Camera Data

Camera Model: Canon 10D

Lens: Canon EF 24-70 mm f/2.8L USM

Shutter Speed: 1/10 sec

Aperture: f/22

ISO Speed Rating: 100

Bandon Dunes - Bandon, OR. June, 2006

There’s a place on the Southern Oregon Coast where the ocean meets the land, and the sky sheds light on a play ground for men and women who think they’ve seen it all. And for a boy who grew up just 40 miles north of the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, I had to see it to believe it. 

The plan was simple.  I’d drive to Portland and catch a plane to the Coos Bay/North Bend Airport. From there, my partners-in-crime would pick me up and we’d spend the night at Jay’s family cabin on Croft Lake, an easy 10-minute drive from the golf course.

When I arrived at the airport my first surprise was to see half a dozen private jets tied down to the runway. Apparently, what I’d read was true. Word had gotten out. The course south of Bandon had become an attractive lure and was reeling in golfers from around the globe. But some things never change. As I stepped off the plane and walked across the tarmac, I was greeted by a familiar, relentless, 25 knot wind capable of blowing hats off heads, permanently bending tree branches towards the South East, tearing apart wind-turbines, and weathering faces.

The drive from Coos Bay to Croft Lake took the same amount of time that it did to fly from Portland, 45 minutes. My uncle used to tell me that when you drive or fly to Coos Bay, you can set your clock back 20 years. I did him one better, I took my watch off because, after all, I was on vacation. But as Einstein proved, time is a relative thing and, as we drove south, I felt like Jay’s car had become a time machine and my uncle’s insight was accurate. The only thing that seemed to have changed was my perception of the area’s beauty, something I obviously took for granted as a kid.

When we arrived at the course the next morning we were paired up with a fun couple from San Francisco. Our foursome included, Scott, Don, Paul and Marlene. We had three caddies and Jay and I were the designated photographers. Although I’m not a great golfer, I know enough to tell you that this course will challenge anyone, and expose your weaknesses. After it’s all over, regardless your score, I’m sure it will be a round of golf you‘ll never forget.

If you’re an avid traveler or a pretty good golfer and think you’ve seen it all, I highly recommend the Southern Oregon Coast and the Bandon Dunes Links Golf Course.  Just be sure to take a windbreaker.

DouglasWalch@comcast.net