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Dream Golf: The Making of Bandon Dunes, Revised and Expanded
"Mike Keiser followed his instincts to build courses that speak to golf as a rugged adventure. Steve Goodwin's spirited book will speak to the golfing soul in you." —Lorne Rubenstein, columnist for The Globe and Mail (Canada) and author of A Season in Dornoch
On a wild, windblown bluff high above the Pacific sits one of America’s premier golfing destinations, Bandon Dunes. Golf enthusiast Mike Keiser had the dream of building this British-style "links" course on a stretch of Oregon's rugged coast, and Dream Golf is the first all-inclusive account of how he turned his passion into a reality.
Now, in this updated and expanded edition, golf writer Stephen Goodwin revisits Bandon Dunes and introduces readers to Keiser's latest effort there, a new course named Old Macdonald that will present golfers with a more rugged, untamed version of the game. This "new" approach to the sport is, in fact, a return to the game's origins, with a very deep bow to Charles Blair Macdonald (1856 –1939), the father of American golf course architecture and one of the founders of the U.S. Golf Association. This highly anticipated fourth course, designed by renowned golf course architect Tom Doak along with Jim Urbina — as detailed in Dream Golf — will further enhance Bandon Dunes' reputation as a place where golf really does seem to capture the ancient magic of the game.
On a wild, windblown bluff high above the Pacific sits one of America’s premier golfing destinations, Bandon Dunes. Golf enthusiast Mike Keiser had the dream of building this British-style "links" course on a stretch of Oregon's rugged coast, and Dream Golf is the first all-inclusive account of how he turned his passion into a reality.
Now, in this updated and expanded edition, golf writer Stephen Goodwin revisits Bandon Dunes and introduces readers to Keiser's latest effort there, a new course named Old Macdonald that will present golfers with a more rugged, untamed version of the game. This "new" approach to the sport is, in fact, a return to the game's origins, with a very deep bow to Charles Blair Macdonald (1856 –1939), the father of American golf course architecture and one of the founders of the U.S. Golf Association. This highly anticipated fourth course, designed by renowned golf course architect Tom Doak along with Jim Urbina — as detailed in Dream Golf — will further enhance Bandon Dunes' reputation as a place where golf really does seem to capture the ancient magic of the game.
376 pages, Hardcover
First published May 19, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
September 20, 2013
I absolutely loved this book. Of course it must be mentioned that I read it in the afterglow of my first trip to Bandon Dunes. Bandon Dunes is every bit as fantastic, mystical, awesome, breathtaking, pure, natural, etc. etc. etc. as I was led to believe and I devoured this book upon my return. The story read like a novel and the side stories and back stories behind Mike Keiser, the various architects and the resort itself were fascinating. If you have played Bandon, you have to read this book. If you love links golf and want to play Bandon, you should read this book. If you simply want to read the story about the making of a treasure, then you should read this book.
January 10, 2008
This is only for golf addicts. This book is a nonfiction account of the creation of Bandon Dunes Golf Course (and to a lesser degree, its sister courses Pacific Dunes and Bandon Trails), a course located on the Oregon shore in a remote part of the West Coast. The course was opened about eight years ago, and is considered one of the top golf courses in the world. The book is part character portrait of Mike Keiser (a multimillionaire and golf fan who wanted to build a links-style golf course), and part documentary of the course creation. The book describes how Keiser went against conventional wisdom by buying property in the middle of nowhere (instead of by a touristy, populated area), choosing an unknown architect, and making a non-contemporary course (no man-made waterfalls, sand traps, cart paths, etc.). And by making these choices against the grain and sticking to a centuries-old vision of what a golf course should look like, Keiser ends up building a course that is more beautiful than most. Like Moneyball, the book often tends toward hero worship of the main characters. Also, unless you share a similar perspective of what makes a golf course wonderful to spend a day on, this book tends toward the dull side. For golfers, however, this is a fascinating account of the building of a course you will long to play after finishing the book. Non-golfers should skip this read altogether.
