Coming in at #14 on my top golf courses played is Bandon Trails at Bandon Dunes Resort. It is a dramatic and exciting coore/Crenshaw masterpiece that would be the featured offering at pretty much any other resort. This is one of the best golf courses in America, however, At Bandon Dunes, easily the best golf resort in America, it’s just one of 5 outstanding golf courses. This course is vintage Coore/Crenshaw with blowout bunkering, rugged styling and dramatic green complexes.

Bandon Trails First and 18th holes play in large sand dunes while the rest of the course plays in a dense Pacific Northwest forest. However, as a huge fan of true links golf, I love that the golf course features a sandy foundation with super firm and fast fescue fairways. This firmness combined with dramatic elevation changes make it similar in many ways to a links course, even if wind is less a factor.

The second hole is a good length down hill par 3 that has some nasty bunkering short right, the extent of the bunkering is obscured from the tee box by a large sand dune. I think I love this hole because it reminds me a par 3’s I played in the dunes of Scotland. This hole is also the transition out of the Dunes and into the forest.


The 3rd is a fantastic par 5 played from an elevated tee and is probably my second favorite hole on the course. It’s a dramatic reveal when you get to the tee. It’s beautiful, and you know this is what the rest of the course is going to look like. The bunker in the middle of the fairway forces you to plan your attack, pick a line and commit to it. Obviously the ideal play is left as it shortens the hole if you can navigate the hazards. Many are tempted to go right where it appears more friendly...but will result in much longer approach. Strategic design such as this is one thing that separates world class golf courses from “good” golf courses.



The par 3 5th is an excellent short par 3 over a small canyon, the green is much bigger than it looks so it’s easy to to come up a club short when the pin is on the top tier. (If you zoom in you can see my ball right next to the pin...so close!)



The 14th hole is the most controversial, a beautiful golf hole played from an elevated tee. Unless you hit the perfect line on the left side your ball is shot down the hill to the right. Stay left while avoiding the Forest and you are left with an easy chip into the short par 4. A layup shot that drifts even a little right will bound it’s way into the bunker by the trees, leaving an almost impossible shot to the green and a fight to make bogey.



My favorite hole is the 17th, which is the best of the 4 great par threes at Bandon trails. it is also one of my favorite par 3’s on the planet. It you play an afternoon round by the time you come to this hole the lighting is incredible and there are great pictures to be had. A mid length par three, usually playing around 160-180 yards, the tee shot is slightly downhilL and must carry a rather dramatic and rough landscape and then navigate a tiered green complex with bunkering on both sides. A 3 is a great accomplishment here.



In summary, this is an amazing golf course that many consider the ultimate in northwest golf. For me, it reminds me of an old English heathland golf course that it is played through parkland with firm and fast Links like conditions. A must play for anyone with the opportunity.






Here I have a more detailed breakdown from my second trip to Bandon Dunes earlier this year: https://www.cougarboard.com/board/message.html?id=23275562