Dream Golf | True Love

Wonder WOMEN

Making Bandon the ultimate girls’ getaway

By KIRA DIXON

To my way of thinking, making a pilgrimage to Bandon Dunes is one of the most important golf trips anyone can make.


Talk about a true body, mind, soul connection—it’s an opportunity for a reprieve from our daily responsibilities and instills a reinvigorated appreciation for our sport and the environment we play it in. After two such of my own trips, I assure you this is not hyperbole.


My first trip was a belated anniversary celebration with my husband and my second trip was with another couple just to have the excuse of going to Bandon Dunes. On both occasions we drove up from our home in San Francisco.

More than

just for men.

When I looked around to see who else enjoyed Bandon on these trips, I saw plenty of male-only buddies’ trips. That was the norm. But that’s not to suggest I was the only woman on the property. In fact, our caddies said that they get several large groups of women each year, even if they don’t show up in the same numbers as men. To me it was clear—ladies, these types of trips and special moments are for us as well.


So here is my pitch to the lady golfers out there who have ever thought about taking a group golf trip to Bandon, or any other great golf destination for that matter. With that in mind, I really believe Bandon is truly a perfect destination for the reimagined ladies’ buddies’ trip. Here’s why:


Bandon Casual: I truly felt comfortable while I was there. Sometimes when you show up to a renowned resort, you can feel nervous and wary of your surroundings. Am I wearing the right clothing? Are they going to judge me if hit a bad shot? Can I be where I’m standing? The Bandon staff went above and beyond to welcome us and put us at ease. I think the formality that is often the perception people have of golf is abhorrent to the folks at Bandon. They really just want you to be happy. And if playing golf makes you happy, Bandon really should be on your list.


Or as my friend Ashley Mayo, who is the head of brand at 8AM Golf (and even got engaged at Bandon), put it: “It's for people who want to play golf, golf, golf.” To Ashley’s way of thinking, it doesn’t matter who you are—if you love golf, Bandon is a must. Abby Liebenthal, founder of Fore the Ladies, a New Jersey—based organization that provides golf resources for women and plans women’s golf trips and clinics, agrees. What draws Liebenthal to a Bandon trip is that it’s a place that allows you to disconnect from everything but you, your playing partners, and the game. 

True LOVE

By SHANE BACON

In the endless debate of which course is best at Bandon, Golf Channel commentator Shane Bacon lays claim on Bandon Trails.

True love is when you see something or feel something you’ve never felt before. For me, the feeling comes as I walk off the 6th green at Bandon Trails and approach the 7th tee.


I know what that walk will elicit for me. This isn’t to say that the first six holes at the course leave something to be desired; they are all fine examples of great golf. It’s just the moment I get to the sixth, which features a tough tee shot with one of those damn bunkers that Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw place perfectly, I know the stretch is coming—the series of holes that connect me with home and my golf roots in East Texas. That series starts on the 7th and runs throughout much of the remainder of the course.


When it is windy, anyone from East Texas has heard, "You must be used to this growing up in Texas," a line that is as incorrect as most of the exaggerated handicaps of your friends. That region of the state—whether it is Tyler, Texarkana, or even the northern parts of Houston—associates more with framed golf holes. Sure, it's easy to bunch Texans into the same bucket-great wind players who keep it low, but that doesn't apply to where I was introduced to the game. The truth is the eastern part of Texas has as much wind as the moon. It’s all about tall pine trees that line fairways. Classic golf. In fact, that’s why the area was used to substitute for North Carolina when Tin Cup was shot just outside of Houston—you can mistake it for Pinehurst.