Is Herb Kohler Looking To Buy Oregon Property From A Crook?

Matty G reports that the Whistling Straits developer and Pete Dye recently made a trip to Bandon Dunes and also stopped in at a site south of the resort to look at the Crook family land that has long been considered for a development.

Keiser, the owner of Bandon Dunes, which will unveil its fifth course in 2012, was not aware that Kohler had been to Bandon Dunes, or that the Prince of Porcelain was interested in property nearby. “This would be a good thing,” Keiser says. “I don’t fear competition; it makes everyone better, and it would improve infrastructure to the area.”
 
Keiser assumes the property Kohler is looking at is Crook Point south of Pistol River, which is a six-mile stretch of coastal land that Keiser once considered for his dream destination. “It’s drop-dead gorgeous,” he says. But it’s also even more remote than Bandon Dunes.
 
Bill Crook and family have been working on the planned development of 440 acres, 27 holes of golf, a lodge with 175 overnight units, spa and an equestrian center for a few years. At the end of last year they had made progress with local government, meeting and tweaking various conditions to their plans. Perry Dye, Pete’s son, was thought to be the architect of the golf courses, but if Kohler were to buy this property, or potentially another one in the area, it’s clear he prefers working with Pete, who built all four of Kohler’s courses at Whistling Straits.