Since the times earlier than it first got here on board 25 years in the past and adjusted the south coast of Oregon from fishing and timber to a tourism economic system, Bandon Dunes has by no means stopped rising. However its present progress spurt is relentless and exhibits no indicators of abating. All it’s completed is power Bandon Dunes Resort to maintain doing what it does higher to remain forward of the wave.
Just like the golf trade as an entire, golf journey has boomed since pandemic journey restrictions loosened. Whereas that exponential tourism progress has been throughout the board at many golf vacation spot resorts, it’s been particularly acute at Bandon the place the coinciding of COVID, the opening of Sheep Ranch and a quarantined U.S. Newbie despatched the vacation spot resort into hyperdrive since 2020.
“The Sheep Ranch opened in June, after which in August when the U.S. Newbie rolled round (at Bandon Dunes), it was one in all solely 4 USGA championships to occur that yr,” stated Jeff Simonds, the assistant normal supervisor and senior director of operations at Bandon Resort. “We had 5 – 6 days of Golf Channel protection, and primarily there was nothing else on TV. And we had terrific climate and it was an important, nice championship the place Tyler Strafaci finally ends up successful on the final gap towards Ollie Osborne. The telephones simply have been ringing nonstop, and so they actually haven’t let down since.”
Ever since, Bandon has been booked out for 18 months to 2 years upfront. It’s not the worst drawback for a resort to have, but it surely has required Bandon Dunes to adapt to a wholly new sort of journey panorama. Few locations have proved to be as nimble and able to nonetheless delivering the sort of expertise Bandon visitors have come to anticipate.
“You nearly have this shortage of demand the place individuals hear how arduous it’s, and that pushes them to name and need it extra,” Simonds stated. “Which is a problem, as a result of so lots of our visitors that have been coming again yearly, they knew they may name in August or September for his or her April go to the next yr, and out of the blue they name and so they couldn’t get in. In order that they booked the following accessible, and it simply stored sort of pushing a window additional and additional out.
“All of the demand and whatnot is nice, apart from we didn’t comprehend it was coming. You’ll be able to’t get the phrase out to everybody that’s been coming in for thus lengthy, and you then’ve acquired new visitors, which is all unbelievable, however then they develop into visitors that wish to come again. And also you simply hold including to this pool of golfers that actually benefit from the Bandon Dunes expertise, and it’s made it a problem for us as a result of we attempt to say ‘sure’ to issues and be as hospitable as doable.”
Golf’s model of a run on the western financial institution of the U.S. pressured the enterprise of Bandon to adapt on the fly, ultimately making an attempt to decide on an 18-month mannequin that tries to maintain visitors from piling up a number of deposits for future journeys. It’s principally pressured Bandon to get higher at doing what it was already among the many greatest at doing.
“It’s sort of modified the way in which we take into consideration issues, as a result of we don’t wish to change the way in which we do issues,” Simonds stated.
Few perceive the enterprise of how Bandon does issues higher than Simonds. In some ways, his profession mimics the expansion of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, progressing from a seasonal worker in 2004 at Pacific Dunes to his present senior function overseeing operations for your entire expansive golf mecca on the south coast of Oregon.
A golf-addled graduate with a level in politics and economics from The School of Idaho, Simonds married Marie Beasley, a golfer from Boise State.
“I wished to develop into an expert, and it wasn’t gonna occur in Boise, in order that’s when Marie and I sort of had the dialog,” Simonds stated. “We simply acquired married. It’s like, ‘Nicely, let’s go discover. There’s golf in every single place.’”
