Got the green light at home - Bandon first timer, going solo

[Goiter]

It seems that it takes people a while to settle down and play good golf. Maybe your moment the night before helped? One caddie was saying most people play worse because of how good the courses are they want to play so well and try to hard. They show up thinking they are going to light it up instead of just approaching it like a round at home and soaking it in.

And it takes a while to adapt to hitting every shot off the tightest of lies :)

[JPO2]

Thanks so much for sharing your trip. With my first trip to Bandon booked for Summer 2020, I've enjoyed reading this.

 

Can I ask what the 5-hole loop suggested by the pro at Old Mac is? I've been trying to figure out some of the shorter loops that can be done during a "bonus golf" scenario at sunset. The options on Bandon and Pacific seem to be fairly known, but I wasn't sure what is out there at Old Mac and Trails. I've pieced some possibilities together by looking at the maps, but was wondering if others have some experiences to share.

 

BD - 1-4, 12, 16-18

PD - 8-11, 5-7 or 8-11, 5-6, 16, 18

OM - 1-3, 14-18

Trails - 1-5,17-18 or 1-3,16-18

[The Pearl]

It might be Old Mac 1-5 and then walk back along the service road to the south of 5 green.

[spud3]

For Old Mac, there's a bunch. Most involve ending up at #5, where (as Pearl notes) there is a service road that leads over the dune back to the clubhouse

1-5

1-5 + 11-14 + 3-4

1-5 + 11-18

1-10

 

Trails doesn't have as many options, given the layout of the course. Really just 1-5 + 17-18

[plutch]

Headed to Bandon next Tuesday after work from Seattle, breaking up the drive this time! Happy to do this trip after the "Spring Forward" time change as well, gives you confidence that you can get 36 holes in. Staying in Woodburn that night (great outlet mall there by the way, good deals on PUMA, ADIDAS, and NIKE golf gear and NO SALES TAX!)

 

Wednesday: Get into Bandon around noon, check in, grab some lunch (might have that grilled cheese sandwich) and play Old Mac at 2:30

 

Thursday: Trails at 7:50 then contemplating Old Mac again at 1:00

 

Friday: Pacific Dunes at 7:50 then Bandon Dunes at 1:00

 

Saturday: Bandon Dunes at 7:30 then Pacific Dunes at 1:00

 

Sunday: Finish with Old Mac at 7:30 then head back to Seattle

 

Only unknown right now is the Old Mac on Thursday. I would like to play Bandon Dunes twice so if we take off Friday afternoon we would only get one round in there. Thursday we are going to be pumped up to play as much as we can but do we save ourselves a little (we still get to play Old Mac twice, not three times).

 

I think this is my seventh time at Bandon, just absolutely love everything about that place, the people, the courses, it's literally golf the way it was meant to be.

 

Love hearing stories about this place from golfers who have experienced it many times and for those who are preparing for their first trip and the report after they have traveled back home, especially those who have to fly in from all over the country and world.

 

Living in the PNW, I feel lucky to be able to drive there, not a short trip by any means but one of the most exciting I-5 commutes that you could possibly have.....at least until you go through Drain, OR.

[Edaw68]

For Old Mac, there's a bunch. Most involve ending up at #5, where (as Pearl notes) there is a service road that leads over the dune back to the clubhouse

1-5

1-5 + 11-14 + 3-4

1-5 + 11-18

1-10

 

Trails doesn't have as many options, given the layout of the course. Really just 1-5 + 17-18

 

1 through 5 on Old Mac, short maintenance trail to #17 tee on Pacific, PD 17-18?

[spud3]

For Old Mac, there's a bunch. Most involve ending up at #5, where (as Pearl notes) there is a service road that leads over the dune back to the clubhouse

1-5

1-5 + 11-14 + 3-4

1-5 + 11-18

1-10

 

Trails doesn't have as many options, given the layout of the course. Really just 1-5 + 17-18

 

1 through 5 on Old Mac, short maintenance trail to #17 tee on Pacific, PD 17-18?

 

Hmmm - hadn't thought of crossing over to PD... that's thinking outside the box white stakes!

 

Now I'm going to have to go look at the interactive map and search out other cross-course options...

[Edaw68]

For Old Mac, there's a bunch. Most involve ending up at #5, where (as Pearl notes) there is a service road that leads over the dune back to the clubhouse

1-5

1-5 + 11-14 + 3-4

1-5 + 11-18

1-10

 

Trails doesn't have as many options, given the layout of the course. Really just 1-5 + 17-18

 

1 through 5 on Old Mac, short maintenance trail to #17 tee on Pacific, PD 17-18?

 

Hmmm - hadn't thought of crossing over to PD... that's thinking outside the box white stakes!

 

Now I'm going to have to go look at the interactive map and search out other cross-course options...

