I recently had the absolute pleasure of getting to play golf at Bandon Dunes. As some readers may know, I love golf, and I love beer. I even wrote about the best beers to drink on a golf course.
What I didn’t know about Bandon Dunes (and what I can hardly find anything about) is that Hop Valley brews not one, not two, but THREE beers for Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.
Yes, there were plenty of good beers available, ranging from tougher finds like Pliny the Elder to more ubiquitous NW beers like Fresh Haze IPA from Deschutes. But this article will focus on the beer unique to the course.
So ya, here are the beers of Bandon Dunes.
Ghost Tree Hazy IPA
I’m leading with Ghost Tree because this seemed to be the easiest beer to find (at least in canned form). Ghost Tree is a clean hazy IPA that doesn’t surprise at first glance with a 7% ABV and an IBU of 42, relatively low for an IPA.
But wow, when most hazy beers feel heavy, Ghost Tree has a lightness to it that you don’t find with most hazys. This made it an absolutely crushable beer on the links, even though you have to walk literally everywhere.
An ode to the Ghost Tree on Old Macdonald, this is worth a try. If you prefer not to ruin your golf round by drinking, have one outside the Ghost Tree Grill right by 18.
Sheep Ranch Lager
If I could bring any of these beers home with me, it would be the Sheep Ranch Lager. Sheep Ranch Lager is light, crisp, and inoffensive in pretty much every way. This beer paired best with Punch Bowl, the silly putting course at Bandon that encourages you to try the goofiest shots you can imagine (none of them work).
If you’re fortunate enough to visit Bandon Dunes on a sunny day, this beer is going to pair best with the sunshine.
Bandon Dunes Pale Ale
I love pale ales, since they provide the flavor you might find in an IPA with a lower ABV and more lightness than its heavier kin. But the Bandon Dunes Pale Ale was…not remarkable? Not bad, but certainly not special, especially when you have myriad drink options available.
Maybe this is my general meh on Hop Valley coming through, but the Bandon Dunes Pale Ale was nothing to right home about. Which is a shame, considering it should essentially be the flagship beer of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.
All in All: Good Beer, Better Golf
At risk of stating the obvious, don’t go all the way to Bandon Dunes just to try these beers. Maybe give them a try if you’re in Bandon, but I found other breweries I enjoyed more (Bandon Brewing Company, Seven Devils Brewery, to name a few).
However, if you do find yourself golfing at Bandon Dunes, and you’re looking for a drink, and that drink is beer, well well well, I have three interesting recommendations for you.
- 5 Main Beer Ingredients: Breaking Down Beer - September 26, 2025
- What Are Fresh Hop Beers? - September 6, 2025
- What Is A Pint? - August 27, 2025