Bandon's Barber Goes First
- By Matt Ginella
- March 2, 2021
“I just couldn’t believe that I was going to be first one on a fantastic course like Bandon Dunes.” So says Mick Peters, who, in his own words, is “a pretty average guy.”
In the process of building and developing Bandon Dunes, Mike Keiser has propelled a wide variety of obscure people and simple things into legendary status. Or is it simple people and obscure things? In the end, and in the case of this special place, it works both ways.
There are the architects: David McLay Kidd, Tom Doak, Jim Urbina, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. He didn’t just help make their architectural careers, he made them rock stars of the industry. He transformed a gorse-chocked coastline into one big gift to the avid American amateur. One course at a time and over two decades, “we” now have an overwhelming hub of pure links golf in this country. He took the idea of a putting and a par-3 course and not only made them cool, but they’ve become essential watering holes of a buddies-trip destination and key ingredients to the priceless camaraderie we all chase and crave.
Keiser used the best land for golf, proved 6,200 yards is enough, that lodging could be spartan, and that a guy named Shoe was the perfect fit for a position known as the Director of Outside Happiness, which he takes very seriously.
Which brings us back to Mick Peters, who hasn’t gone on to build other courses, has never signed an autograph, isn’t asked to do speaking engagements, doesn’t have Twitter or Instagram and is the furthest thing from going viral.
And yet, because of Keiser, all of the architects, Shoe and a damn cool set of circumstances, the local barber is one of Bandon’s best stories.
The complete story appears in the latest issue of Dream Golf and on dreamgolf.com
–Matt Ginella
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