Playing in a hurricane at Bandon! On the spot report...

[Flogolf]

So we're on our yearly Super Bowl Bandon trip...play all four courses in four days...on day three now, playing Trails today. Played Pacific yesterday, wind was blowing 45-50mph out of the South, same at Old Mac on Saturday. All I can say is WOW! Any balls hit up into that wind were actually coming backwards or going waaaaay sideways! What a hoot! The good news was that it was supposed to also be raining a bunch but that didn't really happen. I didn't take a caddie on the first day but got one yesterday and will have him for today and tomorrow..invaluable. Looks like we're going to get somewhat of a break today and tomorrow. Oh yeah, driver upwind maybe 150yds, downwind 300. What a great experience, loving it.

[ryu123]

you've got the perfect attitude to enjoy Bandon.

 

I've played 60+ rounds at the resort since 2001. Only once did I walk in.

 

On Pacific during a winter storm, I got to #8 when the wind + rain got so strong I had to crawl for 100 yds because my carry bag was acting as a sail. Defeated, I walked in. (No rain check since I tried to play.)

 

My buddy who wisely didn't try to play was having a smoke near the Lodge and saw me stagger in. He just about killed himself laughing.

[spud3]

It is truly an experience like no other when you get out there during a Howler. Last year, the two guys I was playing BD with both had ClicGear carts, and had to lay them down by their ball when they hit their shots. The wind was so strong it still blew them ten yards, even though they were on their sides. My Mizuno Microlight carry bag fared better, but I had to make sure I laid it down with the bottom of the bag windward. I can't think of another place where you have to think about which direction your bag is facing when it's on the ground.

 

The biggest thing I learned during that round was to play an old ball...

[Flogolf]

It is truly an experience like no other when you get out there during a Howler. Last year, the two guys I was playing BD with both had ClicGear carts, and had to lay them down by their ball when they hit their shots. The wind was so strong it still blew them ten yards, even though they were on their sides. My Mizuno Microlight carry bag fared better, but I had to make sure I laid it down with the bottom of the bag windward. I can't think of another place where you have to think about which direction your bag is facing when it's on the ground.

 

The biggest thing I learned during that round was to play an old ball...

Oh yeah, we saw all kinds of 'golf stuff' blowing around yesterday! We played the Preserve yesterday (and today again for that matter) and a guy above us and upwind of us opened his bag and like 5 or 6 scorecards blew like confetti right down into the creek. Bags were blowing around, headcovers, balls moving on the green, you name it. You just had to laugh and say, heck, if I can survive this, I can survive anything. The wind did drop off a little today but it also dropped about 10deg...with rain and hail. Super fun, beats work no matter how you cut it!

[Edaw68]

Feels like a victory to finish the round in those conditions doesn't it?

[spud3]

The best part is sitting afterwards in one of the clubhouses with a view of 18, and watching the players come up to finish. You can spot the folks who wish they had better rain gear, and most everyone looks like a refugee fleeing a combat zone.

 

Then you wonder if you looked like that as you came up 18...

[Flogolf]

The best part is sitting afterwards in one of the clubhouses with a view of 18, and watching the players come up to finish. You can spot the folks who wish they had better rain gear, and most everyone looks like a refugee fleeing a combat zone.

 

Then you wonder if you looked like that as you came up 18...

Oh yeah, we resembled that remark...caddies made us look better though...

[glk23]

I guess I am a different bread because that sounds like zero fun. Living in the PNW I have grown weary of the weather during the last four and a half months; between the cold and trying to "play" in 40+ mph winds, I am instead pinning for some 70* days with a gently breeze. Must be enough golfers that love it as Bandon is always booked solid all year round.

[Edaw68]

I guess I am a different bread because that sounds like zero fun. Living in the PNW I have grown weary of the weather during the last four and a half months; between the cold and trying to "play" in 40+ mph winds, I am instead pinning for some 70* days with a gently breeze. Must be enough golfers that love it as Bandon is always booked solid all year round.

 

"Fun" isn't necessarily the right word, but at Bandon it's ok once in a while.

 

Embrace the suck, HOOAH!

[ryu123]

Like glk23, I also live in the Pacific Northwest, & really hate the snow + frost + freezing temperatures we've had since early December 2016.

 

But the firm & dry turf at Bandon (& ocean views) make it a worthwhile experience.

 

My home course when it's open has muddy, spongy, & pluggy fairways. Bandon is firm & fast even after a rainstorm. As I've noted before, Bandon sometimes has their fairway sprinklers on in December.

 

I'm guessing glk23 hasn't played Bandon (yet).

[RSinSG]

You guys are crazy.

[Flogolf]

I dunno, but for me, there's just something magical about that place and if it's at all playable, I'm out there. It didn't even rain that much while we were there (heck, there was almost 10" of precip in my rain gauge here in Norcal when I got home!). Yesterday we finished with Bandon Dunes and it started drizzly and cool and hardly any wind and by the end of the round the sun came out and it was just sublime. It was good already but that just put the icing on the cake for me. Even in the rain with some standing water in low spots it's still more playable than any course here where I live.

[spud3]

The points made above are significant. Yes, this winter has been brutal here in PDX. We've gone from snow and ice for a couple months to some heavy rains. And my home course (one of the best draining public courses in the area) will be pretty sloppy for some time. Playing in bad weather on a sloppy course is no fun.

 

But the courses at Bandon play firm and fast even when it's pouring. So that really turns it into a gear issue. If I can stay dry and warm, I'm out there. That's why I invested in GoreTex gear - not so much for playing here at home, but for those days when I can play a decent course even if the weather is bad. Edaw exemplifies the PNW ethic above. If we aren't playing when the weather is bad, then we're not playing for most of the year.

 

Plus, I've been to Bandon and started in a heavy rain that blew through quickly and turned into bright sunshine. And the opposite. You never really know down there. Nothing worse than skipping a round because the sky is dark grey, then watching it clear off after an hour and turning into a bluebird...

 

And I'm 9 days out from my trip. Getting kinda pumped....

[glk23]

Its true I have not played Bandon. I would like too but don't want to pay the high green fees to play in good weather and absolutely hate rain and wind. I live in WA and play pretty much year round but regardless of the ability to stay dry, I will not play in the rain. To the OP, playing in 40+ mph winds doesn't sound any fun either.

 

It was been a particularly bad fall/winter in my area with either rain or freezing temps since October. Last year once or twice a week was easy, this season I have been lucky to play once a month if that. Probably what has me a little surly at the moment.

[cluner]

you aint playing until its 50mph sustained. Even if it sucks, it's still an experience and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

 

My favorite place in the world, period.