Bandon Dunes - Pick Your Composite Course

[njlam]

1. SR (5) with BT (4) a close 2nd
2. BT (3)

3. OM (4) with BT (5) 2nd on;y because we need 2 OM holes

4. BD (4) with PD (4) a close 2nd

5. BD (4)

6. SR (4)

7. BT (4) with PD (4) a close 2nd

8. BT (4)

9. SR (4)

10. BT (5)

11. PD (3)

12. BD (3)

13 PD (4)

14. BD (4)

15. OM (5)

16. BD (4) with SR (3) a close 2nd

17. SR (4)

18. SR (5)

 

Top Par 3s:
1. BD 12

2 BD 15

3 PD 11

4 SR 16

 

Top Par 4s:

1 BD 4

2 BD 5

3 BD 16
4 PD 4
5 BT 1

6 BT 11

7 OM 3

8 SR 6

9 SR 9

10 SR 17

Top Par 5s:
1 BT 3

2 BT 9

3 OM 15

4 SR 1

[kaschreiber]

I haven't yet been able to get out on Sheep, so this is biased, but: 

Par 71: Par 3s 5, Par 4s 9, Par 5s 4; 7 on Trails, 3 on Old Mac, 5 on Bandon, 3 on Pac

 

1    Trails           4
2    Trails          3
3    Old Mac     4
4    Bandon      4
5    Trails          3
6    Old Mac     5
7    Old Mac     4
8    Trails          4
9    Trails          5
10    Pac           3
11    Trails         4
12    Pac           5
13    Trails        4
14    Bandon    4
15    Bandon    3
16    Bandon    4
17    Pac           3
18    Bandon    5

 

1. Outside of 9 on Trails, trying to think of a "great" par 5. I like 17 on Mac, but 17 on Pac is one of my 5 favorite holes on property, especially with the gorse in bloom. 

2. Trails is my favorite course out there, not surprised I picked as many as I did. 

3. Trails 13 is my favorite hole on property. 13 on Pac is a great hole as well, but I can't shake 13 on Trails. 

4. The 3 hole stretch on Bandon 14-16 is my favorite 3 hole stretch. 6, 7, 8 at Mac is next.

 

[Caddy Woods]

It took me a couple months to put this together and I'd revisit it every time I needed a trip down the ole Bandon memory lane. It is a bit much so I included an executive summary.

 

I made my first trip to Bandon in April 2021. Dream golf trip just about sums it up. I can’t wait to get back but it looks like that’s at least a couple years out. I hope this fuels some Bandon daydreaming for you all.

 

Executive summary:

• Naturally formed a par 72.  
• 8 par 4s in a row to start. Routing is hard.
• I love blind shots.
  • And apparently hitting approach shots to elevated greens.
• I find the inland holes are far more interesting than the ocean holes.
• The mystery of Bandon Trails 4 is more intriguing than the mystery of Bandon Dunes 4.

 

