Bandon Stories — Dream Golf

The smiling face of Gaspar, known by his nickname of “Shoe” during his time at Bandon, has greeted visitors for two decades at the resort, and along the way became recognized for his incredible memory (aided by exhaustive research) and his famed Twitter account that details the weather each day on the Oregon Coast.

From carving bunkers on the courses at Bandon to searching for the perfect day (hint: he hasn’t had one yet), Shoe is, as the Coast Guard motto says, “Semper Paratus,”—always ready.

I was never looking for a job at Bandon, but I read about this new course in the local newspaper. I was getting ready to retire. I was a Teamster and driving a truck and I knew they were doing something out there and that a man named Mike Keiser was going to do us a favor by building a golf course on a gorse-infested property we all used to ride our bikes on. I had lived in the area since 1980, and we’d go out there and go fishing in the lakes. To us, the property was worth nothing. I don’t have Mike’s vision. And I drove out to deliver some mulch and there was no one around. I walked over a sand dune and they were busily taking trees off the first fairway of what would become Bandon Dunes. My interest was spiked, and I didn’t have a plan for my retirement. A friend of mine, Shorty Dow, lived on the property and gave me a tour. We stepped off the 10th hole and I looked at it and thought, “This is amazing. I need to be part of this.” They were advertising in a local newspaper looking for caddies, and right away that caught my interest. At the time I was working in cranberry bogs—a tough job to say the least. My wife came out to say I got a call from Bandon Dunes, and I never returned to that cranberry bog.

when we opened bandon it was a horrible scramble because none of us knew what we were doing. I’d been there for three months and Josh Lesnik, the new GM, said I needed a job. I was basically a gofer doing whatever needed to get done. In early 1999, Josh asked what I wanted to do. I told him caddiemaster, which I thought would be fun. I wasn’t caddiemaster for long because they recognized the need for someone to connect with guests. I was outside services manager and one day the director of golf asked me to get out of operations and told me to do what I do best. That was the job description. Some would think that was really neat, but it wasn’t. I had to develop whatever I wanted to do, and it gradually became a role of being interested in who our guests were.

my role became interacting and being interested in our guests and figuring out who they are. When I look at the tee sheet I try to figure out where our guests are from, if they’ve been here before or if they are from an interesting town. I do some research. Earlier in my life I’d worked for the Coast Guard; and their motto is Semper Paratus or “always ready.” I’ve made it a point all my life to be prepared. After 21 years at Bandon, I’ve met a lot of our guests and they expect me to remember who they are. I go through great pains to do exactly that.

Caddies and Bandon Dunes—they go together like links golf and the wind. “It is always how I envisioned Bandon Dunes—walking with caddies,” says founder Mike Keiser, who worked carrying bags and advising players when he was a young golfer. “They are a very important part of what made Bandon what it has become.”

It turns out Bandon’s caddies aren’t just great at telling you whether to flight a 6-iron or go all out with a 7—they can also flat-out play. And since 2015, they’ve represented Bandon Dunes in an event called the Looper Cup, which is a celebration of all that caddies bring to the game. The event now includes three of the best clubs in the U.S.—Pine Valley, Pebble Beach, and Cypress Point—with caddie teams contesting the title over three days. The contest is fun—but caddies on each team are often exceptional players, the stakes are high, and the golf is world class.

For Vince Quattrocchi, Bandon’s Director of Caddie Services, the Looper Cup is just another demonstration of the grassroots approach Mike Keiser has taken at Bandon Dunes. “It is a prime example of his generosity and love for caddie programs around the world,” Quattrocchi says. “It is an honor for caddies to play in the event. The camaraderie is infectious, and though it is a competition, everyone leaves as friends.”

There’s a connection between caddies, regardless of whether they work at a private club or at a resort. What they promote—guiding golfers as they walk over the ground, assisting with the details that make a round unique, and curating the experience—isn’t specific to a venue, as much as it is central to the game. Not surprisingly, many caddies are strong players, often with experience in high-level amateur golf, which means the Looper Cup is highly contested. But there’s also a social element. “It’s fun to meet caddies from other places across the country; we have a lot in common to talk about during the rounds,” says Jason Humphreys, 39, who is the former captain of the Bandon Dunes squad. “The caddies who travel in have always been impressed with what the resort offers for its caddies. If anything, it would be great to see the event grow and more clubs become involved.”

That’s the feeling of the caddies who have participated from other clubs as well. “This was the best week of golf in my life so far,” said Serge Hogg, a former multiple Maryland State Stroke Play Champion who loops at Pine Valley. “You’re going to have to search far and wide to top it. Everyone at the facility treated us like gold. I can’t wait to get back.”

For Keiser, who was inducted into the Western Golf Association’s Caddie Hall of Fame for his support of loopers, as well as the WGA’s Evans Scholars program, the success of the event is simply another testament to the role caddies play in the game—and their continued importance at Bandon Dunes.“

For years, caddies were essential, and a lot of players came into golf through working as caddies,” Keiser says. “At Bandon they are a key part of the experience. And the Looper Cup just goes a small way to acknowledging the significant role they play.”

under the influence of bandon

An Instagram star who loves golf, Kenzie O’Connell fell under the spell of Bandon Dunes right from the start.
 

