Bandon Dunes’ Bally Bandon Sheep Ranch to Open in 2020

More than 15 years in the making, the Bally Bandon Sheep Ranch is excited to announce it will be opening to the golfing public in 2020.

Co-founded by Phil Friedmann and Mike Keiser, the Bally Bandon Sheep Ranch has for many years been a mysterious golf landscape on the ocean just north of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. Originally designed by Tom Doak in 2001 while he worked on Pacific Dunes, the property featured 13 greens without a set routing, allowing golfers to choose the next green after each hole. The concept was long thought of as a fun placeholder and will finally be renovated for full public use as a complete 18-hole course complimenting the adjacent Bandon Dunes Resort.

“It has been wonderful to have this incredibly special golf experience for so many years but now is the time to share this truly magical place with lovers of the game,” stated Friedmann. “The tradition of golf as it was meant to be will continue. It will blow your mind.”

Hired to design the 18-hole layout was the trusted world-class team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. Bill and Ben have a long history of working with Keiser dating back to 2005 at Bandon Trails, Bandon Preserve (2012), Cabot Cliffs (2016), Sand Valley (2017), and The Sandbox, the latest par-3 design at Sand Valley Resort in 2018. What is it that keeps Mike coming back to them?

“They are great listeners,” said Keiser. “Their design of the Sheep Ranch is truly brilliant.”

“Coore and Crenshaw solved the riddle of the perfect routing. There are nine greens that will be perched atop the cliffs along the Pacific coastline and all 18-holes have stunning ocean views,” shared Friedmann.

A Par-71, 7000-yard layout with over a mile of ocean frontage will meld the perfect balance of stunning views, playability, and links golf challenges.

“We are incredibly honored to have been chosen for this project by Phil and Mike,” said Bill Coore. “The property has some of the most magnificent natural contours for golf that I have ever seen.”

Centered around 5-Mile Point, the Sheep Ranch is absolutely ideal for links golf.

“The movement of the coastline as it bends its way toward the point will tease golfers with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, dramatic sea stacks to the west, and the challenge of choosing your line of flight” said Coore.

Preview play opportunities and the official opening date are being determined.

When asked how the Bally Bandon Sheep Ranch will compare to its neighboring courses Phil responded, “the Sheep Ranch sits on incredibly special coastal linksland, and as Mike said the design is brilliant. With all of the ocean views, I would say it will soon be judged the best course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.”

Learn more about Sheep Ranch.

---

To learn more about the best golf travel destinations, visit out TRAVEL THE WORLD PAGE.

Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.