Located in Oregon, in the northwest of the USA, this resort features six golf courses and will soon host the U.S. Amateur Championship. 

The fact that we have been organizing and planning golf vacations for a long time, in addition to developing and knowing destinations, has made us learn to interpret what golfers want when they choose golf as part of their vacations. And with that, we separate two types of trips: vacations with golf, where playing is part of the entertainment but not the main reason for the trip; and then there are golf vacations, where the group escapes to a destination exclusively to play our beloved sport. In the first case, there will be several extra activities such as the beach, recreational tourism, shopping, relaxation, and many more activities. In the second option, it’s golf, golf, and more golf. Therefore, it is important to identify this when suggesting potential destinations for our golfers.

And for the second alternative, there must be no better place to escape to play with friends than Bandon Dunes. Being far away, isolated, with good accommodation and six fabulous golf courses in the complex, it is difficult to improve on that experience. We were there two years ago and the stay was fabulous. We were able to see that you can play 36 and even 54 holes in a single day. Sunlight is ample in the summer, so there is enough time for a lot of golf. The destination may perhaps be comparable to Pinehurst, Kiawah, Sand Valley, or Whistling Straits, although we venture to say that the quality of the courses at Bandon Dunes is superlative, even considering Pinehurst #2, Kiawah’s Ocean, or Whistling’s Straits.

Thinking about those golfers who choose golf vacations, they always aim for famous courses, those seen on TV or where big events are played. It is the impetus and desire to play where the best do and, at one point, even compare their game with theirs.

At Bandon Trails, 18 of the 36 stroke play qualifying holes will be played to access the match play stage of the 2020 U.S. Amateur.

During the PGA Tour hiatus and given canceled events, it was imagined which courses could host a tournament that usually don’t due to space and logistics. There are many examples, but the vast majority pointed to courses like Pine Valley, for example. And that was how in the first two post-interruption events we saw Seminole Golf Club (Donald Ross masterpiece) and Medallist Golf Club (Greg Norman design and Tiger Woods’ home) on TV—courses that under normal conditions we would never have been able to see.

Some time ago, the USGA took this point and brought the Walker Cup to Merion in 2009 (later the site of the 2013 US Open), National Links of America in 2013 (C.B. Macdonald marvel), and Los Angeles Country Club in 2017 (site of the 2023 US Open). The next venues are, precisely, Seminole in 2021 and Cypress Point in 2025, a course that was for many years the site of the Clambake (now the Pebble Beach Pro-Am) and one of the best in the world without even TV exposure.

Designed by Tom Doak, Pacific Dunes hosted the 2018 U.S. Fourball Championship, another tournament organized by the USGA.

And so, two years ago, the US Fourball Amateur reached Bandon Dunes, being played at Pacific Dunes (Tom Doak, the highest ranked of the five courses) and Old Macdonald (Doak’s tribute to Charles Blair Macdonald). This year the most prestigious amateur tournament on the calendar will reach Bandon: the US Amateur will be played at Bandon Trails (Coore & Crenshaw) and Bandon Dunes (first course inaugurated, McLay Kidd 1999). Those who don’t know them and haven’t been will have the chance to see both courses on TV, as they will be seen live and via streaming. Those of us who had the luck to visit the place will be able to remember our rounds and, in turn, see how the best amateurs in the world manage to play places that we were able to experience.

Bandon Dunes will be the main course for the U.S. Amateur and where the match play matches will be played.

And this is very good for several reasons: more people will get to know Bandon Dunes and will be interested in a place that produces perhaps the best “golf vacations” in the USA. By generating a good impact, the USGA will continue to innovate and look for courses with little media exposure but of great quality. In this way, the best courses in the USA will be able to be known and appreciated by a larger audience.

Old Macdonald is a tribute to the brilliant designer Charles Blair Macdonald.

In 2018, before Bandon Dunes, we were invited to visit Chambers Bay, and perhaps adding a few nights in Seattle to play it can crown a perfect trip. It’s far, yes, but it’s the best golf a group of friends can experience.

Bandon has five 18-hole courses including the recently opened Sheep Ranch and a fabulous 13-hole par 3 course that has nothing to envy of the others, and any of its holes could be part of any of the main courses. This time we will only see two courses on TV, but you will be able to get an idea of the quality of the place. It won’t be the PGA Tour, but the level of golf will be superlative and a great step forward in showing more of the many extraordinary courses that the USA has and that we don’t usually see often.

Bandon Preserve is a 13-hole par 3 course designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore.