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Ore gon’s Gearhart breathes ne w life as a co m munity darlin g

By Tho mas Dunne GE AR H ART, ORE.

7 2 G OLF WEEK OCT OBER 2019 For a place w here it rai ns so m uc h, si nce major co nflagratio ns occ urred i n bot h years. T he everyt hi ng s ure see ms to b ur n old hotel t hat served t he co urse b ur ned do w n i n t he d o w n a l ot,” J a s o n B a n gil d m u s e s, 1970s, a nd yet a not her iteratio n of t he cl ub ho use a nd its per h a ps not for t he first ti me. fa med Sand Trap bar were consu med by fla me in 1998. Ba ngil d is lea di ng us o n a to ur of Give n t his recitatio n of i nfer nal eve nts, o ne mig ht t he cl ub ho use at Orego n’s Gear hart t hi nk Gear hart Golf Li nks, w hic h lies s mack i n t he Golf Li nks, w here he serves as ge neral ma nager a nd mi d dle of a village of so me 1,600 o n t he Pacific coast director of golf. We’ve pa use d i n fro nt of a n a ntiq ue abo ut 90 mi n utes nort h west of Portla nd, has so me ki nd p hoto take n i n fro nt of t he cl ub ho use, capt uri ng me n of star-crosse d history. B ut it’s act ually a c har me d place i n stiff s uits, wo me n i n fa ncy Victoria n hats a nd Model w here earlier ge neratio ns e ngaged i n free-spirited ‘‘T-era cars i n t he backgro u nd. to ur na me nts i n cost u me (pirates, Spa nis h b ullfig hters, T he str uct ure i n t he p hoto was lost to fire i n eit her etc.), a nd has i n rece nt years gat hered so m uc h positive 1913 or ’15, a n d t he precise date is n’t esse ntial here, mo mentu m it warrants a men tio n i n t he co nversatio n

+ F OR M ORE G OLF NE WS, VISIT GOLF WEEK.CO M 7 3 A B O V E: Hundreds of trees were re moved Country Club and Waverley Country Club t he property a nd i nitiate d a host of at Gearhart to i mprove play and open vie ws i n P o rtl a n d. i mprove me nts. O ne of his first moves of the c oastal ran ge, an d fescue was Like ma ny co urses of its era, Gear hart’s was to l ure Ba ngild, t he n worki ng as e st a bli s h e d i n m ar gi n al ar e a s. evol utio n i n t he mid-t we ntiet h ce nt ury t he director of golf at Na nea – C harles di d n ot le a d t o better g olf. Pi ne trees Sc h wab’s excl usive retreat o n t he Big Isla nd were pla nted a nd m ultiplied, mo wi ng of Ha waii – back to t he mai nla nd wit h li nes deteriorated a nd a re novatio n the pro mise of a 60-second co m mute abo ut t he best ways for ward for A n a m merica ö Sj b o c a J O: a T O n H in the 1990s introduced so me a wk ward a nd a n appeali ng s mall to w n i n which c o m m u nit y g olf. s hapi ng. T ho ug h t he to w n itself had t o r ai s e hi s f a mil y. Golf roots r u n deep i n Gear hart. al ways bee n popular a mo ng afflue nt A nd t he n t here was t he golf co urse. Origi nati ng i n 1892 with three ho me maded e weekend ho meo wners, says John Stra wn, “ Ti m had t his big visio n to get Gear hart h ol e s i n t h e d u n e s, it bill s it s elf a s t h e a lo ngti me Rose City reside nt a nd for mer b ac k to its origi n al desig n,” B a ngil d s ays. ol dest golf co urse west of t he Mississi p pi. C E O of Robert Tre nt Jo nes II’s desig n fir m, Abse nt pla ns or specific doc u me ntatio n T he bo nes of to day’s ro uti ng are said to bee “ No o ne fro m Portla nd wo uld o ut fro m C ha ndler Ega n, t ho ug h, t he co urse’s t he early 1930s work of C ha ndler Ega n, here to play. It was j ust a not her bori ng, restoratio n co uld be described more best k no w n for his fa med re novatio n t r e eli n e d c o u r s e.” as o ne t hat was drive n by spirit t ha n of Pebble Beac h b ut w ho also played a I n t he early 2010s, t ho ug h, Gear hart literal- mi nded ness, like blo wi ng d ust off major role i n t he creatio n of a n u mber of t ur ned a page. Ti m Boyle, CE O of Portla nd- t he ca nvas a nd fitti ng t he work i nto Orego n’s fi nest cl ubs, i ncl udi ng E uge ne based Colu mbia Sports wear, acquired a n e w f r a m e.

