Bandon Dunes at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon

Bandon Dunes golf course is the original links opened in 1998 at the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort on the west coast of southern Oregon.

The course was designed by David McKlay Kidd, who has since gone on to build the Castle Course at St. Andrews and Tetherow Golf Club in Bend, Oregon, among others.

Most of the course overlooks the sea, especially the green of the par-4 fourth hole, and the fifth plays right along the coast before heading into a corridor of gorse. The most stunning hole is the 16th, playing along rocky cliffs overlooking the coast. Depending on the wind and the tees, it's also drivable.

Like Pacific Dunes right next door, the wind determines how the course plays. Fairways are wide, with pot bunkers littered among them. Greens are planted with firm, fescue grasses promoting a ground game. Lies are tight around the greens so it's difficult to hit flop shots.