DMK and more tweaks to Bandon Dunes

[spud3]

Blog post on the Bandon site of an interview with David McLay Kidd and he outlines another round of updates to his Bandon Dunes course:

 

https://www.bandondunesgolf.com/blog/changes-bandon-dunes-pt-2-interview-david-mclay-kidd

 

Mostly bunker work, refreshing all of them and filling in a couple, adding one. Plus a re-wilding of the ridge across 16.

 

Thanks to Edaw68 for letting me know about this.

[Sushiyoshi]

Was there a couple of weeks ago and noticed the changes to #2 & 8.

#2 had temporary tee box above #1 green while they are making the changes to the front as mentioned in the article.

#8 is much easy to drive now with some bunkers removed.

Also saw filled in fairway bunkers on #9 IIRC.

[wtoomey]

If I’m not mistaken the tee boxes for #2 that are above #1 were the original design location.

[Edaw68]

If I'm not mistaken the tee boxes for #2 that are above #1 were the original design location.

 

I believe you are correct, those boxes are referenced in Dream Golf. I actually hope they are still in use when I'm there in 3 weeks, I've always wanted to try that tee shot and see how different it plays.

[Edaw68]

Was there a couple of weeks ago and noticed the changes to #2 & 8.

#2 had temporary tee box above #1 green while they are making the changes to the front as mentioned in the article.

#8 is much easy to drive now with some bunkers removed.

Also saw filled in fairway bunkers on #9 IIRC.

 

I'm interested in seeing #8. For whatever reason I've rarely had a tee shot on 8 that isn't into the wind, and those cross bunkers are a legit hazard with a headwind.

[duffer987]

I've been reading the tweets over the past few months and have to say, like last year's changes - all things being equal - I don't see the point.

Refresh the bunkers sure, they do take a beating, but the changes to #2 and #8 feel like links golf for dummies.

Can people really not see that a putter or hybrid on #2 makes more sense to a front/middle pin than a wedge? And agree with Eda, that a winter wind keeps those bunkers in play, now the whole right side is opened up.

Hopefully 9 & 16 changes actually enhance things.

[spud3]

I've been reading the tweets over the past few months and have to say, like last year's changes - all things being equal - I don't see the point.

Refresh the bunkers sure, they do take a beating, but the changes to #2 and #8 feel like links golf for dummies.

Can people really not see that a putter or hybrid on #2 makes more sense to a front/middle pin than a wedge? And agree with Edaw, that a winter wind keeps those bunkers in play, now the whole right side is opened up.

Hopefully 9 & 16 changes actually enhance things.

 

They were working on 2 when I was there in December, and we played from that upper tee. Frankly, it takes all the fear out of it and makes the hole kind of boring. Selecting the right club to carry that green is essentially gone. You could almost top a mid-iron and it would end up on the green. Imagine the shot on #5 on Trails if you didn't have to clear that ravine.

 

I've had some wayward drives on #8 find that right side, and it's no bargain. The fairway heaves massively up and down on that right side, and the likelihood of a severely unlevel lie is high. That, or you're down in between one of those hills and you have to get the ball up so quickly you can't take enough club to get to the green.

[duffer987]

Been a few updates with pics in his feed:

 

Really do think #2 is an unfortunate resort-style dumbing down that's not remotely required.

#14 it's hard to tell just how far down that huge bunker comes, in regards to the driving the green line, reminds me of #5 on Bandon.

[spud3]

Been a few updates with pics in his feed: https://twitter.com/...246789072510976

 

Really do think #2 is an unfortunate resort-style dumbing down that's not remotely required.

#14 it's hard to tell just how far down that huge bunker comes, in regards to the driving the green line, reminds me of #5 on Bandon.

 

Pretty much agree on #2, the more I think on it. The challenge of the hole is to select the club that gets you far enough into the green so that you don't roll back down. There's even the play of carrying the whole green to bounce it down off the slope in back (my typical strategy, depending on pin placement). I get the desire to make the front less penal, but what other defense does the hole have?

[ebrasmus21]

All I know is don't go long on #2. It's not easy from back there.

[duffer987]

Been a few updates with pics in his feed: https://twitter.com/...246789072510976

 

Really do think #2 is an unfortunate resort-style dumbing down that's not remotely required.

#14 it's hard to tell just how far down that huge bunker comes, in regards to the driving the green line, reminds me of #5 on Bandon.

 

Pretty much agree on #2, the more I think on it. The challenge of the hole is to select the club that gets you far enough into the green so that you don't roll back down. There's even the play of carrying the whole green to bounce it down off the slope in back (my typical strategy, depending on pin placement). I get the desire to make the front less penal, but what other defense does the hole have?

Exactly. My yardage on that hole is always judged off the back slope vs the pin position. Higher up the hill to have it come further back to the pin.

I've still misjudged the wind + poor swing and ended up down in front.

And my recovery has always been a putter or hybrid. Fair enough if people want to use a wedge, but I think saying everyone is "fatting their lob wedges" and need this shelf to cop onto the alternatives is weak.

