Shorty's

Shorty's opened on May 2, 2024, as the seventh course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. Designed by Rod Whitman, Dave Axland, and Keith Cutten, it is a 19-hole layout where every hole is a par 3, ranging from 60 to 160 yards across 1,997 total yards. It sits between the opening holes of Bandon Trails and the ocean, sharing the coastal character of the resort's main courses.

At par 57, Shorty's is not a practice facility with flags. The holes are designed with the same attention to green contours, approach angles, and strategic options as the full-length courses. A 120-yard hole over broken ground to a green with three pin positions is a real golf hole. The shorter yardages compress the challenge into the part of the game that matters most: iron play, touch, and trajectory in the wind.

Nineteen holes is unusual. The extra hole nods to the tradition of playing a settlement after a tied match, and it gives groups a final swing that most courses do not provide. A round runs about two to two and a half hours, which makes Shorty's an ideal late-afternoon addition to a day that began with a full 18.

For groups with players of varying ability, this may be the most enjoyable round of the trip. Shorter distances level the field between long and short hitters, and the emphasis on precision and creativity produces the kind of competitive matches groups remember and retell.