BANDON, Ore. – Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is my chapel. My recharger. My best reason to climb into multiple airplanes and cars to leap all the way across the contiguous United States in pursuit of a golf ball that just won’t stop rolling. Quite frequently, any one of the 90 holes on the Oregon resort’s five full-size courses is the last thing I see on the back of my eyelids as I finally doze off at night far away, dreaming up a better way to hit a breezy 140-yard punch shot with a 5-iron.

I am not alone in this obsession. Since opening with one course in 1999, the resort atop tall cliffs alongside the Pacific Ocean has expanded in number of golf holes, demand in golf’s market and influence in the game. These courses are frequently described as American links golf – debate the term “links” and its traditional United Kingdom meaning online at your own risk, but there’s no denying the resort’s impact and that of founder Mike Keiser on the public game of golf in the U.S. and well beyond.

Starting this weekend, you can see why on Golf Channel. The PGA of America’s 58th PGA Professional Championship – presented by Club Car, Corebridge Financial and Rolex – is Sunday through Wednesday at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. The tournament will be conducted across the first two courses to have opened at the resort: the eponymous Bandon Dunes that was designed by David McLay Kidd, and Pacific Dunes designed by Tom Doak.

The TV schedule opens Sunday, April 26 at 7-10 p.m. eastern on Golf Channel, followed by 7-10 p.m. Monday, 7-10 p.m. Tuesday and 6-9 p.m. Wednesday. Competitors will alter between Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes for the first two rounds Sunday and Monday, then play moves to Bandon Dunes only after the cut for Tuesday and Wednesday’s final two rounds.

The 312 participating professionals have qualified for the PGA Professional Championship via PGA Section tournaments, and the top-20 players at Bandon Dunes earn the chance to play the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania on May 14-17. Tyler Collet of Vero Beach, Florida - a PGA assistant pro at John’s Island Club – is the defending champion.

The PGA Professional Championship is a fantastic chance to see how well these club pros can play, but for many viewers, the courses might be the stars of the show. For recreational golfers who have never made the pilgrimage to tee it up on the Oregon coast, the coverage should be eye-opening. For those lucky golfers who have played at Bandon Dunes, watching this event should include a flood of memories. Even for the pros in the PGA Professional Championship, the chance to play two courses at Bandon Dunes stands out.

“It's always been a bucket list ever since 10 to 12 years ago when I really got in the game,” Collet said in a media release by the PGA of America. “It's going to be a special venue. Bandon Dunes is just such an iconic name in golf and venue. It'll be really cool to get there and potentially have a chance to win a national championship there.”Bandon Dunes Golf Resort has a solid history of championship golf that began in earnest with the 2006 Curtis Cup, the biennial competition between amateur female players from the U.S. against a team from Great Britain and Ireland (the U.S. handily won that match on Pacific Dunes, 11½-6½. Never a host to a PGA Tour event – which was not what these courses were designed for – the resort has hosted multiple USGA events since, including the now-defunct Amateur Public Links (both men’s and women’s), the U.S. Amateur (both men’s and women’s) and a U.S. Junior Amateur. A slew of future USGA events at the resort include Amateur Championships for the men and women (2032 and 2041 for both), the 2028 Walker Cup for the men, and the 2038 Curtis Cup for the women.

“To me, this is at the top of my bucket list of places to go,” said Justin Hicks, a teaching professional at Stonebridge Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida, who is in the field starting Sunday and who played in the 2026 Senior PGA Championship at The Concession Golf Club earlier in April. “Right up there with Augusta or Pine Valley or Cypress, Bandon is something in that league of places to go. I always enjoy courses where you're literally on a body of water like that, like an ocean or something. I don't know how you can't.

“It will be a lot of fun. The courses sound like they're great, kind of linksy. A lot of bump and run kind of shots. It will be a fun challenge and a whole other group of things to figure out. You go out there and it's like putting together a puzzle. You got to get together with your caddie and figure out what kind of shots you're going to need and maybe how to play certain holes and lines off the tee, and do we want to be short of this or long of that? Then you show up the next day, and it's blowing 30 miles an hour the other way. That's what I love about this game.”

The inclusion of Pacific Dunes in the 2026 PGA Professional Championship is particularly interesting. The three most recent USGA championships at the resort, and the accompanying television coverage, have focused on Bandon Dunes. That layout has been paired with Bandon Trails – the Bill Coore-Ben Crenshaw course that opened in 2005 – when two courses were necessary for opening rounds. Each of the three most recent USGA championships at the resort have ended on Bandon Dunes, which is ranked by Golfweek’s Best as the No. 7 resort course and No. 12 modern course in the U.S.

