Pacific Dunes

Pacific Dunes is without question my favorite course, and #4 is my favorite hole in golf. The views are outstanding, and the design unique enough to hold your attention the entire round. I was lucky enough to take my Father there, and it was the golf trip of a lifetime. The entire resort is a MUST PLAY if you love golf!

I was giddy to finally play here, after hearing all of the endless chatter from colleagues and friends ... and wow. Just wow. If, for some reason, you can only play one round at Bandon, tee it up at Pac Dunes. Though it's short from the green tees (6,142), it is still plenty tough. That's what makes it so fun to play -- there are 280-yarders that look like birdie holes (but turn into stressful pars) and 440-yard par 4s that you're trying not to make triple. You can reach the par 5s with two big hits. The consecutive par 3s to begin the back nine, with views of the water, are as good as it gets. A tip: Above all, you really have to be precise with your irons here, because your ball can trickle into some of the most dastardly greenside bunkers you'll ever encounter. Now, for the REALLY important stuff: Make sure you order the Crispy Oyster sandwich for lunch at the Pacific Grill. It is, no exaggeration, the best sandwich I have ever had. And secondly, make sure you play the 36-hole Punchbowl course, with a few cold beers handy. So fun.

It was my favorite course on the property the first time I played there 13 years ago and it remains my favorite. You just cannot beat the beauty, especially the ocean holes. They're all spectacular but my favorite is 10-11, back-to-back par 3s just on the Pacific Ocean. Breathtaking. (This time around I birdied the 11th, which is my favorite whole of all 72 holes there.)

This is the best resort experience in the United States and I've been to a lot of them.

(PRO TIP: When you're done, go play the punchbowl. It's a 36-hole putting green where you can take a drink and play for skins with your buddies. Tremendous.)

I love all the courses in the area, but Pacific Dunes really stands out for me. Beautiful setting, well-maintained and a decent pace of play. What more could you ask for?

The Bandon golf Mecca is a bit out of the way, but if you love golf, you have to put it on your Bucket List.

It had been more than a decade since I was last out here. My memories of Pacific Dunes were fond, and so were my expectations. Honestly, it was better than I remember. So many views, so many options, such a wildly entertaining golf course where skill is only trumped by imagination. This is bucket list golf in every sense. Golfers make pilgrimages here for this course and the rest of the golf at Bandon Dunes, but the Tom Doak designed Pacific takes the cake.

Pacific Dunes is my idea of a "bucket list" course. As many have said, all 4 at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort are excellent, but for me, Pacific is the clear favorite. We played it 3 times and each time I played it I liked it more. The views are attracitve the first time, but with each play you begin to appreciate the subtleties that Mr. Doak put in that will challenge and delight golfers of all levels. The par 3's get all the photo opportunities but the par 5's are perfect match play holes and the long par 4's are among the toughest I have played. The shorter par 4's, like 1 and 8, are a blast. I remember every hole clearly and will have great memories of this course for a long time. Highly recommended.

In the great battle of Pebble Beach vs Pacific Dunes, I will take Pacific Dunes. At a resort with 4 great courses, Pacific is the best. I have gone to Bandon four times and played Pacific Dunes more than a dozen times. It is hard to tell where nature ended and Doak began. It is as natural of a golf course as you will find in the USA. It is real links...multiple options from off the green (Putt, Chip, Flop), Play the contours of the greens and land near it, hit the correct side of the fairway or you will have a blind second or second with a hazard in the way, bump and run, knockdowns in the wind, etc. I have played in Scotland and Pacific Dunes is up there with the best links in the world.

My advice is to get a caddie. Bandon's caddies are the best and I have never heard anyone complain. If you are really fortunate, your caddie will teach you how to read greens, where is the best place to take advantage of contours (you don't always need to flagstick hunt# and more.

The course does have some amazing holes along the cliffs #the par 4 4th and 13th immediately come to mind along with the par 3 11th); however, the inland holes also are great.

