There are few true dream jobs in the golf industry, but Nick Bonander, one of two directors of golf at Bandon Dunes, readily admits he has one of them.
He’s one of two directors of golf at the Bandon Dunes Resort and has an office that sits just 75 yards from the first tee at the iconic Bandon Dunes course.
“It’s kind of a dream job,” the 35-year-old Bonander said on a recent November afternoon. “It’s a dream job because I’m lucky to work with a lot of great people and have amazing mentors.”
Having access to Bandon Dunes’s five world-renowned 18-hole golf courses, a short course and outstanding practice facilities isn’t half bad for Bonander, who admits to finding time at least a couple of times a week to play.
“I’m a crazy golf nut,” Bonander admitted. “I’m not going to lie, if I go a week without playing a round of golf, I am not going to be the happiest person. That doesn’t happen very often. Like every other golfer that comes here, I love the game, I love to play and that’s why I’m in the golf industry. I just love the game so much.”
Bonander, who has been at Bandon Dunes for 10 years, is not alone in his love for the game. It’s a love shared by the thousands of golfers who annually flock to Bandon Dunes’s courses. Bonander declined to offer specific numbers when asked how many rounds a year are played there, but he confirmed that during the peak months the tee sheets are mostly full.
A trip to Bandon Dunes should be on every serious golfer’s bucket list. It’s that good. Pure golf – no riding carts allowed. Caddies and trolleys dot the landscape. The spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean from holes played along the bluffs of the Oregon Coast are picture-postcard perfect. And the links-style golf is other-worldly. More