Pacific Dunes ranks even higher: No. 2 among all U.S. resort courses and No. 3 among all modern courses in the United States. Its quirky, mind-bending routing along the cliffs is a hit among players and course raters, but the USGA has eschewed the layout for its highest level of individual amateur and junior championships.

Bandon Dunes, the original course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will be used for three of the four rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.Bandon Dunes, the original course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will be used for three of the four rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.Bandon Dunes, the original course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will be used for three of the four rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.Bandon Dunes, the original course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will be used for three of the four rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.Bandon Dunes, the original course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will be used for three of the four rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.Bandon Dunes, the original course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will be used for three of the four rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.Bandon Dunes, the original course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will be used for three of the four rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.Bandon Dunes, the original course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will be used for three of the four rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.Pacific Dunes, the second course to have opened at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will alternate play with Bandon Dunes during the first two rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.Pacific Dunes, the second course to have opened at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will alternate play with Bandon Dunes during the first two rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.Pacific Dunes, the second course to have opened at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will alternate play with Bandon Dunes during the first two rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.Pacific Dunes, the second course to have opened at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will alternate play with Bandon Dunes during the first two rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.Pacific Dunes, the second course to have opened at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will alternate play with Bandon Dunes during the first two rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.Pacific Dunes, the second course to have opened at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will alternate play with Bandon Dunes during the first two rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.Pacific Dunes, the second course to have opened at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will alternate play with Bandon Dunes during the first two rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.Pacific Dunes, the second course to have opened at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will alternate play with Bandon Dunes during the first two rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.1 / 16Photos: Bandon Dunes hosts the PGA Professional Championship in AprilBandon Dunes, the original course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will be used for three of the four rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.1 / 16Photos: Bandon Dunes hosts the PGA Professional Championship in AprilBandon Dunes, the original course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will be used for three of the four rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.2 / 16Photos: Bandon Dunes hosts the PGA Professional Championship in AprilBandon Dunes, the original course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will be used for three of the four rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.3 / 16Photos: Bandon Dunes hosts the PGA Professional Championship in AprilBandon Dunes, the original course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will be used for three of the four rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.4 / 16Photos: Bandon Dunes hosts the PGA Professional Championship in AprilBandon Dunes, the original course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will be used for three of the four rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.5 / 16Photos: Bandon Dunes hosts the PGA Professional Championship in AprilBandon Dunes, the original course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will be used for three of the four rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.6 / 16Photos: Bandon Dunes hosts the PGA Professional Championship in AprilBandon Dunes, the original course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will be used for three of the four rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.7 / 16Photos: Bandon Dunes hosts the PGA Professional Championship in AprilBandon Dunes, the original course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will be used for three of the four rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.8 / 16Photos: Bandon Dunes hosts the PGA Professional Championship in AprilBandon Dunes, the original course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will be used for three of the four rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.9 / 16Photos: Bandon Dunes hosts the PGA Professional Championship in AprilPacific Dunes, the second course to have opened at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will alternate play with Bandon Dunes during the first two rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.10 / 16Photos: Bandon Dunes hosts the PGA Professional Championship in AprilPacific Dunes, the second course to have opened at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will alternate play with Bandon Dunes during the first two rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.11 / 16Photos: Bandon Dunes hosts the PGA Professional Championship in AprilPacific Dunes, the second course to have opened at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will alternate play with Bandon Dunes during the first two rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.12 / 16Photos: Bandon Dunes hosts the PGA Professional Championship in AprilPacific Dunes, the second course to have opened at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will alternate play with Bandon Dunes during the first two rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.13 / 16Photos: Bandon Dunes hosts the PGA Professional Championship in AprilPacific Dunes, the second course to have opened at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will alternate play with Bandon Dunes during the first two rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.14 / 16Photos: Bandon Dunes hosts the PGA Professional Championship in AprilPacific Dunes, the second course to have opened at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will alternate play with Bandon Dunes during the first two rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.15 / 16Photos: Bandon Dunes hosts the PGA Professional Championship in AprilPacific Dunes, the second course to have opened at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will alternate play with Bandon Dunes during the first two rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.16 / 16Photos: Bandon Dunes hosts the PGA Professional Championship in AprilPacific Dunes, the second course to have opened at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, will alternate play with Bandon Dunes during the first two rounds of the PGA Professional Championship on April 26-29 in Oregon.Pacific Dunes doesn’t follow traditional expectations of par, and the course is somewhat short compared to most championship layouts. Instead of designing it to challenge tour pros, Keiser asked Doak to build a course focused on what Keiser calls “retail golfers” – his customers. The course maxes out at 6,633 yards on the resort scorecard, but anyone who has played it in the common winds of 25 mph or greater will tell you that scorecard yardage doesn’t tell even half the story.

