Random Bandon Thread

[jaredt22]

Just wanted to bump this thread, as I had to search to find it, after the conversion, and thought there might be several members in the same situation. 

[Lefty_89]

I'll be there for the first time in 2.5 weeks, assuming nothing changes with travel restrictions and all that... *crosses fingers*

[exgolfpro]

I will be there for the first time in about 40 weeks!  Cant wait.

[spud3]

aiming for an emergency run down this winter

[parmo99]

Just got home yesterday from an awesome trip to Bandon, so here is the report for anyone interested. Third time going, but definitely the most golf I have played while there. 

 

Coming from Northern California, 4 of us rented a min-van and made the 7 hour drive up, leaving home around 5 am. Got into town Friday afternoon, hit the range, a few holes on shortys and then hit the preserve. Got some nice windy and misty conditions to get us warmed up for the trip. Followed that with a drive to downtown Bandon for Tony's Crab Shack, and then back to the punchbowl until the sun went down. Stayed at the Chrome Lake facility on property, which I will say was a great location. Rooms were super nice and feels like you are in a forest - plus doors go straight outside instead of into a hallway or lobby. Capped the night off with an adventure in the dark to the Labyrinth - worth it. 

 

Saturday played 36 - Trails in the morning, Pac Dunes in the afternoon. As usual, wind was sheltered on Trails and punched us in the face at Pac Dunes - welcome to Bandon. This would come to be the script for weather each day - sunny but fairly calm in the morning, with tons of wind in the afternoon - looked like what the guys got during the first few rounds of the televised portion on the US AM last week. Dinner at McKees pub. Was nice, got to sit inside where they had the tables really spaced out, so didn't feel weird at all. Food was good, prices were fair, beers were cold.

 

Sunday played 45 - Sheep Ranch in the morning - which was awesome. Not much wind on the front 9 as we were one of the first groups out. Course was super cool and had some epic visuals and green complexes and definitely wide open. Everyone in the group had a solid scoring round, which we would later learn has a lot to do with how much easier that course plays when the wind is mild. Followed that with 18 at Bandon in high (but probably just average summer afternoon) winds. Awesome round and 3 of us were still craving more so we set off for another 9 holes, since everything is free after 36. I will say, this was probably the best 9 holes of the trip. The course was empty, the wind was calming, and walking up to the 4th green, down the 5th fairway, 6th green etc. while the sun was setting was unreal. If you are 50/50 on playing more holes when you are there, my advice would be to just do it! Only downside was by the time we got off the course, the restaurants on property were packed, and most of downtown bandon was closed - but we ended up at a place called the Wheel House - which was open late, but the food was not a big hit for us. They did however have cold beer, and a chair, so we were more than happy after all the walking.

 

Monday another 36 - Bandon Dunes in the morning. Was great to play it after playing it 1.5 times the afternoon prior. First time I have played a course there  and actually felt like I knew how to properly play the hole. It helped too that the wind was more mild than the afternoon prior which allowed us to play a little more aggressively. I love the 4, 5, 6, and 16, 17 holes, especially when the wind is ripping. In your face for a few, and down wind for the others. Just awesome. Followed it with 18 at Old Mac in the afternoon, in probably the windiest conditions we faced all week. Our caddy said it best, feels like you are playing on the moon. Maybe it was just me personally, or heavily influenced by wind, but I felt like those were the hardest greens for me to hold. Putting was a nightmare too. Love the course, but damn was it a grind. Afterwards we hit Pacific Grill for dinner and some drinks. Food was great, service was great, price was fair. 

 

Tuesday, and last day, finished strong with another 45 holes. Pacific Dunes in the morning in what was the windiest conditions of any morning we had there. This is such an amazing golf course. I know you all know this, but damn.. awesome. So many great holes, great challenges, emotional ups and downs, etc. Was one of the most memorable rounds of golf I have ever played. Followed that with 18 at Sheep Ranch, this time in the wind. What a difference. The course is obviously built to be forgiving in the wind, but hitting right into the fan really changed the way a lot of those holes played. Hitting dead downwind on the short par 3 7th with nothing but abyss behind the green was as nail biting as playing 16 and 17 dead into the fan. Really fun. Afterwards a quick drive back over to Bandon for our final 9 holes of the trip. Again, after 36 everything is free so we figured might as well play until daylight runs out. Had the course to ourselves, and got to play those amazing views as the sun was setting. Awesome way to end the trip. Even got a chance (since nobody behind us) to sit wind protected next to the green on 5 with the dunes at our back and pass around the flask and take in the moment. Awesome. 

 

For the golf lovers out there, Bandon is an absolute must. I can't speak to any of the non-golf activities, as this was all about the golf, but I can't wait to go back. I just cant believe how fast it went by! Legs are already feeling fully recovered.. could easily walk another 36 tomorrow if... somehow... I could.. teleport back to Bandon.

 

IMG_6274.HEIC

[ernotte]

7 hours ago, parmo99 said:

Just got home yesterday from an awesome trip to Bandon, so here is the report for anyone interested. Third time going, but definitely the most golf I have played while there. 

 

Coming from Northern California, 4 of us rented a min-van and made the 7 hour drive up, leaving home around 5 am. Got into town Friday afternoon, hit the range, a few holes on shortys and then hit the preserve. Got some nice windy and misty conditions to get us warmed up for the trip. Followed that with a drive to downtown Bandon for Tony's Crab Shack, and then back to the punchbowl until the sun went down. Stayed at the Chrome Lake facility on property, which I will say was a great location. Rooms were super nice and feels like you are in a forest - plus doors go straight outside instead of into a hallway or lobby. Capped the night off with an adventure in the dark to the Labyrinth - worth it. 

