Bandon Trip Report 3/24-3/27

dardenpdx · March 29, 2018

I just came back from my third trip to Bandon Dunes. I always enjoy reading these reports while waiting for my upcoming trips so figured I would add another one to the mix. The prior two years I had been included as a last minute fill-in for a yearly group of 8. After last year finished up a couple of my friends wanted to check it out for themselves. As a result, I was in charge of making the reservations for the first time (which was a very easy process). I made the call in May of 2017 to set everything up for our foursome. This was the final result:

3:24: 5:15 Preserve (called day of arrival for tee time)

3/25: 8:10 Pacific Dunes / 1:20 Old Mac (w Caddie)

3/26: 7:50 Bandon Dunes / 1:00 Bandon Trails (w Caddie)

3/27: 7:30 Bandon Dunes

What we enjoyed:

- Flying into North Bend from SFO is a great option. Definitely convenient and saves time.

- Using caddies for the afternoon rounds, especially on Trails. Great way to save some energy and hear some stories. Was assigned Joe Gardner (sp?) and would use him again in the future.

- Lunch at Tony's Crab Shack is a must

- The tuna melt and potstickers at Trails End

- The scotch eggs at McKees (took the recommendation from this forum and glad that I did!)

- Whirlpool time at the end of a long day (don't forget your trunks)

Highlights:

- Birdie on #6 at BD on Monday

- Eagle on #3 at BD on Tuesday

Lowlights:

- Hitting one too many balls into the Pacific Ocean

What we would do differently:

- Spend more time on Shorty's instead of Preserve (if you've played there a number of times already)

- Skip breakfast at Minute Café in Bandon (took way too long ironically)

- Eliminate the extra round on getaway day. Feet are already sore enough and puts extra pressure on making it to your flight on time.

- Try to play the Sheep Ranch before they start converting it over to a standard golf course.

Overall this was another awesome trip and one that I look forward to every year! Be sure to make your reservations well in advance. After all the talk about the conditions of the greens, I was slightly worried. I honestly thought they were fine overall. The greens on Bandon Dunes were the best, very smooth and rolled well. Pacific was probably second best. I would rank OM and Trails about the same. OM was sandier and Trails slightly bumpier, but both were acceptable and didn't take away from the enjoyment of either course. If you haven't made the trip to Bandon Dunes yet, you should definitely make it happen! If you have any questions please let me know!

spud3 · March 29, 2018

Nice report!

Looks like you scored on the weather. What were the temps and wind like?

dardenpdx · March 29, 2018

Nice report!

Looks like you scored on the weather. What were the temps and wind like?

Thanks! The temps in the morning were pretty chilly (around 40 each day). Got a little warmer each afternoon- Low 50s on Sunday, Close to 60 by Monday afternoon. There was little to no wind the entire trip which was awesome! There was a two club wind for only a few shots the entire trip. Worked out really well, especially considering how windy an afternoon round on OM can get!