Random Bandon Thread

[jpdx]

Aren’t they building more lodging? I thought I heard about that at some point I don’t remember where or how I heard about it. Maybe it was here?

[jjrussell12]

Couldn’t get through or a call back for 2 days. Finally got a call and it’s all full. Pretty wild for 1.5 years out. 

[dcmidnight]

1 hour ago, jpdx said:

Aren’t they building more lodging? I thought I heard about that at some point I don’t remember where or how I heard about it. Maybe it was here?

 

I dont know though, if the courses are already fully packed - is lodging going to help *that* much? Maybe it pulls some guys in from town. 

 

I dont know - honestly theres a lot I dont know about their expansion plans.

 

Also I dont care LOL - I'm just going to show up and play.

[Pepetito]

13 minutes ago, jjrussell12 said:

Couldn’t get through or a call back for 2 days. Finally got a call and it’s all full. Pretty wild for 1.5 years out. 

Thats incredible.  Sorry to hear that.

[Kernel]

39 minutes ago, dcmidnight said:

 

I dont know though, if the courses are already fully packed - is lodging going to help *that* much? Maybe it pulls some guys in from town. 

 

I dont know - honestly theres a lot I dont know about their expansion plans.

 

Also I dont care LOL - I'm just going to show up and play.

I don't think the courses are fully booked. It's the lodging that sells out far in advance. There are far more spots on the tee sheets across all courses than beds on property. That's why, for instance, I am able to get my five rounds booked with courses and times I want in April three weeks prior (I'm an Oregon resident). But the lodging is full or very close to full during that same time. 

[spud3]

They do have plans for more lodging, out by OM.  No timetable, and I ask every time I go down, because lodging is absolutely the limiting factor.  The result that pope just had is not uncommon for a large-ish group when you're just trying to call after getting the email.  Not sure what their size limit is for groups that work directly with the resort, but that might be worth checking into.  Trying for a 16 room block (or even 8 doubles) during the high season is unlikely to bear fruit.

[ChrisATL]

5 hours ago, dcmidnight said:

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.

Agreed - it’s fair from great.  Appreciate the call out that’s it not the reservations teams fault - they are doing the best the can (and are saints at doing it). 
 

Crossing fingers your get it sorted!

[ChrisATL]

1 hour ago, Kernel said:

I don't think the courses are fully booked. It's the lodging that sells out far in advance. There are far more spots on the tee sheets across all courses than beds on property. That's why, for instance, I am able to get my five rounds booked with courses and times I want in April three weeks prior (I'm an Oregon resident). But the lodging is full or very close to full during that same time. 

This. I’ve never had issues getting on - the biggest limitation is rooms.  Doubly bad when you are limited by round availability (can’t book until a couple weeks out) and cost (more $ per round) if you are offsite. 

[js707]

On 2/5/2024 at 9:54 AM, 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)?

My experience with a single bag caddie last October was pretty rough, to the point where I won't be using a caddie in the future unless I'm on a trip where double-bag caddies are possible.

 

They told me they had a caddie shortage and from what I got, it was pretty bottom of the barrel and not worth the cost at all.

[doc52]

17 hours ago, js707 said:

My experience with a single bag caddie last October was pretty rough, to the point where I won't be using a caddie in the future unless I'm on a trip where double-bag caddies are possible.

 

They told me they had a caddie shortage and from what I got, it was pretty bottom of the barrel and not worth the cost at all.

Unfortunately had a similar experience there last time as well. It's a numbers game. When there are 500+ caddies there is a chance you get stuck with a new guy.

[dcmidnight]

Just out of curiosity did you swap caddies after the round or did they tell you that you had to stick with what you had?

 

When we went the caddiemaster asked us how things were after the first round.

[doc52]

57 minutes ago, dcmidnight said:

Just out of curiosity did you swap caddies after the round or did they tell you that you had to stick with what you had?

 

When we went the caddiemaster asked us how things were after the first round.

Didn't swap caddies, they were stretched pretty thin that weekend. Just asked him to not provide us course info. He had been on property for less than 3 months and had never really played golf in his life. He was a nice guy, but not worth the cost imo.

[ESOX ZO]

Never been to Bandon nor have I looked into when times open up, could someone give me a rough estimate when April 2026 would open up? 

[Pepetito]

6 minutes ago, ESOX ZO said:

Never been to Bandon nor have I looked into when times open up, could someone give me a rough estimate when April 2026 would open up? 

Oct 2024 if current practice continues.

[ESOX ZO]

1 minute ago, Pepetito said:

Oct 2024 if current practice continues.

Thank you, I'll put in the calendar to be vigilant then!

 

 

[puttnforthe8]

21 minutes ago, doc52 said:

Didn't swap caddies, they were stretched pretty thin that weekend. Just asked him to not provide us course info. He had been on property for less than 3 months and had never really played golf in his life. He was a nice guy, but not worth the cost imo.

