T he S heep R anch In April, Jon, myself, and a handful of our friends traveled to Oregon to play some golf. We had planned our trip more than a year earlier in February 2020, before the world shut down. For most of us, this trip to Bandon Dunes on Oregon’s southern coastline was our first big venture out since being vaccinated and the one thing we looked forward to throughout the pandemic. Bandon Dunes was the brainchild of a Chicago businessman who wanted to bring Scottish links golf to America. Since the first course opened in 1999, Bandon Dunes has become a pilgrimage site for many American golfers. The resort now hosts five spectacular 18-hole courses — four of which are right on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. Beyond the terrific golf courses, Bandon Dunes prides itself on the “no frills” golf environment that has existed for centuries in Scotland, which made it a perfect venue for a weekend with friends I hadn’t seen much during the pandemic. I had been to Bandon Dunes once before with my dad and his friends. But before this trip, I had never played the newest course: The Sheep Ranch. The Sheep Ranch opened with highly favorable reviews in June 2020. Before it was developed into a full-fledged 18-hole course, the Sheep Ranch site had a number of greens and fairways on the cliffs but no structured routing. People in
the know could gain access to the site and play the various holes in any order they saw fit. After many years of consideration, the Bandon Dunes owner finally built a set course on the site and opened it for public play. I was so excited to play Sheep Ranch because it had more than a mile of oceanfront cliffs and nine greens that were on the coast. By comparison, the other thee coastal courses at Bandon have one-mile combined oceanfront. There are too many unbelievably good holes to talk about, so I will just share my favorite highlight. On the ninth hole, we saw a large bird soaring overhead and settling onto a tree near the green. As we got closer, we realized it was a bald eagle in a nest overlooking the course. It must have been a good omen because the very next hole, I scored one of the few eagles in my lifetime.
Just playing the Sheep Ranch was my highlight of the trip, but beating my friend, Mike, made the day that much sweeter. If you ever have an opportunity to do it, I cannot recommend playing the Sheep Ranch enough. You will not be disappointed.
– Pat Cummings
Are You Breaking the Law When You Ride Your Motorcycle Without a Helmet in Illinois?
In Illinois, you are not required by law to wear your helmet when riding a motorcycle. It is currently only one of two states with no motorcycle helmet laws in the country. You are, however, required to wear proper eye protection if the bike is not equipped with a windshield. The statute that required motorcyclists and passengers to wear a helmet was repealed in 1969. Proponents of removing the mandatory helmet law believed that it was up to the responsibility of each rider to decide for themselves whether or not to wear a helmet.
At Shannon Law Group, we encourage everyone to wear helmets while riding motorcycles, even if the law doesn’t require you to. These helmets should meet the Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS). Here’s some food for thought: Wearing a motorcycle helmet helps prevent serious head injuries or even death in the event of a crash. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 2017 Motorcycle Crash Statistics Report, helmets saved the lives of 1,872 motorcyclists that year. If all riders had worn helmets, an additional 749 lives could have been saved. Helmets are estimated to be 37% effective in preventing fatal injuries to motorcyclists. In other words, for every 100 motorcycle riders killed in crashes while not wearing helmets, 37 riders could have been saved if all 100 had worn helmets.
As highway safety advocates, our job is to educate the public in order to prevent serious injury and death from accidents. So, consider wearing a helmet next time you ride a motorcycle.
– Patrick Anderson
2 www.shannonlawgroup.com
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