Bandon Dunes Golf Resort - Bandon Preserve — Local services in Coos Bay

Bandon Dunes is hands down the best golf experience I have ever had in my 30 or so years playing this wonderful game.

The level of golf, the uniqueness and utter jaw-dropping beauty of the land it sits on (not just the seaside - the inlands are just as good, esp. at Bandon Trails), the vision of Mr. Mike Keiser and the architects, the determination and ingenuity and persistence to make this happen - this has done nothing short of change the face of golf in America.

Players of ALL skill levels can have fun on these courses provided they select the proper tees (I recommend moving up a set of tees from your normal yardage if the wind picks up, as it usually does in the afternoon). Fairways are generous and you can play most holes many different ways. Weather can be a challenge so pack appropriately, we went in August of 2020 and had perfect weather all 5 days and played 8 full rounds plus the Preserve.

I went in fairly cold/uninformed about Bandon (intentionally - I wanted the experience to reveal itself to a blank canvas on my first time) but I do recommend doing a bit of research before you go, just to get the bearings. Bit of a shameless plug here, but I have launched up a YouTube channel under this name where I am posting a lot of great footage that we took from our trip, from each of the 5 courses plus the Preserve, and a bit of Bandon orientation.

Bandon - while it is admittedly expensive - is by way of its approach and culture the antithesis of the snobby, stuffy / exclusive form of golf that poisons so much of the game in America; Mr. Keiser's vision of golf to me seems to be about pure fun, joy, playability, beauty, creativity, and natural beauty.

The courses themselves are some of the best you will see ANYWHERE in the world. There are no waterfalls or gaudy stone or wood features to speak of, no cart paths, no houses - just perfectly executed golf architecture everywhere you look. While Trails and Old Mac appear to get short changed in some reviews, I would absolutely recommend making time to play both; if really pressed for time, drop Old Mac. If further pressed - it is a toss up between Sheep Ranch and Trails for me - but slight edge to Trails because the experience there complements the absolute musts of Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes. But really just do EVERYTHING you can to extend your trip so you don't miss ANY of these great courses. The Preserve (par 3 course) is also 100% worth an early wake up call, or better, evening round or whenever the marine layer has burned off (we missed out on the views in our morning round).

I think Bandon Dunes overall is the best value in America of any big resort. I have not yet played Pebble Beach, and I honestly might never do it, because I KNOW my money will be far better spent at Bandon Dunes. The cabins resemble higher budget Boy Scouts camping facilities - and they blend in perfectly with the surrounding woods.

Mr. Keiser said in an interview (paraphrasing here) that getting people there for the first trip is the second hardest test of a golf resort; the very hardest test is getting them to come back for a repeat trip.

I can say without a doubt I will be coming back to Bandon Dunes just as soon as I can possibly manage.

Cheers to Mr. Keiser and to the entire Bandon team that made this...

Our recent experience at Bandon left a lot to be desired. Despite everything I have heard about the top notch hospitality, we did not experience that. The reservation agent messed up our tee times, double booking us one day and not booking what we asked for the second day. Though Bandon confirmed by listening to the original call that it was their mistake and promised to fix it, nothing was done and we missed out on the main course we wanted to play. Our caddies were screwed up as well. Giving us caddies for courses we didn't request and none for courses we did request. I also specifically requested a caddy by name but nothing was done to accommodate and we ended up with NO CADDIES AT ALL. Lastly, our Lily Pond Room was booked for 5 nights instead of 2. I would expect none of these issues when paying the price they request but when issues do arise , someone should take care of the problem. Not just pass the buck to someone else and never solve any of the issues. I left multiple messages with the GM and Head of Reservations and though I calmly and thoroughly explained,...

I can’t get over how the employees are being treated. They are fantastic staff but don’t get to even make a choice about their health for themselves. This policy is discrimination against the non vaccinated. Ever since Covid started they have been listening to everything Kate Brown has said except when it comes to giving the employees back their freedom. A lot of staff are being fired for to wearing a mask or not wearing it properly and not being vaccinated. Pretty soon there won’t be anymore staff and their reputation won’t be so great. They are already short...