If this was the case then I can see it close to not being worth it.  But you can also consider at that point, you are asking for a single bag (an exception imo) and the expectation would be someone that carries the bag, rakes bunkers, cleans the ball, and maybe a few other items.  The gratuity after would be for the extras provided.  Stretched thin or not, players should make it know and either swapped or asked for money/credit - just like any other service.

 

only imo, if you request a single bag, you should specify the type of caddie you want and be willing to pay more for quality or expect less. 

 

FWIW:  I had a new caddie (single bag) last year that was phenomenal; as a matter of fact I will be requesting him this year again if available.  

[dcmidnight]

21 minutes ago, ESOX ZO said:

Thank you, I'll put in the calendar to be vigilant then!

 

 

 

Recommend emailing them and asking to be put on the notification list not just for the month you are looking for but also the couple months prior. That way you can know if the times are moving up/back and you'll have a general idea of what to expect.

[cjblake09]

What is the normal pace of play out there?  We are going 8/31-9/4 and currently our first tee times range between 11-11:30 so i am having real doubts we will get 36 in if we wanted to play a second round.  The guy running the bookings said they don't open up the pre 10:00 until 21 days out, is that true??

[Double Mocha Man]

1 hour ago, puttnforthe8 said:

if you request a single bag, you should specify the type of caddie you want and be willing to pay more for quality or expect less. 

 

I did that before I played Chambers Bay, requesting a certain ilk of caddie.  Sent an email to the Caddie Master he did his best to fulfil my request.  Great caddie.  I thanked them both profusely.  Later I zipped off an email to the General Manager praising his Caddie Master.

 

I used to play a course here locally that had just installed a caddie program.  Most of the time I got rookies.  Being a former caddie as a teen I took that as an opportunity to dole out a little caddie advice.  When they learned the advice was coming from a former caddie they were all ears.  Mostly kids who golfed, their perk at the course was free play if they were in the program.

 

[doc52]

1 hour ago, puttnforthe8 said:

If this was the case then I can see it close to not being worth it.  But you can also consider at that point, you are asking for a single bag (an exception imo) and the expectation would be someone that carries the bag, rakes bunkers, cleans the ball, and maybe a few other items.  The gratuity after would be for the extras provided.  Stretched thin or not, players should make it know and either swapped or asked for money/credit - just like any other service.

 

only imo, if you request a single bag, you should specify the type of caddie you want and be willing to pay more for quality or expect less. 

 

FWIW:  I had a new caddie (single bag) last year that was phenomenal; as a matter of fact I will be requesting him this year again if available.  

This was a double bag assignment too.

[jvincent]

2 hours ago, cjblake09 said:

What is the normal pace of play out there?  We are going 8/31-9/4 and currently our first tee times range between 11-11:30 so i am having real doubts we will get 36 in if we wanted to play a second round.  The guy running the bookings said they don't open up the pre 10:00 until 21 days out, is that true??

 

If you have only booked tee times and not accommodation, the before 10:00 restriction is true.

 

I've never had any slow rounds in my trips to Bandon, usually 4 hours or less, but I've never been at that time of year.

[cjblake09]

2 minutes ago, jvincent said:

 

If you have only booked tee times and not accommodation, the before 10:00 restriction is true.

 

I've never had any slow rounds in my trips to Bandon, usually 4 hours or less, but I've never been at that time of year.

We are staying at some condos off Sheep Ranch so on property but I guess not at the Inn so maybe that it is. 
 

Glad to hear the rounds are fairly quick.  

[jvincent]

1 minute ago, cjblake09 said:

We are staying at some condos off Sheep Ranch so on property but I guess not at the Inn so maybe that it is. 
 

Glad to hear the rounds are fairly quick.  

 

If it's the one's I'm thinking of, they aren't official Bandon lodging, which is what I meant by on property, so the 10:00 exemption applies.

 

I'm in the same boat for my April trip. I'll be calling three weeks before to see if I can juggle tee times. There are only two of us, so we should probably get what we want.

 

[zap311]

Thanks everyone for the perspective on caddies. It sounds like if I want a more experienced caddie, I'm better off going with a double bag, even with some of the trade-offs mentioned. If I want the "tour pro" experience, I can go with a single bag and may or may not get a good one, depending on luck-of-the-draw. 

 

I'm leaning towards a double-bag that can give me course tips, since this is my first trip to Bandon. If anyone has caddies to recommend, please DM me with their names. We need caddies for an 8some, so I'll probably reach out to the caddiemaster a couple weeks before to make a request.

Edited February 7 by zap311

[HokieGolf12]

Has anyone had luck getting lodging off the wait list for a twosome?

 

I currently have a trip booked for a foursome for April 14-17. We planned it for my dad's 60th, which was last year, but he went and broke his arm at the end of this past December. There is still a chance he'll heal in time but very doubtful he will be back to the strength you'd want for all the golf we have planned. At the same time, another in our group has apparently been in the process of messing up his personal life, so he's out of the trip and another is likely to miss as well.

