Bandon, Feb 2016

[oregongolf]

Just returned. My trip was a disaster. High winds and horrific rain. 6 rounds scheduled. We made it out for only 3 rounds and walked off of 15 on BD. I think there was only 5 holes the whole trip that were playable in "normal" conditions.

 

The bright side was that we did get a break for a few hours and I got to play The Preserve. What a great short course and the views were amazing. It is still absurdly expensive though.

 

Sorry to hear about your trip. It's one of the few reasons I have never gone in March. The rain can be terrible (like 2+ inches in a day, terrible)

 

The preserve is awesome, but it is certainly best enjoyed with a large group (as many as they will let you play with). I think the 50 bucks is definitely easier to swallow that way and it's infinitely more fun.

[buzlin]

Just returned. My trip was a disaster. High winds and horrific rain. 6 rounds scheduled. We made it out for only 3 rounds and walked off of 15 on BD. I think there was only 5 holes the whole trip that were playable in "normal" conditions.

 

The bright side was that we did get a break for a few hours and I got to play The Preserve. What a great short course and the views were amazing. It is still absurdly expensive though.

Bummer Pearl. I feel like my group is gonna experience a week like that sooner or later. Perhaps next February.........................it'll morph into a beer, booze, and poker boys trip in that case.

[spud3]

Just returned. My trip was a disaster. High winds and horrific rain. 6 rounds scheduled. We made it out for only 3 rounds and walked off of 15 on BD. I think there was only 5 holes the whole trip that were playable in "normal" conditions.

 

The bright side was that we did get a break for a few hours and I got to play The Preserve. What a great short course and the views were amazing. It is still absurdly expensive though.

 

Ugh. Sorry to hear that. It's certainly been a rough winter in the PNW, and the Southern Oregon Coast is always going to be an extreme picture of what the rest of the state is experiencing. Given the very mild past couple of winters, we were probably due for one like this. I know Jon and I got a couple of hellacious days on our trips, but at least we got some decent weather to balance it out.

 

Sounds like you and Edaw got the worst of it this year.

 

Condolences...

[duffer987]

Just returned. My trip was a disaster. High winds and horrific rain. 6 rounds scheduled. We made it out for only 3 rounds and walked off of 15 on BD. I think there was only 5 holes the whole trip that were playable in "normal" conditions.

 

The bright side was that we did get a break for a few hours and I got to play The Preserve. What a great short course and the views were amazing. It is still absurdly expensive though.

Bummer Pearl. I feel like my group is gonna experience a week like that sooner or later. Perhaps next February.........................it'll morph into a beer, booze, and poker boys trip in that case.

 

This! We're so worried that our last trip (and my last two trips) have been nothing but sun and a bit of clouds, that we'll go somewhere else next winter because surely we are due something rough.

[Sushiyoshi]

Awesome report! I wish I could write one up just as good.

 

I was there 2/20-2/22 for my 6th trip, all in February. Played Bandon, Trails, and Pacific. Shot 86 on all three. LOL

Weather was awesome. First day was dry and a little wind with temps in upper 50s.

 

Second day was supposed to rain and we were playing Trails. Got all dressed up with rain gear and had to strip down as the rain barely came and it got really towards the end. By the end of the round, my buddy was in a tee shirt with a sweater vest. We sat outside the clubhouse after the round and it was amazing. I took a panoramic pic with my iPhone but haven't had a chance to upload it anywhere yet.

 

Third day was also amazing with the weather. Greens were kind of disappointing tho. Not very smooth on some holes with bare patches.

 

Can't wait for next year! Now if I can only get out and get an actual 18 hole round in before then.

[2putttom]

Awesome report! I wish I could write one up just as good.

 

I was there 2/20-2/22 for my 6th trip, all in February. Played Bandon, Trails, and Pacific. Shot 86 on all three. LOL

Weather was awesome. First day was dry and a little wind with temps in upper 50s.

 

Second day was supposed to rain and we were playing Trails. Got all dressed up with rain gear and had to strip down as the rain barely came and it got really towards the end. By the end of the round, my buddy was in a tee shirt with a sweater vest. We sat outside the clubhouse after the round and it was amazing. I took a panoramic pic with my iPhone but haven't had a chance to upload it anywhere yet.

