Bandon Dunes (Bandon Preserve)

Building a 9-hole track, an “academy course” or an “executive course” is quite the fashionable thing to do nowadays at large golf facilities where there’s already at least one 18-hole course in operation, especially if the land available for development is limited in size.

At Bandon Dunes, architects Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw were given a small, 22-acre site squeezed in between the sand hill holes at Bandon Trails and the closing holes at Bandon Dunes to fashion a short, thoroughly entertaining 13-hole par three circuit that’s full of fun.

There are two sets of tees in use at every hole, with the longest of the back tees measuring no more than 150 yards at the 2nd hole. Only two of the forward tees, at holes 7 and 12, are more than 100 yards in length, with the shortest of the short tees measuring a mere 65 yards at the 3rd.

Described by one commentator as “a joyful excursion around a beautiful property that overlooks the ocean,” with “a staggering number of outstanding individual holes,” the course is of such quality that most of its visually stunning holes would fit neatly into any of the other Bandon Dunes courses.

Opened in 2012, Bandon Preserve features a double green at the 4th and 7th holes, a dramatic drop in elevation at the 5th, with Cut Creek threatening the tee shot at the 11th. Several holes require semi-blind tee shots whilst creative contours on most greens test putting skills to the full.