Old MacDonald ****½
Opened in 2010 and ostensibly a homage to Charles Blair MacDonald, an early advocate of bringing the best from the legendary Scottish courses to the New World, this is an unbelievable tour de force. Keiser rates Macdonald as his favourite architect, with National Golf Links of America his favourite course.
While officially the work of Jim Urbina, "Old Mac" was essentially designed by committee, although it hasn’t proved to be the disaster that that implies. Instead, of all the courses here, this is the closest to providing a truly authentic Scottish experience. Coming over the top of the hill on the third, by the blasted tree, one is treated to a view that could be 400 years old. You can see almost the entire course and everyone on it, with stick figures moving slowly among the dunes and the sea in the distance.
If ever a course dispelled the notion of “fairways and greens”, it's this one. The fairways are huge, the greens are enormous, but hit either in the wrong place and you can forget about par. If ever a course brought back what golf was originally all about, it’s this one. Anyone can play, almost no one loses a ball, and the good player will always prevail. I’d say that Old Mac was the focus of more 19th hole discussions than any other, but take my word for it – this is what you will remember when the views have faded. It is also the most popular course at Bandon. Surprise, surprise, it turns out fun is popular.
Par 71. Yardage: 6,978.
Designed by Jim Urbina.
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