Read Amateurgolf.com member Randall Schwartz' first hand account of the first round played at the Bandon Preserve - in 23 minutes!
by Randall Schwartz, amateurgolf.com
Member
BANDON, Oregon -- Last
year, we were at Bandon Dunes to participate
in
the Amateurgolf.com 2-man Two Man Links
Championship, the highlight of my golf year
every year. As timing would have it, we were
fortunate to be there when the latest course
opened, the Bandon Preserve Par-3 course. On
May 1st, the course was to open at 6:45 AM.
My
brother Keith and I woke up early to observe
the
festivities. Coffee in hand, we trudged over to
the first tee to find around 40 people gathered
around, including Mike Keiser, the owner and
founder of the Bandon Dunes resort, and Bill
Coore, who, along with Ben Crenshaw was the
designer of the project. All were greeted with
a
perfect morning on the Oregon coast.
To initiate the course, Mike Keiser invited
Chris
Smith, the world record speed golfer to be the
first golfer off the tee. I was looking forward
to
the exhibition because I had never seen it
done
in person. The course looked tremendous,
much in the style of the other spectacular
courses at Bandon; fabulous scenery, the
holes
blending into the surrounding area, looking
challenging and imaginative. Smith teed off,
picked up his light tote bag with 6 clubs
(dressed in running tights and running shoes)
and took off jogging down the first tee.
Assuming that there would be a group going
around with the speed golfer, I took off at a
fast
walking pace. It wasn’t until I had reached the
first green that I realized I was the only one
following Chris. There weren’t even any
markers
on the course to keep score or at least make
sure he played all 13 holes. Chalk it up to the
honesty of golf. So he and I took off for a
round
of speed golf on the virgin Bandon Preserve
course.
I kept up with Chris at a fast walking pace as
he
jogged along. I was surprised that he took his
time with each shot, breathing and taking a
few
practice swings, like a biathlete in the
Olympics,
focusing on making good shots. I was just
trying to stay out of his way, imagining that
he
would have set a record time except that
some
dumbbell tripped him on the second hole. Not
only was the speed golf fascinating to watch,
but each divot the he took out of the virgin
course was the first. I kept thinking of the
maiden voyage of the Titanic.
Finally on the third hole, Chris turned to me
and
said, “Are you just going to watch, or are we
going to talk?” From then on we were a team.
The view of the adjacent Bandon Dunes golf
course and the ocean beyond, with the gorse
in
its full bright yellow bloom, was spectacular.
Our speed golfer was lofting shots into the
morning air with solid procession, hitting
every
green. He was mostly playing for the wider
part
of the green but put a few close. No putts
would go down, but the string of solid pars
continued. And I was keeping up at a fast
walk
and occasional jog.
We played so quickly that we came up on the
11th hole and the maintenance staff was still
on
the green. I had to jog up and warn them of
Chris’ approach. We came to the final hole,
one
more solid shot to 5 feet. One last rimmed
put.
Thirteen greens hit, 13 pars, in twenty two
minutes and fifty five seconds. A great round
with Chris Smith that I won’t soon forget. And
a new course is opened for all.
EDITOR’s NOTE:
Bandon Dunes Resort is hosting the 2013
World
Speed Golf Championship; if you are
interested
in seeing what it’s all about (and perhaps
learning to play faster in the process) tune in
to
CBS on Saturday, April 13 prior to Masters
coverage at 1:30 EST/10:30PST.
About the 2027 Two-Man Links at Bandon Dunes
2026 TOURNAMENT PORTAL He who hesitates is lost. The 26th Two Man Links Championship will fill quickly — so don’t wait! Join us at the world-renowned Bandon Dunes Resort (site of the 2020 U.S. Amateur) for AmateurGolf.com's flagship best-ball event. ...
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