Scott Millhouser, a nearly 20-year veteran of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort has only ever remembered a time like this week when snow and freezing temperatures shut down the Oregon golf mecca for multiple afternoons.
Bandon Dunes was shut down for the second consecutive day Friday due to a severe winter storm. All five courses on the property are ranked in the Top 10 of Golfweek’s Best 2023 top 200 resort golf courses in the U.S.
Millhouser, co-director of the resort’s golf course with Nick Bonander, said that “this is a once in a decade kind of storm.” “I can only recall one other instance in my 18 years of being here when we were closed for longer than one day.
This is a rare sight! Bandon covered in snow. The courses were closed today, but we hope that tomorrow’s sunny day will bring back the birds. Stay safe and warm, everyone! pic.twitter.com/p0rqjNlOTw
Bandon Dunes (@BandonDunesGolf February 23, 2023
It’s not just Bandon. Snow has a significant impact on Oregon from the coast to the mountains.
Many roads are closed due to icy conditions and slowdowns. Portland’s metro area is in poor condition with many roads and highways blocked by cars and iced over, making it difficult to travel.
The downside to a rare weather phenomenon that hit Oregon’s southern coast is that we weren’t able to play golf today.
The upside to this is that we were able to see Bandon Dunes, a snow-covered but sunny area. quite surreal. pic.twitter.com/KtttWVluNM
Mike Darnay (@MikeDarnay February 24, 2023
The cold temperatures are threatening to descend into areas like Southern California, where they have never seen before. The area’s low temperatures are expected to drop to 40 degrees this weekend. 3 million Californians woke up Friday to a warning about a winter storm. This was due to the storm that hit the Golden State on Friday, leaving over 150,000 customers without power.
Some mountains in Los Angeles may receive up to 5 feet of snow, which can create whiteout conditions due to winds gusting up to 75 mph. Forecasters say the conditions increase the likelihood of avalanches.
Through Saturday, the weather service in San Diego issued its very first blizzard warning. It was for areas such as Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead, and Wrightwood. Los Angeles’ weather service issued its own blizzard alert for the mountain areas of Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
The good news is that the cold snap won’t last for too long.
Millhouser stated that snow was beginning to melt at Bandon Dunes on Friday night, and that golfers were making use of the range to get ready for the weekend.
Millhouser stated that the practice facility was never closed. “And we should play golf tomorrow.”
