"BAYS BY BANDON"
A TRIP TO THE SOUTHERN OREGON COAST
Photos by Luke Davis and Kendra Little
Bandon Dunes is a pilgrimage that every golfer should make. If you’ve already crossed it off the bucket list, you know why it feels like home.
The landscape and links connect you back to the beauty of the game and nature. There’s endless golf, hiking trails, and weather to encounter. And the experience is like an onion we’ve found, specifically on a recent adventure to the PNW.
Some of the L+L crew converged in Portland, packed up a 2012 kia minivan, and left in search of paradise.
That is, the Southern Oregon Coast.
We hope you can use this log entry as inspiration for your next visit to Bandon!
Day 1 – Drive south from Portland, route the navigation to Lincoln City and head south.
Yachats is a good place to stop for lunch and get ready for some crazy views ahead. There are plenty of pull-offs that we highly encourage using, especially around Cape Perpetua.
After some gas station snack stops (combos, cheez-its, and trail mix for the win) we arrived to our first destination, Spinreel in North Bend, where we were grabbing ATV’s to explore the Oregon Dunes.
Matt’s smooth minivan driving was nice, but now it was time to send it.
Mischief managed and adrenaline pumping! We spent about two hours out and about and wish it was all day. Whipping around the Oregon Dunes was exactly the jolt we needed to the trip; it exceeded all imaginations.
Giddy, we headed to camp. Our next two nights were spent at Bay Point Landing, a dynamic + perfect place to stay with modern cabins, airstreams, or hook-up spots. It sits on the water in Coos Bay with beautiful vistas and is easy to access everything in the area. We glamped in the airstreams and got ready for Day 2 with a fresh shower and good nights sleep.
An early alarm rang. It was time to catch our dinner.
Day 2 started with swishing back some Dramamine and heading to Sharky’s Charter for a morning on the boat. The plan was to troll for salmon and drop a few crab baskets. Justin was our guide and made sure none of us had any bananas with us, because that is automatic bad luck for a fishing boat.
With bellies full of fresh salmon and crab, it was time to catch up on some sleep.
The next morning, we packed up the van and spent 20 minutes looking for lost car keys (phew, found em the trunk!) and headed to Sunset Bay.
Kelsey raved about Sunset Bay Golf Course; he used to work at Bandon Dunes and this was his escape. His stoke level was the highest we’ve seen since trivia night, so we knew the day was about to be special.
There was some rain in the forecast which was fine, we had the place to ourselves and it’s always fun looking for birdies.
12 holes with plenty of awe and challenge, so we decided to make a friendly match out of the round. Kendra + Luke vs. Matt + Kelsey. Time to explore.
After ending the match Kendra / Luke +2, all were happy to have played a round together where score came second. It was time to boogie to our afternoon agenda, mountain biking at Whiskey Run. We met Wyatt with Whiskey Run Rentals for a ride that blew our minds. About 15 minutes to Bandon is home to some of the best mountain biking trails in the world, so we were told, and rode.
Dirty and delighted we were ready to rest. We set up camp right back at Sunset Bay, a spot available on Hipcamp on Tim’s property. Highly recommend checking this out if you’re looking to camp.
Kelsey did some sleep talking about vans coming with people wanting to murder us which was kinda unsettling, but the ocean noise and barking sea lions under the stars somewhat coo’d us to sleep. Our last day involved the mecca.
The newest addition to Bandon Dunes is a 19 hole Par 3 course, Shorty’s. It’s set to open next year, and like Sheep Ranch, we were fortunate to get a behind the scenes of grow in. We met with our homie Michael Chupka ready to take it all in.
The end this trip and tale, we took our match to Bandon Preserve. Don’t overlook BP on your trip to the resort, it’s a hike worth doing with 13 aces to be tried. And we think, the best finishing hole on property, where we highly recommend a putter or driver.
Bandon is home now in more ways than golf. The Southern Oregon Coast is a place we can’t wait to get back to.
Many thanks to Travel Southern Oregon and Bandon Dunes for the life changing adventure.
For more on the area and the excursions, we’ve included links below. Let us know if you head out that way and shoot us some pics!
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https://travelsouthernoregoncoast.com/
https://www.bandondunesgolf.com/
https://www.ridetheoregondunes.com/
#spinwheelatv
https://sharkyscharterfishing.com/
https://baypointlanding.com/
https://www.sunsetbaygolf.net/
https://www.whiskeyrunrentals.com/
https://www.hipcamp.com/en-US/land/oregon-sunset-bay-meadows-88lhojd2
lieandloft.com // #golfishome
