(Editor’s note: Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is celebrating its 25th anniversary and Golfweek T ravel Editor Jason Lusk put together a comprehensive package for the occasion, complete with Q&As of pivotal people in and around the operation. To see the entire package of stories, click here .)
BANDON, Ore. – Mick Peters moved to Bandon in 1962, graduated high school there and worked in a mill to save money for barber school.
After more than five decades cutting hair, he retired several years ago and sold his business, Mick’s Hair Surgeons, to his son Mark, who has added a golf swing studio that is open for rental.
One fortuitous haircut led Mick to the first tee time the day Bandon Dunes Golf Resort opened in 1999. Having become a good-luck charm for the resort, he has had the fortune to hit the opening tee shot on each course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, a tradition that will continue with the opening of the new Shorty’s par-3 course in May.
Peters spoke with Golfweek in the run-up to the resort’s 25th anniversary in May.
Back in the late ’90s, how did you first hear about the new resort?
When I first heard that they were going to build the course out here, I said, “Oh, who’s going to come to Bandon to play golf? There’s no way to get here.” As it turned out, it turned out pretty great.
How did you land the first tee time?
Shoe (Bob Gaspar) came in for a haircut, and he’d been out there for a while. I knew was going to go out and apply for a job as a caddie master. To make a long story short, he got the job, then later on he was in getting a haircut, and he said, “Boy, that first day is really filling up.” And I said, by any chance, if that first tee time open, I would be interested. He said, “Well, I’m going out there to work, and I’ll give you a call.” So he called me about 20 minutes later or so and said the tee time’s open if you want it. I said, I do.
I’m not a very good golfer, but it was very interesting. … After I got over the shakes, I had a lot of fun.
Mick Peters in the barber shop he started decades ago in Bandon, Ore., and since has sold to his son. (Gabe Gudgel/Golfweek)
When they started to open other courses, did you have to call to get a tee time, or did somebody call you and ask if you wanted to try it again?
They call and ask if we want to be first again. So of course we did, and from then on, they call for each course and we’ve been able to hit the first ball on every course.
Do you remember your first shot on Bandon Dunes, where it went?
I think I sliced it a little bit, but I think it stayed in the fairway. So I was happy about that.
From then on at the first, I would just tap the ball and I’d pick it up, and then I’d have Mr. Keiser sign it. Then I would put it in my pocket and put another ball down, so I wouldn’t lose the good ball.
Do any of the opening shots stand out to you more than the others?
I can’t remember what course it was on, but I just dubbed it, really bad. And it only went about 10 feet. I was so nervous, and Mr. Keiser said, “We take mulligans here, go ahead and put another one down and hit it.” …
I’m pretty nervous at the grand openings, and of course they have gotten bigger since that time. Now there’s a lot more people standing around. Now it’s more of an event than the first one.
On Bandon Dunes for that first shot, it was raining so hard that there weren’t too many people there. Everybody had raincoats, and it was horrible weather. But we made it around.
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