May 29, 2023
Great book about the awesome Brandon Dunes Golf Resort. Mike Keiser had developed some awesome properties including sand valley here in Wisconsin. Would love to make it out to bandon one day!
April 17, 2025
See you tomorrow, Bandon my love
November 20, 2025
Great way to learn about Bandon Dunes and golf architecture. I am excited to be scheduled to play there in less than two months.
I wish there were scorecards for each course and drawings for each hole.
p. 24: Mike Koldyke and Marva Collins
p. 27: Variety is not only the "spice of life" but it is the very foundation of golfing architecture. Diversity in nature is universal. Let your golfing architecture mirror it. An ideal or classical course demands variety, personality, and above all, the charm of romance." -- Charles Blair MacDonald, Scotland's Gift, Golf: Reminiscences by Charles Blair Macdonald, 1928
p. 34: Golf Architecture in America; Its Strategy and Construction
p. 35: In the story of the 1951 U.S. Open, three of the major themes of modern golf architecture are present. First, there is the recognition by the powers that be, in this case the USGA and RTJ, that older courses would have to be retooled to defend them against the improvements in golf equipment. Second, the players no longer felt that they were matched against nature, as had previously been the case; they felt that they were pitted against the architect. Third, the architect had no compunction about dictating to the players exactly how the golf course should be played.
p. 36: Robert Trent Jones declared that golf holes were either heroic, strategic or penal in nature and that a good architect mixed these three types of holes according to his site, blending them into one harmonious composition.
p. 36: On most of his courses, Jones made liberal use of water hazards (while classic courses have few water hazards, modern courses have water, water, everywhere).
p. 39: The Architects of Golf: A Survey of Golf Course Design from Its Beginnings to the Present, With an Encyclopedic Listing of Golf Architects and Their Courses
p. 40: TPC Sawgrass is quintessentially American course in the sense that it is artificial through and through. Everything on the course was manufactured; not one single feature had been there before the golf course.
p. 94: Golf Architecture: A Worldwide Perspective Volume 4
p. 104: James W. Finegan
p. 119: No forced carries
p. 139: In the most specific ways, this emphasis on the retail golfer had far-reaching consequences on the design of the golf course. It meant, for instance, that the fairways would be wide and greens would be huge.
p. 139: Mike and David agreed that they wanted a golfer to be able to finish the round with the same ball he started with.
p. 140: There were no water hazards on the course, but David's bunkers were carved into the greens and fairways, not set back at a comfortable distance.
p. 174: It was all about the golf.
p. 190-191: Doak, I speculated, seemed to be a lot like MacKenzie in placing a premium on putting, but David often talked about strategy from the tee and the sheer joy of belting the ball.
p. 197: Some people have said that Bandon is more Scottish, and Pacific is more Irish--well, laddy, that's as it should be.
p. 206: World Atlas of Golf: The Greatest Courses and How They are Played
p. 209: One cardinal principle was that a golf course must be interesting for all classes of player.
p. 210: A second principle--that the natural features of a landscape should be preserved, not obliterated-- was equally at odds with modern course design.
p. 211: The Anatomy of a Golf Course: The Art of Golf Architecture
p. 213: To Tom, steeped in the virtues of classic courses, most of the new courses coming on-line, whether or not they were described as Scottish, seemed predictable, unimaginative, ticky-tacky, homogenized. They seemed always to be arranged in two loops of nine holes, the holes were the prescribed length; they played to a par of 72, always with the same balance of par-3, par-4, and par-5 holes; they seemed to follow a set of "rules" about how holes should be shaped, how hazards should be placed, and so on. They were soulless creations, and they made him cringe.
p. 216: The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses
p. 217: Tom Doak is not a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects
p. 218: High Pointe - Tom Doak design
The Bear -- Jack Nicklaus design
p. 219: Heathland in Myrtle Beach
p. 265: In the Coore-Crenshaw theology, the cardinal sin of golf course architecture is anything that appears to be forced or contrived or "thought-out."
p. 279: "Width is good," Mike said. "We like width."