 

Third day was also amazing with the weather. Greens were kind of disappointing tho. Not very smooth on some holes with bare patches.

 

Can't wait for next year! Now if I can only get out and get an actual 18 hole round in before then.

Is that you in Bandon on your avatar?

[spud3]

Awesome report! I wish I could write one up just as good.

 

I was there 2/20-2/22 for my 6th trip, all in February. Played Bandon, Trails, and Pacific. Shot 86 on all three. LOL

Weather was awesome. First day was dry and a little wind with temps in upper 50s.

 

Second day was supposed to rain and we were playing Trails. Got all dressed up with rain gear and had to strip down as the rain barely came and it got really towards the end. By the end of the round, my buddy was in a tee shirt with a sweater vest. We sat outside the clubhouse after the round and it was amazing. I took a panoramic pic with my iPhone but haven't had a chance to upload it anywhere yet.

 

Third day was also amazing with the weather. Greens were kind of disappointing tho. Not very smooth on some holes with bare patches.

 

Can't wait for next year! Now if I can only get out and get an actual 18 hole round in before then.

Is that you in Bandon on your avatar?

 

Noticed that too. Looks like a driver, so I'm going to guess tee box on Pacific #13

[duffer987]

Is that you in Bandon on your avatar?

 

Noticed that too. Looks like a driver, so I'm going to guess tee box on Pacific #13

 

Ooh I'll play!

Bandon #5 :)

[Sushiyoshi]

duffer got it right! It is #5 on Bandon.

 

That was from my first Bandon trip 6 years ago. Have been back every year in February with a large group playing modified Stableford tournament. I won almost $500 over the three days shooting 86. Everyone else did really bad, especially on Trails. I had the low net that day.

[av1084]

Headed out in a couple of days through the weekend, hope the weather turns around!

[ogrehack]

Just returned. My trip was a disaster. High winds and horrific rain. 6 rounds scheduled. We made it out for only 3 rounds and walked off of 15 on BD. I think there was only 5 holes the whole trip that were playable in "normal" conditions.

 

The bright side was that we did get a break for a few hours and I got to play The Preserve. What a great short course and the views were amazing. It is still absurdly expensive though.

Sorry to hear. That stinks. Going for 1st time in <2wks. All geared-up but worried about the weather. I know things can change on a dime, but how far out were the forecasts accurate?

[spud3]

Just returned. My trip was a disaster. High winds and horrific rain. 6 rounds scheduled. We made it out for only 3 rounds and walked off of 15 on BD. I think there was only 5 holes the whole trip that were playable in "normal" conditions.

 

The bright side was that we did get a break for a few hours and I got to play The Preserve. What a great short course and the views were amazing. It is still absurdly expensive though.

Sorry to hear. That stinks. Going for 1st time in <2wks. All geared-up but worried about the weather. I know things can change on a dime, but how far out were the forecasts accurate?

 

About an hour.

[The Pearl]

Just returned. My trip was a disaster. High winds and horrific rain. 6 rounds scheduled. We made it out for only 3 rounds and walked off of 15 on BD. I think there was only 5 holes the whole trip that were playable in "normal" conditions. The bright side was that we did get a break for a few hours and I got to play The Preserve. What a great short course and the views were amazing. It is still absurdly expensive though.

Sorry to hear. That stinks. Going for 1st time in <2wks. All geared-up but worried about the weather. I know things can change on a dime, but how far out were the forecasts accurate?

 

You can really start to pay attention about 24 hours in advance and get real serious the night before. On this trip, the night before and hourly forecasts were pretty accurate, but there were some variations, sadly it was to the downside.

[buzlin]

Seems like extreme forecasts are more accurate 2-3 days out. If it's sunny and mild or if it's crazy windy and 100% chance of rain. Anything between is as stated, 1 hour to a day. A cool website is wunderground.com. Not necessarily because it's more accurate, but the way they chart/graph out the wind temps and rain is cool.

 

Hope you have playable weather!

