The Bandon Dunes Impact
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort contributes tens of millions of dollars to Coos County.
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Pictured above is The Club at Longview located in Charlotte, North Carolina — a Concert Golf Partners Golf Club.
Concert Golf Partners is the leading boutique owner-operator of upscale, private clubs nationwide. Since its founding in 2011, Concert Golf has developed a reputation as the buyer of choice for private club owners seeking to pass the torch to a high-quality operator.
Concert Golf’s most recent acquisition was Whitmoor Country Club in Weldon Spring, Missouri.
Concert Golf has a portfolio of 29 boutique golf clubs in the United States — below are a few.
Hiwan Golf Club — Evergreen, Colorado
The Players Club — Omaha, Nebraska
The Club at 12 Oaks — Raleigh, North Carolina
Concert Golf is actively seeking to add to its boutique portfolio. If your club or you know of a club looking to explore an acquisition — reach out to the Concert Golf Team below.
Hey Golfers —
Coos County is located on Oregon’s southern coast, covering 1,800 square miles, and has a population of 65,000. Oregon has 36 counties — Coos County ranks 16th in total population.
Since 1980 — the population in Coos County has remained flat. But it wasn’t always like that. Coos County saw explosive growth from 1940 to 1960 — going from 32,466 in 1940 to 54,955 in 1960. The lumber industry was an essential driver of that growth and represented more than 8,000 jobs in the 50s and 60s. Only 1,390 Coos County residents are employed by the lumber industry today.
In March of 1998, the unemployment rate was 11.5% and peaked at 14.4% in March of 2009 in Coos County.
For reference — the United States unemployment rate was 4.7% in March of 1998 and 8.7% in March of 2009.
Coos County has consistently had a higher unemployment rate than the United States in the last three decades.
But Coos County has done an incredible job working that unemployment rate down since its high in March of 2009. In November of 2019 — it was at a three-decade low of 3.6%.
Mike Keiser opened the first golf course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in 1999.
At the time — the nearest commercial airport was Southwest Oregon Regional Airport, 25 miles away, with limited service to Portland, Oregon.
The next closest airport? Eugene, Oregon — two and a half hours away by car. And with a population of 137,000 in 2000 — it wasn’t like Eugene had dozens of daily non-stop flights to bring golfers in.
But Mr. Keiser had a vision. And his vision has resulted in a world-class golf resort on the southern coast of rural Oregon.
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort now has five 18-hole golf courses and several options for lodging.
Since its opening — Bandon Dunes has had an enormous impact on the local economy of Coos County. A county that just needed a little life.
The University of Oregon did an economic impact study on Bandon Dunes Golf Resort and published it in 2015. While the report is seven years old — it provides an accurate baseline.
In 2009 — Bandon Dunes Golf Resort saw 89,429 golf rounds; in 2014, that number jumped to 146,887.
With the addition of Sheep Ranch opening in 2020 — it would be fair to estimate that Bandon Dunes Golf Resort had around 200,000 rounds in 2022. Let’s say the average golfer played four rounds of golf while they visited in 2022 — this scenario would result in 50,000 visitors to Coos County.
And the growth of rounds at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is backed up by commercial air traffic data.
Southwest Oregon Regional Airport added daily service via United Airlines to San Francisco in July 2008 and seasonal service via United Airlines to Denver in July of 2015. Both of those routes are active today.
The regional airport had 25,000 passengers in 2018 and 33,000 in 2022 — an increase of 32% over that period.
Southwest Oregon Regional Airport has had several capital improvements since the mid-2000s. Including a new terminal that cost $22 million.
Here is the most interesting thing about the Southwest Oregon Regional Airport.
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort provides an annual subsidy along with the Department of Transportation for the Denver flight.
In 2015 Bandon Dunes paid $64,441, and in 2016 they paid $91,984 for the United Airlines flight from Denver.
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort employs a lot of people.
In a 2016 article — it is noted that they have over 500 employees. And their LinkedIn page states they have between 500 - 1,000 employees.
From 2010 to 2015, payroll grew by more than 60%. Going from $10.4 million to $16.7 million. I would estimate Bandon Dunes payroll to be around $25 million today — an enormous sum of money in a county of just 65,000 people.
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is one of the county's largest companies by employee count.
To provide some perspective on Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. The hospital in Coos County, Bay Area Hospital, has over 1,000 employees, and its payroll was $102 million in 2021.
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is the largest taxpayer in Coos County. In 2015, they paid over $740,000 in property taxes. A number that has undoubtedly gone up since then. The state of Oregon sees about $10 million in golf course-related property tax — Bandon Dunes Golf Resort accounts for about 10% of the whole state.
Several USGA events have been played at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. An economic study of the U.S. Amateur expected visitors would spend $2.95 million in Coos County. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort has nine USGA events scheduled through 2045. A massive deal for Coos County.
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort contributes tens of millions of dollars back into the local economy through payroll and with local vendors for goods and services.
But it is more than that for Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. In 2013, they formed the Wild Rivers Coast Alliance to fund habitat protection and restoration, healthy ecosystems, and a sustainable local economy. Over $6 million has been awarded since its inception, with $757,000 awarded in 2021.
One of the best things about the Wild Rivers Coast Alliance? It is funded by the net proceeds of Bandon Preserve — the 13-hole Par-3 Golf Course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort funds scholarship programs at Bandon High School — students receive between $1,000 - $2,000 per year for up to four years. And they have also created the Evans Scholarship Program. A four-year scholarship, including tuition and room and board. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort has supported 53 students from Coos County with the Evans Scholarship.
When Mr. Keiser set out to build Bandon Dunes — I’m not sure if he had any idea how Bandon Dunes Golf Resort would become such a vital part of the community.
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort needed untouched, unspoiled land to build some of the best golf in the world. And Coos County just needed someone to give it a chance.
Have yourself a great Monday. Talk to you next week!
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Good to see these data supporting the well-deserved belief that all the bases were covered from the beginning. They are celebrating down there in an old Oregon timber town finding a new life. Another important "measure" is what you experience at Bandon. The 500+ employees are thriving and it shows in the many ways they care for their guests at the resort. A great source of pride among all Oregonians!!!
As always, a well written article. As a resident of Wash state, I’m interested in the golf course project near Grays Harbor.