David McLay Kidd

Bandon, OR

Bandon Dunes is the original course at the Oregon resort of the same name, designed by David McLay Kidd and opened in 1999. Kidd was in his twenties and largely unknown when developer Mike Keiser hired him, and the course's success is the reason the resort and its four later courses exist. The holes sit on bluffs above the Pacific, running through gorse, shore pine and open dune land, with several holes along the ocean edge. The turf is fescue and plays firm, so approach shots are often bounced in rather than flown to the flag. The par-3 fifth and the cliffside 16th are two of the defining coastal holes. Everything at the resort is walking only, with caddies available, and the golf runs year round in whatever the coast delivers. Bandon Dunes and the courses that followed turned this stretch of Oregon coastline into one of the country's best-known public golf destinations. After a round, McKee's Pub near the main lodge is a common stop for pub fare, Pacific Northwest beer and single malt scotch, with Scottish-style rooms and a fireside patio. Ghost Tree Grill offers a steakhouse and raw bar setting elsewhere on the property.

Bend, OR

Tetherow in Bend, Oregon, opened in 2008 and was designed by David McLay Kidd. It sits on high desert ground on the west side of town, with the Cascades in view and lava rock at the edges of the property. The course is built on fescue turf and kept firm, so the ball bounces and runs and shots played into slopes are often better than shots flown at flags. Greens are large, tilted and unforgiving, and there is more room off the tee than there appears to be from the tee box. It is semi-private, with public tee times available alongside member play and lodging on site.

Nekoosa, WI

Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley Golf Resort in Nekoosa, Wisconsin, was designed by David McLay Kidd and opened in 2018 as the resort's second course. The site is an inland sand barren left by a glacial lake, and Kidd built the course to be enjoyable rather than punishing. Fairways are among the widest in American golf, some more than 100 yards across, and the greens are large with open fronts, so most approach shots can be run in along the ground. Sand blowouts and native scrub line the holes, and the elevation change through the dunes is substantial. The short par-4 14th, drivable for many golfers, is one of the most discussed holes at the resort. Sand Valley is a walking resort with caddies. Mammoth Dunes sits alongside the original Sand Valley course by Coore and Crenshaw, the Lido, the Sandbox short course and Sedge Valley.

Brewster, WA

Gamble Sands opened in 2014 near Brewster, Washington, on a sandy bluff high above the Columbia River in the state's apple-growing country. David McLay Kidd designed it, and he built it deliberately wide after criticism that some of his earlier work was too difficult. The fairways are enormous, the greens are large and open in front, and the ground runs firm, so the course rewards golfers who use slopes and bounces instead of aiming at flags. The views stretch across the river valley from nearly every hole, and there are no trees and no housing anywhere in sight. It is comfortably walkable despite the elevation. The resort has since added QuickSands, a 14-hole short course, and Scarecrow, a second Kidd-designed 18 that opened in 2023 on adjacent land. All are open to the public, with lodging on site.

Brewster, WA

QuickSands is a 14-hole, par-42 short course at Gamble Sands Resort in Brewster, Washington, designed by David McLay Kidd. It opened for resort and daily-fee play on May 1, 2021. All 14 holes are par 3s ranging from 60 to 180 yards, set on rolling sand dunes next to the resort's main 18-hole course. The design favors ground-game shots over standard wedge play, with large sloped greens, no formal tee markers, and a course-wide sound system. It is walking-only and open to the public.

Last verified 2026-09-17