The primary (and final) cease on that exploration, just like the Lewis and Clark Path, led to Oregon. Simonds accepted a seasonal gig in April 2004 working within the double-wide trailer serving because the Pacific Dunes clubhouse. With a 3rd course (Bandon Trails) being deliberate, he did the mathematics and calculated the chance for profession growth. By the tip of the season, Simonds acquired promoted to first assistant at Bandon Dunes and later head skilled at Pacific Dunes by age 25. He moved into clubhouse/restaurant administration when the Pacific Grill was constructed, and by late 2008 he turned director of golf overseeing the primary three programs after which Outdated Macdonald, the Protect and Punch Bowl as every amenity was added. In 2018, he assumed the function of director of resort operations and, 3½ years later, assistant normal supervisor.
“To quick ahead 20 years, the identical vitality remains to be round and there’s new issues taking place on a regular basis, and it’s loopy to suppose you could develop and mature and the resort continues to develop and mature on the identical time,” Simonds stated. “We’re arising on 25 years right here quickly, and it’s nonetheless a child within the golf world.”
In all that progress and growth, as Simonds can attest, the resort’s major follow has been selling from inside.
“It’s simpler to present the job to somebody that wishes to be right here than making an attempt to convey any individual in that may not acknowledge or perceive what we’re making an attempt to do and reside in a rural vacation spot,” he stated. “Our staff at Bandon Dunes, they’re right here as a result of they wish to be right here and so they wish to maintain our visitors and assist create their journey of a lifetime. It’s effort that goes into being a Bandon Dunes employees member, and if you happen to’re not involved in that, you don’t hold round very lengthy.”
When the unique Bandon Dunes opened in 1999, the resort had only one golf course, one restaurant and solely 69 rooms for visitors. When the twenty fifth anniversary comes round in Could, it should supply 5 18-hole championship programs, three brief programs, two follow ranges and a placing course; 10 eating places; and 210 rooms throughout six services starting from four-bedroom suites or cottages to double- and single-occupancy rooms.
Whereas the variety of holes and locations to eat has grown roughly 10 occasions from the place it began, the room capability has very deliberately solely tripled. That’s in line with the “Dream Golf” expertise that the Keiser household needs guests to have once they come to Bandon.
“We speak in regards to the Dream Golf sort of model dedication, and an enormous chunk of that’s golfers with the ability to play 36 holes and never really feel prefer it’s a manufacturing facility,” Simonds stated. “We’ll have conversations the place we discuss growth and, by way of an iteration of it with [the new 19-hole par-3] Shorty’s, if we do that do we have to add rooms? Not but. Shorty’s is one thing that can sort of transfer and create more room to the place we will get extra individuals to play 36 or a second golf course.
“And we all know that rooms are robust to get into proper now, however we don’t wish to add ‘X quantity’ of rooms that makes it to the place there’s extra visitors coming in and taking part in their first spherical that blocks different visitors from with the ability to play 36. So primarily, from April by way of October we wish to guarantee that individuals have the chance to play 36 holes. We watch that and use that for making selections, after which that additionally feeds into eating places and different areas.”
Eating is a significant space the place Bandon has been nimble as a way to alleviate the additional stress on visitors having to make dinner reservations once they arrive on property. When golfers e book journeys 18 months upfront, they’re nonetheless checking out all of the unknown particulars of who may associate with myriad different journey itineraries and preparations. So Bandon employees will attain out 30, 60 or 90 days upfront – for some bigger events even sooner – to attempt to assist arrange eating reservations so there’ll be no points when visitors arrive.
“To some extent, eating is somewhat little bit of a puzzle as nicely, as a result of your consuming occasions are going to be dictated by your tee occasions and dictated by every other sort of Punch Bowls or brief programs and issues like that,” Simonds stated. “We attempt to get a really feel for what the expertise is after which go from there.”
Even earlier than the COVID increase, the Bandon mannequin had develop into the template for the trendy proliferation of vacation spot golf resorts.
Whereas Bandon Dunes has reached the stage the place Simonds says “there’s some semblance of sure issues which might be in the appropriate spot and also you sort of let it’s,” 25 years is a lifetime within the cycle of a resort that requires updates and renovations “to maintain that good curb attraction.” During the last couple of years and the following few, Bandon is renovating rooms which have seen lots of visitors come and go, dragging golf baggage that “go off like a bomb” full of gear to deal with any climate the Pacific Northwest may supply on any given day.
