Oregon Golf Course Reviews
Sheep Ranch Golf Course ReviewBandon, OR
72.1 rating; 122 slope |
Sheep Ranch Golf Scorecard from the longest tees as of the date of last review
More Great Golf Course Reviews:
Pebble Beach Golf Links | Chambers Bay Golf | Bandon Dunes | Old MacDonald | Bandon Trails
Pebble Beach Golf Links | Chambers Bay Golf | Bandon Dunes | Old MacDonald | Bandon Trails
Sheep Ranch Overview: The newest full length golf course at the resort, this is also the shortest and the easiest, with the (usually substantial) wind providing the stiffest challenge on a golf course with no sand bunkers. However, the average golfer should not confuse easier with easy as there are still a few golf holes and shots that can easily cause heartache, and a good short game is required to score. Beyond the discussion of challenge, there can be little doubt that Coore and Crenshaw designed one of the most spectacular walks in all of golf. There are spectacular ocean views from every golf hole and the routing, given the limited acreage, is nothing short of pure genius to not only get 18 holes in, but to do so in a manner where there are only a few forgettable ones. This golf course is also the perfect compliment to the other golf courses at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort as it provides a bit of a respite from the other four, much more difficult tests of golf, so here, the player can go full "Zen" and regain some confidence in their golf game. The best golf holes are reviewed below:
Sheep Ranch Hole 1: The first hole is considered by Bandon founder Mike Kaiser to be the best opening golf hole on property, and it's hard to argue against that. This par five is a dogleg left between some trees off the tee and then it opens up to a downhill vista with nothing but ocean and a green that appears to sit on it's edge. It isn't in reality, and there is a lot of room on this hole to be less than precise and still walk away with a par.
Sheep Ranch Hole 1: The first hole is considered by Bandon founder Mike Kaiser to be the best opening golf hole on property, and it's hard to argue against that. This par five is a dogleg left between some trees off the tee and then it opens up to a downhill vista with nothing but ocean and a green that appears to sit on it's edge. It isn't in reality, and there is a lot of room on this hole to be less than precise and still walk away with a par.
Sheep Ranch Hole 2: This golf course has a lot of short par fours where driver can get the player close to the green. However, all of these par fours have danger as well. The second hole features gorse and long grass covered sand dunes to the right and a very deep bunker left of the green that make errant shots pay. The tee shot will leave a pretty wide open approach to a slightly elevated green sloping strongly from back to front.
Sheep Ranch Hole 3: The first par three on the course is not very long, but the sand dune left-front of the green makes pins to the left side of the green much more interesting as the terrain over there is blind. The green is huge, like many at Sheep Ranch, so getting the mix of distance control and precise lines is key to avoid long putts.
Sheep Ranch Hole 4: A blind tee shot greets the golfer at this dogleg right par four. The best tee shot is down the right side of the fairway, but only to the extent that it can crest the hill; otherwise, another blind approach will be faced from there. Hitting it down the left will leave a longer play in but will also give visibility to the green. That putting surface is very deep so pin placement is key but shots can be run onto it and will generally roll left to right.
Sheep Ranch Hole 5: This par three is unique at Sheep Ranch as it is a long one. There isn't trouble in the way of scary hazards (unless one goes over the back of the green) but the length requires a really good strike to hit the green. Then, from there, the green is still huge, so a long putt is a very real possibility.
Sheep Ranch Hole 6: On a golf course with so much cliff/ocean frontage, there still has to be a peak, and the drive at the par four sixth hole is that peak. There are very few tee shots on earth that can rival the beauty of this one, mixed with the challenge of having to take an aggressive line to hit the fairway and leave a good angle to the green. The good news for the golfer is that you can go a mile left and probably still walk away with bogey, which really is one of the secrets as to how Sheep Ranch can play easier for the golfer who doesn't bring their A Game (and is cautious).
Sheep Ranch Hole 7 (left): Another short par three with great vistas, this one is a little downhill and the green runs away. The real danger is missing long but, in general, this is a great opportunity for a birdie or par if one can find the right section of the green.
Sheep Ranch Hole 8 (below): This par four features a tough drive with trouble in the form of gorse or trees on both sides of the fairway. The approach is devoid of trouble in the obvious form, but the green is very unique with a massive hump and tier that provide some nightmare chips and putts that don't find the correct part of the green.
Sheep Ranch Hole 8 (below): This par four features a tough drive with trouble in the form of gorse or trees on both sides of the fairway. The approach is devoid of trouble in the obvious form, but the green is very unique with a massive hump and tier that provide some nightmare chips and putts that don't find the correct part of the green.
Sheep Ranch Hole 9: The closing hole to the front nine is as far away from the clubhouse as possible, but is a great par four along the edge of the property. Going left is a very bad idea, from tee to green, but a good drive is required to leave a shorter approach to the green (without going too far right into the gorse). There is the ability to run a shot in from a long way, but the contours of the fairway will pull everything left as well so caution is urged.
Sheep Ranch Hole 11: It is odd that a course filled of ocean holes might find it's most unique one at the point furthers from the cliffs but this par five is very unique. Forested on both sides (the only hole like that), this par five doglegs left and then turns uphill between two sandy looking hills up to a plateau green that is large and contoured. Truly unique, this par five is a challenge on all three shots, but very rewarding when played well.
Sheep Ranch Hole 13: The second of two par fives on the back nine features a tee shot that has a very wide landing area so the player can definitely give it their all here. The green complex is, however, quite tricky. Set in an amphitheater of gorse, the putting surface is fronted by a deep ledge and grass bunker area as well. Thus, accuracy, distance control and soft landing shots are needed here to score well.
Sheep Ranch Hole 14: This par four features a blind tee shot up over two large humps. The best drive goes over the right of the left hump to leave a shorter shot and better angle to the green, but left of that hump is trouble. Going right will leave a longer and more uphill shot to a fairly narrow green with steep slopes down to the left.
Sheep Ranch Hole 15: Not a particularly uniquely designed hole (but still beautiful), this par far just runs along the cliff and is short enough to reach with a big drive in the right wind. The green is up against the cliff and is quite undulating, leaving tough up and downs for the golfer who bails out to the right on the first or second shots.
Sheep Ranch Hole 16: It is tough to come up with a signature hole with so many memorable shots, but this par thee, given it's absurdly cool location out on the point with cliffs left and behind, is the winner for Coore/Crenshaw. Ironically, I think it is actually the dune to the right that claims more victims than the cliffs to the left, but this hole again has a huge green so distance control is another important factor beyond navigating the obvious hazards.
Sheep Ranch Hole 17: The "ghost tree" was made famous by the 3rd hole at Old MacDonald, and is my favorite insignia at the resort. But if that is a "healthy" ghost tree, the hunkered down and hobbled versions sitting along the cliffs of the 17th at Sheep Ranch are almost as memorable as if they have been beaten down by the ageless winds that batter the coastline. The short par four on which they sit is another one along the cliffs and, while not long, again requires accuracy to avoid a final plunge to a hazard filled bogey or worse.
Sheep Ranch Hole 18: The final hole of the day, as I understand it, is a nod to the short length and "kind" routing that is Sheep Ranch. Designed really as a long and punishing par four (which it really would be), Mike Keiser suggested a short par five instead, which the purist in me doesn't like, but the artist in me does, as it gives the golfer one last chance to feel good and to finish strong. The drive is super wide open the player generally just must avoid going left from tee to green. The putting surface is wide and deep but negotiating the final hole for par is easy.
