Random Bandon Thread

[spud3]

8 hours ago, soregongolfer said:

You guys got hit with some nasty weather.  We lucked out in the southern part of the state.  

It's been a gnarly week in PDX...

[rooski]

9 hours ago, soregongolfer said:

You guys got hit with some nasty weather.  We lucked out in the southern part of the state.  

 

Yeah during the week long ice storm it was a smooth 55* down in Medford 

[soregongolfer]

47 minutes ago, spud3 said:

It's been a gnarly week in PDX...

I have a buddy who lives in Camas.  He can't drive down his street.  His wife posted some photos and Facebook and I realized why Ayton couldn't get to the Blazers' game.   

[jpdx]

Number 3 OM Wednesday. 
 

Couldnt walk to the hole without water coming over the shoes. Friend’s ball was about 8ft from the hole walked to get it and stopped when water was covering the toe box. 

Edited January 21 by jpdx

[jvincent]

Yikes!

[graveydellic]

Called in to add a round of golf day before Solstice.  Got the email confirmation and totally forgot peak summer rate is $350.  Sheesh.  

 

Having become a winter getaway for me, I forgot that the much of the year the resort is extremely expensive.  I have friends that haven't been and talk of going in the summer months, but with five great December trips under my belt, I honestly don't think I have the desire to go really any other time.  If it wasn't for the Solstice I wouldn't be making the trek in June.  

 

It's essentially a $1,000 a day per guy in the summer if you factor in golf, caddy, food, lodging, etc.  In the winter I can get out of there for about 1K total w/ 3 nights in lodge and playing 36-36.

[CDM]

Bandon is fantastic. The pricing though has jumped up so much it makes it hard to justify in the summer.  There is are a number of other locations for less that has a ton of great golf. 

[dcmidnight]

19 minutes ago, graveydellic said:

It's essentially a $1,000 a day per guy in the summer if you factor in golf, caddy, food, lodging, etc.  In the winter I can get out of there for about 1K total w/ 3 nights in lodge and playing 36-36.

 

This is the rough estimate I have told people when planning trips. First trip was in October, trip next year is in May - that's about right.

 

Not going to argue you cant go to a cheaper place to play golf, of course you can - but I dont think anyone in this thread would disagree with that. But if finding the cheapest place to go is your goal, BD isnt even going to make your Top 20 list.

Edited January 22 by dcmidnight

[graveydellic]

1 hour ago, dcmidnight said:

 

This is the rough estimate I have told people when planning trips. First trip was in October, trip next year is in May - that's about right.

 

Not going to argue you cant go to a cheaper place to play golf, of course you can - but I dont think anyone in this thread would disagree with that. But if finding the cheapest place to go is your goal, BD isnt even going to make your Top 20 list.

 

I think first timers should go in the summer when days are long and weather is good.  Worth the spend.  If you become a regular (which I have annually), then to me winter is worth the risk on the weather.  It's simply an unbeatable deal for the price, especially if you catch a couple good days.  

 

I've had too many good winter trips to justify paying for a similar experience in peak season, but that's just me.  I have noticed that the clientele in the winter is very different than summer.  

[The Milkman]

Coming from the East Coast I'd love to take be able to roll the dice on the weather, shorter days, and cheaper rates, but with how difficult it is to get there its worth the extra price to ensure you have nice long days. 

[dcmidnight]

5 minutes ago, The Milkman said:

Coming from the East Coast I'd love to take be able to roll the dice on the weather, shorter days, and cheaper rates, but with how difficult it is to get there its worth the extra price to ensure you have nice long days. 

 

Exactly. There's no way I'd risk it, I dont care what it cost.

 

If my sole focus was on saving money, there are 100 other places I could go to that dont involve a full day of travel on each end.

[jvincent]

5 hours ago, The Milkman said:

Coming from the East Coast I'd love to take be able to roll the dice on the weather, shorter days, and cheaper rates, but with how difficult it is to get there its worth the extra price to ensure you have nice long days. 

 

IMHO, April is the best compromise between weather and price.

[TexasTitleistUser]

Well darn it I didn’t “win” the 25th Anniversary drawing………😬

[spud3]

5 hours ago, jvincent said:

 

IMHO, April is the best compromise between weather and price.

+1 on this.  April has the added bonus of being when the gorse is in full bloom.

 

One thing I noticed when we did the Solstice a couple years ago (my first trip ever in high season) is that the courses play almost exactly the same in high season vs not-high season. Fairways still run fast, bunkers are still penal, greens are still slow-ish. 

 

Notable exception:  see jpx's post above from last week.  Oy!

 

[DFinch]

Meeting my boys for a weather window opportunity Sunday and Monday. Playing Sheep for the first time and then Old Mac. I've played Pac, Dunes, and Trails the most so it will be cool to check out Sheep and reconnect with Mac. Forecast is 62 deg with showers and 15mph wind. Let's go!

[EMA1]

A group of us are heading to Bandon in mid February for the first time. We’re ready to face whatever weather comes our way, but are there any recommendations on what to bring to help with less than ideal weather? 
 

