How Can I Play Bandon Dunes?

In southwest Oregon to the north of the city of Bandon overlooking the Pacific is Bandon Dunes, a relatively new golf resort comprising no fewer than six courses. However, despite only being established in 1999, its original course is widely regarded as one of the best public courses in the US, and has achieved global recognition.

That first course – Bandon Dunes - came courtesy of designer David McLay Kidd, who had been handpicked for the job by the land owner, Mike Keiser. The Scotsman spent up to 18 hours a day studying the terrain to produce the finest links course possible. Keiser himself had been inspired to create a course with the feel of Scotland having visited Dornoch, and the result didn't disappoint, with comparisons to Carnoustie soon forthcoming. The are fescue fairways, huge sand dunes and awe-inspiring views of the Pacific at an almost every turn on a mesmerising course that is indeed evocative of Scotland.

Keiser wasn’t done there, though, and just two years later opened the resort’s second course, Pacific Dunes, to even greater acclaim. This time, the design was left to Tom Doak, and he crafted a course with undulating fairways and holes traversing its many dunes. The 13th, in particular, is incredible, while spectacular ocean views to the left and an ominous dune sitting to the right of the green. Despite four more courses coming since Pacific Dunes opened, it remains the highest-rated on the resort.

The third course, Bandon Trails, opened in 2005 and is the resort’s outlier as as it isn’t built beside the ocean, but is more inland. The Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore-designed course begins on top of a sizeable dune before your round takes you through meadows and forest before finishing on yet more imposing and spectacular dunes.

The fourth course, Old MacDonald, opened in 2010 and is named after legendary designer Charles Blair MacDonald. The design of the course - again left in the hands of Doak - takes inspiration from MacDonald's work. The result is a course with huge greens and challenging bunkers. 

Two more courses followed, each designed once again by Doak and Coore. Brandon Preserve came only two years after Old MacDonald and is a 13-hole par-3 while the Sheep Ranch is the latest course at the resort. It opened in 2020, and features challenging shots over water and cliffs.

All six courses are open to the public, and green fees range between $105 and $345 depending on the time of year you visit and whether you're a resort guest or day guest. If you decide to play a second round on the same day, it's half price, while anyone wishing to play a third round on any of the courses can do so for free. If you're a resident of Oregon, those green fees are even lower, ranging between $105 and $275.

You can stay as a guest at the resort, too, and enjoy some of the lower green fees, with accommodation including single and double rooms, two-bedroom suites and four-bedroom suites.