P. 288: The Evangelist of Golf
P. 308: discovering Donald Ross
Rough Meditations
P. 311: Golf in the Kingdom
P. 321: Robert Trent Jones
P. 325: Tom Doak on minimalism
P. 328: CBM on variety
p. 188-202: 18 holes at Bandon Dunes
p. 245-254: 18 holes at Pacific Dunes
p. 340-344: 18 holes at Old Macdonald
I wish there were scorecards for each course and drawings for each hole.
p. 24: Mike Koldyke and Marva Collins
p. 27: Variety is not only the "spice of life" but it is the very foundation of golfing architecture. Diversity in nature is universal. Let your golfing architecture mirror it. An ideal or classical course demands variety, personality, and above all, the charm of romance." -- Charles Blair MacDonald, Scotland's Gift, Golf: Reminiscences by Charles Blair Macdonald, 1928
p. 34: Golf Architecture in America; Its Strategy and Construction
p. 35: In the story of the 1951 U.S. Open, three of the major themes of modern golf architecture are present. First, there is the recognition by the powers that be, in this case the USGA and RTJ, that older courses would have to be retooled to defend them against the improvements in golf equipment. Second, the players no longer felt that they were matched against nature, as had previously been the case; they felt that they were pitted against the architect. Third, the architect had no compunction about dictating to the players exactly how the golf course should be played.
p. 36: Robert Trent Jones declared that golf holes were either heroic, strategic or penal in nature and that a good architect mixed these three types of holes according to his site, blending them into one harmonious composition.
p. 36: On most of his courses, Jones made liberal use of water hazards (while classic courses have few water hazards, modern courses have water, water, everywhere).
p. 39: The Architects of Golf: A Survey of Golf Course Design from Its Beginnings to the Present, With an Encyclopedic Listing of Golf Architects and Their Courses
p. 40: TPC Sawgrass is quintessentially American course in the sense that it is artificial through and through. Everything on the course was manufactured; not one single feature had been there before the golf course.
p. 94: Golf Architecture: A Worldwide Perspective Volume 4
p. 104: James W. Finegan
p. 119: No forced carries
p. 139: In the most specific ways, this emphasis on the retail golfer had far-reaching consequences on the design of the golf course. It meant, for instance, that the fairways would be wide and greens would be huge.
p. 139: Mike and David agreed that they wanted a golfer to be able to finish the round with the same ball he started with.
p. 140: There were no water hazards on the course, but David's bunkers were carved into the greens and fairways, not set back at a comfortable distance.
p. 174: It was all about the golf.
p. 190-191: Doak, I speculated, seemed to be a lot like MacKenzie in placing a premium on putting, but David often talked about strategy from the tee and the sheer joy of belting the ball.
p. 197: Some people have said that Bandon is more Scottish, and Pacific is more Irish--well, laddy, that's as it should be.
p. 206: World Atlas of Golf: The Greatest Courses and How They are Played
p. 209: One cardinal principle was that a golf course must be interesting for all classes of player.
p. 210: A second principle--that the natural features of a landscape should be preserved, not obliterated-- was equally at odds with modern course design.
p. 211: The Anatomy of a Golf Course: The Art of Golf Architecture
p. 213: To Tom, steeped in the virtues of classic courses, most of the new courses coming on-line, whether or not they were described as Scottish, seemed predictable, unimaginative, ticky-tacky, homogenized. They seemed always to be arranged in two loops of nine holes, the holes were the prescribed length; they played to a par of 72, always with the same balance of par-3, par-4, and par-5 holes; they seemed to follow a set of "rules" about how holes should be shaped, how hazards should be placed, and so on. They were soulless creations, and they made him cringe.
p. 216: The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses
p. 217: Tom Doak is not a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects
p. 218: High Pointe - Tom Doak design
The Bear -- Jack Nicklaus design
p. 219: Heathland in Myrtle Beach
p. 265: In the Coore-Crenshaw theology, the cardinal sin of golf course architecture is anything that appears to be forced or contrived or "thought-out."
p. 279: "Width is good," Mike said. "We like width."
