Random Bandon Thread

[doc52]

2 hours ago, VNutz said:

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.

On my 2023 trip there was a large group on Preserve that were out of control. Makes sense that they are cracking down on 4+ sized groups.

[spud3]

21 minutes ago, doc52 said:

On my 2023 trip there was a large group on Preserve that were out of control. Makes sense that they are cracking down on 4+ sized groups.

I, for one, appreciate that they are doing so.  I have avoided playing the Preserve in the evenings for the last few years because it can get outright dangerous (not to mention annoying) out there when there's a large group of semi-drunk knuckleheads firing away and whooping it up.  I've had more than a few conversations with marshals about it, and it's not uncommon for them to tell me to skip a few holes and get into a safer spot (hard to do there, as it's a pretty tight layout).

[aiyyer]

On 1/23/2024 at 8:09 PM, jvincent said:

 

Umbrella at Bandon = sure sign of  a rookie.

 

GoreTex hat + good rain gear is the ticket. 

Actually playing and well with a rain  jacket with a hood was a game changer. Done with bucket hats etc 

[2bGood]

18 hours ago, dcmidnight said:

 

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.

I have had few chuckles when the caddie shows up in deep sea fishing gear. Luckily I have one once seen it necessary. 

[dcl5dcl5]

11 hours ago, jimwgt26 said:

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

 

 

This is awesome. I just bought one. This would have been so handy at Bandon - funny enough: I lost my lunch on the first green at Pacific Dunes to crows. Rookie mistake - thinking a sealed styrofoam container from the restaurant being held down by the Riksha base was sufficient...

[ChrisATL]

On 1/22/2024 at 11:20 AM, graveydellic said:

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.

Good post - last time I was there (May), I forgot how pricey certain months are. I agree, I think the play is December - following some caddies on Twitter recently and the weather last month looked pretty ideal. 

[aiyyer]

On EBay..

[Ronnie Mundt]

Does anyone know if you can sleep in your car on property down there? Might be rolling down during the high season as a solo and not sure I’m going to find lodging since it’s so damn packed. There are so many parking lots down there I doubt it would be an issue but wondering if anyone knows.

[Double Mocha Man]

13 minutes ago, Ronnie Mundt said:

Does anyone know if you can sleep in your car on property down there? Might be rolling down during the high season as a solo and not sure I’m going to find lodging since it’s so damn packed. There are so many parking lots down there I doubt it would be an issue but wondering if anyone knows.

 

You've reminded me of the times when I was a poor student.  I would drive south to attend the Seattle international Film Festival and stay overnight to catch more films the next day. I didn't have much pocket money and what I had I wanted to use for meals and for tickets to the films. I found a large parking lot at a marina not far from the film festival and slept in my car.  Safe place, well lit, with a 24-hour security guard and a series of bathrooms in the parking lot where you could brush your teeth, shave and tidy up in the mornings.  I did that a couple of years and have always referred to it as staying at the Shilshole Bay Hilton.

 

Good luck on your parking lot adventures in Bandon.

[Edaw68]

They do have RV parking areas, so they may let you do one night in your car, but I wouldn't count on multiple nights.  If you don't get resort lodging probably best to look for room in town.   You can always call reservations and ask. 

[dcmidnight]

8 hours ago, aiyyer said:

On EBay..

 

ROFL, I have a few I'll let you have but I wont take less than $3.

 

When we got back from the Masters people were selling the shopping bags from the members pro shop for $50 on ebay. I dont think they are anymore but come on now people, what are we even doing here. And no, for $50 you cant have mine!

[spud3]

12 hours ago, Ronnie Mundt said:

Does anyone know if you can sleep in your car on property down there? Might be rolling down during the high season as a solo and not sure I’m going to find lodging since it’s so damn packed. There are so many parking lots down there I doubt it would be an issue but wondering if anyone knows.

There's a ton of cheap motel options in both Bandon town and Coos Bay/North Bend if you're just looking for a place to crash.  You're already spending the $ for the high season, so another $50-75 isn't going to matter much.

