Would you go to Bandon Dunes alone????

[dearth12]

Got word from Bandon today that a single room opened up, which is awesome. A question I have for those that have been there is in regards to walking versus using a push cart from the resort. I have a very lightweight Sun Mountain 2.5 bag that I will be taking with me. How are the push carts there? Needed or fine carrying a very lightweight bag?

 

 

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

 

24 days now!!!

[scottc25]

Got word from Bandon today that a single room opened up, which is awesome. A question I have for those that have been there is in regards to walking versus using a push cart from the resort. I have a very lightweight Sun Mountain 2.5 bag that I will be taking with me. How are the push carts there? Needed or fine carrying a very lightweight bag?

 

 

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

 

24 days now!!!

 

I do the cart. It's only $5 and it keeps the added stress off of my shoulders.

[DE-ILLINI]

Enjoy Brandon. Please post photos. A trip there is a on my bucket list for sure.

[dearth12]

Got word from Bandon today that a single room opened up, which is awesome. A question I have for those that have been there is in regards to walking versus using a push cart from the resort. I have a very lightweight Sun Mountain 2.5 bag that I will be taking with me. How are the push carts there? Needed or fine carrying a very lightweight bag?

 

 

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

 

24 days now!!!

 

I do the cart. It's only $5 and it keeps the added stress off of my shoulders.

 

 

 

 

What type of carts are they, clic gear type or bigger pull carts versus the lightweight stuff?

[mallrat]

Got word from Bandon today that a single room opened up, which is awesome. A question I have for those that have been there is in regards to walking versus using a push cart from the resort. I have a very lightweight Sun Mountain 2.5 bag that I will be taking with me. How are the push carts there? Needed or fine carrying a very lightweight bag?

 

 

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

 

24 days now!!!

 

You should be fine carrying but might want to look at their pull carts when doing 36 for the 2nd round. Their carts (the old kind with the giant wheels) work better than the ClicGear carts as you are going over all kinds of terrain and the Clic's can get kinda stuck

[spud3]

The carts are Riksha's; they roll very nicely, and you can roll them over the greens. I noticed they had a lot more new ones this year. I've evolved into using one for the morning round, then carrying a lightweight bag for the afternoons. I've found the carts wear a little more on my lower back, and carrying wears a little more on my legs.

 

PD has some clunky spots where it's a bit annoying to roll a cart, and Trails is best done carrying.

[duffer987]

Got word from Bandon today that a single room opened up, which is awesome. A question I have for those that have been there is in regards to walking versus using a push cart from the resort. I have a very lightweight Sun Mountain 2.5 bag that I will be taking with me. How are the push carts there? Needed or fine carrying a very lightweight bag?

 

 

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

 

24 days now!!!

 

You should be fine carrying but might want to look at their pull carts when doing 36 for the 2nd round. Their carts (the old kind with the giant wheels) work better than the ClicGear carts as you are going over all kinds of terrain and the Clic's can get kinda stuck

 

I have to politely disagree here :)

I find the ClicGear a much better option. With the 3rd wheel you don't need to constantly be pushing/pulling/minding like you do with the Rickshaw.

I definitely missed that this year, since I moved out of Norcal and don't drive up from home anymore.

Agree there are tricky spots though and for those, yes a Rickshaw is better, but for those (mainly on Pacific) I just carry now.

 

The carts are Riksha's; they roll very nicely, and you can roll them over the greens. I noticed they had a lot more new ones this year. I've evolved into using one for the morning round, then carrying a lightweight bag for the afternoons. I've found the carts wear a little more on my lower back, and carrying wears a little more on my legs.

 

PD has some clunky spots where it's a bit annoying to roll a cart, and Trails is best done carrying.

 

Absolutely Pacific is the least cart friendly, due to those 3-ish spots where it's a pain, as otherwise it's pretty flat. Apart from the big 'ol hike 13/14 and I guess going up 16 fairway, I find Trails pretty good. Definitely agree on the morning/afternoon strategy if that's something someone wants to try.

[cluner]

Can't go wrong at that place, brosef. It's like going out to eat by yourself.. golfing as a single is surprisingly underrated

[timmy8151]

Regardless if you are going to the carry or cart, I'd definitely recommend bringing a rain cover for your bag. Brought one this past weekend and it kept my bag dry for 4 days through rain and hail. They guys who didn't bring a wp bag or rain cover had to dry out their bags and clubs every night buy the fireplace and their bags started to get funky smelling near the end.

[BrooklynGolfer]

Been there, done it as a single, would do it again every year!

[payerasjl]

went december 2016 for a week with my non playing wife. id say that qualifies as going alone. absolutely recommended. played 6 roudns with some awesome people i was paired up with. split between caddies and riskhas. cant go wrong at bandon.

