Bandon North? New destination golf resort is coming to Pacific Northwest

The unicorn, a creature once confined to fantasies and children’s fairy tales, has migrated into the real world of adults. It has long been a household term in the technology sector, shorthand for a privately held startup valued at more than a billion dollars.

More recently, the ‘unicorn’ has also found a place in golf architecture.

David McLay Kidd used the term earlier this week when referring to his latest project, announced Wednesday: River Ranch Golf Resort, a budding destination in southwest Washington. “When I first set foot on the grounds of River Ranch, I knew I had found another unicorn,” he said in a statement accompanying the news.

Of course, no architect has ever bad-mouthed a site he was hired to design. But this one seems legitimately intriguing.

Perched on the bluffs of the Snake River near Pasco, the property has features that are catnip for architecture enthusiasts: ample exercise, sweeping vistas, and sandy soil ideal for fescue. Centuries of flooding have carved out the terrain and winds swirl across the river corridor – elements that McLay Kidd says he wants to integrate into his route, which will debut in August 2027.

The project comes amid a boom in golf course development, particularly at luxury resorts and private clubs. It also deepens the Scottish-born architect’s ties to the Pacific Northwest, which first emerged more than a quarter century ago with Bandon Dunes on the Oregon coast. That property was a unicorn in itself. Many in the business community thought developer Mike Keizer’s plans for a remote resort were so far-fetched that they didn’t stand a chance. McLay Kidd then settled in the Pacific Northwest, settling in Bend, Oregon, where he added Tetherow to his resume. Now he has returned four hours north to a rare area.

Behind River Ranch is a homegrown ownership group. Their collective vision includes overnight accommodations in guesthouses, a clubhouse with river views and a living area. KemperSports, which has been with Bandon Dunes since its inception, will handle operations.

Like many architects these days, McLay Kidd has been busy. Among his other duties: pursuing a new course at Streamsong, a yet-to-be-named course that will be located next to the Black Course and open at the end of this year.

“The older I get, the more picky I get,” McLay Kidd said this week. “Now that there are probably more courses behind us than ahead, I am looking even harder at those unique locations and opportunities.”

Unicorns, that is.

3 Things I’m Thinking About

50 Shades Stream Song: Actually not 50. But now that a fourth 18-hole course is in the works at Streamsong, I wonder which color will be chosen as the name. It has to be a color, right? That would make the most sense since the other three big ones at the resort are Red, Blue and Black. But when I mentioned this to an executive at Kemper (owner of Streamsong), he smiled and said cryptically, “Who knows? Maybe we’ll go for something completely different.”

For his most recent course, Pinehurst chose “No. 11.” With that in mind, it only seems sensible to predict that we’ll be introduced to Streamsong Green at the ribbon cutting later this year.

What’s in this name? With the PGA Tour in the California desert this week, I’ve been looking around for golf news in the Palm Springs area. This item caught my attention: Trilogy Golf Club in La Quinta, a former Skins Game host that was renovated a year ago, has a newly unveiled restaurant, Kitchen Ten Eleven. Do they think they’re Pinehurst naming a facility after a song? Actually not. The name has local roots. It nods to the 1,011 homes within the Trilogy community, whose owners voted overwhelmingly in favor of renovating the property.

A PGA show without a show. Again. The PGA Merchandise Show is in its 73rd year. I am in my 58th year, more than half of which has been spent in the golf industry. So it’s strange that the big party and I have never overlapped. I’m not sure if this should be a source of pride or shame, but I’m a PGA Show virgin. I’ve never been there, done that. And this week, as a new version of the meeting unfolds in Orlando, I continue my no-show streak. Some colleagues tell me I’m lucky; Others insist I’m missing something. Anyway, I have spies at the convention center this week who will search the travel pavilion for me. I will share any news that comes from their reports.