Million Air Summer 2021

EXPLORE 20TH ANNIVERSARY GUIDE TO RESPONSIBLE LUXURY

Golf courses

Over the last 20 years, dozens of exceptional golf courses have been built, many of which immediately landed on respected lists of the world’s top layouts. Rather than replicating those efforts, this assemblage of courses spotlights some of the most significant to be built in the past two decades. From resort courses in Florida that look and play nothing like a typical Sunshine State course, to a captivating northern Pacific layout that proves a world-class course can exist without a sand bunker, the following eight properties are among the most influential to open in the past 20 years.

by Shaun Tolson

PACIFIC DUNES, BANDON DUNES RESORT OREGON, USA

As the second course to open at Bandon Dunes Resort along Oregon’s southern coast, Pacific Dunes in many ways legitimized the fledgling property when it debuted in 2001. “One course is a curiosity,” Bandon Dunes’ developer Mike Keiser has often said. “Two courses is a destination.” Beyond how the course impacted the public’s perception of the resort, Tom Doak’s design also challenged preconceived notions about how a course should be laid out. In simple terms, Pacific Dunes proved that a design that surrenders itself to the topography of a site can produce captivating and stunning golfing experiences — even when the course’s back nine

includes three par 5s, only two par 4s, and begins with back-to-back par 3s. “I think many outsiders felt that it was very bold,” Keiser says of the decision to build a course with such an unconventional scorecard. “But Tom and I both felt that the routing fit the site perfectly.” Since then, other notable courses have let the land dictate their layouts, including Cabot Cliffs in Nova Scotia (also a Keiser development), which opened in 2016 and features six par 3s, six par 4s, and six par 5s. “Today, more architects let the land determine the golf course,” Keiser acknowledges. “But it certainly wasn’t prevalent back then.” bandondunesgolf.com