Don’t call them “signature holes.”
Bandon Dunes doesn’t. The famed Oregon resort prefers not to play favorites. To single out one hole, the thinking goes, is to miss the larger beauty of the place — like admiring one seaside dune and ignoring the ocean.
Still, let’s be real. Some holes stand out.
Take the par-4 16th on the original Bandon Dunes course, a drivable stunner that’s appeared in countless Instagram feeds and resort brochures. Not a “signature,” maybe. But certainly a star.
Then there’s the 3rd at Old Macdonald — a 375-yard par 4 known simply as Ghost Tree. It takes its name from the bleached Port Orford cedar that rises, eerily and unavoidably, in the middle of your view from the tee. The tree is long dead, but it’s a living landmark in the minds of many golfers.
Like all the holes at Old Mac, No. 3 borrows from a classic C.B. Macdonald template. In this case, it’s a “Sahara,” playing up and over a ridge before plunging toward the green. The Ghost Tree defines your decision: aim left of it for the bold route that brings sand and scrub into play — or bail out right to a broad fairway that leaves a tougher approach that brings a meddlesome bunker into play.
The green is massive and full of motion, demanding precision if you want a realistic run at birdie.
So, no, it’s not a “signature hole.” But it’s one you’ll never forget. For a closer look at the design, strategy and shotmaking it inspires, check out the video above.