P. 288: The Evangelist of Golf
P. 308: discovering Donald Ross
Rough Meditations
P. 311: Golf in the Kingdom
P. 321: Robert Trent Jones
P. 325: Tom Doak on minimalism
P. 328: CBM on variety
p. 188-202: 18 holes at Bandon Dunes
p. 245-254: 18 holes at Pacific Dunes
p. 340-344: 18 holes at Old Macdonald
August 18, 2012
I read this while playing golf at Bandon Dunes in Oregon, the construction of which the book chronicles. If you're a golfer and are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play here, this read adds to the experience. If not, I'd pass on this. It is a testament to one man's dogged determination to accomplish something with his life; something lasting. And he (Mike Keiser) has done it. Bandon Dunes is the type of golf resort that divides one's life golfing experience: before and after Bandon Dunes. Amazing!
September 30, 2014
anyone who loves golf needs to visit bandon Dunes...but read this book before you go
September 8, 2020
One ought to be interested in golf course architecture (and happy to read a story about a bunch of rich white guys) to really enjoy this book, but if that's you, you will likely find that Goodwin does a good job of bringing to life the process of creating Bandon Dunes. Goodwin does a good job painting portraits of Mike Keiser, Howard McKee and David McLay Kidd. There's a rose tint there, despite the occasional dings and disagreements, but it's still evocative and readable.
Tom Doak is enigmatic as ever, and if I have a criticism of the book, it's that Goodwin has softened everyone's rough edges. Occasionally he lets a little seam open and some of that tension makes it to the page, and those are the book's best moments. There is a movie — really! — to be made out of the subtext of this novel. And when that's the case, one naturally wishes that some of the implied stories — like Doak's crew twice setting fire to the gorse (???) — were more than implied.
Tom Doak is enigmatic as ever, and if I have a criticism of the book, it's that Goodwin has softened everyone's rough edges. Occasionally he lets a little seam open and some of that tension makes it to the page, and those are the book's best moments. There is a movie — really! — to be made out of the subtext of this novel. And when that's the case, one naturally wishes that some of the implied stories — like Doak's crew twice setting fire to the gorse (???) — were more than implied.
November 12, 2020
Full disclosure - I've never been to Bandon Dunes (but definitely plan to visit in the future).
Stephen Goodwin gets behind the curtain access to many of the major players involved in creating Oregon's famous Bandon Dunes resort. I enjoyed the story and background detailing the obstacles and triumphs that turned this plot of land into the sought after golf destination it is today.
Unfortunately the book comes across as more of a 350 page public relations document. I felt like something was missing from the narrative - there was so much adulation that I found the overall arguments to be less believable, even if Goodwin was indeed telling the truth.
Perhaps once I see for myself in person what others have proclaimed to be hallowed ground, I might need to amend the above statement.
Stephen Goodwin gets behind the curtain access to many of the major players involved in creating Oregon's famous Bandon Dunes resort. I enjoyed the story and background detailing the obstacles and triumphs that turned this plot of land into the sought after golf destination it is today.
Unfortunately the book comes across as more of a 350 page public relations document. I felt like something was missing from the narrative - there was so much adulation that I found the overall arguments to be less believable, even if Goodwin was indeed telling the truth.
Perhaps once I see for myself in person what others have proclaimed to be hallowed ground, I might need to amend the above statement.
August 9, 2024
I was blessed with being able to play Bandon Dunes this summer, and this is a must read for anyone who is about to. The brief history of golf, and the longer examination of golf course architecture here really made my experience at the course (and as a golfer) so much more rich and compelling. Bandon is of course beautiful and it doesn’t need a book to make it more special, my golf game on the other hand…
The writing isn’t Shakespeare, and I could do without multiple hole-by-hole breakdowns (the first one was enough), but otherwise this was enjoyable and a great companion to a wonderful golf trip.
The writing isn’t Shakespeare, and I could do without multiple hole-by-hole breakdowns (the first one was enough), but otherwise this was enjoyable and a great companion to a wonderful golf trip.
July 27, 2025
I’m letting myself say I read this because Jase won’t stop listening to it when we’re in the car together, and the couple of chapters I missed I got basically a line by line recap.
