For some time now, we have found ourselves enjoying our best golf experiences in the newfound fascination of small format golf courses. From The Preserve to The Cradle and the Sand Box in between, there's no more joy to be had than a skins game amongst your friends hitting nippy wedge shots and sharing giggles.
Shorty's comes on the scene after a few great courses constructed that validated the authenticity of the golf experience. At this time, we now have an entire new 19 hole golf experience available to the visiting players at Bandon Dunes. From the clubhouse, the first thing I noticed was that I could only see a few holes. Despite having 19 holes, this made it evident that the property had enough undulation to create suspense. Additionally, it could mean the property could host many golfers while maintaining a peaceful personal experience.
In my first pass through, Summer 2023, before the course had opened. I was impressed by the terrain and sense of space. Hydro seeding had begun under the direction of the architects onsite on this visit we met Dave Axland and Keith Cutten.
In March 2024, a visit and walkthrough revealed a successful grow in. It is an amazing feat to see so much grass taking and this is attributable to the skilled shapers, presumably the weather, and probably some luck. I don't know the exacts of the process but am truly amazed by the result. My first walk on the course was in October 2024, where the walk made for more of a journey, weaving in and around dunes that revealed tee box and greens like the seed for them just fell from the sky. It would be impossible to move such impressive dunes, bigger than I've seen in some time, thus the design ethos works very nicely with the natural setting.
The science and art meet in the routing of the course, which is an incredible feat to weave these holes like tapestry through the dunes. A skins game made our day a blast, but it would be the heaviest handicapper a 22 in our group who walked away with our wallets.
On my round, I learned a new trick. We played Shorty's in the morning, and Sheep Ranch in the afternoon. Quite possibly the most fun I've had in a day that had nothing but blue skies and views for miles. The funny thing is, it was the Seamus Crew playing Shorties and Sheep Ranch that day. Say that a thousand times, and for each I'd be happy to return to amble along with friends in nature and say we played golf that day.
A 10 out of 10 in my book. Shorty's, welcome to my favorites list!