Bandon 1-6, PD 11-14, Old Mac 7-10, PD 17-18

[OregonHack]

7:50 and 1:00 tee time could be a tight turnaround....

[plutch]

7:50 and 1:00 tee time could be a tight turnaround....

 

I should mention they are staggered for our group, everyone should have at least 45min in between...

[philsRHman]

45 min would have been tight this week. All our rounds were between 415-5 hours. Longest was on a frost delay and seemed the bunched us up more than usual.

 

The Old Mac route all led back on a service road next to 5 green. The loops that seem natural are 1-5; 1-6 and 10; 1-10. It did look like you can slip over to Pac and play the last couple in. Not sure how frowned upon that would be.

[bird206]

What is the best method to take pictures on the course when you are solo? Do you ask one of your playing partners or caddie you get paired up with?

[OregonHack]

What is the best method to take pictures on the course when you are solo? Do you ask one of your playing partners or caddie you get paired up with?

 

You'll come across plenty of marshalls that will usually be happy to. And then tell you to hurry up, even if you're waiting on the group in front on every shot. Probably my only Bandon complaint.

[deadsolid...shank]

Great thread, I’ve very much enjoyed reading the entire thing.

[philsRHman]

My wrap ups might come in a few separate posts. Saving them up for one big report might mean I never get around to it. Some thoughts, stream of conscious...

 

- in five days, I played 7.5 rounds of golf and walked 63 miles according to my watch. Fell short of the planned 9 rounds. Day 3 I waved the white flag and took the afternoon off. Day 4 we had frost that made the afternoon round too tight but still snuck in 9 holes by myself with half a bag.

 

- I wish I would have gotten into better shape. Golf shape (hit more balls) and physical shape (more mileage on my feet). I’d always thought of a March trip as spring training. But in this case being so sore and beaten up made the golf tough and no matter how much I said I wouldn’t let my score get in the way of the experience, when I was skulling irons and flailing drives because my body was so shot, it just wasn’t as fun as when I was playing well.

 

- wound up playing Pac 3x; OM 2.5x; BT 1x; BD 1x. To be honest I think I liked the deep dive of a couple. It really took a third time seeing a course to really start to understand and identify the nuance and make it memorable.

 

- my rankings:

1. Old MacDonald: This course just absolutely captured my imagination. It was the one I longed for when I saw it from afar. If I could only play one course for an entire season it would be OM. But if I only could play it once I can see how it would get a bad rap. Playing with several others you can see it’s up to you whether to embrace it or get upset. Can also see how hard it would be to make a score. So often a good shot runs out to 50-60 feet. The fescue greens were really different and hard to adjust to but brought something new to the table.

 

1a. Pacific Dunes: loved the views, the shot values, the challenge. Never thought I could play a course at 6200 yards and still have holes of all lengths. Enjoyed the way you need to think around this track, being rewarded for more aggressive lines with better angles of approach. Most solid conditions, greens rolled true.

 

3. Trails: fell in love the minute I got on the course but it never really stood a chance. I was dead tired. I birdied 3 of the first five holes but completely fell off and shot 86. The good greens at Trails were the best on the property but there were several in trouble that were the worst. Probably my favorite layout but I was loving Pac and OM so much I didn’t want to give either up once my second round at Trails was nixed. It reminded me at points of Bethpage Black and Banff Springs in the Canadian Rockies. Can’t wait to see it again.

 

4. Bandon Dunes: again, wasn’t in the right frame of mind. Was my fourth round in the first two days. And seeing it right after Pac it felt like a more benign, less scenic, less extreme version. Saw this as the clear 4th of 4.

 

I could see Trails becoming No 1. It offers something so different compared to the others.

 

- athletic tape is great. My feet and hands held up well, much better than expected. Rotating through 3 pair of shoes helped a lot. Tape on a couple hot spots was key and not letting any blisters get to the point of bursting.

 

- thanks to layering I was never cold, even teeing off in the 30s. The only day was when I’d backed down one layer and regretted it late after some rain. ProQuip PX6 jacket was awesome. Wore it as a wind jacket too. Only rained for about an hour across all 5 days.

 

- weather was so much better in real life than on paper. Discovered early that 45 can feel like 25 or 65. The day with the strongest wind was also the calmest once it laid down In the evening.

 

- in hindsight I would schedule time for shortys and punchbowl on the first day or two. Both gave me the chance to play with different shots around the greens. The Preserve was closed but looked awesome. Not sure if I would want to pay the same price there as a replay. But I could totally see playing Preserve combined with the other practice areas for a really nice Day 1 of acclimating.

 

- best things I ate:

Charred pork sandwich with pineapple at Trails

Grilled cheese at Pac

Chowder (white) at turnstands. Def had it at Pac and I think OM.

 

- Everything I ate at McKees paled in comparison to Pac or Trails. Meatloaf was bad; Fish and chips was Ok but got soggy fast; Chicken pot pie was OK. Service at McKees was also pretty lacking compared to others. Not bad, just indifferent.

