Bandon Dunes Golf Resort

Almost 500 miles, and still worth the drive.

Seriously, a trip to Oregon for a round at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort isn't a one-day affair. But if you consider yourself a golf nut, and you can't think of what to get yourself for your birthday ... or if you happen the have a relative in southern Oregon you haven't seen for a while ... this course is simply a must-play.

The 1998 David McLay Kidd design turned the small coastal town into a golfing haven. Kidd, a Scot, took a piece of property reminiscent of the land around Pebble Beach and came up with the closest thing to a Scottish links course in the U.S.

Bandon Dunes has won numerous awards and been named to dozens of best of lists. But perhaps the most impressive came in 2000 when Golf Magazine ranked the track No. 3 in the nation in its top 100 Places You Can Play (public or semiprivate courses). Pebble Beach was first, Pinehurst No. 2 second.

Bandon Dunes is that good, a perfect mix of beautiful ocean views and immaculate conditions.

A second course, Pacific Dunes, was added in 2002 and earned even more awards. A third track, designed by Ben Crenshaw, is set to open next summer.

All this makes Bandon one of the top golfing destinations in the nation, and one you really shouldn't miss if you can help it.

You'll pay plenty. Rates are seasonal, and the summer rate is $200 ($160 if you stay at the resort). And the cart isn't included, because there are none. Caddies are encouraged, at $50 per round, plus tip. And as a first-time player, you'll need a caddie.

Treat yourself. Your caddie not only can tell you where to aim on the undulating fairways, but he can get you to the next hole without getting lost (there are no cartpaths to follow).

Bandon starts off sedately enough, with a short dogleg-right par-4, but overall the course is a monster. The original back set of tees, measuring 7,326 yards, has been all but abandoned.

The current black-tee yardage is just 6,732, but still has a 74.6 rating and a 145 slope.

Even the gold- (white) tee slope is 132, despite being a paltry 5,716 yards.

In short, enjoy your walk, and your views. And when this course jumps up and bites you, just breathe in the fresh ocean air.

The fairways have plenty of mounding, pot bunkers abound, and the greens are huge and undulating.

But the walk is worth the drive ... and the price. This is golf at its finest.

Highlights abound, including the par-4 fifth hole, a breathtaking trek next to the water with a split fairway and a 48-yard-long green. As with much of the course, the pitch-and-run game is a necessity.

Score on the front side, if you can, because the back is tougher. The 16th is another awesome par-4, where you hit over a cliff to another split fairway.

The 18th is one of the few real birdie holes, a short par-5 with the prevailing wind at your back.

Pacific Dunes is shorter but more of a target-golf course, with more carries needed and even more mounding in the fairways.

The upside here is as big as it gets, a spectacular course maintained in spectacular fashion.

The downside ... well, you get what you pay for. The cost is steep, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime course. And the $200 rate is about half the going fare at Pebble.

Don't expect to shoot too low, either. In addition to being just plain hard, this course can be unfair. A great-looking drive can catch the wrong side of a mound and go straight into a pot bunker, many of which are right in the middle of fairways. The greens also are firm but not fast, an unusual combination that may take a few holes to sink in.

But this may be the most fun you'll ever have shooting 100.

Just don't try to make the trip there and back in one day.

Directions - Take Interstate 80 west to Highway 37 west. Take Highway 101 north to Oregon. Turn left on Round Lake Drive, five miles north of Bandon.