7 4 G OLF WEEK OCT OBER 2019 I n 2013 a collaborative effort bega n to tea m excavated e nough sa nd to co nstruct i mprove the course. Stra w n a nd the ne wly ne w o n 11 holes. Stra w n noted t hat t he hired s uperi nte nde nt Forrest Goodli ng previo us tees ofte n were set o n t he wro ng (for merly of Portla nd Golf Cl ub) led t he orie ntatio n; t he ne w o nes ope n up ple nty way, t ho ug h ma ny ot hers le nt a ha nd, of i nteresti ng di ago n als. i ncl udi ng David Jacobse n ( Peter’s brot her), T he sa nd also was used to b uild a series w ho, accordi ng to Stra w n, s upplied t he of ber ms to hide t he parki ng lot, co mfort project wit h a fi ne missio n state me nt. statio n a nd mai nte na nce area, as well as to “ We s ho uld make Gear hart t he place,” create t he “Cla m Bed,” a 20,000 sq uare foot, Jacobse n said, “ w here yo u have yo ur best Hi malayas-style p utti ng gree n t hat co mes ro u nd of t he s u m mer.” wit h its o w n refres h me nt sta nd. H u ndreds of trees were re moved, A not her factor i n Gear hart’s re ne wal ope ni ng vie ws of t he coastal ra nge, t hat s ho uld n’t pass wit ho ut me ntio n: w hile fesc ue grasses were establis hed Boyle’s decisio n to part ner wit h brot hers i n margi nal areas, red uci ng acreage for Brian and Mike Mc Mena min on the irrigatio n a nd c he mical i np uts. T hese t wo facility’s foo d a nd beverage service. As actio ns alo ne we nt a lo ng way to ward t he operators of more t ha n 60 hotels, restori ng Gear hart’s li nksy feel – t ho ug h bre wpubs a nd restaura nts throughout t he co urse does not feat ure a ny ocea n the Pacific North west, Mc Me na mi n’s vie ws, it is j ust a block fro m t he beac h a n d is a pop ular “a nti-c hai n,” i ndivid ualizi ng very m uc h a part of its d u nescape. eac h of its properties by dra wi ng o n q uirky A not her was a mo ng Goodli ng’s first local history a nd a flair for a m usi ng orders of b usi ness: to p u nc h t hro ug h a n d arts y i nteri ors. the ma ny layers of thatch accu mulated To ward t he e nd of o ur ro u nd, Jo h n be neat h t he fair ways. O nce t hat task was Stra w n tells me t hat d uri ng t he restoratio n co mplete, fir m co nditio ns prevailed. he dre w i nspiratio n fro m the co m mu nity- “ W e’r e b uilt o n 1 0 0 f e et of s a n d, s o orie nted, s hoestri ng-b udget arc hitect ure n o w w e’r e d r y,” G o o dli n g s a y s, “ a n d w e t hat Eddie Hackett prod uced i n Irela nd a did n’t have to i mport a ny material half-ce nt ury ago. It’s a good co mpariso n – f o r t h e p r oj e ct.” Gear hart feels si milarly old sc hool, packed By diggi ng a s ubsta ntial borro w pit i nto a tig ht, 100-acre, mostly recta ng ular bet wee n t he ni nt h a nd 12t h holes, t he site t hat seldo m feels cra mped. Its gree ns are s mall, b ut t he s urro u nds ofte n offer backstops or sideboards to help golfers keep t heir approac hes close. T ho ug h it’s j ust a bit over 6, 5 0 0 yar ds fro m t he ti ps, t he heavy sea air ofte n m a k e s it pl a y l o n g e r. S o m e h ol e s, s u c h as t he 1 8t h, a p ar 5 t h at fis h- ho o ks left to ward a n elevated a nd false-fro nted gree n t hat ejects i ndiffere nt approac hes so me 30 yards do w nslope, are bears i n a ny weat her co nditio n. As we made our way around Gearhart’s lo w d u nescape, a carefree feeli ng prevaile d. T here’s a partic ular satisfactio n that co mes fro m experie nci ng a course t hat’s bot h affordable (peak gree n fee: $85) a n d ho nest i n its missio n. T he ofte n marvels at big- b udget, do w n-to-t he-st uds re novatio ns, b ut Gear hart’s re ne wal de mo nstrates t hat so meti mes a lot of little t hi ngs ca n add u p to so met hi ng pretty neat i n its o w n ri g ht. G w k

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