GOLF AT THE CROSSINGS.

Byline: Mike Stahlberg The Register-Guard

BANDON - Back when this tiny town was known for its cheese - if it was even known at all - turning good pasture and forest land into a golf course would have seemed the height of folly, given the area's remoteness from major population centers.

But they don't make the cheddar here anymore, and the name Bandon -thanks to that links trifecta known as Bandon Dunes Golf Resort - is now synonymous with great golf.

Bandon Crossings, Oregon's newest public course, does nothing to detract from the town's claim as THE place to come for quality public golf in the Pacific Northwest.

In fact, the 6,855-yard, par-72 layout five miles south of town should enhance Bandon's appeal among ordinary golfers - those who blanch at the thought of paying $240 for 18 holes of golf or who cringe in pain after walking over hill and dune for 36 holes.

"Around town they call it the `Bandon Limp,' ' said Mark Fiore, the head professional who came to Bandon Crossings from Aspen Lakes in Sisters.

"A lot of people take these three- and four-day golf trips where all they do is stay at a resort and play 36 holes a day." Because power carts are not allowed on Bandon Dunes' three courses "about the afternoon of the second day some of these people can't walk straight," Fiore said.

"So for some of the afternoon rounds, I think coming out here and sitting in a cart and driving around is going to sound pretty enjoyable."

And playing the Crossings (so called because the course twice crosses a low-lying wetlands area) is enjoyable, yet challenging.

Designed by Cottage Grove native Dan Hixon and owned by Eugene podiatrist Rex Smith and his wife, Carla, Bandon Crossings provides plenty of risk-reward opportunities in a variety of settings - all of them scenic. The greens, while still fairly slow, test a golfer's ability to hole snaky putts that can break two or three times.

The course opened to public play July 18, with the number of tee times per day initially limited to protect the grass still in the process of establishing itself on a few fairways from too much wear.

"We'd hoped to have all the grass planted last October," Carla Smith said, "but the federal permit process for the wetlands took longer than expected."

Given its proximity to one of the country's hottest golf destinations, Bandon Crossings is destined to suffer frequent comparison - whether that's fair or not - with the multi-million dollar development at Bandon Dunes Resort.

So let's get some of that out of the way:

Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes and Bandon Trails are ocean-front, or at least ocean- view, properties. Bandon Crossings is a mile or so from the beach, on the "wrong" side of Highway 101. It's scenic, but garden view. And that roar you hear occasionally at the Crossings is the sound of traffic, not ocean breakers hitting the beach.

Greens fees at the resort during the summer season start at $190 (if you're renting a room there) and top out at $240. An optional caddy costs $50, plus tip. Bandon Crossings is charging $70 during a "preview" period (the standard summer rate will be $75). Power carts are $28.

As mentioned earlier, the three courses at Bandon Dunes Resort are "walking only." At Bandon Crossings, power carts are not only welcome, they're a good idea for anyone who finds toting clubs over hilly terrain to be physically stressful.

Like the Bandon Trails course, Bandon Crossings offers a good deal of visual variety.

Fairways 1 through 5 and 15 through 18 appear to have been mown out of open but hilly former pasture land on the north side of the property. There are staked water hazards on four of those holes, most of which are bordered by long, thick grass that gives them a bit of a "linksy" look. The first time Eric Yaillen of the Oregon Golf Association tried to hit out of that rough, he announced that he would henceforth declare any ball in the rough "an unplayable lie."

(Carla Smith said the native grasses in the rough this year are higher and thicker than they will normally be, due to the extra watering done to get the fairway grass firmly established).

The greens on the par 5 fifth hole and the par 3 14th hole are both down in a wetlands gully that traverses the property from east to west. There are small streams on either side of the wetlands, with a pond and a cart path separating the two greens.

A "snack shack" with restrooms is located near the sixth tee. Golfers get a second opportunity to visit that facility again on the homeward stretch, between the 13th green and the 14th tee.

Holes 6 through 13 were carved out of hilly forests of fir, cedar and madrone on the south side of the property and have a very different feel than those on the north side.

On both sides of the course, Hixon didn't order much extra clearing behind the greens. As a result "long is gone" is the rule of thumb on several holes.

Because the ninth green and 10th tee are about as far from the clubhouse as you can get, playing just nine holes is problematic.

However, Hixon came up with a clever solution to that problem in the form of a second green on the fifth hole, normally a 545-yard straightaway par 5.

Hole 5-B, as the extra green is called, plays as a 410-yard dogleg right par 4, with the green tucked slightly behind an old livestock corral.

After putting out there, golfers playing just nine holes will step to the adjacent 15th tee and head back to the clubhouse on holes 15 through 18. With only one par 3, the "North Nine" plays up to 3,540 yards and a par of 37.

"Playing nine holes will be kind of a space-available thing," said

Fiore. "I've got to make sure that those players are not going to be cutting in front (at the 15th tee) of anybody playing a full round."

A first visit to Bandon Crossings leaves a golfer with several memorable holes - including No. 8, a dogleg left that is the longest par 4 on the course (455 yards). A stately madrone on the left side challenges anyone who attempts to save yardage by cutting the corner, and the wind direction will sometimes make playing for bogey the smart move.

Hole No. 10, a 390-yard par 4 with a large bunker in the middle of the fairway presents an interesting optical illusion, as hitting the widest part of the fairway can leave a hidden view of the green, while the narrow fairway to the left of the centerline bunker gives a good look at the green.

Number 17, which plays anywhere from 170 to 110 yards from the men's tees, may be the toughest par 3 on the coast. The green is wide but shallow, especially with a left-side pin placement, with bunkers in front and back. Add a stiff summer breeze and many a good-looking shot will come up short.

The finishing hole, a 570-yard, dogleg right par 5, is also memorable. After a blind tee shot, golfers must decide whether to try carrying a fairway-crossing ravine with their second shot in order to have a short iron into the green, or to lay up in front of the green and try to get home from long-distance. To make matters even more interesting, the sidehill, downhill fairway in front of the green can funnel balls into trouble left and long.

The best part of Bandon Crossings is that, like a good cheese, it whets the appetite for more.

BANDON CROSSINGS BY THE NUMBERS

Scorecard: Black tees - yardage, 6,855; stroke rating, 73.6; slope 126; blue tees - 6,270 yards, 70.9/121; white tees - 5,780. 68.8/116; Red tees - 5,030 yards; 70.0/122. Par 72.

Rates: $70 "preview;" $75 standard June-September; $55 October, April and May; $38 November-March. Twilight rates available all seasons. Power carts: $28 for two persons; $18 single.

Addresses: 87530 Dew Valley Lane, Bandon, OR 97411; www.bandoncrossings.com.

Telephone: [phone].