[The Pearl]

Bandon is only truly miserable in the two extreme's of high winds and constant/heavy rain. If they are combined together, as in my last trip, welcome to hell. If poor weather is forecasted, you want it to be fast moving so it blows through quickly. This is usually the case. Playing a few holes in high winds or rain is part of the experience and is quite fun. With that said, there is always a limit where it becomes survival and goes past golf. In this case, you might as well be hiking the Appalachian Trail.

[mtufenk]

I'm very sorry about your trip Pearl. Leaving for my first time in a few weeks. Now I'm stressing about the weather and praying for at least some decent conditions. I'm prepared clothes wise though.

[67VIP]

I was just there March 8-12th for my first visit, and considering I just spent four years in the Uk I was very impressed with the resort...Pacific Dunes and Old MacDonald in particular. I liked the Bandon Dunes course; in fact I thought it had four really good par threes and a good finish...just the wow factor was higher at the other two. I was amazed at how flexible the staff was in maneuvering tee times to fit your course rotation and weather impact, I had to change mine several times while on site. I am looking forward to going back to pick off Bandon Trails/Preserve and replay the others.

[The Pearl]

I was just there March 8-12th for my first visit, and considering I just spent four years in the Uk I was very impressed with the resort...Pacific Dunes and Old MacDonald in particular. I liked the Bandon Dunes course; in fact I thought it had four really good par threes and a good finish...just the wow factor was higher at the other two. I was amazed at how flexible the staff was in maneuvering tee times to fit your course rotation and weather impact, I had to change mine several times while on site. I am looking forward to going back to pick off Bandon Trails/Preserve and replay the others.

 

The real secret of Bandon is their customer service, flexibility, logistics, and organization. As a guest and golf fanatic, there is no stress at the resort. There is no BS and fear of anything going astray.

[spud3]

Totally agree. They get you there with the great courses, but they keep you coming back with the quality of the experience.

[67VIP]

A few of my trophies...besides the yardage books/logo balls/markers/glassware, etc.

[duffer987]

Good stuff VIP :)

Those waves are suggesting a pretty good wind was going.

[67VIP]

Good stuff VIP :)

Those waves are suggesting a pretty good wind was going.

 

On Tues at Bandon Dunes the wind was 30 mph & gusting to 40 mph. Wed at Pacific Dunes winds were 55 mph & gusting to 65 mph--reaching hurricane speed late in the afternoon...I tried to tee off but it was a total loss, so stayed an extra day and played it on Friday in almost windless conditions. Played Old Mac on Thur in initially mild conditions with sunshine but got wet the last five holes. It was an exciting trip, the courses were not hard, and greens were very fair for the most part. Just wish the grounds crew would rake the bunkers each morning...sand was packed from rain and kinda hard to get a wedge to stop on small greens when its skipping off concrete. Food was great, beer over priced...but I cheated and brought my own. Can't wait to go back.

[mallrat]

He!! yeah, just booked my 2nd trip for this year. We spend the 4th of July on the Oregon Coast and our friends from San Francisco come up every year. Well the wife's suggested we go to Bandon before we head to the coast and they get 2 spa days. Greatest trade off ever.

 

Never been in July so really curious to play Bandon in the summer, went for 2 days in August a few years ago but got lucky on the wind.

[jamie]

He!! yeah, just booked my 2nd trip for this year. We spend the 4th of July on the Oregon Coast and our friends from San Francisco come up every year. Well the wife's suggested we go to Bandon before we head to the coast and they get 2 spa days. Greatest trade off ever.

 

Never been in July so really curious to play Bandon in the summer, went for 2 days in August a few years ago but got lucky on the wind.

I was there last July. It was great. The first day was really windy. The second day was really hot and no wind (only low 70's but it felt really warm) in the morning and the afternoon a thick marine layer blew in. The third day was foggy but it cleared off in afternoon. Overall, great weather and conditions.

[67VIP]

He!! yeah, just booked my 2nd trip for this year. We spend the 4th of July on the Oregon Coast and our friends from San Francisco come up every year. Well the wife's suggested we go to Bandon before we head to the coast and they get 2 spa days. Greatest trade off ever.

 

Never been in July so really curious to play Bandon in the summer, went for 2 days in August a few years ago but got lucky on the wind.

