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Where might Bandon Dunes' next new golf course be built?
If recent activity by the Coos County commission, recently reported in The Bandon Western World newspaper, is any indication, another 18-hole course could be coming soon, although there are still hurdles to climb.
The proposed golf course site is a slender, north-south oriented tract of approximately 340 acres west of Highway 101 about 10 miles south of the main Bandon Dunes Golf Resort complex, and practically across the street from Bandon Crossings Golf Course. The Ocean River LLC that has applied for permitting for the course is represented by Michael Keiser, Jr., son of Dream Golf and Bandon Dunes developer Mike Keiser. The younger Keiser, along with his brother Chris, oversees Dream Golf's other properties: Sand Valley Golf Resort in Wisconsin, as well as the emerging Rodeo Dunes and Wild Spring Dunes projects in Colorado and Texas, respectively.
The proposed new Bandon course, New River Dunes, represents a decade-long effort on Keiser's part to build golf - on land he already owns - south of the main resort. But previous proposed golf course tracts have consisted largely of land that is zoned for high-value farm use, not recreation, and have not made it far in the approval process. The area is known for having plentiful fruit farms; the current New River Dunes site borders existing cranberry bogs.
Keiser's latest New River Dunes application uses land that is not so strictly regulated, set between farms and the Bandon State Natural Area. The Coos County permission granted preliminary approval, but an appeal by local environmental advocacy group ORCA (Oregon Coast Alliance) has triggered an additional hearing on October 23.
If the course is ultimately allowed to move forward, it could represent a return of sorts for architect David McLay Kidd, who laid out Bandon Dunes' original golf course and kicked off the trend of contemporary destination golf in America, but hasn't built a course for the resort since, although he did build Sand Valley's second course, Mammoth Dunes. Kidd has been on a strong run of late, earning positive reviews for his new golf course in Portugal, Comporta, and GrayBull, a new golf course in Nebraska for the Dormie Network's family of destination private clubs.
More golf course news & notes
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BRAND-NEW TEXAS MUNI? - The city of Midland, Texas is moving closer to building a new municipal golf course after a 3-2 decision to proceed with a request-for-quote process. The 234 acres reserved for golf may also house a new county jail. [LINK: Midland Reporter-Telegram]
PUBLIC TILLINGHAST RESTORATION? - Erie Golf Club, which has changed hands from the city of Erie, Penn., to the neighboring Millcreek Township, is set to be bought by a local businessman who wants to restore the A.W. Tillinghast design to its former glory. [LINK: GoErie.com]
FIRST TEE'S NEW PURCHASE - The First Tee of Idaho has purchased a 27-acre par-3 course called Pierce Park greens in northwest Boise. [LINK: BoiseDev.com]
GOLF-ADJACENT - A Seattle startup has secured seed funding to build electric golf bikes. [LINK: GeekWire.com]
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