[2bGood]

I always carry when I am there and usually play 36 a day. Having said that I always carry my other 100 rounds a year, so i am used to it.

 

One thing I do a Bandon is carry less than 14 clubs. I go down to one wedge, just for out of the sand as I rarely hit full wedges there anyway. I also pull my three wood.

 

On most courses there not allot of reason to hit 3 wood off the tee, and I have never hit it well off the turf. I also pull my hybrid for a 3 iron.

 

Anyhow 11 clubs works well fell me, and when you are used to carrying 14 it feels really light.

[dpark]

I also use an ultralight bag, otherwise known as a Mackenzie Walker :)

 

Walking 18 or 36 isn't a problem. 14 clubs, a couple of golf balls, spare glove and some tees, ball markers and divot tool. Doesn't weigh much at all.

 

Carrying is the way to go at any of the tracks at Bandon IMO.

 

 

 

[dearth12]

Well after an extremely long journey, with more turns than a country road, I can't believe that I can FINALLY say.......1 week until Bandon!!!

 

 

 

All the help you guys have provided has been great. With that said, is there anyone that has been to Bandon recently that can speak to conditions?

 

 

I will be sure to update this thread as my trip unfolds.

[duffer987]

Well after an extremely long journey, with more turns than a country road, I can't believe that I can FINALLY say.......1 week until Bandon!!!

 

 

 

All the help you guys have provided has been great. With that said, is there anyone that has been to Bandon recently that can speak to conditions?

 

 

I will be sure to update this thread as my trip unfolds.

 

What's the weather forecast?

 

 

 

 

 

I kid I kid. You're in for a fantastic time!

[dearth12]

I have begun to look at the weather forecast, but I know that means very little for what the weather will actually be like. Right now it is saying:

 

Tuesday- 56*---9 MPH wind---25% chance of rain

Wednesday-57*---4 MPH wind---69% chance of rain

Thursday- 48*---15 MPH wind---59% chance of rain

Friday- 54*---10 MPH wind---0% chance of rain

Saturday- 58*---8 MPH wind---75% chance of rain

 

 

Will be fun to look back on this and see what the weather really was!

[duffer987]

That's it. Our trip in November, looked sh111111111111111111te two days before, to the point where I was thinking maybe I'd just stay in Norcal and go to Monterey.

Once there though we only got completely dumped on one round - it was really awful combo of rain and wind, to the point they stopped letting people out for a couple hours - and otherwise we stayed dry :)

It also impacted our replays in as much as we only had one 36 hole day, instead of the usual 2 or 3.

 

One big plus going solo, is the flexibility to go/not go back out. All you need is a 90min afternoon window of dryness to get out and at least play 9-12 holes depending on the course.

[dearth12]

OP here.

 

 

Made it Bandon last night and got some range time in before falling asleep early (at least for this time zone. The 3 hour change kicked my butt)

 

Played Old Mac this morning in a sideways rain for the entire round and loved every second of it!!! I don't know how many times I thought to myself "at home there is no way I'm playing in this weather, but right now I'm having a blast"

 

Couldn't get my phone out to take any pics because of the rain. Hopefully on Friday it won't be raining and I can.

 

Overall I thought the course was very unique and fun to play. Only downside was that many of the greens started to pool water and putting was a crap shot. Just goes to show how much rain they have had out here.

 

In the afternoon I played Bandon Dunes and the weather wasn't quite as bad. Still raining, but more of a mist. I left my phone in the room, so again no pics. The wind was howling. I hit a 4 iron on a 150 yard par 3 that didn't get there into the wind and drove it on a 360 yard par 4 with the wind behind me. Such a different game out here. The greens on Bandon were really good and no standing water at all. The holes that run along the ocean are truly spectacular.

 

 

Needless to say I'm loving every second of the trip and still have 3 more days of 36+ a day to go.

 

Looks like the weather will be a little dicey in the morning, but from there out it looks pretty good.

 

 

Thanks for all the help throughout this thread. I will continue to post updates nightly.

[3_Jack_Par]

OP here.

 

 

Made it Bandon last night and got some range time in before falling asleep early (at least for this time zone. The 3 hour change kicked my butt)

 

Played Old Mac this morning in a sideways rain for the entire round and loved every second of it!!! I don't know how many times I thought to myself "at home there is no way I'm playing in this weather, but right now I'm having a blast"

 

Couldn't get my phone out to take any pics because of the rain. Hopefully on Friday it won't be raining and I can.

 

Overall I thought the course was very unique and fun to play. Only downside was that many of the greens started to pool water and putting was a crap shot. Just goes to show how much rain they have had out here.

