Bandon to add Macdonald tribute
Bandon Dunes, the Oregon, USA, golf resort, is to add a fourth course to its portfolio. The new course, scheduled to open in 2009, will be a tribute to the 'father of American golf,' CB Macdonald (see GCA issue 3 for a more detailed profile of MacDonald).
Owner Mike Keiser says that Macdonald's National Golf Links of America on Long Island, NY, is his favourite course. And, as Macdonald's own courses were largely comprised of holes inspired by his studies of classic courses in Scotland and England, a tribute course seemed the obvious choice.
Currently bearing the working title 'Old Macdonald', the course will be designed by Tom Doak and his associate Jim Urbina, who built the resort's second course, Pacific Dunes. But in the spirit of collaboration, Doak and Urbina will be assisted by a committee including golf architecture writer Brad Klein and Macdonald biographer George Bahto.
"We are thrilled at the opportunity to work at Bandon Dunes again; it's really like a homecoming for us," said Tom Doak. "I have always been a great admirer of CB Macdonald's work, which the resort golfer has very little chance to see, and it will be interesting to translate his style on true links terrain. We will approach the new project the same way we approached Pacific Dunes – we hope to create a new course that's as different as possible from its neighbours, and that everyone will want to play when they visit."