Location: Bandon, Oregon, USA | Ranking: #29 — The Global Golfer Top 100
Type: Links | Partner Stay: Bandon Dunes Resort Lodge; Sheep Ranch Cottages
Editor’s Note: Tom Doak built Pacific Dunes in 2001 using only what the land gave him — no land movement, no artificial features, no compromise. The result is the finest links course ever built outside the British Isles. The natural dune ridges, coastal meadows and Pacific cliff-tops produce a routing of breathtaking inevitability; every hole feels discovered rather than designed. Holes 11, 12 and 13 along the Pacific cliffs form arguably the finest three-hole sequence in American golf.
Travel & Logistics
- How to Get There: Highway 101, Bandon, Oregon. Eugene Airport (EUG) — 2h 30m. Portland (PDX) — 3h 30m. North Bend Airport (OTH) — 30 mins (charter/regional).
- Walking Only: No carts at any Bandon Dunes course. Caddies available and strongly recommended.
Contact & Booking
- Website: bandondunesgolf.com
- Green Fees: From $275 (included in resort packages) | Rating / Slope: 75.2 / 143
Championship Scorecard
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | OUT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 35 |
| Yards | 365 | 390 | 490 | 380 | 185 | 415 | 165 | 420 | 390 | 3,200 |
| Hole | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | IN | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 71 |
| Yards | 410 | 530 | 145 | 435 | 360 | 455 | 440 | 205 | 458 | 3,438 | 6,633 |
Key Strategy Notes
- Hole 11 — Par 5, 530 Yards: The course turns to the ocean — a broad par 5 along the cliff edge. The Pacific comes into view for the first time from this fairway. Run-up shots encouraged; the ground game is everything at Pacific Dunes.
- Hole 12 — Par 3, 145 Yards: The most photographed hole — played entirely over a rocky cove with the Pacific directly below. In wind, club selection ranges from 7-iron to driver depending on conditions.
- Hole 13 — Par 4, 435 Yards: The closing hole of the cliff sequence — the fairway runs parallel to the cliff edge before turning to a green perched on the headland. The approach must be hit precisely — too much right and the ball is on the beach 60 feet below.
- Ground Game: Pacific Dunes rewards bump-and-run golf absolutely. The fescue turf, firm subsoil and receptive green approaches mean aerial approaches are rarely optimal — think links strategy, not parkland.
The 19th Hole
- Bandon Dunes Resort Lodge: On-site accommodation — all-inclusive packages with unlimited rounds on all five courses. McKee’s Pub for post-round Guinness and Oregon seafood chowder. Book via Expedia →
- The Sheep Ranch: Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s 2020 addition — every hole on the Pacific headland. Play it at sunset on your last evening.
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