 

- the day of frost I spent many many hours at Pac, eating multiple times, doing the Punchbowl, checking out the pro shop. Everyone was so welcoming, made me feel totally comfortable being a weirdo hanging out alone.

 

- massage center was expensive but worthwhile. I don’t think I could have made 5 days without the 90 minutes I spent there one afternoon

 

- stayed at the Inn which was nice. I would certainly go for the cheapest option if I went alone again. Didn’t feel the golf view was worth $40/night but with a group it would have been nice to have the patios overlooking the course to hang out.

 

- hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I think I got dangerously dehydrated in my first two days. Woke up during the night with the room spinning. Even in cool temps, with all the layers I’m sure I was sweating. Plus a long flight seems to mess with that. I’m sure it contributed to how awful my body felt, too. I picked up a case of 36 waters on the drive down for $3, which seems better than $2/pop.

 

- Flying to Portland wasn’t bad. I’d say the drive was part of the experience. But if the fights lined up I’d rather cut out the drive and make the most of arrival day.

 

 

- can’t wait to go back, whether with friends or not.

 

[Yank8823]

Sounds like it was a blast and one heck of a week! Making me take my Bandon 2020 idea much more seriously. Cheers to the trip!

[philsRHman]

As for scores (going off memory since my cards are still packed away):

 

Three rounds of 78-79 (BD, Pac, Pac)

Two rounds of 80-81 (OM, OM)

Two duds, a 86 and 90 (Trails, Pac)

 

I remain undecided on caddies. Really enjoyed them, especially my first and third. But adding $120 a round really adds up. One things for sure- I couldn’t have played as much if I was pulling a cart or carrying. To think I spent more on a 36 hole day on caddies than my room is a little crazy. The experience was great but hard to determine if it’s worthwhile. If money is no object then it’s a no brainer.

[kaschreiber]

Sounds like it was a blast and one heck of a week! Making me take my Bandon 2020 idea much more seriously. Cheers to the trip!

 

DO IT. In my experience and as has been echoed through these posts often, if you're trying to wait for others you may end up waiting for quite some time. I have a group of ~15 that I golf with somewhat regularly. Our Bandon trip started as me and a buddy after floating the idea to everyone with a lot of indifference. I think the rest of everyone got sick of hearing us talking about it as we'd play together- 2 became 3, became 4, became 6, etc. As someone that's planned a handful of buddy trips, sometimes getting one person booked for golf/lodging is what it takes to get the ball rolling with others. Plus- we just tried adding another 4 (at 12 now) to our 10/2-10/5 2019 trip and rounds and lodging are already tough to hunt down. We started after getting back from our first trip in Jan 2018 and had 8 by this time last year. Depending on when in 2020, I'd get on it soon. You can always get your deposits back if it doesn't work, but once those spots are booked, they're hard to hunt down.

[Matt J]

Glad you bought in on the athletic tape. Maybe the best Bandon advise I often dispense.

 

I really enjoyed the energy and documenting you did about your experience.

 

Most guys seem to use this forum just to be lazy i.e. not google their questions, just ask the forum. That's fine and a lot of the "regulars" don't mind answering the same questions repeatedly, but I really appreciated that you gave a lot of feedback and really jumped into the whole experience. It's an amazing resource and I feel pretty lucky to be within striking distance. Makes me a bit tingly to think of the fact that there will be 36 more holes of amazing links golf down there in the next several years.

[spud3]

Was the work finished on BD #2? If so, you would have teed off across the ravine, instead of above the hole near #1 green.

[plutch]

I am also interested in this, headed there on Tuesday....

[mallrat]

I can’t even imagine not going across the ravine.

 

When there last my caddie (who is a buddy and had only been caddying there about 2 weeks) handed me a 6, I asked for my 4. He looked at me surprised. I did what (I think Spud) suggested in another thread, and played it off the back bank. He looked at me surprised and I responded “i’ve Never made a par coming up short but have 2 birdies and a handful of pars playing it long.”

[philsRHman]

Yes on 2 we were down below the green. But a lot of the bunkers were marked GUR. My caddie lamented that he expects to take the left front bunker quite often and I can see why. It was like a magnet.

[wtoomey]

Saw on Twitter that #2 is open back for business from the everyday tees.

[philsRHman]

Played my home course here in NJ the past two days. I’m so goddamned depressed. Can not believe how different the green surrounds play. But more importantly, it’s not Bandon.

 

I spent an hour tonight on the Bandon site flyovers just to remind myself. Thinking seriously of diverting my annual membership to a second bandon trip in the fall and another next spring but I also know I’ll go bananas trying to play daily fee all summer.

[duffer987]

^That is the worst golfing-related thing of the post-Bandon trip.

Your normal rounds are going to be lame for a few weeks now ;)