Tom Doak and Jim Urbina combined talents on
the second links course at Bandon Dunes
Resort, aptly named Pacific Dunes. Doak was
no
household name, but his pedigree as a student
of golf architecture, combined with his
internships and initial work landed him a job
that in a sense be considered more risky than
the first course. He built a shorter, shot maker’s
course just north of Bandon Dunes, with
adjacent holes intertwined like puzzle pieces.
Putting on the 6th green at Bandon Dunes?
You’ll see the two back-to-back par 3s at Pacific
in the foreground, prompting Two Man Links
Championship tournament director Jake Wiese
to comment during an afternoon of play, “are
those three of the most awesome par 3s right
next to each other or what? The same thing
happens on the 8th tee of both courses, so
close
to each other that they could almost share the
same tee box.
Like Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes teases you a
bit with an inland hole, but once you walk up to
the elevated tee on No. 2 it all starts to stare
you in the face. After hopefully writing down
pars on the easy two openers, No. 3 – a slightly
bending-to-the left par 5, provides a great
birdie opportunity. But it’s here that one of the
resounding themes of Pacific Dunes shows up
for the first time. Take a risk, and put a
potential big number (or no number
sometimes)
into play. A long shot into the 3rd requires a
bounce up to an elevated surface and if that
shot gets rejected short and right, welcome to
one of the nastiest bunkers on the property, a
natural-edged beast that only looks fun if
someone else is in it. Over this green isn’t good
either, I once had a ball trickle off the green and
down a walking path. Quick eight.
Hopefully, none of the bad stuff on No. 3 has
happened as you step to the next tee, where
the ocean guards the right like a disappearing
edge pool and the yawning bunker on the left
takes the word “safe” right out of play. There
simply is no bail out if you want to get to this
green in two. Add some wind, and it’s even
trickier. But nobody that plays the 4th will say a
bad word about it. Golf holes don’t come any
better. The ocean doesn’t even come into play
on the 7th, but it’s one of the most strategic
and gorgeous holes I’ve ever played. The
fairway is wide open, but it’s firm enough that a
little “steer job” can trundle towards the rugged
trees on either side. Assuming your ball is in the
middle, you’ll stare in the face of the most
daunting approach shot on the property.
Mounds and tall grasses in front (so much for
running one up) and huge bunkers on the left
plus a deep sloping green that seems to push
anything but a well flighted shot into the wrong
places. It’s No. 7 that will remind you to play
the proper tees, because the hole truly is
friendlier from the greens than the blacks.
Snowmen are only enjoyable in the winter.
I don’t want to rush through the back nine, and
I’ve already mentioned the first two par-3s (14
is also a one-shotter) Nos. 10 and 11. No. 10
plays downhill with alternate tees providing two
different approaches. The 11th is one of the
“most-photographed holes” with the ocean on
the left and only one thing, a deep bunker,
between a hooked shot and the deep dark
depths of despair. The 13th keeps heading
north before the course turns and heads
towards home, and it’s a beauty. The entire
right side, from landing zone to the green, is
either a “scrape-away” bunker or hilly sand
dune and on the left is the ocean. A well-struck
drive is required. When 13 is playing into the
wind I have hit driver-driver. The 17th, the
fourth par 3 on the par 35 back nine, (there are
also three par 5s) is simply gorgeous, especially
when the yellow gorse is in bloom all around the
gigantic putting surface. What looks like an
easy
shot is made tougher by the left kick that
seems
to draw seemingly good shots towards more
really deep bunkers. The 18th is my favorite par
5 on the entire property, you’ve got to avoid a
big waste area on the left off the tee, then hang
onto a fairway wood or iron before your even
see
the green. But there’s nothing tricked up about
the 18th, and the Pacific Grill is one of the most
scenic places to have lunch not just at Bandon
Dunes, but anywhere.
