
In the mid-90s a millionaire named Mike Keiser decided to buy 1,200 acres of coastal property in a remote area of Oregon.
Keiser made his millions through his own greeting card company called, Recycled Paper Greetings. He was a golf nut from the time he was young. After building a 9-hole course in Michigan in the 80s, he searched for years hoping to find a property to build a proper links-style course.
When he was close to giving up, he got a call about property in Bandon, Oregon, which is about 4 hours south of Portland. By 1999, he had his first course on the property, Bandon Dunes, built by David McLay Kidd, a first time golf course architect from Scotland.
Today, there are five courses, four of which are full 18-hole courses, and one is a 13-hole par-3 course. The courses, in order of when they were built, are Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails, Old MacDonald, and Bandon Preserve, which is the 13-hole course. All of the courses sit on a magnificent property, and are designed by this generation’s greatest golf course designers.
Additionally, there is a practice area that has a driving range, short game area, putting green, and a 9-hole par-3 course called “Shorty’s” that’s designed to help you warm up before a round. The resort also has the “Punch Bowl” which is an 18-hole putting course filled with curves and mounds. It’s basically mini-golf for adults.
If this sounds like golf heaven, that’s because it is. And I got to experience it this August. I spent four days and three nights at the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. In that time I played everything except the Punch Bowl. I played Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, and Bandon Preserve twice. I played Shorty’s, and Old MacDonald, one and a half times. I played Bandon Trails once.
It was exhausting and amazing. I highly recommend it to anyone that likes golf even a little bit. Like just about everyone else on the property I took a ton of photos to try to capture what it’s like at Bandon Dunes.
Business Insider Emails & Alerts
Site highlights each day to your inbox.
Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.