 

In the afternoon I played Bandon Dunes and the weather wasn't quite as bad. Still raining, but more of a mist. I left my phone in the room, so again no pics. The wind was howling. I hit a 4 iron on a 150 yard par 3 that didn't get there into the wind and drove it on a 360 yard par 4 with the wind behind me. Such a different game out here. The greens on Bandon were really good and no standing water at all. The holes that run along the ocean are truly spectacular.

 

 

Needless to say I'm loving every second of the trip and still have 3 more days of 36+ a day to go.

 

Looks like the weather will be a little dicey in the morning, but from there out it looks pretty good.

 

 

Thanks for all the help throughout this thread. I will continue to post updates nightly.

I was there this past weekend, and if course conditions are similar, you'll probably find the greens on Pacific and Trails to be quite a bit slower than Bandon and Old Mac. Probably worth hitting a few putts before you go. Have fun!

[Sparky14]

I thoroughly enjoyed my only trip to Bandon - solo. Sure, a buddies trip would be amazing. But as a solo, I was really able to explore and take in some things that I'd have missed if I was hanging with friends.

[dpark]

Glad you are having fun, even with the wind and rain. That is the reality of Oregon Coast golf from November to April. Can be wildly good or wildly bad :)

 

If the rain is still coming down, my guess is many of the bunkers are still full of water, which is amazing to me. Been going there every year since 2001 and never have I seen rain water collect in the bunkers like this year.

 

Personally I thought the greens on BD and PD were in fantastic shape when I was there a few weeks ago. Made a lot of putts. They need to let the greens on OM and BT go to Poa and stop fighting it. Will provide a much better putting experience year round.

 

Hope you get at least one great round out there! Playing in sunshine, short sleeves with no wind can happen at anytime!

[scottc25]

One advantage to all of the rain is that the bunkers are more compacted and not as soft. I hate hitting out of soft bunkers. Still get some plugged lies though.

[krtgolfing]

So looks like I will have to make the pilgrimage to Bandon alone. My friends are very cheap when it comes to golf and I think my dad would be too old to walk 36 holes a day. So what would be everyone’s recommendation to go based on chances for the best weather i.e. not a high chance of rain?

[timmy8151]

So looks like I will have to make the pilgrimage to Bandon alone. My friends are very cheap when it comes to golf and I think my dad would be too old to walk 36 holes a day. So what would be everyone’s recommendation to go based on chances for the best weather i.e. not a high chance of rain?

 

 

Based on this link (http://www.usclimate...states/usor0023), the best month's for weather are July and August which makes sense. However, you are going to be paying a hefty premium to play during this time period. I know when I went last month my cost was $1,260 for 4 Nights at Lily Pond (shared room), 4 Rounds Golf , and 4 dinners and 4 breakfasts. Just looking at prices for the July-Sep time period, rounds are 2X higher and rooms are over 1.5X compared to March.

 

Just looking at weather and prices I'd recommend an April/May time to visit Bandon. There is less rain than Dec-Mar and prices are still somewhat reasonable. Had a buddy that was in Bandon this past weekend and he lucked out and didn't get any rain. Also if you are trying to save some money you could play 36 holes/day to lower hotel costs.

[krtgolfing]

So looks like I will have to make the pilgrimage to Bandon alone. My friends are very cheap when it comes to golf and I think my dad would be too old to walk 36 holes a day. So what would be everyone’s recommendation to go based on chances for the best weather i.e. not a high chance of rain?

 

 

Based on this link (http://www.usclimate...states/usor0023), the best month's for weather are July and August which makes sense. However, you are going to be paying a hefty premium to play during this time period. I know when I went last month my cost was $1,260 for 4 Nights at Lily Pond (shared room), 4 Rounds Golf , and 4 dinners and 4 breakfasts. Just looking at prices for the July-Sep time period, rounds are 2X higher and rooms are over 1.5X compared to March.

 

Just looking at weather and prices I'd recommend an April/May time to visit Bandon. There is less rain than Dec-Mar and prices are still somewhat reasonable. Had a buddy that was in Bandon this past weekend and he lucked out and didn't get any rain. Also if you are trying to save some money you could play 36 holes/day to lower hotel costs.

 

I figured July would be the best time to go in regards to weather since the prices are the most expensive for the hotel and golf that time of year. I need to get up to Bandon within in the next year. Damn wife is starting the whole wanting kids thing. Don't think she would like me dropping big money of a 3-4 day golf trip!

[3_Jack_Par]

I ended up getting a buddy to come along, and we went a little over a week ago. We got paired up with a couple of different singles for the rounds we played one day. One was a great guy and we actually played both rounds one day with him, and the other was nice, but a bit of an odd duck. Everyone you run into there in the shuttles and around the property are golf nuts just like you, and just about everyone is really friendly, so I wouldn't hesitate to go by myself at some point in the future if it worked out that way.