Total par at Pacific Dunes is 71, but it takes an unconventional path to get there. The front nine includes just one par 5 (No. 3, playing toward the coastline) and one par 3 (No. 5, playing away from the coast). The front nine’s seven par 4s begin among dunes, scurrying low to the ground with no view of the ocean on Nos. 1 and 2. The par-5 third introduces players to the sights and sounds of the coastline itself, before the par-4 fourth bends minds and exceeds expectations as it rolls 463 yards along the cliff’s edge with the Pacific Ocean to the right. From there, the front nine moves inland into the dunes and trees.

Pacific Dunes’ back nine begins with a rarity for championship golf, then dives into a delectably eccentric mix of holes, pars, lengths and landscapes. No. 10 is a downhill par-3 playing toward the ocean, a hole that would be the scene-stealer at all but a handful of other courses in the world. It’s followed with another par 3 that’s even better: the tiny, spread-my-ashes-here 11th nestled into the cliff’s edge. After the wide par-5 12th, the par-4 13th with the ocean all the way down its left and a giant dune to the right makes pulses race again. From there, the course marches back into the inland dunes, always alternating lengths and pars along the trek. In all, the back nine features an unconventional four par 3s with three par 5s and only two par 4s.

There have been comments – often poorly informed – that Pacific Dunes is too short or too easy or too strange in its pacing to host a top competition. But Pacific Dunes is a different kind of test. The firm ground and ever-present bounces can challenge anyone, and the frequent strong winds take their toll on even the best swings. This is a thinking course where full swings and stock yardages mean little to nothing. It will be a blast to see the best club professionals tackle Pacific Dunes the first two days of the PGA Professional Championship.

After alternating with Pacific Dunes in the first two rounds, Bandon Dunes (6,732 yards, par 72) will grab all the focus for the final two days of the championship. The layout was designed by Kidd – then an unknown young architect with big dreams and bigger bravado – with the intent to show American golfers the game he grew up playing in his native Scotland. He convinced Keiser to give him a shot at the burgeoning resort by stressing the ground game, walking golf and a focus on the game itself along the coast. As soon as the Bandon Dunes layout opened, it redefined what was possible for public-access golf development in the U.S.

As seen in the most recent USGA championships, Bandon Dunes offers a thrilling closing stretch of holes. Shown at 163 yards from the back tees on the resort scorecard, the par-3 15th requires a precise shot to hold the green in a breeze followed by myriad chances to make double bogey for those who miss the putting surface that’s elevated on both sides and to the back, with a nasty bunker short right.

After a turnaround to the 16th tee, players face one of the most stunning short par 4s in the world. Kidd perched the 363-yard tester tight to the cliffs, playing over a deep, gorse-filled washout on the way to the green. A scattering of bunkers and a sandy ridge threaten the tee shot en route to a cliffside putting surface – as does the vertical drop of some 100 feet on the right side to the beach below. Particularly when playing with a wind out of the north, the southbound hole is drivable for elite players, but there’s plenty of risk involved with the cliff, the sand, the wind – all the makings for drama.

There’s room on 16 to play left with a shorter club off the tee, but with a berth in the PGA Championship on the line, many players should be tempted to take on the fates with a shot toward the green in the final two rounds. Dreams will be realized on this short hole, as will nightmares. The weather forecast for the tournament calls for mostly sunshine and a north breeze, allowing the 16th to shine as intended.

From there, the par-4 17th can play incredibly difficult in a north breeze, which pushes balls down and across its sloping fairway toward a ravine on the right. The par-5 18th then slithers farther east, away from the cliffs toward the clubhouse, giving players one last chance at birdie if they can select then hit the proper line off the tee. Bandon Dunes, particularly in a strong breeze, offers plenty of chances at birdies, bogeys and beyond.