First timer's Bandon recap

[mrfullwm]

Just got back from 4 days at Bandon and wanted to pass along a brief recap of my first trip down there. A lot may be repeating what’s been said in other posts but I’ll try and mix in some other info for first timers.

 

Quick Summary

This trip was over a year in the making and was a Father’s Day gift for my dad. I had wanted to take a trip with him while he was still able to play a lot and narrowed it down to Bandon and Pebble Beach. Pebble was so much more expensive and now that I’ve been to Bandon it’s clear I made a good choice.

 

I drove down from Seattle on Wednesday and stopped in PDX to pick up my dad from the airport. We made the 2 hour drive down to Eugene and stayed there Wednesday night. After dinner at Hop Valley Brewing we were off to bed for the drive down. We got up early the next morning and drove from Eugene to Bandon which took about 2.5 hours. The drive out after you get off of I-5 is pretty scenic, especially in the fall, and free of traffic in the morning. There are plenty of passing lanes along the way so you won’t be stuck behind RVs or semis the entire time.

 

Lodging – The Inn

We arrived just before 11 and were luckily able to check into our room at the Inn. Our room was a Golf Double which gives a nice view of 18 at Bandon Dunes and has a sitting area on a small patio outside. The Forest Double rooms essentially all face the parking lot which isn’t the most scenic thing in the world but they would save you about 50 bucks a night. Since we were only playing 18 a day we went with the golf view and were able to sit outside with some cold beers and watch groups come up 18.

 

The rooms are nice and the beds are extremely comfortable. While the amenities aren’t on the extreme side of comfort everything was top quality. I think the rates are just a tad high for what you get but there aren’t any other good choices. Plus the golf and views make up for it. FYI all of the double rooms at the Inn are on the first floor.

 

There’s basic coffee service in the mornings in the lobby and limited bar service in the Library lounge from 5-10 in the evenings…they have two beers on tap, several in bottles along with wine and liquor.

 

Thursday – Bandon Trails

We were greeted on the first tee with sunshine and temperatures hovering around 60 with very little wind. Trails was my favorite of the 3 courses we played (more on the missing 4^th later). I’m not sure if it was because it was our first round or because it was my best scoring day, but I really enjoyed the layout of the course. There wasn’t a single hole that looks out of place or artificially created. It’s very different from the others since it winds from ocean dunes through the coastal forest and back again. This was also the best conditioned course of the 3. The fairways and greens were in great shape and the greens were rolling nice and fast. I definitely should have spent more time on the putting green (or actually OFF of the putting green) working on speed. I was WAY off on a few putts, especially from off the green. Definitely utilize your caddie if you take one.

 

Had dinner at McKee’s and inhaled the Dungeness crab dip (the chips are addictive) and grandma’s meatloaf. Food is reasonably priced throughout the resort and you get a ton of it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday morning – Bandon Dunes

Started with breakfast at Trail’s End. The chicken wrap had enough sriracha in it to clear out my sinuses so my day was off to a great start. We had overcast skies all day and got rained on for about 30 minutes starting on the 4^th hole. The fairways were a little beat up on a couple of holes but other than that everything was great. There are some stunning views on the cliffs on 16 and from the 17^th tee…unfortunately we had some heavy air so our visibility wasn’t as great as it could be, but it’s still an awesome setting. Although this is the original course at the resort it came in third behind Trails and Pacific for me.

 

We grabbed dinner in the Tufted Puffin and got food from the Gallery. That’s a nice option to get the nicer food option but still sit in a casual setting. You certainly don’t need to take a jacket or suit to go in the Gallery but I felt a little weird in shorts in a pullover jacket.

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday morning – Pacific Dunes

Had a quick snack in the room before starting our round at Pacific. The wind was blowing 20-25 sustained throughout the day with some gusts topping out in the upper 30s. Even without the wind I think Pacific was the most difficult course of the 3 we played. The green complexes are pretty difficult and if you miss you’re likely quite a ways below the putting surface with a blind shot to a green with a lot of slope in it. I ended up in some hideous lies in bunkers that I was lucky just to get out of. I think I found one flat putt the entire round on the 12^th green but that was about it. Definitely take time to enjoy the views on 10 and 11, both really good par 3s.

 

Went to Trail’s End for dinner – it has an Asian theme so most of the food is pretty heavy on spices. I had the steelhead and my dad had the beef and broccoli which was essentially a filet on top of a pile of broccoli – nothing wrong with that.

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday morning – Old Macdonald

Well, it was supposed to be Old Mac. The plan was to tee off at 8:30 and drive back to Portland after our round. Unfortunately Saturday night was a little rough, both with the food and drink and the weather. Sunday morning was in the mid 40s with a brisk wind and rain off and on. Plus it hailed three different times from breakfast back to our room. Given our travel schedules we decided to bag our last round (I know, I know) because I can honestly say neither of us would have enjoyed it. We didn’t want to play just to play if we were going to be miserable. We’ll make sure to hit Old Mac first when we go back. We opted for a merchandise credit instead of the raincheck (which never expires BTW) and did some shopping before heading out.

 

 

General observations

• The design and layout of the entire resort is excellent. You can tell they put a lot of thought into where to put lodging in relation to the courses, practice area and restaurants. A lot of things are walkable, especially down by the Lodge, but you shouldn’t have to wait too long to get a shuttle anywhere. We had a car so we drove to the practice area before each round and then to each course.
  
• The staff…everyone…seems genuinely interested in making sure you have a perfect trip. Every single person we met struck up a conversation with us, asked how our trip was going and urged us to ask if we needed anything to make our time there better.
  
• We played as a twosome the first two days but still managed to finish in under 4 and a half hours, even though we were sandwiched in between a bunch of foursomes. I was a little surprised that the pace of play was that good given how tough some of the holes are and how many pictures are snapped throughout the round.
  
• I loved being able to hear the ocean no matter where on the resort grounds we were.
  
• Make sure you like who you go with because you’re going to be spending a lot of time with them. There really isn’t anywhere to get away from things/people unless you drive into Bandon or back to North Bend. This isn’t the trip to try and break in a new member of your group.
  
• I can’t wait to get back there.
  

This is THE place to take a golf trip. Period.

[spud3]

Great write-up. Looks like you and your dad had a blast.

Welcome to the Bandon fan base!

[Edaw68]

Good trip. I'm there in 2 weeks, hope I get similar conditions.

[Chris_NH]

Nice recap...and really nice that you were able to do this with your dad. I'm sure it was an enjoyable trip for both of you. It's a pretty special place and, with your location in the Pacific Northwest, I'm sure you'll get a chance for another visit, including playing Old Mac.

[dpb5031]

Really great write-up. I was there in August with my daughter and your observations are spot-on!

[2putttom]

Outstanding write up. Best observation was "Make sure you like who you go with because you’re going to be spending a lot of time with them." I worked that property for five years and saw some outrageous arguments.