Also, how did I marry someone who listens to audiobooks at 1x speed and not the 2.5x that I listen to?!?!
3 ⭐️ because the accent on the reader was nice.
Also, how did I marry someone who listens to audiobooks at 1x speed and not the 2.5x that I listen to?!?!
3 ⭐️ because the accent on the reader was nice.
February 4, 2019
A bit long and a bit redundant – and definitely written for golf aficionados more than ordinary human beings – this is nevertheless a vividly told and inspiring story of perseverance, vision, and the power of a guiding ideal.
January 16, 2022
Really good. Probably 100 pages too long, but written very well and researched tremendously. It gave me a greater appreciation for golf course architecture (which was a goal) and a greater desire to go to Bandon.
July 12, 2024
I got the recommendation to read this from a list of how to prepare for a Bandon Dunes trip. After reading it, I think it should be a requirement for everyone who is planning on visiting. It has great insight into how the resort came into existence. Well written and a quick read.
December 26, 2024
Pumped! I’m heading to Bandon in 6 months and already was excited. Reading Dream Golf increased that feeling 20-fold! The commitment, team-concept, ecological awareness & drive to create an unforgettable experience…special read…will be a special trip
October 8, 2017
Golf lovers only I’d say
February 3, 2020
Must read if you’re planning a Bandon trip. Golf architecture aficionados will also enjoy. Fantastic read for the golf enthusiast.
September 20, 2020
If you’re traveling to bandon dunes then this is a great read to learn the history of the courses and how it all came together.
November 26, 2020
Really good. Very interesting book.
Really fun and easy read about the makings of a golf resort that changed american golf. Perfect for any golfer.
Really fun and easy read about the makings of a golf resort that changed american golf. Perfect for any golfer.
April 16, 2021
Seeing is believing.
May 17, 2021
A must read before your pilgrimage to Bandon. If you love golf, and especially golf architecture, then you will enjoy the book.
Read
April 8, 2022Great story of how Bandon came to be, must read ahead of a trip
December 21, 2022
Really enjoyable story of an incredible place (Bandon Dunes).
June 28, 2023
Great story about the making of Bandon dunes courses/resorts, but the last half of the book got very redundant.
May 8, 2024
Enthralling. Mike Keiser is the GOAT
May 19, 2024
Insightful backstory about the making of one of the greatest golf destinations and the beginnings of more sensible golf operations in America.
June 2, 2025
Getting me excited to go play!!
November 8, 2016
Build it and They Will Come
“Dream Golf – The Making of Bandon Dunes”
Stephen Goodwin
Algonquin Books, 2006
(Bandon, Oregon) Reading this review may require the literary equivalent of 3-D glasses. You see, I decided in order to due appropriate justice to “Dream Golf – The Making of Bandon Dunes,” I should travel to the site of our true story about the building of three world-class golf courses in an unlikely and remote part of the Oregon Coast.
So, greetings from Bandon, Oregon. I arrived to a storm of nearly biblical proportions. Two of the three friends joining me on this trip arrived earlier and I meet Mark and Tup after their round at Bandon Dunes. The rain is steady and the wind is blowing so hard it is difficult for any of us to stand up straight. You half expect to look out into the failing light to see Bill Murray’s character from Caddyshack telling the priest that he doesn’t think the hard stuff is go
ing to start coming down for quite some time - in other words a perfect day to see the true nature of links golf, Bandon style.
The scene was not much different on this same stretch of the Oregon coast in 1990 when greeting card magnate Mike Keiser decided he would build a world class golf course in the style of a Scottish links course. Golf was, of course, born in Scotland and that means dealing with the elements and leaving the course design to the original designer of them all.
“Dream Golf” is the story of Mr. Keiser’s personal dream and how he made it come true. Hollywood already made this story in a baseball setting with “Field of Dreams” – a wonderful fantasy about the construction of a ball field in the corn fields of Iowa by a dreamer who hears in the night a voice repeating “Build it and they will come.” Somehow, unbelievably, Mike Keiser did exactly that – he built it and boy oh boy have they come.
