Bandon Dunes 2025
By Michael Abendroth
Rare is the modern venue that can stir emotions like visiting Fenway Park, Wrigley Field or Ballybunion. Established only in 1999, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort has achieved just that. Celebrating 25 years, Bandon Dunes is now a place golfers visit and revisit to fill their golfing souls. I have just returned from my 4th visit to Bandon Dunes. Each trip is memorable for different reasons. This trip was about experiencing Bandon in full flight.
A trip to Bandon Dunes Golf Resort starts over a year in advance. Reservations for March 2025 were secured by our fearless leader James Bradshaw in early 2024. When a trip is roughly a year away, the gravity of the trip does not set in. It started to feel “soon” when planning for gear and logistics. Travel to Bandon starts when you assess your equipment and gear. Black Friday 2024 was a great opportunity to check in on my rain gear, push cart, golf shoes and various other golf gear and apparel. New rain paints, hooded jacket - emphasis on the hood - rain gloves, and golf shoes were acquired. I feel a true golfer doesn’t have to be loyal to one golf brand, so my new rain gear is Patagonia hiking gear. The rain gloves are from Red Rooster, a niche brand promoted by The Fried Egg. I stuck with Ecco golf shoes, this time with Goretex BOA lace Biom. My Clic Gear three-wheeled push cart made its 2nd trip to Bandon Dunes, with a few new accessories.
A bit on the planning. For this trip, we decided to drive from San Francisco. It’s a bit of a haul, but controlling your gear and your timing is invaluable. Other times of year offer a bit more flexibility for flying in aircraft. We drove the Highway 5 route and stopped a few hours short of Bandon, in Canyonville, Oregon. This left us a bit under 2 hours to the Resort the following day.
Reservations at Bandon Dunes for 2026 and beyond are governed by a lottery system. Your best bet is to simply review the policy here: https://bandondunesgolf.com/bandon-dunes-reservations/ Few places on earth garner such reviews for its beauty, fun factor, and relative accessibility. Bandon is one of those places. And it seems the golfing public’s appetite is not satisfied. Your trusty author missed out on the “mid year 2026” lottery just before leaving for Bandon in March 2025.
2026 and beyond also will see the openings of Rodeo Dunes in Colorado, and Wild Spring Dunes in Texas. More info here: https://dreamgolf.com/?page_id=2574
It’s an incredible time in history to be a passionate golfer, where the most celebrated courses in a generation are accessible to retail public golfers in one location.
There are many notable golf drives —not off the tee — but behind the wheel. This is not to compare Bandon’s arrival to Magnolia Lane or 17 Mile Drive.
There is a dramatic prologue to arriving at Bandon, driving that final two miles through the pines and gorse signals your arrival. Months of anticipation are rewarded. No journey to Bandon is easy. But every stay at Bandon Dunes is worth the effort. On this trip, we were grateful to be greeted by Shoe, the legendary Bob “Shoe” Gaspar. He is the Director of Outside Happiness, and a role model of hospitality and friendliness where you feel part of a Country Club. Shoe is famous for his numerical weather report system.
It should be noted that in March of 2025, all putting greens are healthy and in excellent condition.
Day 1:
Shorty’s
It felt most appropriate to start our trip with our first trip around Shorty’s. It is a great way to settle in at the Resort and get a few swings in. While a few holes are pretty short (less than 60 yards), there are a number of stout par 3s. The golfer is instantly placed into the Dunes, with just enough ocean views. It is a perfect setting to get your golf bearings. The Pro Shop has carry bags available for guest use, as you only need 6-8 clubs.
Shorty’s is the perfect venue for an 8-some to saunter around for an afternoon match.
The Birria Tacos at the Shorty’s Clubhouse are excellent!
Sheep Ranch
Arguably the most scenic course at Bandon, we capped day one with Sheep Ranch. It is also among the most fun and playable courses anywhere. Fun factor is incredibly important, and Sheep Ranch is about as dramatic as fun gets. The Coore-Crenshaw design is brilliant in its use of the coastline, placing nine greens on the cliffs. It is unapologetic in featuring the ocean as a backdrop. After the reveal on hole 1, the ocean is never far away. Our afternoon round was very windy, but Sheep Ranch is built to be playable in high winds. For example, there is virtually no sand - all bunkers are grass bunkers. Golfers do well if they embrace the challenge of hitting 4 extra clubs sometimes. Take advantage of downwind drives, and you too might drive a 375 yard par 4, only to make birdie!
Dinner: Ghost Tree Grill
The newest dining establishment at the resort is not to be missed. Set a ways back from the 18th Green at Old Mac, it is a stunning newly built facility with mostly glass exterior windows.
The chef serves excellent steaks, and ample sides to share. Don’t skip the French Onion Soup.
Day 2:
Bandon Dunes
Starting an all-time 36 at the Resort’s original course felt right.
The diversity of playing angles and corridors at Bandon is perfection. Hole 4 has one of the best reveals anywhere, and hole 16 is visually overwhelming in all the good ways.
Bandon Dunes must be celebrated as the pioneer of minimalist golf, given that many other courses of this description are private clubs. It is refined in some ways, with wider mowing lines than Pacific, however it showcases its beautiful dunes and rugged coastline masterfully.
Pacific Dunes
Capping the all-time 36 at Pacific Dunes was awesome. The quality of par-3s on this day is unparalleled, as Pacific has arguably the best set of par-3s anywhere. Hole 4 is an incredible cliff side par-4 that is relatively flat, while hole 13 moves the opposite direction on the coast, but is much less flat. Two great holes with great contrast. Pacific is a bit more rugged than Bandon, reflecting a bit more bravado than its more subtle older sibling. Where Bandon established the resort as a viable destination, Pacific takes it a step further with daring and difficulty.
