Designer: Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw (2020)
Location: Bandon, Oregon
History: The story of Sheep Ranch begins with Mike Keiser, an entrepreneur who set out to find links land to build a golf course on the West Coast. His vision came to fruition with David McLay Kidd’s 1999 award-winning design, Bandon Dunes. Within a dozen years, there were four championship courses on property (Pacific Dunes, Bandon Dunes, Bandon Trails, Old Macdonald) and Bandon Dunes had become arguably the best golf resort in the world.
Sheep Ranch is built on the northernmost property of Bandon Dunes on land that was a failed wind farm from the 1970s. Keiser initially intended this property to be a private course built by Tom Doak and Jim Urbina, but the plan never materialized and the course was left abandoned in 2001 after the duo had built 13 greens along the coastline. This primitive course with minimal maintenance was open to certain guests throughout the years but wasn’t talked about much or publicly available. In 2018, Keiser tasked Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw to build an 18-hole public course on the land and Sheep Ranch opened in 2020. Like all courses at Bandon, Sheep Ranch has won numerous accolades:
- #167 Best Course in America – Golf Digest (2025)
- #31 Best Modern Course in America – Golfweek (2025)
- #27 Best Public Course in America – Golf Digest (2025)
- #24 Best Public Course in America – Golf Magazine (2024)
- #13 Best Public Course in America – Golfweek (2024)
- #13 Best Resort Course in America – Golfweek (2025)
- #5 Best Course in Oregon – Golf Digest (2025)
- #5 Best Course in Oregon – Golf Magazine (2024)
- #7 Best Course in Oregon – Top100golfcourses.com (2024)
- #5 Best Public Course in Oregon – Golfweek (2025)
Conditions: 8/10, The conditioning at Bandon is dependent on time of year and aeration schedule, but Sheep Ranch was in the worst shape of the championship courses when we played in October. The course played firm and fast but had slower and bumpier greens.
Value: 6/10, Bandon doesn’t quite gouge you on prices as much as other top public courses, with rates ranging from $120 to $370 depending on the month. As always, the second round of the day is half price and the third round is free!
Scorecard:
Tee Par Yardage Rating Slope
Black 72 6636 71.9 121
Green 72 6245 70.0 116
Gold 72 5810 67.9 109
Orange 72 5144 69.8 112
Royal Blue 72 3943 62.8 99
Hole Descriptions: In a way, I almost feel bad for Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw at Sheep Ranch. Not only were they given the unenviable task of following four consensus top 100 courses at the Resort, they were also given the smallest, most exposed property as well. In order to combat these limitations, Coore and Crenshaw did several interesting things at Sheep Ranch that make it unique. For starters, it is the shortest and easiest course at Bandon and features an unorthodox par 34-38 routing including three par threes in the first 7 holes. In order to further conserve space, the holes are generally close together and there are three shared teeboxes and one shared green. Perhaps most interestingly, Sheep Ranch contains no bunkers because apparently the property is too windy and the sand would’ve blown away. I don’t quite buy this excuse as the Scots and Irish solved this issue over a century ago with limited technology and the lack of bunkers here makes the course feel a bit “incomplete” at times.
Despite these shortcomings, Sheep Ranch does have a number of strengths. Chief among these is unbelievable visual appeal, with gorgeous views of the Pacific and numerous excellent holes playing up against the cliffs. In this regard, I’d say it is in the same league as both Pacific Dunes and Bandon Dunes and is easily one of the most stunning courses in America. I’d also argue that Sheep Ranch is an incredibly fun golf course. At just under 6700 yards from the Black Tees with a slope of 121, it is a pleasant walk and a place for higher handicappers to make some birdies and not lose too many balls. While better golfers may appreciate the challenges and strategy at the other courses more, the playability and views at Sheep Ranch will win over more casual golfers and this was apparent in our groups’ rankings at the end of the week. Overall, I’d say this is objectively the worst of the five championship courses at Bandon, but that is more so due to the strength of the other courses than any major shortcomings here. This is certainly a top 100 public course in America and well-worth a play when at Bandon.
