Former Pacific Dunes head PGA professional
and now Director of Communications Michael
Chupka says he loves “having dinner in
one of our restaurants and listening to all
the conversations about the day’s events
and which course is their favorite. It’s the
great debate.”
While driving back to Portland, Jordan and I
picked our favorite 18 from Bandon Dunes’
four courses—Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes,
Bandon Trails and Old Macdonald—with the
stipulation that we were picking our favorite
No. 1 from the four No. 1s, the favorite No. 2
from the four No. 2s and so on. The final tally:
Old Macdonald contributed six holes and the
other three courses, four each.
(Yardages are from the markers we played.
As a senior, I played the shorter tees.)
Par: 36-35—71
No. 1:
Old Macdonald –
341 yards / 304 yards, par 4
No. 2:
Bandon Trails –
214 yards /166 yards, par 3
No. 3:
Old Macdonald –
375 yards / 345 yards, par 4
No. 4:
Pacific Dunes –
463 yards / 449 yards, par 4
No. 5:
Bandon Dunes –
428 yards / 400 yards, par 4
No. 6:
Old Macdonald –
555 yards / 520 yards, par 5
No. 7:
Pacific Dunes –
464 yards / 436 yards, par 4
No. 8:
Bandon Trails –
321 yards / 299 yards, par 4
No. 9:
Old Macdonald –
416 yards / 352 yards, par 4
No. 10:
Pacific Dunes –
206 yards / 163 yards, par 3
No. 11:
Bandon Dunes –
384 yards / 351 yards, par 4
No. 12:
Bandon Dunes –
199 yards /153 yards, par 3
No. 13:
Old Macdonald –
346 yards / 319 yards, par 4
No. 14:
Bandon Trails –
325 yards / 306 yards, par 4
No. 15:
Bandon Trails –
406 yards / 367 yards, par 4
No. 16:
Old Macdonald –
455 yards / 433 yards, par 4
No. 17:
Bandon Dunes –
389 yards / 375 yards, par 4
No. 18:
Pacific Dunes –
591 yards / 575 yards, par 5
26
HAVE A GAME PLAN
Jordan and I had heard friends rave about
their experiences at Bandon Dunes. We
pondered making the trip when I retired
in 2011 but couldn’t find a place in our
budgets or our schedules to make
it work.
When we committed to make
the trip in 2014, we started
planning with our resort contact,
Michael Chupka, then the head
PGA professional at Pacific
Dunes and now the resort’s
director of communications.
We had a number of decisions
to make and did a lot of research,
especially on the best time of
year to go based on weather
and budget. We had to decide
whether we would stay at the
resort or off-site.
A visit to the resort’s website,
www.bandondunesgolf.com, is helpful and
a vicarious adventure.
We chose Labor Day weekend (Saturday,
Aug. 30 to Wednesday, Sept. 3) and set our
golf itinerary by booking starting times
in the mornings for Bandon Dunes, Old
VIRGINIA GOLFER | MARCH/APRIL 2015
25_Bandon_Dunes.indd 26
Bandon Trails abounds in rugged
beauty. The par-3 fifth hole
demands accuracy.
site for a cheaper overnight rate, the green
fees are more expensive.
Staying in Bandon allowed us to
experience the charm of two local
restaurants. We ate lunches and had arrival
night dinner at the resort.
It’s easy to get lost in the scenery while
playing the par-4 fourth hole at Pacific Dunes,
where precise shotmaking is at a premium.
w w w. v s g a . o r g
3/18/15 11:10 AM
COURSE PHOTOS: WOOD SABOLD; MICHAEL CHUPKA
AN INSIDER’S GUIDE TO 18
HOLES YOU’LL LIKELY NEVER
FORGET | by ARTHUR UTLEY
through the exercise of comparing Pacific
Dunes and Pebble Beach in a seemingly
unending quest for determining which
course should be No. 1.
Macdonald and Pacific Dunes because the
wind tends to be more manageable. We
played all 85 holes in two and a half days.
We found a terrific airfare flying into
Portland. From there, the drive to Bandon
takes four and a half to five hours. Flying
into Eugene or North Bend (only 35 miles
from the resort) leaves shorter drives, but
the fares are noticeably higher.
We chose off-site accommodations in the
nearby town of Bandon instead of staying
at the resort. If you stay at Bandon Dunes,
the green fees are less costly. If you stay off
WOOD SABOLD (2)
DREAM 18
The green complex at the par-4 fifth hole at
Bandon Dunes allows for a feeling of seclusion.