The Curry County Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit to build the golf course on the privately owned Knapp Ranch near Port Orford, Ore. The 354-acre site is located 30 miles south of Bandon Dunes, and construction could start this summer with preview play as early as fall 2015.
The proposed Pacific Gales golf course on the coast of southern Oregon could start construction this summer, with preview play as early as autumn 2015, Golf Course Architecture reported.
The Curry County Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the developers’ request for a conditional use permit, the first stage in the planning process, Architecture reported.
The proposed course will be built on a portion of the privately owned Knapp Ranch near the village of Port Orford, Ore., and around 30 miles south of the Bandon Dunes golf resort. The development team is led by Jim Haley, who worked as a shaper on the original Bandon course, and Troy Russell, Bandon’s first superintendent, Architecture reported.
“We believe the Planning Commission recognized the positive effect Pacific Gales will have on the area and our proactive approach to protecting the environmental assets of the land while restoring native habitat,” said Dave Esler, who is slated to design the course and is also a partner in the development.
The course is planned for a 354-acre site, including several holes on the bluffs above the Pacific Ocean. A clifftop double green is planned for the ninth and eighteenth holes, Architecture reported.
Pending final approval by the Curry County Board of Commissioners, work on the site could begin this summer. Weather permitting, preview play could be possible in late 2015, with a grand opening anticipated the following spring, Architecture reported.
“We recognize we have a lot of work ahead of us and this is an important first step,” Esler said. “We are grateful and humbled by the overwhelming support we’ve received from the folks in the Port Orford area—and we’re hopeful and excited to become a vital member of their community.”
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