Sheep Ranch: "Home to moody atmospherics unlike those of any other Bandon course."

Golf’s Josh Sens had the tough task of trekking to Bandon Dunes in a time of pandemic to scout out the new Sheep Ranch, debuting June 1. The Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw design replaces Tom Doak’s previous iteration of the course and features dramatic clifftop holes but little sand.

Sens writes:

It’s silly to think that Sheep Ranch will be anything but Bandon’s most sought after tee time throughout this year, and likely beyond, and that’s not due to its newness alone. The seaside holes are a powerful magnet, as is the uniqueness of the design and setting, with unruly grass bunkers in lieu of sand bunkers, and dead trees known as snags that look like ghostly gunslingers, dotting the property here and there. The Sheep Ranch is home to moody atmospherics unlike those of any other Bandon course.

Will design aficionados find cause to ding it? Maybe so. Some might gripe about the lack of bunkers (what, no sand to frame your tee shots?) or the cozy confines of the routing, which, compared to some of Bandon’s other courses, lessens the sense that you’re on a journey, transitioning from one world to the next. But design aficionados assessing courses can sound like art-house critics reviewing Marvel movies: out of touch with popular tastes.

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