Rich:
Your "seriously uninteresting" comment begs the question as to how much time you've actually spent in Bandon proper. Hours, days, weeks?
If more than a cursory visit, you certainly missed a lot.
There's no comparison between Bandon with its scant 150 years of history and St. Andrews. They are different beasts, apples and oranges. But if you look beneath the covers you find plenty of there, here.
Have you walked the beaches here, or ridden them on horseback? Taken in Face Rock and the other sea stacks or walked one of the sand mazes old man Denny scratches out every few days? Ventured out to Bullards Beach to search for driftwood? Woken up or fallen asleep to the sound of the waves in the Pacific?
How about the rivers? Ever been up the Elk or Sixes? Hiked up to Gold and Silver Falls? Or spent a day salmon fishing on the Coquille or Coos? Or just cruised a kayak on the New River?
Ever been to the Loft for a meal? Or had a beer with the locals at the Arcade? Or watched the sun set over the jetty while dining on fresh halibut at Edgewaters? Or even stopped into the Rolling Pin for a cup of coffee and a scratch made biscuit?
Have you walked through Old Town Bandon and window shopped? Made it to the farmers market? Had Fish and Chips on the pier or fish tacos at Tony's? Stopped into the cheese factory or the town's museum for a slice of the lumber, fishing and dairy history of this region? Or even checked out the meat counter at Ray's to see if the rib eyes are on special?
Have you ever been thigh deep in a cranberry bog during harvest? Or seen a concert at the Valley Flora Farm? What about a hike out to Black Lock, or a stop in Langlois for a hot dog while on your way to Port Orford to see one of the prettiest stretches of coastline you can find in the world?
Have you ventured even further out to the myriad of places accessible from Bandon? Ever taken a day trip to Crater Lake or down to the redwoods? Or had a Pinot Noir at one of the vineyards in the Willamette Valley? Taken in a football game at Autzen Stadium or checked out the Oregon Country Fair in Eugene? Done a raft trip or jet boat tour on the Rogue River? Driven up to Florence or Yachats for the day to explore a bit more of the coast? Or visited Portland to experience one of the culinary capitals of the world?
There's more here than you know nor care to learn about. For a town that saw its three primary industries disappear, Bandon gets along just fine. There's still a good bit of the frontier here in the people and the way of life, and they like it that way. Well before the resort came around Bandon was a seaside retreat for the inland folk. When its 90+ inland, the ocean climate is a relief. And while Bandon doesn't have the history of Seaside, or the artist colony of Cannon Beach, or the influx of Portland money that infects many of the northern coastal towns, it does have it charms. But you'd really need to spend some time here to figure that out.
You see what you don't get, Rich, is that not every place is going to be everyone's cup of tea. St. Andrews and the rest of the Scottish golf towns have their particular charms and offerings that appeal to a certain set. Just like Bandon has opportunities to explore that appeal to a different group. There's more than a few lucky people in the middle that can appreciate the charm of both. You don't appear to be one of them, and frankly your opinions come off as not only uneducated, but snobbish as well.
Bandonly yours,
Sven