“I’ve noticed more and more people I used to count on for 36 holes saying, ‘Uh, I don’t think I’ll play another 18."

Far be it for me to question Mike Keiser's business acumen, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around the concept of a $100, 13-hole par-3 course to compliment the full-length courses at Bandon Dunes. Thanks to reader Bob for Mike Stahlberg's story about the latest Coore-Crenshaw-The Boys addition to the resort

Featuring holes ranging from 65 to 180 yards in length, Bandon Preserve sits atop a swath of sand dunes that tumble toward the Pacific just west of the first tee at Bandon Trails.

The site is bounded by the beach on the west, Cut Creek on the north and McKee Preserve on the south.

The land affords some spectacular ocean views and contains “a lot of great golf terrain,” Keiser said.

That inviting terrain is the second reason, Keiser said, that he decided to build a par-3 for those “aging Boomers to have a golf experience in the afternoon.”

The Preserve course has already been roughed out and shaped.

After irrigation and drainage systems are installed, the goal is to have it seeded by June.
Public play is expected to begin in mid-2012.

“Now that we see how good it will be — because I think it’ll really be super, and much more popular than I ever thought — we’re going to charge a lot and give profits to the south coast conservation effort,” Keiser said.

“We think we’ll charge $100.”