In fact, although t
he cover photo says GOLF BOOK, the text is really more of a business book. In this case, the businesses into which we get a peek are real estate, golf, greeting cards and course architecture. Goodwin dedicates a significant part of the book to how this monumental undertaking fit into small town Oregon, including a great chapter about permits and zoning that sets a fine example about how to do a project the right way.
The golf comes later. Not until page 185 do we get a blow-by-blow description of golf at Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes (a third course, Bandon Trails was completed after Goodwin finished the book). I read each five times before strapping on my rain gear and heading out to the course for an early morning round with my pals at Pacific Dunes.
Not surprisingly, my ball striking did not quite match the description of play by the architect, Tom Doak, in the book. It was windy and cold and none of us could wipe the silly grins off our faces. Th
is was golf the way it was meant to be.
After our round it rains, and rains, and rains. Then it rains some more.
We did not have time to get in an afternoon round, so we were safely nestled in our two-bedroom units in the forest drying out our clothes in front of the fire. Somewhere that afternoon – before the epic evening card game at McKee’s Pub – Rick came up with the following poetic phrase. “Golf and inclimate weather are twin sisters. Born on the same day and in the same place. To love one you must at least have affection for the other.” Brilliant!
Over the next day and a half we played golf like crazy people. Yesterday we drove to the course in the dark and drove back in the dark. 36 holes – all on foot (no carts allowed) and so many references to the book “Dream Golf” that I began to wear out my welcome with my friends.
Mr. Keiser’s story, as told by Steve Goodwin is a good one. But the real trick with th
is book is to use it to make a story of your own. Now that’s “Dream Golf.”
“Dream Golf – The Making of Bandon Dunes”
Stephen Goodwin
Algonquin Books, 2006
(Bandon, Oregon) Reading this review may require the literary equivalent of 3-D glasses. You see, I decided in order to due appropriate justice to “Dream Golf – The Making of Bandon Dunes,” I should travel to the site of our true story about the building of three world-class golf courses in an unlikely and remote part of the Oregon Coast.
So, greetings from Bandon, Oregon. I arrived to a storm of nearly biblical proportions. Two of the three friends joining me on this trip arrived earlier and I meet Mark and Tup after their round at Bandon Dunes. The rain is steady and the wind is blowing so hard it is difficult for any of us to stand up straight. You half expect to look out into the failing light to see Bill Murray’s character from Caddyshack telling the priest that he doesn’t think the hard stuff is go
ing to start coming down for quite some time - in other words a perfect day to see the true nature of links golf, Bandon style.
The scene was not much different on this same stretch of the Oregon coast in 1990 when greeting card magnate Mike Keiser decided he would build a world class golf course in the style of a Scottish links course. Golf was, of course, born in Scotland and that means dealing with the elements and leaving the course design to the original designer of them all.
“Dream Golf” is the story of Mr. Keiser’s personal dream and how he made it come true. Hollywood already made this story in a baseball setting with “Field of Dreams” – a wonderful fantasy about the construction of a ball field in the corn fields of Iowa by a dreamer who hears in the night a voice repeating “Build it and they will come.” Somehow, unbelievably, Mike Keiser did exactly that – he built it and boy oh boy have they come.
In fact, although t
he cover photo says GOLF BOOK, the text is really more of a business book. In this case, the businesses into which we get a peek are real estate, golf, greeting cards and course architecture. Goodwin dedicates a significant part of the book to how this monumental undertaking fit into small town Oregon, including a great chapter about permits and zoning that sets a fine example about how to do a project the right way.
The golf comes later. Not until page 185 do we get a blow-by-blow description of golf at Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes (a third course, Bandon Trails was completed after Goodwin finished the book). I read each five times before strapping on my rain gear and heading out to the course for an early morning round with my pals at Pacific Dunes.
Not surprisingly, my ball striking did not quite match the description of play by the architect, Tom Doak, in the book. It was windy and cold and none of us could wipe the silly grins off our faces. Th
is was golf the way it was meant to be.
