Bandon Dunes Ghost Tree Grill

Contemporary coastal vernacular informs upscale resort restaurant

The Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is widely regarded as one of the world’s best places to play golf. Rugged coastal cliffs, rolling sand dunes, and towering evergreens make this Oregon destination unlike any other. Scott Edwards Architecture’s design of Ghost Tree Grill, a new restaurant on the Old Macdonald course, contextualizes the building within the landscape and the resort’s existing architecture while informing a path forward for potential future development. Elements like an asymmetrical gabled roof, cedar cladding, and walls of windows providing sweeping views of the course all contribute to a contemporary design vernacular still reminiscent of historic coastal influences. Ghost Tree Grill’s careful placement within the site and awareness of the surrounding activity seamlessly integrate the lively, welcoming restaurant into the fabric of this world-renowned resort.

Location
Bandon, OR

Size
10,100 sf

Year
Summer 2023

Ghost Tree Grill is nestled into a hillside and visible down the fairway from Old Macdonald’s 18th hole, a welcome sight for golfers as they complete the course. The thoughtful placement is an invitation to continue the day’s fun by enjoying upscale food and beverages in an energetic environment. The restaurant features indoor and outdoor spaces for dining, relaxing, and socializing, and offers views of the course and the restaurant’s iconic namesake, Ghost Tree. Ghost Tree is a 50- to 60-foot Port Orford Cedar that likely died several decades ago but still stands on a ridge overlooking the third fairway—the tree is well-known in the golf community and can be found on apparel, golf equipment, and souvenirs, and has even inspired a few tattoos.

SEA’s approach deliberately contrasts subtlety with awe to create an experience. The entry brings to mind a portal—visitors enter the restaurant through an understated, cedar-clad wall, and as they move further into the building, the space opens up to show a vibrant dining room, a central bar, and expansive views of the golf course beyond. This purposeful reveal uses design to elicit the feeling of arriving somewhere that is significant and immersive.

Ghost Tree Grill’s centerpiece is a grand bar that flows from the interior to the exterior. A large interior fireplace separates the bar from the formal dining area, and an open kitchen provides diners with a glimpse of the back-of-house activity. The restaurant has two wings that extend perpendicular to the main space, and each wing’s walls of windows create a glassy jewel box that feels like part of the golf course. The wings shape an outdoor courtyard in between that offers seating for dining and a fire pit. The restaurant also has a private dining space, large televisions to broadcast sports and events, and a grandiose wine cabinet crafted to house a wide selection of varietals befitting of a steakhouse.