Golf Magazine USA – September 2019

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THE LABYRINTH IS BANDON DUNES GOLF RESORT’S PLACE
FOR SUBLIME, OFF-COURSE CONTEMPLATION

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Om Sweet Om

MONG OTHER THINGS, BANDON DUNES extols the joy of walking, which is requisite
on all five of its stunning courses. Still, even veterans of the sprawling Oregon-coast
resort—which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year (pg. 54)— might be surprised to
learn that it also sports a foursome of walking trails.
At Bandon, it’s hard to pull oneself away from the golf, we know. But there is a must-walk here
that has no place for clubs, balls, spikes or motor-mouthed caddies. Head east from The Lodge,
wend your way through the woods and around Chrome Lake, and behold: The Labyrinth, Bandon’s
totally unexpected but magical maze.
Talk about thoughtful routing: This travertine marble path is intended for “walking meditation,”
and if you have the sensation of being in church as you amble through it, there’s a good reason.
The maze is a precise replica of one you’ll find on the floor of the magnificent Chartres Cathedral,
not far from Paris. The Labyrinth was built as a tribute, memorializing Howard McKee, a founder
of Bandon Dunes and a friend of the resort’s owner, Mike Keiser. Forget that missed birdie putt
and consider contemplating, at least for a moment, the beautiful ties that bind. —Evan Rothman

28 GOLF.COM / S e p t ember 2019

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