Kenzie O’Connell’s reach in the golf world can’t be overestimated. There are nearly 150,000 fans on Instagram who follow her every move—whether it is playing in Ireland or hanging at the beach, her appearances in magazines, and on the Golf Channel’s Shotmakers series. She’s a golf pro and a traveler who searches for the best the game has to offer, wherever she can find it, and the lure of the game drew her to Bandon Dunes. Two years ago, Kenzie, 27, who grew up in Nebraska, traveled with her then boyfriend, Jimmy Cartwright, to the Oregon coast, and she’d return to get married at Bandon, mixing a once-in-a-lifetime event with some golf along the way. 
 
“Jimmy wanted me to experience Bandon, and then he was planning this big proposal,” she says. “We were heading to Hawaii and on the way we stopped and played every course at Bandon. Bandon is a big part of our history—it holds a special place in my heart.”
 
O’Connell loves everything about Bandon, which exceeded her expectations when she first visited. She sees Bandon as a place where couples and friends go to escape, just far enough off the beaten path that it feels remote, but only a direct flight away from her home in Denver. 
 
Having played golf since the age of five, Kenzie pursued professional golf straight out of high school, eventually ending up as a club pro. Along the way, she became intrigued by the possibility of social media, specifically Instagram. She began studying the possibilities of the medium, and quickly became a force in the space, merging golf with her travels and outgoing personality.

More recently, she’s used the platform to promote a cause—a foundation for epilepsy. O’Connell was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was 21, and still isn’t allowed to drive. She’s used her vast Instagram following to raise awareness—and money—for the cause. “I had my first event at the start of August, and all the proceeds went to the Nicklaus Children’s Brain Institute,” she says. “It was really tough when I was diagnosed. I can’t imagine how it is for a child—which is why I’ve started my foundation. I’m doing pretty decent now, but I still can’t drive. It is okay, though it gets frustrating at times, but nothing I can’t deal with.”
 
What’s it like getting married at Bandon? Did any of her friends find it strange that the couple was heading to a world-renowned golf resort to celebrate after the wedding? 
 
“Not at all,” says O’Connell, laughing. “They knew it was totally us. We were thinking of doing a golf wedding, and I knew my bridesmaids might hate me—but they are all golfers anyway. And it worked out amazingly and everyone had the best time. The staff was incredible, from the start until the end, especially since there aren’t a lot of weddings at Bandon.”
 
While she’s at it, O’Connell wants to correct the notion that Bandon is only a testosterone-fueled golf retreat for men. Bandon, to O’Connell’s way of thinking, offers something for every golfer, regardless of gender. “If you’re speaking to the avid woman golfer who likes to travel, then Bandon is a no-brainer,” she says. “You have so many styles of golf on one property that serves so many different golfers.”
 
She points to Bandon Preserve, the resort’s par-3 course that allows for a quick 13, or the Punchbowl putting course, as examples that are decidedly female-friendly. She adds that many of the courses don’t have forced carries, and the Royal Blue tees offer a range of yardages for everyone. 
 
“Bandon definitely caters to many different golf personalities, both male and female,” she continues. “Once you step on the property, it’s like all your cares and stresses are gone.”
 
Having been to Bandon a couple of times, O’Connell can’t wait for her next couples trip to the resort, anxious to check out the Sheep Ranch. 
 
“There are a number of personal connections I have to Bandon,” she says. “I love trees, and when we played Old Macdonald, we saw the ghost tree, and I fell in love.  Obviously, I got married at Bandon, but even if that wasn’t the case, it would hold a special place for me.”

“If you’re speaking to the avid woman golfer who likes to travel, then Bandon is a no brainer.”
—Kenzie O'Connell

camera connection
 
The photos that accompany this story were taken by Patrick Koenig, a photographer perhaps best known for quitting his job and traveling North America playing golf in an RV to raise money for the First Tee of Seattle. Kenzie first met Koenig in Banff, Alberta, where she was playing golf. Patrick took some shots of Kenzie as she played and they immediately connected: “We have a great energy together,” she says. That made Koenig a natural to shoot her Bandon wedding. The only issue? “He’d never shot a wedding before.”
 
Not surprisingly, it worked out well. 
 
“I wanted him at our wedding because he’s a great friend, but he’s also an amazing golf course photographer,” she says. “He freaked out when I asked him, but I think he really captured the moment.”

beauty shots

Now more than 20 years since it first opened, Bandon Dunes continues to be heralded as among the best golf resorts in the world. Its six courses range over a wild expanse, with the ever-present Pacific Ocean looming large as a mighty backdrop. 
 
The drama of Bandon Dunes’ award-winning courses (including the sixth, Sheep Ranch, which opens in June 2020) is witnessed through photos that showcase the genius of the designs.

Bandon Dunes No. 16, Brian Krehbiel
 

Bandon Dunes No. 12, Nathan Kahler

Ghost Tree, Old Macdonald No. 3, Evan Schiller
 

Pacific Dunes No. 11, Evan Schiller
 

Bandon Trails No. 17, Evan Schiller
 