[mallrat]

It could be about pace of play more than anything. I imagine groups coming up short on that hole adds 10 minutes a round. With the amount of rounds they do and I seemingly being harder to keep up the pace there, it could be a small solution.

[plutch]

Absolutely, not a great start in the morning when #2 is backed up because of balls not getting to the green on the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd stroke.

 

If anything it will help with pace of play, I am in favor.

[Sushiyoshi]

I think most of most the changes they have done in the last few years are for pace of play. My friend who has been going since the first year it opened talks about how much easier the courses have gotten over the years. Lots of troubles removed to make speed up play.

[duffer987]

It could be about pace of play more than anything. I imagine groups coming up short on that hole adds 10 minutes a round. With the amount of rounds they do and I seemingly being harder to keep up the pace there, it could be a small solution.

Ya will have to see when we get there. But the changes don't look to help those bad tee balls there still at the bottom, folks will still have to come the whole way up, it's only those lesser misses on the right 1/2 that will be impacted.

I'm just being a bit of a grumpy guss - as Bandon is my favorite North American course and I've really not liked the changes the past two years, which IMHO are a nod towards the business side of golf, as much as the playing of it. If they ever do anything to 4-7 I might just curl up into a ball and sob ;)

[buzlin]

It could be about pace of play more than anything. I imagine groups coming up short on that hole adds 10 minutes a round. With the amount of rounds they do and I seemingly being harder to keep up the pace there, it could be a small solution.

Ya will have to see when we get there. But the changes don't look to help those bad tee balls there still at the bottom, folks will still have to come the whole way up, it's only those lesser misses on the right 1/2 that will be impacted.

I'm just being a bit of a grumpy guss - as Bandon is my favorite North American course and I've really not liked the changes the past two years, which IMHO are a nod towards the business side of golf, as much as the playing of it. If they ever do anything to 4-7 I might just curl up into a ball and sob ;)

They need to lay some sod along the entire dune along the right side of the approach to 5 green. All balls funneling back down onto the green instead stuck in the sand. Am I right?

[duffer987]

^LOL! That would be awesome! As long as they level the mounds in the fairway too of course.

[Edaw68]

Just got back from Bandon, and played BD a couple times. (sorry, neglected pictures) Most of the changes are fine in my opinion after having played them. For #2 it is a little more forgiving now for shots that almost but don't quite make it, a truly bad tee shot is still down in the junk. This looks like it was a pace of play issue as I didn't see anyone playing 2 or 3 recovery shots to get back up.

 

The bunkers on #8 are quite a bit different now, and seem to do what Kidd said he wanted to do in the interview. I like them as it opens up more choices off the tee. You can hit left and avoid the bunkers, but there are a couple new ones there to make that challenging. The play up the right is a little more open, but you'll need to control yardage to avoid the new bunker in the middle. Overall it's still challenging but gives more routes through the fairway, rather than the old way of either fly the bunkers or go left.

 

#9 is still being worked on, so it was kind of hard to visualize what will happen with sighting flags in the fairway. I'm guessing most people will try to go up the right hand side and deal with the semi-blind shot rather than challenge fairway bunkers.

 

On #6 they are building a large new catch bunker that will cover most of the left side of the green to replace the small pot bunker. I asked the grounds guy on the excavator, and it was apparently to prevent balls from just bouncing straight into the ocean off the tee, or for chip shots from the right hand side. Sounds like a pace of play issue, but I don't think it will make the hole any easier for trying to par or birdie, but will help to avoid the huge numbers that really slow things down.

 

On #15 they cut the bunker size in half. It looks like this was so balls that just barely don't make it to the green and feed down to the right won't automatically go in the bunker, leaving a chance of a recovery chip or putt. Again it's probably a pace of play thing as I doubt it makes the hole easier when trying for a par or birdie, but will help prevent someone from just ping ponging the green for 10 minutes.

 

#14 had the bunkers enlarged, so the tee shot is tougher now for a lay up, probably making it more attractive to try and fly a driver over all of them.

 

#16 just seems like clean up work on the bank between fairways, just preventing balls from being lost in the vegetation. Doesn't really effect strategy.

 

On #18 it looks like some of the bunkers are bigger/more penal, adding some thinking to the tee shot.

 

Pretty much every bunker on the course looks like they did some clean up work, shaving the banks and what not. Overall I didn't really see any major negatives to the changes. I like that they have the original architect involved in making them.

[Edaw68]

Umm, I don't know what happened with the font size....

[tonypizzle]

i wonder if they will be done before my trip in May!

[duffer987]

> @Edaw68 said:

> Umm, I don't know what happened with the font size....

 

Thanks for the report :smile:

Interesting comments on 14, I'd assumed the bunkers would make driving it less likely, than more likely. Be very interesting to see in person... only 8 months to go, lol.

 

Edit: I'd not worry about the font - look where my inline smilie ended up, ha.