The only one of Bandon Dunes' five 18-hole courses that isn't immediately adjacent to the Pacific coastline, Bandon Trails scores points other ways, taking players on a fantastic journey through three distinct ecosystems. The course starts in serious sand dunes, then turns inward toward meadows and dense Oregon rainforest, climbing toward an upper section at holes nine through 13. Fourteen is a love-it-or-hate-it par 4 to a thumb of a green personally fashioned by Crenshaw that can be driven with an unerring tee shot off a high bluff, dropping the holes back to the meadows and ultimately to the dunes at 17 and 18. Bump-and-run is the name of the game, but the structure of each hole requires thoughtful bumps and targeted runs. Bandon Trails is the favorite course of many Bandon Dunes frequenters, and for the first time in our rankings, it sits ahead of Old Macdonald, passing its neighbor to sit in its highest spot on our list in its history.
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