Bandon Dunes voted USA’s No 1

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November 4, 2011

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon has replaced California’s Pebble Beach as North America’s No 1 golf resort.

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort on the southern end of the Oregon coast has replaced Northern California’s Pebble Beach as North America’s No 1 golf resort.

That’s according to the latest Top-75 resorts in North America rankings published by the well-respected Golf Digest magazine in it’s November edition.

Bandon Dunes, which opened for the first time in 1999, was ranked at No 3 behind the World famous Pebble Beach and No 2 Sea Island in Georgia on Golf Digest’s previous rankings list published 2009.

“Obviously, we’re very pleased,” said an overjoyed Hank Hickox, Bandon Dune’s general manager. “Everybody is very excited about receiving this recognition.”

Following the opening of the Bandon Dunes course at the luxury resort, a second course, Pacific Dunes was added in 2001, a Bandon Trails course in 2005 and finally the Old Macdonald in 2010.

In August this year, all four courses were ranked by Golf magazine and placed on its top 100 courses in the United States list and the resort now plans to build a short course with 13, par-3 holes next year, and to then add a 5th full-sized championship course.

Golf Digest, which ranks courses by surveying its course-ratings panel as well as more than 1,000 “avid players”, had Bandon Dunes at No. 2 in 2006, and No. 3 in ’09 behind Pebble Beach and No. 2 Sea Island in Georgia.

“I think we’ve always felt happy to be in the company of so many other great golf resorts,” Hickox said. “We know that every day you’ve got to earn your stripes. We’re committed to the everyday process of creating fond memories for our customers.”

Golf Digest, which says it ranks courses by surveying its course-ratings panel as well as more than 1,000 “avid players” – had Bandon Dunes at No. 2 in 2006, and No. 3 in ’09 behind Pebble Beach and No. 2 Sea Island in Georgia.

It is interesting to note how high up on the Top 100 Public Golf Courses ratings list as published in May that courses at the Bandon Dunes resort rate.

Golf Digest’s rankings list of Top 100 Public courses (as opposed to resorts) has the Pebble Beach Links as the No 1 course, but the Bandon Dunes courses, Pacific Dunes, is at No 2, the original Bandon Dunes course at No 7 and Bandon Trails at No 14.

Pebble Beach resorts second best course, Spyglass Hill, was meanwhile rated at No 11 on the top 100 Public Course..

And the top courses in North America, regardless of whether they are private and closed to the public, or open to all?

Which are they?

The number one of these is exclusive Augusta National in Georgia where you won’t make it past the front gate unless you are one of it’s a male only members or an invited guest of a member.

Number two is the Pine Valley Golf Club, which like Augusta, Shinnecock Hills at No 3, Oakmont Country Club at No 4 and Cypress Point Club at No 5 are also exclusive, private clubs.

Pebble Beach Links at No 6 is the top Public Course on this list.

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