Number 20: Bandon Trails

Ceiling: 90.5

Rating: 88

Trend over Time: 6

When I first heard the name of the course “Bandon Trails” I was rather confused at the selection of the word “trails.” But, after the wonderful one shotter 2nd hole and the literal trail through the brush that opens you to the first par 5 of the day (with a wonderful centerline bunker, no hiding who built this one) and the term trails fully clicked in my mind. And this isn’t the only one. The trails are one of the key features of this course and a fantastic part of the experience. Trails is the player’s course at Bandon. Strategically demanding and requiring a high level of execution often times, the resort would be missing an important ingredient in its absence. While Bandon Trails may not be put in quite the same sentence as Friar’s Head or Sand Hills, I believe it may be their most important golf course given that it is a public facility that anyone can see. I am a huge fan of both of the aforementioned courses; however, not many get the supreme pleasure, so for Trails to share C&C’s brilliance with all is important to the game of golf.

Culture:

This is a different one given that Trails is public. Clubs all have some sort of culture that is created by their history and current membership, but a public course is different. There isn’t necessarily going to be a “culture” of the place. But it doesn’t mean there isn’t still a clear vibe to playing a course like Trails, so we’ll hit on that. Drawing back on the players bent to Trails, it’s Bandon’s course where you need to be ready to hit some shots, especially if the wind kicks up. Particularly off the tee, and into a handful of the greens, there are plenty of shots out there that are going to ask you to either execute or pay. Now, one thing about Trails that I’m a big fan of is that there are not a ton of penalty strokes to be taken into the greens. You can certainly part ways with a golf ball or two off the tee, but once you’ve made your way off the tee, it’s soft bogey season if you can’t execute with the irons. Better than having to reload from the fairway… The other thing I think of in regard to the culture of Bandon Trails is the word tranquility. While the ocean side golf courses at Bandon I would put more in the “serene” camp, Trails is like a nature walk through the woods of Oregon. Rather spiritual for those of us who love the game.

Competition:

Bandon Dunes resort has quite literally become a fixture in the USGA’s rotation of venues and has more than a dozen events planned in the next 20 years. To date, the resort has hosted 8 different championships representing both the women’s and men’s side and Trails has had a hand in 4 of those 8. Not surprisingly, most of the events it has been involved in are the ones for the strongest players. The US Amateur, the US Junior Amateur, the US Amateur Public Links, the ones where you need to contain the horses. I was fortunate to get to play the US Amateur in 2020 where Trails was the stroke play co-host to Bandon Dunes, and not surprisingly, it was the tougher of the two by about a half stroke. When the wind blows, even to the best players, it stands up with ease.

Architecture:

Trails is unabashedly Coore and Crenshaw in all their glory. Centerline bunkers, traversing the ridges and dunes of the property in many different angles and strategies, and an extremely natural overall aesthetic to the bunkering and placement of the greens within the landscape. Their courses always seem to hit me the same way, which I mean as a compliment. They test, in order, your ability to identify the proper way to tackle a hole (and there is always a proper way), then they test your ability to execute on that game plan from an aerial perspective, and finally there is always more than enough difficulty and intrigue once the wedges and putter come out. I never feel like I’m taking haymakers from C&C golf courses, just subtle jabs each time I fail to execute, and for the good of the game and the greatest number of players, that to me is the best way to design a golf course for maximum challenge yet also reward.