Pacific Dunes is as pleasant of a walk as you can have. If you want to get around in 4 hours or less, don't play here in the summer. If you want to get the best weather, you can come in the summer and take advantage of the daylight and play 36 or more per day.

Bandon is the best one stop golf destination in the world. You would need to set up camp somewhere in Ireland or Scotland and drive 45 minutes to an hour each day to be in the same league- it is that good. Don't miss out on Pacific Dunes; hopefully you get a two club wind- it is as great as links golf gets. The type of course you could play for the rest of your life.

A magnificent course with one memorable hole after another. It doesn't play long because of firm fairways but it can be very challenging if you aren't controlling your ball. Like Irish/Scottish courses there is perhaps a bit more luck involved than on a standard US course. A bad or good bounce here and there can make a difference between a par and a double in the blink of an eye. I have scored in the upper 70s and in the mid 90s without a huge difference in my ball striking. Much depends on the weather conditions too of course.

The greens are usually the slowest and bumpiest on the property and might need to be redone sometime soon. They are small and relatively flat and don't really represent the major challenge of the course.

I have played a lot in Ireland and Scotland and I would certainly compare this course favourably in scenic appeal, overall quality of holes and "fun factor" with any course I have played there. It isn't as punishingly difficult as County Down (which I might rate a bit higher) but that is a good thing for most people.

This will be most golfer's favourite course at Bandon and if your game is on you might have a very memorable round.

Out of the four courses, Pacific is the layout that I enjoyed the least; however, it is still an AMAZING course. Pacific also has the best views and scenery of the 4.

I played Pacific Dunes for the first time in June of this year. Somehow I had gone this 13 years without ever visiting Bandon Dunes Resort, but I finally had to make it happen.

Pacific was the 2nd 18 of our day in June, and the weather was spectacular. Barely any wind and perfect 70 degree weather.

The course itself is well thought out from tee to green, but at the same time feels so natural. The views from 4, 10, 11, 12 and 13 are simply stunning. Nothing else takes you to the edge of the West coast quite like this.

The course was fair but challenging, I can see it getting nasty in the wind, but I loved every minute of it even though we ran into a terribly slow bunch on 10 and ended up playing the round in 5 hours.

Do whatever it takes. Get to Bandon Dunes Resort, it may be relatively new by golf standards but it could be the best destination for golf in the country.

You've probably seen it rated as one of the top 2 or 3 publicly accessible courses in the US. Don't trust everything you read, but DO trust those ratings!
An absolutely phenomenal course on every level. The other three courses @ Bandon Dunes Resort - and the par 3 - are world class too. Great vibe, unbelievable golf, the ultimate golf "buddy trip" in the US.

Had played here 10 years ago and when I stood on the first tee again this time, I remembered every single inch of the place.

It's the best course at Bandon Dunes, although all four of them are fantastic. The ocean holes are all memorable especially 10-11, which are back-to-back par 3s.

Hands down the best resort experience in the United States.

Playing Pacific Dunes was a dream. The course was in outstanding shape and the layout was perfect. Not everyday can you just play golf and not worry about what par the hole is.

It took me a few years, and several rounds on each, but I finally figured out which course at Bandon is best. It's Pacific Dunes. And it came down to how designer Tom Doak utilized the land along the Oregon coastline. Holes 4, 11 & 13 are three of the best holes in the world. I don't love the first hole, and 18 is just OK, but everything in between fits the definition of true links golf. From a testy tee shot, to a well-protected and quirky green complex, the 7th hole is an underrated par 4. Bandon Dunes was a good start, but Pacific Dunes is why this secluded destination eventually passed Pinehurst and Pebble as the No. 1 golf destination in America.

I score better on Bandon Dunes, but I think I still like Pacific more. There are just so many ways to play each shot. I've been fortunate enough to play it four times over the years. I can't wait to go back. Not a weak hole here.