 

So with an injury to one of us and it likely being down from a foursome to a twosome, I got the 2 of us on the wait list for the whole month of October as well as booked a makeup trip for March/April 2025.

 

In other's experience, do we stand any chance of getting lodging and tee times for October 2024 off the wait list? I'll probably get on the wait list for all of August and September as well to increase our odds. This will be our first, and likely only, trip to Bandon and I don't want to go later in the year than that since the days get short. Thanks!

[puttnforthe8]

3 hours ago, doc52 said:

This was a double bag assignment too.

Oh boy...yeah.  Then not good!

[kaschreiber]

1 hour ago, HokieGolf12 said:

Has anyone had luck getting lodging off the wait list for a twosome?

 

I currently have a trip booked for a foursome for April 14-17. We planned it for my dad's 60th, which was last year, but he went and broke his arm at the end of this past December. There is still a chance he'll heal in time but very doubtful he will be back to the strength you'd want for all the golf we have planned. At the same time, another in our group has apparently been in the process of messing up his personal life, so he's out of the trip and another is likely to miss as well.

 

So with an injury to one of us and it likely being down from a foursome to a twosome, I got the 2 of us on the wait list for the whole month of October as well as booked a makeup trip for March/April 2025.

 

In other's experience, do we stand any chance of getting lodging and tee times for October 2024 off the wait list? I'll probably get on the wait list for all of August and September as well to increase our odds. This will be our first, and likely only, trip to Bandon and I don't want to go later in the year than that since the days get short. Thanks!

 

As a twosome, I'd think so? October is when rates drop from peak, you still have a lot of daylight, and have a good degree of likelihood for good weather. All that = high demand. That said, you don't know if anyone else falls into a similar position as you guys and has to move their trip. So I don't know that I'd bank on it, but doesn't seem like a fool's errand. 

[spud3]

4 hours ago, HokieGolf12 said:

Has anyone had luck getting lodging off the wait list for a twosome?

 

I currently have a trip booked for a foursome for April 14-17. We planned it for my dad's 60th, which was last year, but he went and broke his arm at the end of this past December. There is still a chance he'll heal in time but very doubtful he will be back to the strength you'd want for all the golf we have planned. At the same time, another in our group has apparently been in the process of messing up his personal life, so he's out of the trip and another is likely to miss as well.

 

So with an injury to one of us and it likely being down from a foursome to a twosome, I got the 2 of us on the wait list for the whole month of October as well as booked a makeup trip for March/April 2025.

 

In other's experience, do we stand any chance of getting lodging and tee times for October 2024 off the wait list? I'll probably get on the wait list for all of August and September as well to increase our odds. This will be our first, and likely only, trip to Bandon and I don't want to go later in the year than that since the days get short. Thanks!

If you're on the list for all three months, I'd say the chances are good, especially if you're ok with a double room.  Keep calling, especially as it gets closer to the 30 day window for deposit refunds.  Sometimes you get lucky and a room will have opened before they have a chance to offer it to someone on the wait list.  Take the first thing available, then let them know you want to stay on the wait list for your ideal accommodations, even if it's a different date.

[spud3]

5 hours ago, cjblake09 said:

We are staying at some condos off Sheep Ranch so on property but I guess not at the Inn so maybe that it is. 
 

Glad to hear the rounds are fairly quick.  

Eh, the pace of play is highly variable, depending on the course, weather and time of day.  I've had more than a few 5 hour rounds (usually on PD).  Pace is better with early tee times, as they seem to enforce the 'pace-setter' groups a little better.  Not saying you won't have a quick round, but it's a resort, and the afternoon rounds especially can be very slow.

 

Sunset during late August is around 8 pm, so with an 11:30 start time you have a chance of getting in 36, but it may be tight.  You'll need a bit of luck, and a quick turnaround between rounds.  If you can tee off nearer to 10 AM, it shouldn't be a problem.

 

 

Edited February 8 by spud3

[rooski]

5 hours ago, zap311 said:

Thanks everyone for the perspective on caddies. It sounds like if I want a more experienced caddie, I'm better off going with a double bag, even with some of the trade-offs mentioned. If I want the "tour pro" experience, I can go with a single bag and may or may not get a good one, depending on luck-of-the-draw. 

 

I'm leaning towards a double-bag that can give me course tips, since this is my first trip to Bandon. If anyone has caddies to recommend, please DM me with their names. We need caddies for an 8some, so I'll probably reach out to the caddiemaster a couple weeks before to make a request.

 

If you want to support a cool program and do want a single bag you could probably specifically request an Evan's Scholar caddie, which is a high school kid working for a full ride out there. If you don't feel like listening to a high schooler though then not a very good option :)

I got the Evan's Scholarship from Bandon and when I was out there a lot of the kids were solid caddies, definitely those of us that played golf. Although us older male kids also double bagged a lot of the time anyways.. All that being said still a bit luck of the draw compared to getting one of the dudes that's been out there for 20 years.

Edited February 8 by rooski