Mike Keiser smartly built the clubhouses at Bandon inland, leaving the best coastline property for the golf. In doing so, however, the opening holes at the Resort often act as transition holes and are usually not that memorable. While the opening hole at Sheep Ranch does begin at the clubhouse, it takes you all the way down to the Ocean and is probably the best opening hole at Bandon. At 549 yards, this majestic par 5 begins with a semi-blind teeshot to a generous fairway lined by gorse. This fairway gently bends to the left and features a significant downhill slope the entire way, providing extra roll to golfers. A gorgeous downhill approach awaits towards a green sitting up against the coastline. While there are obviously no greenside bunkers, there is plenty of danger here with a false front, cliff long, and a clever plateau of fairway to the left that leaves an awkward chip.
The 2nd hole offers a good birdie opportunity as a 318 yard dogleg right par 4. With a helping wind, longer hitters should certainly think about going for this green, but for most golfers, the ideal play is something down the left to avoid the right gorse. This elevated green is huge and slopes both back-to-front and left-to-right with deep grassbunkers on either side.
The 3rd hole is the shortest on the course as an 120 yard par 3. Featuring a very pretty approach with the Pacific Ocean in the backdrop, this front-to-back sloped green is huge and lined by tall mounds of fescue and gorse. A steep slope connects the hidden 16th green long, but it is not a true double green as local rules make you take your ball off the 16th green and replace it on the fringe during daily play.
While Sheep Ranch is shorter and easier than its sister courses, there are some longer par fours beginning with the 474 yard 4th. Playing back inland, this lengthy dogleg right contains an extremely generous but bumpy fairway that turns right around 260 yards. While it will be near impossible to lose a ball here, you’ll likely face a lengthy approach into a severely left-to-right sloped green with two tiers. The length and difficult green make par a great score here.
The 5th hole is the longest par 3 on the course playing back towards the water at 198 yards. This hole will play difficult in strong winds, but features a large, flat green and is an overall forgettable hole.
At 460 yards, the par 4 6th is almost certainly the best and most memorable hole at Sheep Ranch and one of the best holes at the Resort. A stunning Cape hole that bends around the coastline, this dogleg right features a heroic teeshot that must carry the cliffs and rewards those who are aggressive. While a miss to the right is lost to the beach, any overcorrection and miss through the fairway or left will leave a very difficult lie on the sidehill of thick rough. Even those in the fairway face a daunting approach running uphill towards a back-to-front sloped, elevated green.
The 7th hole is another pretty but somewhat mundane par 3 playing along the cliffside at 155 yards. This hole plays slightly downhill towards a front-to-back sloped green and feels a bit cramped between other holes.
Playing back inland, the 8th is one of the better holes on the course as a 429 yard par 4. It’s a bit unclear where to aim on this teeshot, but anything straight towards the ghost tree is a good line. Thick pockets of gorse line this fairway on either side and will lead to a lost ball. This fairway turns sharply to the right at around 290 yards, and anything short of this leaves another semi-blind shot into a large, very wide green containing several mounds.
The 9th hole plays alongside the 8th and back towards the water as a slight dogleg left 399 yard par 4. Featuring an exhilarating teeshot over a chasm of gorse, this hole features OB down the left the entire way and gorse beginning down the right around 240 yards. There’s a crest in this fairway and the approach runs downhill towards a front-to-back sloped infinity green directly on the cliffs. I thought this was a fabulous hole and quite underrated when talking about the best holes at the Resort.
While only 390 yards, the 10th hole played fiercely into the wind both times we played it and much longer. This straightaway par 4 features an extremely wide fairway with plenty of bumps and hollows so golfers can swing away here with little fear. The approach plays slightly uphill towards a tricky green set into the hillside that slopes back right-to-front left.
