Golf resorts take note, this is how you promote a course expansion.

Other areas of travel typically expand more often than golf. A waterpark may add a new slide, a ski resort may cut a few new trails.

But for a golf resort with three courses, a new 18-hole addition would be a 33% increase in acreage. If you start with just one, you’re effectively doubling your footprint. Both of those numbers are virtually unheard of in other destinations.

So when it happens, you’ve gotta make the most of it. With the addition of Sheep Ranch on the horizon, Bandon Dunes did that very thing.

And they did it better than I’ve ever seen thanks to four simple things.

First, great use of video.
Notice that they kick it off with an awesome video. I’m big on video right now and this is a perfect use of the medium.

Second, a dedicated website.
So often, we see these big stories squeezed into the same format you’d use for a blog post. This clean, visual design gives the news a chance to spread it’s wings.

Third, it’s all emotion.
Bandon Dunes has dispensed with the facts and figures and gone full emotion. There are no facts and figures to get lost in, just a pure, passionate story.

Fourth, it’s early.
None of this could be possible without an incredible brand existing in the first place, but with that foundation Bandon Dunes has started the hype machine early. The course is still nearly a year away, and they’re already taking reservations.

Whether or not people are booking (though I think plenty are), it’s a beautiful example of their confidence in the message that only makes that message stronger.

Amazing Stuff
Looking around the golf industry for examples of great marketing, it’s hard not to notice all the incredible things Bandon Dunes has done.

But this? This might be my favorite.

It’s smart, it’s passionate, and these powerful messages are beautifully matched to the medium.