[Looper34]

8 hours ago, spud3 said:

There's a ton of cheap motel options in both Bandon town and Coos Bay/North Bend if you're just looking for a place to crash.  You're already spending the $ for the high season, so another $50-75 isn't going to matter much.

That's the route I'm going next visit. We went last Summer, stayed onsite and had a great time with no complaints but on every course there were 2somes going out, a lot of them. Even with the on site lodging discount for tee times, you'd save a bundle.

[aiyyer]

11 hours ago, Looper34 said:

That's the route I'm going next visit. We went last Summer, stayed onsite and had a great time with no complaints but on every course there were 2somes going out, a lot of them. Even with the on site lodging discount for tee times, you'd save a bundle.

Bandon Inn! 

[spud3]

Bandon Inn is my usual spot to stay if nothing is available on site, but their prices have gone up the past couple years.  They are almost even with the resort, especially in the off-season.  There are cheaper places, but BI is the best accommodations in town.

[zap311]

We just called to reserve our caddies for April and they said if we want more experienced caddies, to request a double bag. Can anyone share their experience with double vs. single bag caddies and what you recommend (or pros/cons)?

Edited February 5 by zap311

[kaschreiber]

15 minutes ago, zap311 said:

We just called to reserve our caddies for April and they said if we want more experienced caddies, to request a double bag. Can anyone share their experience with double vs. single bag caddies and what you recommend (or pros/cons)?

The double bag caddies I've seen are a sight to behold. There's a reason they're the most seasons caddies. They damn near run the course - won't hold you up at all. You'll walk off and feel like the only thing you may have missed is the chatter between shot to shot. But they won't slow you down and you're not really going to wait on them. 

I'll caveat that with most of our group is single / low double digit handicaps, so for the most part we're all generally around the fairway / greens. If you have guys that are going to slap it all over the place that may be a different story, but if you guys are decent players you'll be fine. 

Edited February 5 by kaschreiber

[jvincent]

1 hour ago, zap311 said:

We just called to reserve our caddies for April and they said if we want more experienced caddies, to request a double bag. Can anyone share their experience with double vs. single bag caddies and what you recommend (or pros/cons)?

 

Nothing makes a caddie who's double bagging than seeing his two players hit the same shape tee shot.

 

The good ones really hustle to make sure neither player feels left out.

[popechild]

Any advice? I got the August 2025 email this morning and called within 60 seconds to book a trip for 16. Waited on hold for 2 hours, and my buddy did the same right after I texted him. We both got disconnected at exactly 2 hours into our calls. Ever since (for the last 90+ minutes), attempts to call back lead to a message saying they're experiencing technical difficulty. I've been waiting months for Aug 2025 to open, now am 3.5+ hours into trying to get through and am at square one. Is there any other way to get through to anyone? Their entire reservation system is an absolute disaster. 

[spud3]

Uff da... just keep trying.  Their system has been better the past year or so.  What you are experiencing used to be the norm.  If it's offered, take the option to have them call you back, which they are very good at doing.  But have your phone nearby, because if you don't answer when they call, you're back to the end of the line.  Good luck!

[popechild]

Option to get a callback was available when we first called, but after the two hour wait then disconnect, the current “technical difficulties” message doesn’t give a callback option.

[ChrisATL]

On 2/3/2024 at 9:39 PM, spud3 said:

Bandon Inn is my usual spot to stay if nothing is available on site, but their prices have gone up the past couple years.  They are almost even with the resort, especially in the off-season.  There are cheaper places, but BI is the best accommodations in town.

Second Bandon Inn if you can't get onsite - there are a ton of AirBnBs nearby, but I can't speak to the quality there. 

[Double Mocha Man]

8 hours ago, zap311 said:

We just called to reserve our caddies for April and they said if we want more experienced caddies, to request a double bag. Can anyone share their experience with double vs. single bag caddies and what you recommend (or pros/cons)?