After our round it rains, and rains, and rains. Then it rains some more.
We did not have time to get in an afternoon round, so we were safely nestled in our two-bedroom units in the forest drying out our clothes in front of the fire. Somewhere that afternoon – before the epic evening card game at McKee’s Pub – Rick came up with the following poetic phrase. “Golf and inclimate weather are twin sisters. Born on the same day and in the same place. To love one you must at least have affection for the other.” Brilliant!
Over the next day and a half we played golf like crazy people. Yesterday we drove to the course in the dark and drove back in the dark. 36 holes – all on foot (no carts allowed) and so many references to the book “Dream Golf” that I began to wear out my welcome with my friends.
Mr. Keiser’s story, as told by Steve Goodwin is a good one. But the real trick with th
is book is to use it to make a story of your own. Now that’s “Dream Golf.”
May 5, 2022
After reading this again, 10 years after my first read, it's still a 5, but just barely. The first few chapters are my issue, especially chapter 2, "The Anti-Tycoon". I've seen plenty of interviews with Mike Keiser, and I've heard all of the praise about him. I get it. But this chapter paints him as someone with perfect business instincts, and no trace of ego whatsoever. And it goes on seemingly forever. I understand the purpose of setting up Mike's background and demeanor, but it feels way over the top.
Some of the writing irks me too. I'm not sure how to describe it... maybe antiquated? Definitely dorky. Such as on Mike Keiser: "he wasn't some hail-fellow-well-met". Or this description of Howard McKee: "a rationalist who never forgets the mysteries of the psyche. He is a high-minded thinker who loves to putter around on his property and to work with his hands, a philosopher who likes to sweat. He sometimes comes across as a hard-nosed realist, at other times a New Age dreamer and a bit of a woo-woo." Perhaps it's just me, but stuff like this makes me cringe.
With that said, once the site for Bandon is discovered, all of that is easily forgotten. All of the details and access in the book is unforgettable. Every aspect of the resort is covered, from finding the land, to clearing it, to construction and golf design concepts, to hole-by-hole walkthroughs. It's basically everything a golf nerd could ask for. All I need now is an update including details about the Sheep Ranch!
Some of the writing irks me too. I'm not sure how to describe it... maybe antiquated? Definitely dorky. Such as on Mike Keiser: "he wasn't some hail-fellow-well-met". Or this description of Howard McKee: "a rationalist who never forgets the mysteries of the psyche. He is a high-minded thinker who loves to putter around on his property and to work with his hands, a philosopher who likes to sweat. He sometimes comes across as a hard-nosed realist, at other times a New Age dreamer and a bit of a woo-woo." Perhaps it's just me, but stuff like this makes me cringe.
With that said, once the site for Bandon is discovered, all of that is easily forgotten. All of the details and access in the book is unforgettable. Every aspect of the resort is covered, from finding the land, to clearing it, to construction and golf design concepts, to hole-by-hole walkthroughs. It's basically everything a golf nerd could ask for. All I need now is an update including details about the Sheep Ranch!
May 9, 2008
Dream Golf: The Making of Bandon Dunes is about the concept behind, and building of three courses on the southern Oregon coast at Bandon which have pretty much unprecedentedly become some of the best in the country. I was working in golf up in Oregon (at Sunriver Resort) while they were being built, but have never had the opportunity to get down there and have a look. Two of the courses nestle up to the beach, and are as true links-style courses as it's possible to make here. I'm fascinated by the links courses of the British isles, although I've never had the opportunity to play them (and although I would imagine my game is not well-suited to them.) Reading about these courses in Oregon, only 4 or 5 hours away, gave me goosebumps. I'll have to get there to play someday - donations graciously accepted for Turi's golf outing. (High-season greens fees are $250 per course, a little less if you're staying at the on-site lodge or cabins.) Well written book; the story of Mike Keiser (co-founder of a greeting card company) who decided he wanted to build an enduring, classic golf course, and did it the right way. It was wonderful to read about someone who cares more about his dream and doing it right than the bottom line. Sorry to ramble; golf has that effect on me sometimes.
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