1. Bandon Trails - A pretty easy selection. I love that you are hitting into a bit of a valley. A nice, easy intro. I really like the bookend nature of BT with the start and end in the dunes. 
   1. Runner up - SR - a straight up great par 5. Ocean reveal is great.
2. Pacific Dunes - the Bandon twos are a bunch of misfits, not one is really a standout. PD stands out to me as I’ve played it twice and birdied it both times. I imagine if I bogey it’ll drop to runner up.
   1. Runner up - BT - the segway into what Trails is all about. Dunes on the right and behind, forest in front and to the left. It’s a great misfit of a hole.
3. Old Mac - Ghost Tree and a blind tee shot.
   1. Runner up - PD - this hole holds my favorite bunker on the property. The massive gaping fairway bunker that’s 300 to reach. The first time I have ever taken a picture of a bunker.
4. Bandon Dunes - This one is a real tossup for me because I love BT 4 so much. Also, I haven’t yet played BD 4 correctly(no, but thank you for the advice, I’ll just go ahead and blow this one way right into the s***) so I haven’t really experienced the reveal.  
   1. BT - My lord do I love the ridge on this hole. I only allowed myself to look at the course flyovers of BT prior to my first trip to Bandon. Far and away this was the tee shot I was most looking forward to, it did not disappoint. You had me at blind tee shot.
5. Bandon Dunes - Love the grassy knolls on this hole. This is one of my favorite ocean holes on the property. I love the approach shot down into the chute of hillocks. 
   1. OM - Giant green = giant putt = 3 putt = still not mad, somehow
6. Pacific Dunes - A great hole because of the variety of choices off the tee. Something about the way the hole looks from the tee, the tilted fairway, the right side of the fairway partially hidden, the giant bunker/hill to the left of the green, beautiful. My favorite short par 4 on property.
   1. SR - I like this hole but it feels a bit like a copy of BD 16. It’s less interesting because it’s longer than BD 16. This hole and PD 4, although very pretty, are not as strong or as interesting as BD 16.
7. Bandon Dunes/Old Mac - Cheated here but both of these holes are incredible. BD 7 is always first in my mind when I think of my favorite holes at Bandon. Partially blind tee shot but you can see the elevated green in the distance, see summary. OM 7, cresting the top of the hill with the ocean in back says it all. I’ve come to realize that I have a real soft spot for holes with elevated greens.
   1. The sevens are a pretty strong group, not a misfit among them. I love both BT and PD long par 4s and SR par 3 is quite a looker. If I have to(I have to) designate a runner up it goes to SR.
8. Sheep Ranch - I like the corridor nature of this hole. I ended up on the right side of the fairway behind the big grassy mounds which left me with a, you guessed it, blind shot to the green, lovely. 
   1. OM - This very nearly took top spot and I am second guessing myself as I write this. 
9. Bandon Trails - This one is not even close. The first time I played this hole a torrential Bandon downpour had just cleared. Low lying clouds and mist clung to the giant trees near the green. I remarked to my buddy, this feels like a Stephen King golf hole. Dark, ominous and yet weirdly inviting. My favorite par 5 on property. 
   1. PD - Both times I’ve played it the routing has been to the top/right green. Really looking forward to playing the lower green someday.
10. Pacific Dunes - My favorite ocean par 3 at Bandon. Especially from the top 150 yd tee box.
    1. SR - So much space on this hole. It’s so wide open and yet it’s not boring.
11. Old Mac - It was nice to pretend I was playing the original Road Hole. I loved the steepness of the back side of the green. You don’t realize how steep it is until you get back there, nice(?) surprise.
    1. Least favorite hole on the course - SR - This par 5 ate me alive. Snowman. Anger levels were quite high as I exited the volcano. My caddy talked me off the ledge, thankfully. I’m sure once I play it again, correctly this time, it may be relieved of this unfortunate designation.  
12. Bandon Dunes - Okay maybe this is my favorite ocean par 3 at Bandon. Beautiful, what else is there to say. It’s amazing to me that this was the first hole built at Bandon. What a great preview of what was to come.
    1. SR - I wound up underneath the tiny tree to the left of the green after my second. So very nearly got up and down, fond memories of the hole. 
13. Bandon Dunes - My favorite fairway at Bandon. It is a close runner up to BT 9 as my favorite par 5 at Bandon. Those humps and bumps, it just looks amazing from the tee.
    1. BT - I love the big combined fairway area between 12 and 13. The tee shot really sets up nicely as well, just feels relaxing. I don’t know why. The bunker to the right side of the green is a beast, it killed a good round I had going. 
14. Old Mac - A beautiful and pretty easy hole, from the right side. The bunkering on the left and the steepness are burned into my memory and I didn’t even play from over there.
    1. BD - A great short par 4. 
15. Sheep Ranch - Another great short par 4. I love how the green sits up right at the edge of the cliff.
    1. BT - Great bunkers around this green. 
16. Bandon Dunes - No surprises here, the best ocean hole on the property. A visual stunner with lots of options for play.
    1. OM - It’s all about the second shot here, either a completely blind approach or you are hitting into a bit of a corridor/pocket if you are on the right. 
17. Pacific Dunes - By far my favorite par 3 on property. We went in April and the gorse was in full bloom, so the green was sitting in a sea of yellow. I like longer par 3s where you are not meant to aim at the hole. Tried to run something in from the right, didn’t quite work but hey.
    1. SR - I want to play from the back tees, next to 16 green, next time. Great trees. A mirror of BD 16 and PD 4, and for a fader it sets up nice. 
18. Bandon Dunes - I love the visual of the clubhouse as you finish your round. It gave me Ireland/Scotland vibes. A bit of smoke rose from McKee’s chimney while we were finishing a late afternoon round on an overcast day. Found that spot and had a nice pint of Guinness, perfection.
    1. OM - Punchbowl green.

 

 

[Chanceman]

Not sure if this has been discussed before but what would be the "Signature Holes" at Bandon generally?

Let's say there are 10. spread over the 5 courses (or 6 if you include BP).

By Signature I guess I mean those holes which are the most identifiable with each course like say 7 at Pebble would be.

[Seamus_MacDuff]

39 minutes ago, Chanceman said:

Not sure if this has been discussed before but what would be the "Signature Holes" at Bandon generally?

Let's say there are 10. spread over the 5 courses (or 6 if you include BP).

By Signature I guess I mean those holes which are the most identifiable with each course like say 7 at Pebble would be.

Interesting question.  Here's what I'd suggest, though I don't necessarily think these are the best holes at the resort, just the most iconic. No surprise that most of these are oceanfront holes.

 

Bandon Dunes #5, 12, 16 (though could argue for #4 in place of #12)

Pacific Dunes #11, 13

Old MacDonald #3

Bandon Trails #14, 17

Sheep Ranch #6, 16

Edited March 15, 2022 by Seamus_MacDuff

[jackbauer]

3 hours ago, Chanceman said:

Not sure if this has been discussed before but what would be the "Signature Holes" at Bandon generally?

Let's say there are 10. spread over the 5 courses (or 6 if you include BP).

By Signature I guess I mean those holes which are the most identifiable with each course like say 7 at Pebble would be.

 

I agree with @Seamus_MacDuff for the most part and would say:

 

Bandon 4, 5, and 16

Pacific 11 and 13

Trails 14

Old Mac 3

Sheep Ranch 1, 6, and 16

 

I would put all of the above in the top 10 holes at the resort except 5 at Bandon (just missed the cut), 14 at Trails (arguably my least favorite hole of the 90), and 3 at Old Mac (good, but overrated).