“So the rooms simply sort of take somewhat bit extra put on and tear than I believe what you’d see in a standard spot, and also you’ve acquired to maintain sustaining these and also you wish to hold them recent and types change and issues like that,” Simonds stated. Maintaining it recent means equipping rooms with shoe dryers or suites with Therabody JetBoots to assist golfers get better after strolling 36 holes.
These touches are byproducts of the fixed suggestions Bandon collates from its visitors, which Simonds calls “one of the best trainer.”
“We take lots of time asking questions, and the surveys that get despatched out reviewing somebody’s keep is efficacious data to us – simply over time, sort of studying what helps make somebody’s journey or expertise higher and simpler,” he stated.
Even earlier than the COVID increase, the Bandon mannequin had develop into the template for the trendy proliferation of vacation spot golf resorts. Established resorts reminiscent of Pinehurst have scrambled to catch up and replicate a few of the enhancements the Keisers delivered to the golf-trip trade, whereas trendy locations reminiscent of Cabot Hyperlinks in Canada, Streamsong in Florida, Barnbougle in Tasmania or newer Keiser resorts at Sand Valley in Wisconsin or the in-progress Rodeo Dunes in Colorado all goal to ship variations on the identical theme Bandon began.
“It’s definitely confirmed that there’s a totally different formulation for fulfillment and that you simply don’t must comply with the identical factor,” stated Simonds of what began in Oregon within the increase constructing days of the late ’90s and stored going by way of financial downturns when golf development waned.
“In case you have a look at all of the golf programs which might be on top-100 lists or getting recognition, it’s definitely extra on the size of what does Bandon Dunes do versus how will we construct houses round it and have grass all over the place and automobile paths. I believe Bandon helped change the formulation of what makes an important golf course nice.”
Extra than simply the good golf – which in fact is the central attraction – it’s the competence with which the expertise is delivered that helps hold Bandon related for individuals who hold coming again. A lot of that may be attributed to the Bandon mannequin of employees retention, because it’s grown from somewhat greater than 200 full-time staff in 2004 to greater than 700 now – not together with peak-season totals of 500 caddies who’re unbiased contractors – and can quickly push previous 800 as soon as the Ghost Tree Grill and Shorty’s are absolutely on-line in 2024.
“That’s fairly wonderful to see what that does for the group, as nicely,” Simonds stated of Bandon’s swap from a as soon as seasonal to now year-round operation that gives almost 300 beds for worker housing. “One of many nice issues that that’s completed for caddies is that they don’t must reside this nomad-style lifestyle the place you’re chasing the North and South. You’ll be able to keep in Bandon Dunes and put some roots down and get your youngsters within the college system and sort of hold doing all your commerce.”
Even because it celebrates its first 25 years, Bandon received’t simply relaxation on its laurels. The search to excellent Mike Keiser’s “Dream Golf” imaginative and prescient isn’t over, and Simonds believes it will definitely will embody a long-discussed sixth course off-site close to the city of Bandon and sure one other lodge there to create a brand new sort of Bandon expertise.
“There’s so many alternative irons which might be within the fireplace, and a few of them flip into one thing particular and others have been simply good tries and good efforts,” Simonds stated. “And never each venture or concept we talked about makes it to the end line. However we’re at all times methods to enhance the expertise and enhance the group, and it’ll be thrilling to see what occurs within the subsequent 25 years.”
Don’t wait too lengthy to make reservations, as a result of the following accessible openings in the summertime of 2025 will probably be right here earlier than you realize it.
Photograph: The lodge at Bandon Dunes with the thirteenth gap of the Protect par-3 course within the foreground. Photograph: David Cannon, Getty Photos
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