Dinner: McKee’s Pub
It was only right to settle in at McKee’s for a few pints and some excellent comfort food. The Pub is a Bandon essential, and a lasting honor to Howard McKee and his contributions to establishing the resort.
Day 3:
Bandon Preserve
Our third day was an epic one, starting at the 13 hole Preserve. Another fun and quick tune up on par 3s. Some folks think the par-3 courses are great for an afternoon stroll, and they are not wrong. But don’t discount the early morning warm up you can enjoy on The Preserve.
Like Shorty’s, all net proceeds benefit the Bandon Dunes Charitable Foundation, which supports South Coast conservation, community, and economy.
Old Macdonald
Certainly not light on challenge, Old Mac is a course you can hit the driver on and hit a few greens. While the greens are large and inviting, they often have swales and hollows that make two-putting a challenge.
The iconic Ghost Tree awaits you for the third hole. While blind, the tee shot speaks to you, and is very intuitive where to aim. Hole 7 is as memorable as it gets, playing to the elevated cliff side green.
This course is a living textbook, as each hole is a template of C.B. Macdonald’s design preferences. These templates, like the St. Andrews Road hole, Biarritz, Alps, and Punchbowl allow golfers to experience living history from both sides of the Atlantic. Of course while playing alongside the Pacific Ocean, Old Mac is a special place in time.
Time has served this course well as the greens have matured and resort guests consistently praise its fun factor and playability.
Bandon Trails
Our day continued with Trails. We quickly took a shuttle from Old Mac to Trails, where we attempted to have an afternoon protected from some wind. We think this was a majestic decision. Teeing off around 3:30, we knew 18 holes was unlikely, so we played 1-7 and then 11-18. Skipping the loop of 8, 9, 10 is hard, but we felt it maximized our chance to finish the most holes near the Clubhouse.
I’ll share more on Trails below for our proper 18 hole round.
We played 46 holes on this day!
Dinner:
Ghost Tree Grill. It was so good the first time, we decided we had to visit again.
Day 4:
Sheep Ranch
We enjoyed a calmer morning of weather at Sheep Ranch. With a bit of light rain we experienced different shots than 3 days prior. Drives of 375 were not to be had. It is enjoyable to play a 2nd round on any course as your familiarity grows. Redemption on missed opportunities is therapeutic.
Bandon Trails
Not to be outshined by its coastal siblings, Bandon Trails is a design masterpiece. The course opens and closes in the dunes, while holes 3 thru 17 play through the forest and meadows. Framed by the coastal forest, Trails offers such distinct corridors, as most holes are isolated from the other holes.
I feel that Trails has the most unique offering of par-3 holes of the championship courses.
Number 9 plays through a beatiful open meadow framed by the forest.
Hole 11 is a reverse of the 11th at Augusta National.
Soak in the view at the 14th tee, and read the plaque commemorating the founding of Bandon Dunes.
With such dramatic views at Bandon and Pacific, it took courage to build an inland course. Courage rewards the brave, and this masterpiece is etched in time now.
We finished our trip having played 154 holes over four days.
Dinner: The Gallery
Enjoy Italian themed dishes beside the fireplace in the Gallery, located in the main Lodge.
Lodging: Chrome Lake
After the golf, equally important to your trip, roughly in this order is: sleep, nutrition, and “hydration.” A great buddies trip is made by the accommodations, good food, and some versions of beverages.
We enjoyed the ample space and fireplace within our Chrome Lake Room.
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort’s accommodations and hospitality are legendary. There is something special about the small details that the resort hotel rooms consider. Following long, and possibly wet golf days, comfort is the starting point. Many other details take it a step further, like shoe warmers and the strongest shower water pressure you can imagine.
The dining options are incredible, and the variety noted above fits every appetite.
The beverage offerings at the various watering holes are much appreciated after those long, and possibly rainy days.
The resort’s shuttle service is seamless. Simply use the link they provide, or a quick call, and your shuttle will arrive within minutes. It is so easy to navigate around the resort.
Departure:
The absolute hardest part about a trip to Bandon Dunes is leaving Bandon Dunes. Full stop.
But, this day is ripe for discussion. Departure day is the time to share rankings. Has anyone ever had the same ranking? Probably. But I have yet to find one. There are 120 combinations to rank the five championship 18 hole courses. Most returning guests will slightly modify their ranking each visit, perhaps after a good round, good weather, or a great match.
I decided on this trip that I will no longer rank the courses. My previous #5 course grew on me substantially. My #1 might still be #1. Whichever Bandon course I am playing is my favorite, until I play the next course.
After course rankings, buddies can also go through their “dream 18” where they select the best first hole, second hole, and so on.
Any agreements on the course rankings will surely be forgotten by disputes about the perfect 18. These two rankings alone will surely take hours to discuss.
At this point we are well down the coast, past the majestic sea stacks visible from 101. The Redwood Forest and wine country are next.
Memories of your previous trips flood your mind. Your past heroics on the greens. Your forgettable moments of mediocrity. But most important, your friends and family you were fortunate to spend days with at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. No trip to Bandon is the same, but they all echo in your golfing memories. Until your next call with a Bandon Dunes booking agent….for your next golfing chapter.
Michael Abendroth is a staff writer at HookedonGolf.com. The featured trip was his fourth visit to Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.
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