Bandon & Southern Oregon

Simply put, what was once little more than fishing, lumberyards and one of the West's larger ports in Coos Bay, the southern Oregon coast has emerged as one of the world's top golf destinations. We're talking about Bandon Dunes, where owner Mike Keiser (who made his fortunes on the greeting card industry) sought out America's most spectacular oceanfront property worthy of the continent's rare pure links golf location.

Bandon Dunes Resort has four courses, three of which are pure links courses overlooking the Pacific Ocean. They represent modern-but-throwback design styles that make the scenery is as good as you'll find on a golf course in the world.

The original course, Bandon Dunes, opened in 1998 and was designed by Scotsman David McLay Kidd. It was soon upstaged by Pacific Dunes, designed by Tom Doak and ranked by many publications as America's top public golf course. Bandon Trails, a Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw design starts in dunes before weaving into the tall pines of the northwest then back out of the woods on the last hole. A fourth championship course, Old Macdonald, was added in 2010 and features a collection of links holes inspired by some of the game's classic designs.

With so many golfers making the trek to the region, other golf courses have piggybacked off the golf explosion. Bandon Crossings is a new inland beauty that is a fraction of the cost. Old Bandon Golf Links is a revamped, historic nine-hole course that encourages walking. And a golf course few know about is Sheep Ranch, a private, informal course that is invite-only and features a collection of holes on the coast, including a par-3 shot over the ocean.

In southwest Oregon surrounding the region's largest city, Medford, there are more options. With a climate drier than most of western Oregon, it's sunnier than the Willamette Valley, making for ideal year-round golf conditions. Among its jewels is Eagle Point Golf Course, a 1996 Robert Trent Jones Jr. design that was named one of the top golf courses in Oregon.

Near Grants Pass you'll find Grants Pass Golf Club, a semi-private facility that dates back to 1946, and just a few miles away is Dutcher Creek, considered one of the best values in southern Oregon. In Klamath Falls are a couple of 18-hole layouts, including Shield Crest Golf Course, with great views of Shasta Mountain.