Bandon Question-worth it under these circumstances?

dpb5031 · August 16, 2015

Another

dpb5031 · August 16, 2015

Awesome![attachment=2909372:FullSizeRender.jpg]

dan360 · August 16, 2015

Awesome! Ping and Mizuno....just *knew* you were my kinda people lol

I'm glad you loved Bandon Trails.

Thank goodness the weather was good, and you have memories for a lifetime!

The Pearl · August 16, 2015

Great trip and I know you did it because you were in the area and from the east coast and you may never go back, but the Nov-Mar time frame is the only time to go to Bandon. You folks should put Cabot Links/Cabot Cliffs on your next destination list.

dpb5031 · August 16, 2015

[quote name='The Pearl' timestamp='1439759136' post='12149392']
Great trip and I know you did it because you were in the area and from the east coast and you may never go back, but the Nov-Mar time frame is the only time to go to Bandon. You folks should put Cabot Links/Cabot Cliffs on your next destination list.
[/quote]

I ain't done yet!

mallrat · August 16, 2015

FWIW, Trails is my favorite and it amazes me how many don't like Trails. From what a couple caddies have told Trails is considered the favorite among many of them.

I've always thought that if it was a stand alone course it would be a top 10 course but because it doesn't have the coastal views of the others it gets over looked. Glad you had a good time and hopefully the PNW treated you well. Can you expand on the greens at Bandon being terrible?

cbbaron · August 16, 2015

[quote name='The Pearl' timestamp='1439759136' post='12149392']
Great trip and I know you did it because you were in the area and from the east coast and you may never go back, but the Nov-Mar time frame is the only time to go to Bandon. You folks should put Cabot Links/Cabot Cliffs on your next destination list.
[/quote]Funny you say that Im from Boston went to Bandon in April contemplating a trip to Bandon either Oct or Nov looked into Cabot I think its just as difficult to get there for me as Bandon. Plus I think that time of year weather will be better in Bandon

dpb5031 · August 17, 2015

[quote name='mallrat' timestamp='1439771476' post='12150928']
FWIW, Trails is my favorite and it amazes me how many don't like Trails. From what a couple caddies have told Trails is considered the favorite among many of them.

I've always thought that if it was a stand alone course it would be a top 10 course but because it doesn't have the coastal views of the others it gets over looked. Glad you had a good time and hopefully the PNW treated you well. Can you expand on the greens at Bandon being terrible?
[/quote]

The greens at Bandon Dunes were the worst of the four courses. They were bumpy and relatively slow, and just looking at them sucked the confidence out of me with regard to making putts. Pacific Dunes greens were similar, but smoother and faster. The greens at Old Mac and Trails were significantly better.

I think it's hard to compare the courses because they're so different from one another. Bandon and Pacific are most similar and both are spectacular with dramatic ocean views that will leave you mezmerized.

Old Mac is quirky and fun, with huge undulating greens with several blind shots and visually challenging illusions. It was the perfect course for our first round at Bandon.

And yes, Bandon Trails is under-rated. The layout is incredible, the holes offering a combination of challenges, beauty, and choices in terms of best strategy to attack each hole. I played my best and had the most fun playing Bandon Trails, shooting 79. Had I putted better (including some putts from green surrounds) I would have been around par.

Another thing I should discuss is the choice of which tees to play. Most of the courses have a set of tees at around 6300, and then a back set of tees at around 6900-7000. We typically play 6700 at home, so we either had to move up, or go back. I made the command decision to move up, even though our handicaps (+1,3,7, & 9) may have indicated the back tees. It was the right decision. The intense winds make up the difference in difficulty, even if you're down wind. Just as an example, I hit a 6 iron (185 club) on the 120 yard par 3 11th hole at Pacific Dunes! I was also able to hit at least one par 5 in two on each of the courses, which was fun! My daughter out drove all of us and put the ball on the front left fringe of one of the downwind par 4s on Pacific, then putted it off of the green and into a bunker...lol! Great fun!

The courses are designed to play with the prevailing wind. We had opposite wind days on Old Mac and Bandon Dunes. Playing the tips would have brutally difficult on those days. We watched a lot of other groups out there struggling on the tips. Unless your a long hitting low hc or plus hc, I'd suggest moving up. It's more difficult than it looks on paper!