Bandon Dunes Golf Resort continues to evolve. Yet even amidst securing their first major professional tournament, developing more housing for the unyielding demand of visitors and ongoing plans to build a new golf course at the resort, its soul remains intact.
Bandon Dunes is the bastion of the amateur game, and this week we get another reminder of such.
The 125th U.S. Women’s Amateur is under way, the ninth different USGA amateur event held at Bandon Dunes since 2006, including the 2020 U.S. Amateur and 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur.
There are 11 more future USGA amateur events scheduled for Bandon Dunes, dating all the way out to 2045. By then, the trailblazer of modern destination golf in America will likely look vastly different than it does now, but its core will remain unscathed.
“They believe in amateur golf and the love of the game and golf the way it was meant to be played. It’s built into their DNA,” says Rachel Sadowski, championship director of the U.S. Women’s Amateur. “It’s firm and fast. You don't need to dress it up. It’s a special place already. You can go there to play for fun and you can go there to play the hardest test in golf. That’s what these competitors will face.”
Bandon Dunes golf course offers the perfect backdrop for the top 156 women’s amateurs from around the world to compete for the ultimate prize in women’s amateur golf. Perched along a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, it was the first course built on the resort in 1999 and remains one of the top links golf courses in the United States.
The USGA didn’t do much in the lead up to prepare the course for championship conditions. They leveled a few tee boxes and shut the course down for public play a week before the event. But for the most part, the conditions these players are competing on is what most resort guests play too.
“The Women’s Am is going to be played between 6,300 and 6,400 yards and traditionally that’s where 90% of our guests play from,” says Bandon Dunes general manager Jeff Simonds. “You’ll have people tuning in on TV and these talented women are playing from literally the same tees you were just playing on.
“Golfers are always trying to compare themselves to the best and these are the best female amateur players in the world playing on the same course you can.”
The USGA learned a lot about how they plan to set up the course based on the results of the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur, events won by Tyler Strafaci and Wenyi Ding, respectively. The length for the Women’s Am will be 91% of the aforementioned events and the approach shots will come from the same areas.
Wind and weather is always a variable, even during one of the traditionally better weather months of the year in Bandon.
“We always plan for what we think is most likely to happen with the weather, but of course we can’t guarantee that,” Sadowski says. “We’re not trying to trick the players. We set up the course to allow the players to make the best decision. Then it’s up to them to execute.”
Since its founding in 1999, Bandon Dunes has become something of a golf mecca for purists. A pilgrimage to this remote area of the country is a challenge, and the resort delivers. The five courses and two par-3 courses weave seamlessly with the natural landscape. The routing of all was done with the prevailing northerly wind in mind.
Things are changing, however, as Bandon's profile as the best public golf resort in the country solidifies and demand to play it increases.
Bandon Dunes will host the 2026 PGA Professional Championship, the national championship for PGA of America golf professionals, from which the top 20 players earn a spot in that year’s PGA Championship. The 72 holes will be played across Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes, both of which are ranked within the top 10 public courses in America.
“We’re excited to host that championship and bring a level of pro golf here,” Simonds says. “We’ve never sat down and had a conversation of if we want to have a [PGA] Tour event or host a major before. We’re focused on making it the best experience for our guests week in and week out.”
Bandon Dunes is adding more lodging to accommodate the high demand from guests to visit. They also have permits in to build a sixth course south of the resort near the town of Bandon. Those plans have long been in the application process, however, and face hurdles from local advocacy groups who oppose commercial development on the Oregon coast.
In the meantime, Bandon Dunes remains an unspoiled example of amateur golf at its most pure form. It will host the Curtis Cup in 2028 and the U.S. Men’s and U.S. Women’s Amateurs in 2032.
“This course can challenge both men and women,” Simonds says. “If you look at our championships since 2006, we have not hosted the same championship twice. This will be our ninth different championship. It just shows how our style of golf can handle different formats and styles. It's a very unique and playable, yet championship caliber facility.”
Even as it changes, that much will remain the same.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Change Is Afoot at Bandon Dunes Ahead of 125th U.S. Women’s Amateur .