(The view from the 190 yard par three fourteenth tee with the par five fifth green in the background.)
If Bandon Crossings was anywhere else, people would be clamoring how good a course it is, but since it's by Bandon Dunes Resort, it gets overlooked. On my trip to Bandon, several of the guys could realistically walk only eighteen holes, and when I suggested Crossings, where carts are available, they shrugged off the idea as blasphemous. That's too bad because this place really fits in well with the resort and offers a different experience. (Starting with the bent grass greens) 
(A cavernous bunker guards the green at the 420 yard par four third.)
The clubhouse, range, and holes 1-5 15-18 are on the northern hill. The topography is more gentle, and the strategy is dictated by the bunkering. This is important to know because Hixson designed some difficult bunkers! There's curves to them and they have deep lips to play over. One can get a very awkward stance and lie. 
(Look at the petiteness and severity of the sand trap. The shadow is definitely a place you don't want your ball to be!)
(The uphill par five fourth requires two strong shots to reach the green in two. At 495 yards, the average player is laying up short of the barranca and hitting a short iron.)
Dan Hixson designed the course the way he found it, and it possesses a few nuances one rarely sees, primarily back to back par fives, not once but twice! (Holes 4&5 and 12&13)
(The view from behind the green on the 545 yard fifth. Being downhill, downwind means players can reach this in two! Also, this is one of the connector greens as players walk up the hill to the sixth tee.)
The southern hill has more roll in it, and has several really good holes. The stretch of 7-12 is especially good!
(The uphill par four seventh has a large roll bleeding into the fairway. One can carry it, play right of it, or just short of it. At 430 yards, it's a strong par.)
(I love the green at the 455 yard eighth! It sits beautifully in a pocket of trees. It slopes from back right to front left, making a fade the preferred shot.)
(Nine is 175 yards. The green has a large roll in it, and slopes to a sunken area directly behind the front bunker. Note how deep the trap is!! A high cut better be hit far enough.)
Many of the slopes on the southern hill are used beautifully. The holes play over and across them, giving players options to gain better angles or better shots. Visually, the views across the valley and countryside remind me of Kebo Valley in Maine, and although it's not the ocean, is still exciting. 
(The drive on ten with a centerline bunker defining the lower left from the upper right...
...the ball can be bounced in or flown in, depending on what angle is chosen. The view is particularly appealing as one looks across to the first hole and clubhouse.)
Crossings is an out an in eighteen holes, however, it has a "trap" door for nine hole leagues. On the par five fifth, there's an alternate green on the right. This makes five a par four, and then they play 15-18 out for the remaining four holes. I find little things like this to be charming, and very simply, pretty cool. 
(The par three seventeenth plays over a portion of the scrub filled valley. It's 170 yards from the back tees. The putting surface does extend left of the traps, so there are some good places to tuck the pin.)
So should one skip a round at the resort and play here? That's the real question. I say resoundingly yes! Give your feet a rest and your wallet a break. I'm a player who enjoys seeing new designs and different architecture so I enjoyed my round immensely. I give Bandon Crossings a 7 (great)(worth 3-4 hour drive)
(The 570 yard eighteenth has a speed slot tumbling all the way to the green. I was told to layup left if I wanted to get my third shot close.)
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