 

If you can afford it, go with single bag caddies.  Much better experience.  A caddie is not about just carrying your clubs.  He/she can offer you the history of the course, good conversation/cheerleader, behind-the-scenes gossip, on-the-spot knowledge of the course and what shots to play. Additionally they can provide immense help in reading the greens.   Besides, you get to feel like a Touring Pro with your own caddie.

[TiScape]

3 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

If you can afford it, go with single bag caddies.  Much better experience.  A caddie is not about just carrying your clubs.  He/she can offer you the history of the course, good conversation/cheerleader, behind-the-scenes gossip, on-the-spot knowledge of the course and what shots to play. Additionally they can provide immense help in reading the greens.   Besides, you get to feel like a Touring Pro with your own caddie.

Saw you had posted and just wanted to say good to “see” you! 😊

[spud3]

1 hour ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

If you can afford it, go with single bag caddies.  Much better experience.  A caddie is not about just carrying your clubs.  He/she can offer you the history of the course, good conversation/cheerleader, behind-the-scenes gossip, on-the-spot knowledge of the course and what shots to play. Additionally they can provide immense help in reading the greens.   Besides, you get to feel like a Touring Pro with your own caddie.

And the cost of a single caddie is the same as your share of a double-bagger.  That's why the senior caddies only double bag - twice the $ for the same time investment.

 

If there are more than two people in a group taking caddies, they'll carry whichever players' bags are closest to each other off the tee.  So if there are four of you and you have two double-baggers, one will grab the two bags of the players that sliced their drives and one will grab the bags of the two hitting duck hooks.  It's a pretty efficient system, but less personal than having your own guy.

[Pepetito]

16 hours ago, popechild said:

Option to get a callback was available when we first called, but after the two hour wait then disconnect, the current “technical difficulties” message doesn’t give a callback option.

How did you fare?  Ever get a call back?

[cjblake09]

15 hours ago, ChrisATL said:

Second Bandon Inn if you can't get onsite - there are a ton of AirBnBs nearby, but I can't speak to the quality there. 

For those coming from Eugene, how it The Mill in North Bend?  No need to drive though North Bend to Bandon was my thought.

 

[popechild]

19 minutes ago, Pepetito said:

How did you fare?  Ever get a call back?

About 7:30p. Had zero back to back nights remaining in the entire month even for a two-some. My friend got a call back a few hours earlier than I did and was able to get all the beds we were looking for on 2 of the 4 nights, half on one of the others, and 0 on one of them. Supposedly we're on a waitlist for when cancellations happen. But even the nights we do have are in different spaces where we'd have to move each night. This was from a call made within 30 seconds of receiving the email.

[dcmidnight]

It sucks. Even if you get the email 5-10 minutes after other people do, you're behind 100 people in line on the phone, all trying to book the same few rooms for the same few dates.

 

I honestly dont know what the solution is. There isnt really any motivation for them to change because even with this crappy system they sell out 18 months ahead of time in probably one day. And - at least in my experiences - the operators absolutely could not be nicer and could not be more helpful. No matter what system they move to, its going to be the same thing - thousands of people calling at once, all for the same dates, for a very small amount of rooms.

 

We got King Singles in the Inn - which are great - and I'm on the waiting list for a couple of the suites. But they told me there was almost no chance of a cancellation for something like that.

[Pepetito]

31 minutes ago, popechild said:

About 7:30p. Had zero back to back nights remaining in the entire month even for a two-some. My friend got a call back a few hours earlier than I did and was able to get all the beds we were looking for on 2 of the 4 nights, half on one of the others, and 0 on one of them. Supposedly we're on a waitlist for when cancellations happen. But even the nights we do have are in different spaces where we'd have to move each night. This was from a call made within 30 seconds of receiving the email.

Im dreading this experience.  I"m looking to book my first trip for October 2025 which if past history suggests will be booked the first week of April.  I only have one foursome but sheesh....seems like SOMEHOW this process should be better.