The Club at Sunset Bay -- A Brief History:

	Located on the Oregon Coast, just south of North Bend, the Club at Sunset Bay was originally built in 1908 by logging magnate Tim Birr.  Designed by Birr's brother, Lum, and England's great designer, Middle-Aged Tom Morris, the original course was a massively long links nightmare.  
	Most of the original layout was destroyed by waves in the Great Storm of 1971 as the Pacific ocean crept several dozens of yards inland.  The last surviving Birr brother, Oh, lost the remains of the family fortune trying to have the course rebuilt.
	By 1974 the course was virtually gone, when Oregon Governor Tom McCall succeeded in having the Oregon Dunes declared a national parks area.  Two days before the Dunes Bill was passed in Congress, Oh died after a long bout with syphilis.  In his will he had left the property known as the Club at Sunset Bay to the Society for the preservation of Native Oregon Born Salmon (S.N.O.B.S.).
	Following the passage of the bill the property's value increased from $22,000 to an estimated $4.5 million.  
	The Salmon Society quickly raised the venture capital necessary to rebuild the entire course, hiring the noted British designer, Dearly Departed Tom Morris to do a complete reroute.  Beginning with the  ocean-fronted 18th, Morris went to work quickly draining the resources of the Salmon Society.  He finished the final 14 holes before work was finally stopped in 1979 and the property sold at Bankruptcy Auction for $8.9 million to the Bagwhan Shree Rajneesh.
	The Rajneeshees decided to leave well enough alone and simply restored the first four holes to their original links-style layout.  The Rajneeshees kept the course private and built the Bagwhan a red-roofed getaway mansion overlooking the course.  For four years the Bagwhan was the only person to use the course, and that was only for his twice daily "strolls," driving the fairways in one of his many Rolls-Royces.
	The Property was seized by the government in 1984 when the Bagwhan was deported.  Sold again at auction in 1985 it was bought by a group headed by Oregon-born PGA- golfer Peter Jacobson for $10.2 million.  
	Jacobson's group restored the damage done by the Rolls and finally opened the club to the Public in the summer of 1985.
	In 1988 the Club celebrated it's 80th anniversary by running a contest in "The Oregonian" to name each hole.  Two Jimmy Buffet fans in Eugene stuffed the ballot boxes, sending in over 2000 entries for each hole.  While the Board of Directors was unhappy, they caved in to public pressure and allowed the reults to stand.     
	Today, members often do more fishing then playing during the salmon runs, and will occasionally bring both their clubs and poles to on busy weekends.  Some members also report seeing the ghost of Tim Birr wandering the course mumbling "Oh, what a fool."


			And now...
the truth:
	There really is a Smith's River on the Oregon Coast, but it's about 40 miles north of Sunset Bay.  This design was inspired by a couple of the courses I learned to play on - Ocean Dunes in Florence, Oregon in particular.  I've darkened the colors of the water because of the typically overcast skies.  At the same time I've lightened the sand.  The clouds tend to diffuse the
sunlight which makes the sand seem brighter.  For those of you expecting a dramatic sunset, I'm sorry.  Sunset Bay is a rather badly named bay.  I tried to give you the feeling of playing golf on the
coast in late fall and early spring.  This is when I liked to play it best.  There's rarely anyone else within two holes of you.  You're unhurried, and can really enjoy the course.  Unless you've got rain clouds rolling in...  Oh yeah,  if the wind is below 15 mph, you're not really playing on the Oregon Coast.
	From the Championship tees the course is obscenely long, yet the large landing areas allow players of all abilities to really wail at the ball.  Besides, I don't think you should play a course from the back tees unless it's a tournament.  If it's too long, move up to the Pro or Men's Tees.  You don't play real golf from the Championship Tees do you?
	One other thing I hope this course will do is let (and even encourage) players of all abilities to move the ball around.  I get the feeling that JNSE is too often a straight-shooters game, even for the masters.  Something I'm very proud of in real golf is my ability to move the ball left-to-right, or right-to-left as the shot dictates.  It's something I see the pros do on T.V. but don't see too often with my own playing partners.  So, fly into the Red Zone and don't worry about that slice.
	I did very little artwork on this course, stealing virtually all of the objects and background.  To the victims I give thanks and hope that they don't press charges.  I've taken trees from:  Scott Chesney's The Country Club, Ted Maiden's TPC at Sawgrass, and from Ron Enfield's Griffith Park.  In Ron's case I'm not thanking the right person because his text file says thanks to Dave Dikeman, Lee Ritze, Mark Willett, and GRIII, so my thanks to one of you too.
 I took another tree, and the beach grasses from a course called Kapalua.  Unfortunately the files I have on this course don't include a text file, and the overhead just says by "Henner."  I encourage everyone to pick this course up, and if anyone knows who "Henner" is let me know so I can thank him/her properly.  I used the bench and ball-washer from Dan Raftery's Seminole.  Finally, the background I stole from Scott Chesney's Links at Spanish Bay, though I did change the sky, add the hang-glider, and a fishing boat.
	I'd also like to thank GRIII and Jason Cadena, who both helped me with technical questions, on this, my first real JNSE design.
	I hope that I haven't missed anyone, and if I have I apologize.  Please let me know you can reach me on NVN.  My address is KYOUNG.  In a pinch you can also probably get a note to me on Prodigy at HCNR38A.  I'd appreciate any comments you have, good or bad.  Enjoy the coast, and after you finish head down to Mo's for some Chowder and Marionberry Pie.

--Kurt 



		
	
	 