I was there last July. It was great. The first day was really windy. The second day was really hot and no wind (only low 70's but it felt really warm) in the morning and the afternoon a thick marine layer blew in. The third day was foggy but it cleared off in afternoon. Overall, great weather and conditions.

 

I would love to go back this November when the rates are down, but I'm going to Florida in September and finally taking a crack at Streamsong...my parents live an hour away. I guess I'll have to wait until next spring. Chambers Bay is 5 miles from my home, but it's not even remotely in the same class.

[dardenpdx]

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has provided info on their past Bandon trips! I recently made my first visit to the resort with a group of 6 others during March 15-17. To prepare for the trip I probably read 10 or 15 of these summaries (many times over). As a result I felt more prepared than I would have otherwise. I ultimately had a better idea of what to expect and what type of gear I needed to bring with (and what to leave at home). It was an amazing experience and I definitely hope to make it back there next year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[67VIP]

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has provided info on their past Bandon trips! I recently made my first visit to the resort with a group of 6 others during March 15-17. To prepare for the trip I probably read 10 or 15 of these summaries (many times over). As a result I felt more prepared than I would have otherwise. I ultimately had a better idea of what to expect and what type of gear I needed to bring with (and what to leave at home). It was an amazing experience and I definitely hope to make it back there next year!

 

Looks like you played Bandon Trails & Preserve, how did you like them? I played the other three.

[dardenpdx]

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has provided info on their past Bandon trips! I recently made my first visit to the resort with a group of 6 others during March 15-17. To prepare for the trip I probably read 10 or 15 of these summaries (many times over). As a result I felt more prepared than I would have otherwise. I ultimately had a better idea of what to expect and what type of gear I needed to bring with (and what to leave at home). It was an amazing experience and I definitely hope to make it back there next year!

 

Looks like you played Bandon Trails & Preserve, how did you like them? I played the other three.

 

I actually played all 4 plus the Preserve before heading home. We started out with Bandon Dunes Tuesday morning and Pacific Dunes that afternoon. Only had a little rain on BD for about 5 holes. The greens on BD were a little shaggy. However holes 4-6 and 16-17 were amazing. PD was the much better conditioned course between those 2. (Unfortunately waiting on pics from the other guys in the group from PD since my phone battery gave up)

 

We played Old Mac on Wednesday in overcast and with a slight drizzle. Definitely a course that you have to experience at least once. The overall size of the course and the various options you can play around most greens was challenging but incredibly fun as well. I also enjoyed some of the blind shots. We finished that afternoon on Shortys (only 3 holes were available) followed by some time on the Punchbowl. Both are great with a larger group.

 

Thursday we started with Bandon Trails, which honestly may be my favorite course on the property (probably tied with PD). The ruggedness of certain holes plus the way its carved through the forest is truly remarkable. Considering the other 3 courses and the property those are sitting on, I definitely would say this course holds it own. After lunch (can't go wrong with the tuna melt btw) we hopped on the Preserve as a group of 7. We had two tee times back to back, which I believe are spaced 15 minutes apart. I would definitely recommend this short course when you come back to Bandon. It's probably some of the most fun I've ever had playing golf. I'm sure the fact that our group had two aces in the first 3 holes helped as well! Each hole has a ton of personality and plenty of options to attack the flag. They also have Ping Moonlite bags that you can use during the round. I was such a fan that I had to purchase a bag for myself a couple days later. I know some say the price is steep for a short 13 hole course, but I would definitely recommend checking it out if you get the chance.

 

BTW - if you get an ace on the Preserve be sure to tell the staff in the pro shop. The members of our group filled out a form with some info and received a framed picture from the respective hole they scored their hole-in-one on. I thought that was a pretty cool touch. Also, I thought the merchandise in the BT/Preserve pro shop was the best on the property. They had some awesome Linksoul gear and a nice selection of shirts on sale as well.

[67VIP]

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has provided info on their past Bandon trips! I recently made my first visit to the resort with a group of 6 others during March 15-17. To prepare for the trip I probably read 10 or 15 of these summaries (many times over). As a result I felt more prepared than I would have otherwise. I ultimately had a better idea of what to expect and what type of gear I needed to bring with (and what to leave at home). It was an amazing experience and I definitely hope to make it back there next year!

