Pacific Dunes which technically outranks Bandon Dunes in Golf Digest’s list of America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses, is similar to the OG, Bandon Dunes, but is distinctly its own majestic track. The course feels amazingly true to the natural landscape and feels as if it was gently cut into the land. From dramatic changes in elevation to huge natural waste bunkers that look as though as god purposefully created them for golf, Pacific Dunes is a unique experience. To further on that point, take a second to think about the routing of the course. The front nine only has one par three whereas the back has four! It feels as if the architect, Tom Doak, simply unearthed this course and didn’t over engineer anything to fit into traditional standards. These elements make for a very authentic and pure experience.
You can find wonderful hole by hole breakdowns on Bandon Dunes’ website so as opposed to do my own I want to write about my four favorite holes. In no particular order of fondness, they are 4, 9, 10, 15 and 18.
Hole 4
The fourth hole offers a majestic but frightening tee shot as a relatively straight fairway lines the edge of a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The fairway is generous but there's still trouble to be found as fairway bunkers come into play on the left side of the fairway. Given that the hole measures 460 yards from the tips a layup short of the bunkers is a tough pill to swallow. Hitting a good tee ball is key to success here but not the only daunting shot you're going to face. The green on the fourth hole is walled in by a massive dune and accompanying blowout bunkers flanking its left side. And with the ever present cliff and ocean to the right your approach shot needs to be accurately placed to avoid disaster. Take a par here, thank you're lucky stars, and don't forget to peer over the edge of the cliff lining this hole and soak in the view!
Hole 9
Hole 9 offers a mind-blowing wrinkle of having two separate greens, an upper and a lower, where pins shift on a day-to-day basis. Be sure to ask your caddie or check the sign on the tee that indicates which green is being used to play the hole properly. Two greens! How cool is that?!
Hole 10
Since hole number 9 has two green locations, hole 10 politely accommodates with two separate tees, an upper and a lower. We had the pleasure of playing the upper green on 9 and upper tee on 10 the day we played. The upper tee offers a superior view and experience for playing the par 3 tenth. At the top of the tee box, you look down onto pure nature of native grass and dunes before seeing the green which is quickly followed by cliffs and ocean. In my opinion, this is one of the coolest par 3s on the west coast rivaling the greatness of the 7th hole at Pebble Beach.
Hole 15
My two other favorite holes are both par 5s. Hole 15 typically plays downwind and the yardage number on the scorecard is pretty much irrelevant. There’s nothing overly special about this hole, rather I eagled it when I first played it so it holds a special place in my heart. If my memory serves me correctly I smashed a solid tee shot of 320 yards down the left side and ended up in the first cut of rough. With 220 yards left to go I pured a 6-iron (for context I normally hit a 6-iron 185 yards) that landed about ten yards short of the green, took a hard bounce forward, rolled straight at the hole and hit the flag stick stopping about 6 inches to the left of the hole. If I would have bagged a double eagle on this hole, no one would be reading this blog, because I would have insisted that I be buried immediately on the site of the greatest shot of my life to memorialize my happiness! Luckily for all of us I had to settle for the eagle (#humblebrag).
Hole 18
The 18th on Pacific Dunes offers a great closing hole. Similar to how Bandon Dunes closed with a par 5, Pacific does as well and gives you a real chance to finish on a high note. The hole has a dramatic tee shot as a huge waste bunker runs parallel to the left side of the fairway and significantly falls off (on the order of 30-40 feet or so below the level of the fairway). In a not so ironic twist of fate, wouldn’t you know that the left side of the fairway is ideal for getting the best shot at birdie or eagle on this hole. Basically the more you can cut off of the waste bunker the better. A word to the wise though, don’t try to bite off the whole thing. I made that mistake when I played it as the hole plays down wind and I was feeling invincible. Needless to say, I wound up in the deepest part of the bunker and had to hack a wedge out for my second. Thankfully I was able to hit a full wedge and advanced the ball 120 yards down the fairway and had a relatively short shot for my third considering I was all but dead off the tee.
Grades (where 1 is significantly below average and 5 is significantly above)
Scenery: 5 stars
Design: 5 stars
Condition: 5 stars
Practice Facilities: 5 stars
Experience: 5 stars
Click here for a more detailed breakdown of how I think about course ratings.
Pacific Dunes, like most other well regarded Tom Doak courses, is amazing. The design is bold and awe inspiring and the course plays tough but fun. Drink in the glory of this gem and enjoy the walk along the ocean!
