The bunkers shape beautifully in relation to the greens and the fescue grass surrounding them provides the true links style that golfers envision on their way to Pacific Dunes. You can see the ocean from every hole, and for this reason, Pacific Dunes was our favourite course at the resort.

Old MacDonald

Old MacDonald is the longest course at the resort nearing 7000 yards off the back tees. The newer and faster 100% fescue greens kept us on our toes as we took on the challenge of playing the world’s largest greens. A straight-a-way par 4 opening hole into the wind is the perfect way to introduce what Old Mac has to offer; the bunkers are well placed around the green making it essential to play the low ball into the wind and allowing the ball to roll to its final location on the massive putting surfaces. The majority of Old Mac is a flat layout, however there are also a few holes that have the highest elevation change on the entire resort which are great areas to take scenic pictures of Old Mac’s beauty with the Pacific Ocean by its side.

Bandon Trails

To finish up our Bandon experience, we headed to Bandon Trails. The first two holes and the 18^th at Trails are very different to what the rest of course plays out to be. A gorgeous rolling fairway with tall fescue grass marking the rough line is the best looking starting hole we have ever played on a links course. After leaving the unguarded starting holes, Bandon Trails led us into the forest which gave us a chance to play links golf with a short break from the powerful winds. The fresh and natural atmosphere at Bandon Trails well represents Oregon’s woodlands. The consistency of green speeds and overall course conditions between Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, and Bandon Trails are truly remarkable which make the experience much more enjoyable. If you happen to be missing out on making birdies and pars at the first three courses, Bandon Trails is a pleasant way to cap off the links trip on a number of manageable golf holes.

The Punch Bowl, Preserve, Shorty’s, and more!

The Punch Bowl: The punch bowl is insanely cool. With over 100,000 square feet of Bandonesque putting greens there are 2 18 hole mini putt courses that navigate the huge massive undulations. It’s located near the 18th hole of Pacific Dunes and is a must play for all golf enthusiasts.

The Preserve: The preserve is a 13 hole par 3 course with pacific ocean views on every hole! Despite being only 13 holes, each one is perfectly manicured and maintained at the same standard of the other 4 courses. If you’re heading to Bandon Dunes make sure you make some time for the Preserve!

Shorty’s: Located near the primary practice facility, Shorty’s is a fun, laid back, 9 hole par 3 course. Bring a couple clubs and a putter and enjoy this easy going par 3 course after your round. While the greens and tee boxes aren’t perfect, it’s still a fun part of the Bandon experience and a fun way to end the day.

Tips

1. Get a caddy! (I suggest my caddy Tom Bigalow!)
2. Book a couple of extra days for the full experience and play the Punch Bowl, the Preserve, and Shorty’s
3. Check out the Punch Bowl early in the morning when it isn’t too busy
4. Work on your punch shots!
5. Ask your caddy about the treasure chest on the 10th hole at Bandon Dunes.