At 529 yards, the 11th hole plays the furthest inland back towards the clubhouse and is similar to what you find at Bandon Trails. This dogleg left par 5 begins with a generous fairway lined by tall pines on either side. The defining feature of this hole is a pair of rugged mounds that constrict the fairway to almost nothing about 100 yards short of the green. The green then sits well-above these mounds in sort of a natural amphitheater and slopes back-to-front with a back left hump. The beauty of these mounds is that they give the golfer a lot to think about on their second shot. A lay-up short is probably the smart play, but doing so leaves a completely blind uphill approach. I am quite fond of this hole and it feels like more of a natural closer than the nearby 18th.
If the holes were ever rearranged to make 11 the closer, the 12th would be a solid opening hole as a 440 yard par 4. Playing straightaway and downhill back towards the water, this strong hole features a generous fairway lined by rough on both sides. This green is on the narrower side and contains a front right depression.
The 13th hole is a risk/reward 510 yard par 5 playing back inland with yet another enormous fairway. While there’s ample room down the right, golfers looking to cut off some distance here should flirt with the waste areas and mounds down the left. This approach is quite good to a severely back-to-front sloped green lined by thick gorse left and long and a valley of rough and grass bunker short.
Somewhat reminiscent of the 9th hole at Pacific Dunes yet with only one green, the 14th hole is a 403 yard dogleg left par 4. While the fairway is quite wide here again, it contains numerous undulations with a steep drop off on the right and better rollout and angles for those that stay left. This green is slightly raised and slopes back-to-front.
Sheep Ranch closes with a flurry of shorter holes along the cliffside that offer memorable views and a good chance to finish strong. The first of these holes is the 15th, a 321 yard straightaway par 4. This hole is simplistic but effective with an initially wide fairway lined by cliff left that narrows as you near the green. Longer hitters may think about going for the green here, but it sits directly on the cliffside and is a dangerous target. Laying up is probably the smart option but a pesky and deep grassbunker sits around 220 yards in the middle of the fairway directly where most golfers aim. This putting surface is probably the best and most interesting on the course, with a severe back-to-front tilt and a vertical ridge, essentially dividing the surface into thirds. Any putt from the wrong side of this ridge is quite challenging.
The 16th hole is almost certainly the best and most memorable par 3 on the course hugging the cliffside at 151 yards. With the Ocean to your left and tall mounds of gorse down the right, this is an intimidating shot into a right-to-left sloped, large green that’s connected to the 3rd. Located on Five-Mile Point, this is supposedly the westernmost green in the continental U.S.!
There’s room for an epic 17th teebox directly behind the 16th green, but for pace of play and safety reasons, the actual 17th teebox is up a hill to the right. At 326 yards, this is another short, risk/reward par 4 and plays as a slight dogleg left with a tighter fairway. While there’s ample room down the right, the cliffs run down the left the entire way. Like the 15th, this green is difficult, playing narrow and nearly 50 yards long with two deep, vertical swales running through its surface.
You turn away from the Ocean and back towards the clubhouse with the 464 yard par 5 18th. This is probably the easiest hole on the course and plays uphill the entire way with a generous fairway dotted with grassbunkers. The approach continues uphill to a large, wide green that slopes mostly back-to-front with several mounds. I would say this is a pretty weak hole that would be better suited moving up a teebox and playing as a tough, long par 4.
General Comments: Sheep Ranch is the only course at Bandon with its own range and it is certainly sufficient and much quieter than the huge practice area at the center of the Resort. The short, compact property makes this the easiest walk here and like all courses, caddies are optional but available.
Although the high quality golf is clearly the draw at Bandon, I really can’t say enough good things about the Resort as a whole. From the cozy, yet not over-the-top lodging, excellent food, friendly staff, and convenient shuttle system, this is truly a golfer’s paradise and the cream of the crop when it comes to golf resorts. It is definitely worth the long journey to get here.
Verdict: Sheep Ranch is probably the least impressive championship course at Bandon Dunes, but that has more to do with the strength of the other courses than any deficiencies here. The views are phenomenal and this unique bunkerless course is very playable and friendly to the higher handicapper.