Also, do the push carts have umbrella mounts? 

[2bGood]

On 1/21/2024 at 12:47 AM, Caddy Woods said:

Question:

 

We're doing a buddies trip in August. There are eight of us and we have back to back 4ball tee times booked on the Preserve on our first day. If we request to play as an 8ball are they pretty accommodating? Better to email reservations and ask for an official 8ball or just ask the starter?

Never had this request turned down. You should be good. 

[DFinch]

22 minutes ago, EMA1 said:

A group of us are heading to Bandon in mid February for the first time. We’re ready to face whatever weather comes our way, but are there any recommendations on what to bring to help with less than ideal weather? 
 

Also, do the push carts have umbrella mounts? 

 

Typically, but not always, wet weather at Bandon is accompanied by high wind. This tends to render umbrellas worthless. Not saying don't bring one, but plan accordingly. If you're using their rickshaw style pull cart and not bringing your own...I don't believe they have umbrella mounts. 

Waterproof bucket hat, high quality rain gear, waterproof shoes, and layered warmth are the way to go. The bucket hat I bought at Bandon was a Footjoy Dryjoy hat and it's been awesome in terrible weather. 

[Edaw68]

The ricksha carts at the resort don't have umbrella holders.  Don't bother to bring an umbrella, at Bandon just wear a bucket hat and full rain suit.  I've seen push carts blown away without an umbrella mounted there, putting an umbrella on just means your umbrella will blow into the ocean or if it's really firmly attached it will blow your cart and clubs into the ocean.

[2bGood]

On 1/23/2024 at 3:09 PM, EMA1 said:

A group of us are heading to Bandon in mid February for the first time. We’re ready to face whatever weather comes our way, but are there any recommendations on what to bring to help with less than ideal weather? 
 

Also, do the push carts have umbrella mounts? 

You really are a first timer...😉

 

Umbrella and Bandon are a big no-no. Just way too much wind makes them a waste of time. It would be even worse having them mounted in a cart. 

 

I go Mid-Feb nearly every year. I have been lucky to be in shorts many times, and only a couple days in rain gear. You will really need to the full range of clothing. 

 

I am a big fan of waterproof golf bag (the caddies carry Sun Mountain H2NO's), rain gloves and a GoreTex rain suit. Then you want all sorts of layer options for the weather. Bring a few pair of shoes and lots of socks (one per round). Keep some dry socks in your bag or if you have 36 happening, you can ask nice and they will shuttle a bag to the pro-shop of your second round. Put in dry shoes, socks and some other items. That way you don't have to carry it for your first round. 

 

I will add, Bandon has some great rain gear for sale. If you want to risk it, the option to buy it there (with no sales tax) is pretty cool. And then you get a branded jacket as a souvenir. 

 

One tradition my buddies have is you buy a rain hat from the course that you play your lifetime rainiest round at. Each course will have a few options, and it will be a 'fun' memento if you need to get one.

 

I am sure people have lots of tips for rain gear. I play in the rain allot and I will wear tights under rain pants (either ones that keep you warm or cool depending on the weather). 

 

 

 

Edited January 25 by 2bGood

[ExposFan]

1 hour ago, Edaw68 said:

The ricksha carts at the resort don't have umbrella holders.  Don't bother to bring an umbrella, at Bandon just wear a bucket hat and full rain suit.  I've seen push carts blown away without an umbrella mounted there, putting an umbrella on just means your umbrella will blow into the ocean or if it's really firmly attached it will blow your cart and clubs into the ocean.

I've gone every November for the last 9 years—and the first trip is the only time I've ever used an umbrella there. That's because within about 2 minutes of me putting it on my push cart, the umbrella inverted and my cart blew over.

 

It never hurts to bring one, though, especially if you're using a pull/push cart and not worried about extra weight. This last November, we had one period of rain with very little wind. As my buddies popped their umbrellas open (and kept them that way for much of the round), I was a bit envious.

[jvincent]

1 hour ago, EMA1 said:

A group of us are heading to Bandon in mid February for the first time. We’re ready to face whatever weather comes our way, but are there any recommendations on what to bring to help with less than ideal weather? 
 

Also, do the push carts have umbrella mounts? 

 

Umbrella at Bandon = sure sign of  a rookie.

 

GoreTex hat + good rain gear is the ticket. 

[jpdx]

Well you guys saw the pic of my Wednesday round at OM.

 

none of the rain gear held up. Its not the rain gear’s fault. 
 

we had 1 guy with galvin green. Another didnt have “golf” rain gear but with our recommendations, goretex. Another 2 had fj suits. And 2 with high end nike suits. The issue isnt with the rain soaking through the suit itself, the issue was the amount of rain we had and it blowing sideways. It was dripping down our neck to the under garments. I had full golf boots on and the zipper was exposed on the top of the shoe. if there is an exposed zipper at all in that weather, water was getting in. 
 

One in our group described his steps like he was walking in a pool. Squishing with each step and water would seep out of the top of the shoe between the tongue. 
 