 

Looks like you played Bandon Trails & Preserve, how did you like them? I played the other three.

 

I actually played all 4 plus the Preserve before heading home. We started out with Bandon Dunes Tuesday morning and Pacific Dunes that afternoon. Only had a little rain on BD for about 5 holes. The greens on BD were a little shaggy. However holes 4-6 and 16-17 were amazing. PD was the much better conditioned course between those 2. (Unfortunately waiting on pics from the other guys in the group from PD since my phone battery gave up)

 

We played Old Mac on Wednesday in overcast and with a slight drizzle. Definitely a course that you have to experience at least once. The overall size of the course and the various options you can play around most greens was challenging but incredibly fun as well. I also enjoyed some of the blind shots. We finished that afternoon on Shortys (only 3 holes were available) followed by some time on the Punchbowl. Both are great with a larger group.

 

Thursday we started with Bandon Trails, which honestly may be my favorite course on the property (probably tied with PD). The ruggedness of certain holes plus the way its carved through the forest is truly remarkable. Considering the other 3 courses and the property those are sitting on, I definitely would say this course holds it own. After lunch (can't go wrong with the tuna melt btw) we hopped on the Preserve as a group of 7. We had two tee times back to back, which I believe are spaced 15 minutes apart. I would definitely recommend this short course when you come back to Bandon. It's probably some of the most fun I've ever had playing golf. I'm sure the fact that our group had two aces in the first 3 holes helped as well! Each hole has a ton of personality and plenty of options to attack the flag. They also have Ping Moonlite bags that you can use during the round. I was such a fan that I had to purchase a bag for myself a couple days later. I know some say the price is steep for a short 13 hole course, but I would definitely recommend checking it out if you get the chance.

 

BTW - if you get an ace on the Preserve be sure to tell the staff in the pro shop. The members of our group filled out a form with some info and received a framed picture from the respective hole they scored their hole-in-one on. I thought that was a pretty cool touch. Also, I thought the merchandise in the BT/Preserve pro shop was the best on the property. They had some awesome Linksoul gear and a nice selection of shirts on sale as well.

I will definitely play Trails/Preserve on the next visit. For my first visit I just wanted to chill out from work, decompress, and get BD/PD/OM done...which I wasnt sure I'd pull off as my kidney stone starting acting up on the way there. Fortunately it was limited to being a visual annoyance in the can the whole time so I got done what I came for. I'm a member at The Home Course near Tacoma and that was pretty good prep for this trip. I bought more souvenirs online after I got home than when I was there...funny. Heading to Streamsong in Sept, doubt it will measure up to Bandon but we'll see.

[ogrehack]

Just returned from 1st trip. Thanks for all the tips from all the posters on golfwrx. As everyone mentioned, a week out gave a decent guesstimate & 24h out was pretty dead-on. Only 1 day of light rain & wind, so we werent complaining. Played everything the resort has to offer, incl PB, Shorty's, Preserve, etc.

 

My takeaways:

-Loved all 4 courses for different reasons. Maybe BD tops the list but really just splitting hairs.

-Preserve was great, but maybe worth closer to $50 (hey, I'm cheap like that).

-Had a great group caddy for round 1 only, very knowledgeable, personable, hardworking, etc. But realized I just prefer playing without one, as it removed too much of the thinking aspect which is 1/2 the fun for me.

-All the food on the resort is great & more reasonably priced than expected. Standouts: corn beef hash and breakfast buffet at the lodge; any burger; meatloaf at McKees, of course; etc. Offsite food was just meh (Bandon fish market & some Mexican place; Blue Heron in Coos Bay).

-Bandon bucket hat was worth every penny.

-All my Goretex gear held-up great (Sunice Ultimate v6 jacket & Marmot pants).

-Nike warm-weather compression baselayers worked better than the cold weather stuff (eg Nike Pro Warm) for layering. Tended to overheat with the thicker stuff.

 

Anyway, thanks for all the info/tips. Hope to return soon.