Don’t call them “signature holes”.
Dunat Bandon it doesn’t. The famous Oregon resort doesn’t like to play favorites. To single out a hole, the mind goes, is to miss the country’s greatest beauty—like admiring a coastal dune and ignoring the ocean.
Let’s be real though. A few holes stand out.
Take on the par-4 16th at the original Bandon Dunes course, a rolling stunner that has appeared on countless Instagram feeds and tour brochures. Not a “signature”, perhaps. But of course a star.
Then there are 3 in Elder Macdonald – a 375 yard par 4 known simply as The ghost tree. It takes its name from the bleached Port Orford cedar that rises, eerily and inescapably, in the middle of your view from the top. The tree is long dead, but it is a living landmark in the minds of many golfers.
Like all holes in Old Mac, No. 3 borrows from a classic CB Macdonald template. In this case, it’s a “Sahara,” playing up and over a ridge before plunging toward the green. The ghost tree determines your decision: aim left of it for the bold fairway that brings sand and scrub into play—or save it straight for a wide fairway that leaves a rougher approach that brings an intrusive bunker into play.
The green is massive and full of movement, requiring precision if you want a realistic birdie run.
So no, it’s not a “signature hole”. But it’s one you’ll never forget. For a closer look at the design, strategy and inspiring look, watch the video above.
