| Old Bandon Golf Links preps for opening day
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| Photo by Steve McCasland
Old course to reopen
Local couple Troy and Kim Russell plan to reopen Bandon’s original golf course on Beach Loop Drive. The couple signed a two-year lease to operate the former Bandon Face Rock Golf Course, which had been closed in late 2007 by owners Margaret Miller and Jerry Brown. |
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By Steve McCasland
Staff Writer
Old Bandon Golf Links, Bandon’s newest — and oldest — golf course, will open later this month under new management.
Troy and Kim Russell have leased the former Bandon Face Rock Golf Course, 3235 Beach Loop Drive, from owners Margaret Miller and Jerry Brown after the latter closed it more than a year ago. The property had been on the market for a couple of years before being shuttered in November 2007.
“Margaret and Jerry were looking to open the course again and they asked me to help get it ready and playable,” Russell said last week.
That’s been no small task, as grass had grown tall and thick on the fairways and greens while the facility sat idle. Russell mowed and removed 500 bales of hay in November.
As the cleanup continued, the owners and the Russells talked about finding someone to manage the soon-to-be-reopened course.
“We came to an arrangement on a two-year lease agreement, during which time I and my wife, Kim, will operate it,” Russell said.
He went on to explain that even the course’s near future isn’t set in stone, as the owners still want to sell the property. The refurbishing and reopening could aid in that effort.
Background
Bandon Westmost Golf Course, which opened in the 1920s, closed for awhile during World War II, according to Don Goddard, a longtime local player.
“Then Dave Cox and his father bought it and renamed it Face Rock Golf Course after the war,” Goddard remembers. “They ran it for quite awhile, and I think there have been at least three owners since then. It’s a nice little course — good for seniors because it’s short — but can be a little tricky with that creek.”
Russell, now 50, was born in Myrtle Point and raised on North Bank Lane. He attended the old Riverton School for a time. He obtained a degree in horticulture with emphasis in turf management from Oregon State University in 1995.
He was recruited by Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, where he worked from 1997 to 2007 as the resort’s grounds superintendent.
In late 2007, Russell helped open a new golf course in Bend, then took a job as project manager/construction superintendent at a new course in Walla Walla, Wash.
At Old Bandon Golf Links, Russell has undertaken several projects at the course, including improving its drainage, removing trees and trimming gorse and brush.
The Russells are in the process of installing about a half-dozen new bunkers on the course. Although the length of the nine-hole course will remain unchanged, some of the yardages and green configurations are being adjusted.
“The older, regular customers won’t recognize it as quite the same course,” Russell said.
Additional changes have been made to the property, and more are in the works as Russell pursues the links-style experience that he envisions for customers.
“We’re trying to capture the old flavor of the course and retain the old-fashioned look of it,” he said.
Changes in clubhouse
The pro shop has been rearranged, and the deck on the south side of the clubhouse has been replaced with a patio.
The clubhouse now features high-definition television and a pool table, as well as “light fare.”
The old practice green north of the clubhouse will be replaced with a larger facility. The area around the former practice green will be available for family activities, like croquet or bocce ball.
“I want to put the fun back in golf and make it family friendly,” said Russell.
To that end, he’ll offer golfing couples who bring their children along a free round for one of the kids (age 15 or under).
Asked to explain the course’s new name — Old Bandon Golf Links — Russell said, “We’re trying to find our niche in the market. So, I contacted Chris McIntyre in San Diego, who reconditions and rents out sets of hickory golf clubs for special events. He was intrigued by the idea of supplying us with rental sets from the turn of the 20th century and from the 1920s — considered the golden age of golf course architecture.”
The company will supply Russell with old-style golf balls to go along with the vintage clubs, along with vintage golf apparel.
The Russells also have an agreement with Bandon Golf Supply and will carry modern golf accessories and clubs.
Memberships/rates
Old Bandon Golf Links will offer two levels of annual memberships, one allowing unlimited weekday-only play, the other unlimited play seven days a week. The annual weekday-only pass is priced at $900 (prorated to $675 this year), while the seven-day pass is set at $1,200 ($900 for 2009).
Regular rates for non-members are $18 for nine holes or $28 for 18 (twice around the nine-hole course).
Multiple-round punch card passes are also available.
“The annual memberships include social club membership,” Russell said. “The social club will have regular functions, like men’s night (perhaps involving a game of cards), ladies’ night, couples’ night (maybe a wine tasting) and family night (movies and popcorn).”
Those interested in memberships can attend the March 14 event. A grand opening will be planned at a later date.
For more information about Bandon’s newest — and oldest — golf course, call 329-1927.
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