Brandon Dunes Greens 'Not Up to Our Standards' But Will Recover

Unprecedented rain has yielded less-than-ideal conditions.

Bandon Dunes / Tom Hauck/GettyImages

Bandon Dunes, host of the 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur and one of the most revered golf destinations in the United States, has been put under the social-media microscope this week after several guests complained about the green conditions on multiple holes.

When reached for comment, Bandon Dunes Director of Communication Michael Chupka admitted some greens, "are not up to our standards" but vowed they will recover. He also added the course is providing current guests additional discounts on greens fees.

"Our team does an incredible job maintaining great conditions during the winter months, but we absolutely recognize that some of the green conditions on Bandon Dunes are not up to our standards," Chupka said. "We are extending a 25 percent discount on Bandon Dunes while we transition out of the winter season and are very confident we'll get them back to what our guest have come to expect for the past 25 years."

Located in a remote area along the Oregon coastline, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort has developed into something of a Mecca for golfers around the world. All five of its course ranked inside the Top 20 of Golf Digest's Best Public Golf Courses in 2023, highlighted by Pacific Dunes and Bandon Dunes, ranked No. 2 and 8 respectively.

That's what made this week's social media firestorm so surprising. Photos of several greens in poor condition on the Pacific and Bandon courses were posted on Reddit and X. The greens photographed have large areas of patchy grass.

The primary culprit for the poor greens is rain. Bandon has had 40 inches of rain this year, which Chupka called "unprecedented."

Because of the poor greens on some of the holes, the resort is currently offering a 25 percent discount on Bandon Dunes. March rates are $175, half of the summer months, when Chupka expects the greens will be back to expectations.

"We've always been a seasonal destination that has dealt with weather and our rates reflect that," Chupka said. "We are extending a 25 percent discount on Bandon Dunes while we transition out of the winter season and are very confident we'll get them back to what our guest have come to expect for the past 25 years."

Brian Giuffra is an editor at The Big Lead.