Oregon Drift

By John Gunter, Sports Editor

I didn’t need a good and/or lucky omen to know that the new course at Bandon Dunes was going to be special.

I’ve been following the plans for Old Macdonald since the announcement of the course in 2007. I learned about Charles Blair Macdonald, the classic architect the course is named for. I walked holes under construction with resort owner Mike Keiser and course architects Tom Doak and Jim Urbina. I had a chance to play the 10 preview holes last summer.

I knew Old Macdonald was going to be a hit long before I played it last week in preparation for our preview package.

Of course, it didn’t hurt my perception of the course at all when I birdied the first hole, hitting a drive down the center of the fairway and a wedge to 15 feet and then sinking the putt.

And I wasn’t upset when I took three putts on each of the next four holes. A lot of people will do that on the huge, undulating greens.

As the day wore on, and the clouds threatened — though they only spit a few sprinkles my way — I continued hitting the ball well. The three-putts added up, so did a few lost balls. But I managed pars on a trio of downwind par-4s and bogeys on a few others.

I may never shoot another round like I did last week. I made the turn in 46 and followed that with a 48. My 94 is easily the best score I’ve ever had on any of the resort’s courses.

I know I played well, because Old Macdonald has all the features to induce high scores.

To say that the greens are immense would be an understatement. I’ve said more than once that you could put a Wal-Mart on the eighth green. That’s an exaggeration, of course, but throw in the many slopes and other features of the greens three- and even four-putts will be plentiful.

The wind will wreak havoc on many shots, though I got lucky when I played and the breeze was out of the south instead of the typical prevailing north wind this time of year.

And the bunkers are many and varied — some blowouts, some carefully groomed and some steep enough that the designers used railroad ties to shore up the slope.

The bottom line is that Old Macdonald is a fun course.

It’s easy to find the fairway off the tee.

The huge greens are easier to hit.

And if you ever find yourself in Hell Bunker on No. 6 or the pot bunker on the Road Hole, remember that the game’s best players have faced the same shots at St. Andrews.

Early indications are that Old Macdonald will become the favorite course for visitors to the resort. I’m not ready to make that assessment.

I’ve always had a fond spot in my heart for Bandon Dunes, because it was the initial gamble by owner Mike Keiser that led to the rest of the development and put Bandon on the map for golfers throughout the United States.

I love the uniqueness of Bandon Trails, which has a very different feel from the others because it is away from the ocean. The meadow holes on a summer day remind me of working at Boy Scout camp in the Cascade Mountains for several summers two decades ago.

But my favorite always has been Pacific Dunes, which has a rugged, but beautiful nature. On a calm day, it might play easiest of the four courses because it’s shortest. On a windy day, it might be toughest because the fairways are narrower, which brings more gorse into play — witness my recent 122 on the course.

Like Old Macdonald, Pacific Dunes was designed by Doak, with Urbina serving as his field general, spending about 180 days over two winters working on the course.

Ken Brooke, the resort’s director of caddie services, told me recently that while Bandon Dunes feels like Scotland and Pacific Dunes feels like Ireland, Old Macdonald feels like St. Andrews, the birthplace of golf.

It’s big. It’s bold. And it’s fun.

And even if I never duplicate my score there, I’m going to have a blast trying.