Bandon Trails
The one Bandon Dunes course with not a single hole on the Pacific, Bandon Trails is Coore and Crenshaw's walk through the interior of the resort, from open dunes to high meadow to coastal forest. Ask the caddies and many will name it their favorite of the lot.
Photograph: Bandon Trails Golf Course, via Google · Brian Keith Hodges
The verdict
Bandon Trails opened in 2005 as the third course at Bandon Dunes, and it is the resort's contrarian gem. Where Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes and the rest chase the ocean, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw turned inland and built a routing that never touches the sea, threading instead through three distinct landscapes: the rumpled sand dunes near the clubhouse, a long sweep of open meadow, and a stand of coastal shore pine and fir. It is a par 71 of roughly 6,788 yards, and it walks beautifully.
That variety is the point. The round opens in the dunes, climbs into the forest, and falls back to the meadow for a finish, so you get three rounds in one and never a repeated note. Purists prize it precisely because it asks different questions than its ocean siblings, and it tends to grow on the visitor who plays it twice. On a Bandon trip it is the round that breaks up the cliff top drama and shows the range of what Coore and Crenshaw can do on a single piece of ground.
Bandon Trails at a glance
- Opened
- 2005
- Designer
- Coore and Crenshaw
- Type
- Dunes, meadow, forest
- Par
- 71
- Yardage
- Around 6,788 yds
- Green fee
- $350 to $400 peak (indicative)
Designer, year, par and yardage verified June 2026 from Bandon Dunes Golf Resort and leading course guides. Bandon Trails was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and opened in 2005, a par 71 measuring around 6,788 yards. Indicative 2026 high season green fees, roughly June to September, run about 350 dollars for resort guests and 400 dollars for non guests, with lower shoulder season rates in May and October. Fees are indicative and change by season and year, so always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
Bandon Trails is a study in transitions. From the first tee you set off across tumbling sand dunes, the most overtly links like stretch, before the routing lifts you into the forest of shore pine and Douglas fir where the corridors tighten and the light changes. The closing holes spill back down into the open meadow, so the round is framed by three landscapes that play and look nothing alike, all walked with a caddie and no cart in sight.
The short par 4 14th is the headline, a drivable temptation that has been argued over since the course opened, asking whether to take on the green or lay back to a comfortable wedge. The one shot holes are first rate throughout, and the green complexes carry the bold, tilted Coore and Crenshaw character that rewards the player who studies the ground rather than the yardage book. The walk between forest and meadow is one of the quiet pleasures of the place.
For the visiting golfer, Bandon Trails is the round that completes the set. Play it for the variety, for the firm turf and the angles, and for the relief of a sheltered forest stretch when the coast is into the wind. It is firm, strategic and beautifully conditioned, and it is the course most likely to surprise the first time visitor who came only for the ocean holes.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Part of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort; open to resort guests and to public daily fee play, with guests given priority tee times and replay rates |
| Green fee | Indicative 2026 high season, roughly June to September, about 350 dollars for resort guests and 400 dollars for non guests; lower in the May and October shoulder, lower still off season |
| Booking | Reserve well in advance through the resort or a trip planner; staying on site is the simplest way to secure tee times across the five eighteens and the par 3 course |
| On foot | Walking only with caddies, in keeping with the whole resort; no carts, so a reasonable level of fitness helps across the dunes and forest |
| Getting there | On the southern Oregon coast near Bandon; nearest airport is North Bend, roughly 30 minutes away, with longer drives from Eugene or Portland |
| Best months | Late spring through early autumn for the most settled weather; the coast is playable year round but wind and rain are part of the experience |
Access and indicative green fees verified June 2026 from Bandon Dunes Golf Resort and course guides; resort fees swing by season, so always confirm current details directly before booking with the resort or your trip planner. Check tee time availability.
Where to stay nearby
The whole point of Bandon is to stay and play. The resort's lodges and cottages, from The Lodge above the first tee to the Lily Pond, Chrome Lake and Grove rooms, put you within a shuttle ride or a walk of every first tee, and a multi night stay is the only sensible way to take on five championship eighteens plus the Preserve par 3 course and the Punchbowl putting green.
Most visitors build a three to five day stay and play around the resort, pairing Bandon Trails with Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Old Macdonald and Sheep Ranch, and walking 36 holes a day with caddies. It is remote by design, so plan the journey, settle in, and let the resort handle the order of play.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts at Bandon Dunes.
Build a Bandon golf trip
We base a Bandon week on the resort itself, fit Bandon Trails into the rotation with the ocean courses, and handle the lodging, caddies and the order of play so you walk 36 a day without a wasted minute. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Bandon Trails questions
How much does it cost to play Bandon Trails?
Indicative 2026 high season green fees, roughly June to September, run about 350 dollars for resort guests and around 400 dollars for non guests, with lower rates in the May and October shoulder season and off season. These figures are indicative and change by season and year, so always confirm the current rate directly with the resort or your trip planner before booking.
Who designed Bandon Trails?
Bandon Trails was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and opened in 2005 as the third course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. It is a par 71 of around 6,788 yards and is the only course at the resort with no holes routed along the Pacific Ocean.
Why does Bandon Trails have no ocean holes?
Coore and Crenshaw routed the course through the interior of the property rather than the coastline, deliberately using three distinct landscapes: sand dunes near the clubhouse, an open meadow, and a stand of coastal forest. The result is a round of constant variety that many regulars rate as their favorite at the resort.
Can visitors play Bandon Trails?
Yes. Bandon Trails is open to resort guests and to public daily fee play, with resort guests given priority on tee times and replay rates. Play is walking only with caddies, and booking well ahead, ideally as part of a stay on site, is strongly recommended.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Tee time windows, course access changes and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. History, designer, par, yardage and indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.