Love Letter To: Bandon Dunes

I never really understood it. The way people spoke about Bandon Dunes.

It always felt a little too good to be true. I've been fortunate enough to have experienced some of the best courses in the world—Augusta, Pebble, Shinnecock—but the way people wax poetic about Bandon often comes with a different air.

Without even trying, there's always a layer of numinous intent to their words, as if whatever they experienced was truly otherworldly. Their eyes gloss over ever so slightly. Their words come out a touch breathless, as if they're recounting the memories right then and there. I could never quite put my finger on it, but I knew that I had to experience it someday.

And someday came, along with the opportunity to bear witness to the 125th staging of the U.S. Women's Amateur. Covering women's golf in one of the most sacred places in our sport—it was the opportunity of a lifetime.

Photography captured by Matt Hennelly.

The lore of Bandon stretches beyond its town boundaries, the very process of getting there is an experience within itself.

As a resident of New York, I'm accustomed to catching direct flights to almost everywhere—just not to Bandon, Oregon. I opted to go the route of taking a direct to Portland and making the five(ish)-hour drive down the coast, because when you find yourself in the Pacific Northwest you seize every opportunity to catch a glimpse of where mountains, forest, and beach collide.

We made pit stops along the way in twee little beach towns, grabbing meals at local fish markets and trinkets at the town store (singular, not plural).

My little east coast mind was blown. The PNW is exactly what Earth should look like, you know?

The drive down is worth every moment. With a good car companion and a solid playlist, the time will go by with a blink of an eye.

And then the real magic begins. Once you make that turn onto resort property and you're winding up this unmarked two-lane road for what feels like miles, before seeing all the different lodges and cottages. The excitement builds with each structure passing, foreshadowing what's ahead.

The staff welcome you with big toothy grins, cheerfulness radiating from within no matter the time of day. And each person that worked there always said the same thing, "is this your first time here"? And if you utter a yes, there immediate response is "Oh, just you wait".

I started off my Bandon experience with a high—a 7 a.m. tee time at Pacific Dunes with my playing partners Michel Chupka the Director of Communications for Bandon, Tom Ferrell of Dream Golf, and Tom's caddie, Julie.

Three of the most lovely human beings, who walked me through every slope and blade of grass on the magnificent course.

When you walk up the second fairway to the green, you can hear the waves of the Pacific crashing. Satly air whooshes through the morning breeze. I had officially left my body.

In that very moment I understood it. All the breathlessness, all the riddles that people spoke in when referring to this magical place, because it's exactly like that. It's what every golfer imagines when they dream up a course in their minds.

While being caught in awe, my mind still drifted towards thoughts of my dad. The person who introduced me to this game and taught me how to love it. He always had hopes and aspirations that my golf game would take me around the world and earn me a dollar or two. (He wasn't far off.) But ultimately, he understood that golf's power rests in it's connection to the mind.

It's been six years since his passing, and each time I step on a course I feel his warmth.

He was our omnipresent fourth at Pac. It was like I could hear his smile through the waves.

Maybe it's just me, but it was difficult to not get a touch emotional at Bandon.

Over the course of the 49 holes of golf I played, each different track evoked a different emotion. A small stir of nostalgia. Gratitude. Some frustration (the courses are tricky). Wonderment. I've never felt more connected to myself, my game, and to a course—it was pure.

Not just because the tawny fairways are manicured to a tee, but rather, this felt like a golf trip in its finest form. I'd wake up and just go play. No warm up. Just a good time walking around and hacking it. It was simple, as golf should be.

I can't remember the last time I was so dialed in on the game. Between playing my own rounds to going out and watching the talented ams who were experiencing the U.S. Women's Amateur in such a magical setting go head-to-head—it was golf, eat, sleep, repeat.

Oh, and the championship. I mean talk about a grind. Seeing the joy radiating off of U.S. Women's Amateur winner Megha Ganne and her family was truly something special. You can tell what this kind of experience means to all of them—and arguably, that was the coolest part.

There wasn't just one moment that stood out from my first trip to Bandon Dunes. I wouldn't change a singular thing. I experienced Bandon the way I was always meant to. With the exact people I encountered, for such a specific occasion—the stars were aligned and a huge piece of me was healed.

Bandon reinvigorated my love for the game, not playing it, but seeing what golf in its truest form looks like, and that's always centered around connecting with yourself, those you play with, and of course, the environment in which you play.