Editorial Reviews:
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This is the story of a man with a dream—as well as the vision and passion to make it come true. The dream was to build a great American links course, one that would contain all the excitement of the famous golfing destinations in Scotland and Ireland, storied places like St. Andrews and Ballybunion. The man was Mike Keiser, an entrepreneur and amateur golf enthusiast, founder of the successful company Recycled Paper Greetings, and Dream Golf is the story of how, with the help of some of the most colorful—and occasionally controversial—men in golf, he transformed a remote area on Oregon's Pacific coast into not one, but three of the most stunning, challenging, and highly ranked courses in the world.
It began modestly, when Mike Keiser decided to build a nine-hole "dunes" course and golf club on the shore of Lake Michigan, near his home in Chicago. The experience prompted him to look further, with the goal of realizing a dream that he had harbored for some time: to bring to American golfers the same kind of experience he had enjoyed while playing some of the legendary courses of the British Isles, "links" courses that had evolved naturally to fit the rugged, heaving coastal terrain. These ancient courses were the antithesis of most modern American courses, where the features were shaped by bulldozers and all too often look sleek, manicured, and artificial.
No, Bandon Dunes would be a "pure" golf experience, pitting the golfer against the elements, allowing the land to dictate the course, banning the use of carts, making the golfer feel at one with both nature and the game. To achieve that goal would take a great amount of planning and hard work, the struggle of man against nature in shaping the land into three courses that would become the Bandon Dunes complex. Conventional wisdom said it was impossible. And even if he built it, would anyone come to this remote Oregon outpost?
Dream Golf is the first complete account of how drive and determination, coupled with the best minds in the game, created a utopian golf experience in a place of breathtaking natural beauty. It is the gripping and compelling account of how one man followed his dream to its greatest conclusion.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Dream Golf
Comment: Really excellent account of the development of Bandon Dunes. I should have read more than the first 100 pages before actually going to Bandon Dunes and playing the three courses - that would have added even more pleasure to the three days I thoroughly enjoyed there.
Customer Rating:
Summary: If you love golf, this is a must read!
Comment: If you play golf and want to get a flavor for the vision of how a destination like Bandon Dunes became a reality, this is a must read. Bandon is one, if not, the most special golf location in the world. I have played in Scotland and Ireland and Bandon has a purity that few other locations can replicate. It feels like it has been there for hundreds of years and the book explains how it came to be. You will not be disappointed.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great gift!
Comment: I have not read this book, but my Dad is raving about it. He is reading it prior to his trip to Bandon Dunes and he has never thanked me more for a gift. For the golfer in your life who is impossible to shop for--this is the gift for them.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Comment: Fantastic story, very well written. A must read for not only golfers, but for environmentalist and landscape architects also.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Makes a Great Gift
Comment: This book is the perfect gift for your favorite golfer. Even non-golfers and golfers who don't normally read will enjoy this story of dream golf.
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