The facility in Bandon, Ore. opened in summer 2020, and is a Ben Crenshaw-Bill Coore design with nine green sites hovering on rugged cliffs above the Pacific Ocean. The resort has nearly one-third of the Audubon Certified Sanctuary Program for Golf certified venues across the entire state. “The certification in our minds brings more awareness around the topic of being environmental stewards and how golf courses can actually work in harmony with the natural environment,” says Ken Nice, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort’s Senior Director of Agronomy.

Sheep Ranch at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore. has become a certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary for Golf Course.

The announcement was made by Audubon International, an environmentally focused non-profit organization offering members numerous certifications and conservation initiatives to protect the areas where we all live, work, and play.

Opened in the summer of 2020, Sheep Ranch — a Ben Crenshaw-Bill Coore design with nine green sites hovering on rugged cliffs above the Pacific Ocean — keeps the popular southern Oregon resort’s Audubon S for Golf certification streak intact. Beginning with Bandon Trails and the par-3 Preserve course in February 2011, continuing with Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes in June of that same year, then Old Macdonald in July 2016 and now Sheep Ranch, these six courses account for nearly a third of the 19 Audubon Certified Sanctuary Program for Golf certified venues across the entire state.

“The certification in our minds brings more awareness around the topic of being environmental stewards and how golf courses can actually work in harmony with the natural environment,” says Ken Nice, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort’s Senior Director of Agronomy. “It’s a great program and we’ve loved working with Audubon International. They have a love and appreciation for nature, something that we feel golf agronomy teams also resonate with.”

The leader of Audubon International praised Bandon Dunes for its stewardship efforts.

“Over the past two decades, Bandon Dunes has not only changed the landscape of American golf, it has also set a high standard for stewardship in its state and across the nation,” says Christine Kane, CEO of Audubon International. “From day one, owner-developer Mike Keiser and his incredible crew of superintendents and agronomists have cultivated a culture of environmental awareness and sensitivity that’s second to none. Sheep Ranch’s certification continues an admirable trend at a very high-profile and respected resort.”

To reach certification, a course must demonstrate that they are maintaining a high degree of environmental quality in six main areas: Environmental Planning, Wildlife & Habitat Management, Outreach and Education, Chemical Use Reduction and Safety, Water Conservation, and Water Quality Management.