 |
Friendly neighbors
For those who think Bandon Dunes is the only destination spot on the Oregon Coast, Salishan and Sandpines offer up incentives to make it more than a one-stop trip.
By Doug Drowley, For PNGA Media
 |
| Salishan Spa & Golf Resort |
On the Oregon Coast, more than halfway to California from the Columbia River, 54 golf holes have dominated the media coverage for several years. Those are the three courses that compose nationally renowned Bandon Dunes.
Bandon Dunes attracts golfers from not only all over the United States, but the world. For those who read national magazines and newspapers, it might seem as if those courses provide the proverbial "only game in town" on the Oregon Coast.
Then they get there.
"We've seen more golfers because of Bandon," said Bob Rannow, the head golf professional at Sandpines Golf Links in Florence, Ore. "It's been a real symbiotic relationship. Not intentionally, perhaps, but with three unbelievable courses at Bandon, that's been great for us."
It seems Bandon Dunes isn't the only place one can call a destination on the Oregon Coast.
"We're two different things," said Mark Swift, the head pro at Salishan Spa and Golf Resort in Gleneden Beach, Ore. "They're a great golf resort. We're a very nice resort that happens to do golf."
Salishan, the oldest of the Oregon golf resort models, initially was developed in 1964 by John Gray. Some might recognize Gray's name because he got Salishan going and then moved on to develop Sunriver in Central Oregon not long after, Swift said.
Being one of the first hasn't meant that Salishan wanted to sit on its laurels. The course, which is located just south of Lincoln City, opened in 1968. But just more than a year ago, it underwent a major redesign and overhaul courtesy of Jacobsen-Hardy Design.
What Peter Jacobsen and Jim Hardy accomplished was to expand the original plan and give Salishan an almost total facelift. All 18 greens have been upgraded. The green surrounds have been redesigned, bunkers have been added and taken away, and additional tees added.
The redesigned Salishan opened for play in May of 2004. And it is yet another reason to spend time playing golf on the Oregon Coast.
"I've pretty much forgotten what the old golf course was like," Salishan superintendent Ryan Bancroft said.
Being about two hours south of Salishan, Sandpines tends to be more directly affected by Bandon Dunes traffic. Rannow doesn't see it as a competition even with elements of Scottish links-style golf in common.
"The No. 1 reason is that so many people that play Bandon, play our course on the way back," Rannow said. "We always hear from them that they feel like we are a nice addition to their golf excursion. And they tell us they will come back. Sometimes people say things to be nice, I guess, but what's surprising is that a lot of people tell us that we are comparable, and some even say they like our course better."
Sandpines is a Rees Jones design that has undergone very little change since it opened 10 years ago. While ownership has changed, and housing, hotel and clubhouse developments are now underway after several delays, the course itself continues to receive rave reviews.
The plans for the hotel and clubhouse are going forward and a 9,000 square-foot pro shop and restaurant are set to open in 2006.
Once the hotel is added, Sandpines will join Salishan and Bandon Dunes as full resorts.
"I think we work fairly well together as destinations on the Oregon Coast," Swift said. "And the more people that get here, they find we have great golfing conditions."
|
|