We all were SOAKED including our underlayers. Nothing was going to help, might as well not have had any rain gear on. Though most people aren’t going to put up with that weather, we did. And it sure was fun!! The shots you got to try out. Great time was had. The shoe/glove dryer ran all night and the hairdryer was used to dry out both of our h2no’s. 
 

 

[spud3]

Wear your umbrella.  I've seen more than a few folks chasing their umbrella, hat, cart (or all the above) across the fairways.  I've seen wind strong enough to push clic gear carts along the ground when they have been laid on their side.  There's a reason that the bucket hats sold on site have chin straps.

 

When the wind is really howling, it can blow you off your feet in the middle of your backswing.  It is humbling, to say the least.

 

Like j experienced above, when the wind is blowing the rain horizontally, all bets are off, raingear-wise.  Those are the days to just take a half set out in a small carry bag and play old shag-bag balls, because you never really know where they're going to go.

 

There will be plenty of folks on this board that will react to statements like that with "why would you want to DO that?  Why spend all that money and effort only to be hammered by the weather and not actually get to play 'golf'..?"

 

Answer: cuz it's actually pretty cool...

[dcmidnight]

5 hours ago, spud3 said:

Like j experienced above, when the wind is blowing the rain horizontally, all bets are off, raingear-wise.

 

Nothing you can do at that point, the best gear in the world is going to get soaked.

 

On my last trip both our caddies said even their "official" rain suits were a joke in that kind of weather, everything is getting wet. The best unofficial caddie jacket they had was a top of the line Grundens jacket - which is high end fishing gear.

[jvincent]

9 hours ago, spud3 said:

 

Like j experienced above, when the wind is blowing the rain horizontally, all bets are off, raingear-wise.  Those are the days to just take a half set out in a small carry bag and play old shag-bag balls, because you never really know where they're going to go.

 

There will be plenty of folks on this board that will react to statements like that with "why would you want to DO that?  Why spend all that money and effort only to be hammered by the weather and not actually get to play 'golf'..?"

 

Answer: cuz it's actually pretty cool...

 

Two trips ago the forecast for one of my days was bad. I was originally going to play 36 that day but switched it to 18 at Bandon.

 

It was a day of rain squalls and high wind. So, it alternated between sideways super heavy rain and just wind. It was like being in a Dyson hand dryer. One line of rain would come through and then 10 minutes later the wind would blow all the water off my bag and rain gear so I never really got wet.

 

It was interesting aiming 40 yards left/right of some targets to try to get the ball where I wanted it.

[bellken]

17 hours ago, EMA1 said:

A group of us are heading to Bandon in mid February for the first time. We’re ready to face whatever weather comes our way, but are there any recommendations on what to bring to help with less than ideal weather? 
 

Also, do the push carts have umbrella mounts? 

 

Hydrophobic base layers (underwear), avoid cotton garments, which, if they get wet, will stay soaked. And Ziploc bags to keep stuff in your golf bag dry. 

Edited January 24 by bellken

[VNutz]

On 1/21/2024 at 2:47 AM, Caddy Woods said:

Question:

 

We're doing a buddies trip in August. There are eight of us and we have back to back 4ball tee times booked on the Preserve on our first day. If we request to play as an 8ball are they pretty accommodating? Better to email reservations and ask for an official 8ball or just ask the starter?

I've had mixed experiences with this. On my trips we typically try to reserve the last spot on the day at Preserve and join groups. The first time they had zero issue with it. The last 2 times they were on us like hawks to stay separated, even with nobody else around. Seemed like perhaps their stance had changed on it. Your mileage may vary.

[Swingem]

Regarding wet weather gear: I've made an annual, five day trip to Bandon since 2002 and have played in every kind of weather out there. A good rain gear strategy will make the difference between enjoying the round and just suffering through it. It can also give you an advantage over those less prepared. As others have said, forget the umbrella. Layering is key, and NO cotton. Also, pick up a couple pair of golf rain gloves, they make a big difference. For head gear, I tried and ditched several different bucket and wide brimmed hats. They didn't work for me as rain still got down the neck in the worst conditions, but more importantly I hated the droopy brim in my sightline. The solution I settled on, and still use, is a Titleist Stay Dry baseball cap with a hooded rain shell. When it's raining, hood up. I can also put a beanie over the cap when its cold. When its not raining, hood down. My rain shell isn't even golf specific, it's an Eddie Bauer Weatheredge Stretch and has been perfect even in the worst conditions (it's also considerably less expensive than  GG, FJ etc.) Also if you wear glasses, get contacts. I see my optometrist once a year in January for a checkup and she gives me enough contact samples for the trip to Bandon (it's the only time I ever wear them). With the right setup you might actually look forward to the rain days.

[jimwgt26]

If you're planning to use Bandon's Rikshas, I recommend picking up this stroller organizer.  It worked great.  Pro Tip:  don't use it to hold snacks or the crows will steal them.  I bought protein balls at Pac #3, dropped them in the organizer, hit my tee shot on 4, and the snacks were already gone by the time put the driver back in my bag. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005PK1G76/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Edited January 24 by jimwgt26