[dearth12]

OP here. Sorry that the reviews did not come each night, but trying to do the pictures and type on my phone was just too much.

 

 

I left off my last review after the first day of golf (Wednesday) and really that was the only bad weather I got.

 

 

Thursday: Started off in the morning at Pacific. It was a little chilly and breezy, but nothing to bad at all. I absolutely loved the course and the scenery can't be beat. The greens were in really good shape and probably rolling the quickest out of all the courses.

 

 

 

 

 

In the afternoon I played Trails and while it was breezy, the rain had left the area and playing conditions were pretty nice. I can see where some people were a little put off by the green conditions, but in reality I did not think they were nearly as bad as some of the things that I have read. There are also a lot of people that treat Trails as the red headed stepchild of the resort and I don't think that could be further from the truth. I loved the course and you can certainly tell you are on a Coore and Crenshaw layout as they do a number of similar things from course to course. I think that Trails required more strategy and thought than some of the other courses. It is amazing that on a single property that Bandon has 4 completely unique courses and that only adds to the greatness of Bandon as a destination, in my opinion.

 

 

 

 

Friday: You cannot ask for better weather. It was probably 50* by the time I teed off at Old Mac and the wind was very manageable. The sun was even shining!! Talk about different conditions from the first time I played the course. To put it in perspective, the 12th hole (a par 3) played dead into about a 35-40mph wind and rain on Wednesday and I hit a punch driver to hole high. Fast forward to Friday and the same hole required a PW as the wind was negligible. As I have had time to think back on playing each course I think I have come to the realization that Old Mac is my favorite course at Bandon. It does not have the ocean holes that Pacific and Bandon do, but I think each hole is just so unique and fit well together. The amount of different shots that you can play around the course is just a lot of fun.

 

 

 

 

In the afternoon I headed over to Bandon and had a great time playing and hit the final stretch of holes as the sun was setting over the ocean.

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday: Another beautiful weather day. Not quite shorts weather, but slacks and polo was all that was needed. Played Pacific in a completely different wind this time and the course played much different. Each course at Bandon changes so much with the wind that playing a course time and time again will yield a completely different experience. I did not take as many pictures this time, but here is one from my shot on the 11th.

 

 

 

 

 

I finished the trip at Trails and the course only grew more on me playing it a second time. No pics though....sorry

 

 

Overall, I had a blast and I am so glad that I went ahead and made the plunge to go by myself. At a place that is all golf all the time I never felt like being alone was a major detriment. Would it be more fun with a couple buddies? Absolutely. Is it still the best golf trip I have ever been on even though I did it alone? 100% YES!!!

 

 

Every group or single that I got paired up with was a joy to play with and all are just as crazy about golf as we are here.

 

The resort is first class in everything that they do. I stayed at the Lodge and typically ate at the bar downstairs or McKee's, both being less than a minute walk away. The shuttle service is so fast and convenient that I never got back in my rental car until it was time to leave.

 

 

I feel like ranking the courses is kind of like picking between your children, I loved them all. If forced to rank them I would go with:

 

1- Old Mac (shot making is just so fun here)

2- Pacific (scenery can't be beat)

3- Trails (strategy around the course and the near parkland setting versus the others being on the ocean just seemed unique)

4- Bandon (being last on this list is not an indictment on Bandon at all and I'm sure an argument could be made to put it higher, but to me it I just enjoyed the others more)

 

 

If I had 8 rounds to split up again I would do the same thing I did and play each course twice. Playing theses courses in different conditions is just so much fun!!

 

 

Thanks to all in this thread and I am already looking in to a time in which I can quickly get back to Bandon.

[Argonne69]

Bravo! Sounds like a great trip. I can't wait to get back for a 2nd visit.

[spud3]

Another convert....

 

 

 

Welcome to the club, dearth!

[mallrat]

So looks like I will have to make the pilgrimage to Bandon alone. My friends are very cheap when it comes to golf and I think my dad would be too old to walk 36 holes a day. So what would be everyone’s recommendation to go based on chances for the best weather i.e. not a high chance of rain?

 

It's a little spendier based on the time of year but I went the 4th of July weekend last year and it was perfect. Weather was standard Bandon but majority was shorts and polo. Property was VERY slow. Replays and crowds were no issue moving times around. We tee'd off one morning at Old Mac at 8:40 2 holes open in front of us and no one behind us for 5 holes.

 

An idea of how slow it was, they said they normally run 3 shuttles plus a shuttle at each course, so 8 running during peak hours. They were only running 3 for the whole property and still never had a wait.