 

Saturday played 36 - Trails in the morning, Pac Dunes in the afternoon. As usual, wind was sheltered on Trails and punched us in the face at Pac Dunes - welcome to Bandon. This would come to be the script for weather each day - sunny but fairly calm in the morning, with tons of wind in the afternoon - looked like what the guys got during the first few rounds of the televised portion on the US AM last week. Dinner at McKees pub. Was nice, got to sit inside where they had the tables really spaced out, so didn't feel weird at all. Food was good, prices were fair, beers were cold.

 

Sunday played 45 - Sheep Ranch in the morning - which was awesome. Not much wind on the front 9 as we were one of the first groups out. Course was super cool and had some epic visuals and green complexes and definitely wide open. Everyone in the group had a solid scoring round, which we would later learn has a lot to do with how much easier that course plays when the wind is mild. Followed that with 18 at Bandon in high (but probably just average summer afternoon) winds. Awesome round and 3 of us were still craving more so we set off for another 9 holes, since everything is free after 36. I will say, this was probably the best 9 holes of the trip. The course was empty, the wind was calming, and walking up to the 4th green, down the 5th fairway, 6th green etc. while the sun was setting was unreal. If you are 50/50 on playing more holes when you are there, my advice would be to just do it! Only downside was by the time we got off the course, the restaurants on property were packed, and most of downtown bandon was closed - but we ended up at a place called the Wheel House - which was open late, but the food was not a big hit for us. They did however have cold beer, and a chair, so we were more than happy after all the walking.

 

Monday another 36 - Bandon Dunes in the morning. Was great to play it after playing it 1.5 times the afternoon prior. First time I have played a course there  and actually felt like I knew how to properly play the hole. It helped too that the wind was more mild than the afternoon prior which allowed us to play a little more aggressively. I love the 4, 5, 6, and 16, 17 holes, especially when the wind is ripping. In your face for a few, and down wind for the others. Just awesome. Followed it with 18 at Old Mac in the afternoon, in probably the windiest conditions we faced all week. Our caddy said it best, feels like you are playing on the moon. Maybe it was just me personally, or heavily influenced by wind, but I felt like those were the hardest greens for me to hold. Putting was a nightmare too. Love the course, but damn was it a grind. Afterwards we hit Pacific Grill for dinner and some drinks. Food was great, service was great, price was fair. 

 

Tuesday, and last day, finished strong with another 45 holes. Pacific Dunes in the morning in what was the windiest conditions of any morning we had there. This is such an amazing golf course. I know you all know this, but damn.. awesome. So many great holes, great challenges, emotional ups and downs, etc. Was one of the most memorable rounds of golf I have ever played. Followed that with 18 at Sheep Ranch, this time in the wind. What a difference. The course is obviously built to be forgiving in the wind, but hitting right into the fan really changed the way a lot of those holes played. Hitting dead downwind on the short par 3 7th with nothing but abyss behind the green was as nail biting as playing 16 and 17 dead into the fan. Really fun. Afterwards a quick drive back over to Bandon for our final 9 holes of the trip. Again, after 36 everything is free so we figured might as well play until daylight runs out. Had the course to ourselves, and got to play those amazing views as the sun was setting. Awesome way to end the trip. Even got a chance (since nobody behind us) to sit wind protected next to the green on 5 with the dunes at our back and pass around the flask and take in the moment. Awesome. 

 

For the golf lovers out there, Bandon is an absolute must. I can't speak to any of the non-golf activities, as this was all about the golf, but I can't wait to go back. I just cant believe how fast it went by! Legs are already feeling fully recovered.. could easily walk another 36 tomorrow if... somehow... I could.. teleport back to Bandon.

 

IMG_6274.HEIC 1.62 MB · 10 downloads

Sounds like it was an epic trip. Thanks for the report!

[Lefty_89]

14 hours ago, parmo99 said:

Just got home yesterday from an awesome trip to Bandon, so here is the report for anyone interested. Third time going, but definitely the most golf I have played while there. 

 

Coming from Northern California, 4 of us rented a min-van and made the 7 hour drive up, leaving home around 5 am. Got into town Friday afternoon, hit the range, a few holes on shortys and then hit the preserve. Got some nice windy and misty conditions to get us warmed up for the trip. Followed that with a drive to downtown Bandon for Tony's Crab Shack, and then back to the punchbowl until the sun went down. Stayed at the Chrome Lake facility on property, which I will say was a great location. Rooms were super nice and feels like you are in a forest - plus doors go straight outside instead of into a hallway or lobby. Capped the night off with an adventure in the dark to the Labyrinth - worth it. 

 

Saturday played 36 - Trails in the morning, Pac Dunes in the afternoon. As usual, wind was sheltered on Trails and punched us in the face at Pac Dunes - welcome to Bandon. This would come to be the script for weather each day - sunny but fairly calm in the morning, with tons of wind in the afternoon - looked like what the guys got during the first few rounds of the televised portion on the US AM last week. Dinner at McKees pub. Was nice, got to sit inside where they had the tables really spaced out, so didn't feel weird at all. Food was good, prices were fair, beers were cold.

 

Sunday played 45 - Sheep Ranch in the morning - which was awesome. Not much wind on the front 9 as we were one of the first groups out. Course was super cool and had some epic visuals and green complexes and definitely wide open. Everyone in the group had a solid scoring round, which we would later learn has a lot to do with how much easier that course plays when the wind is mild. Followed that with 18 at Bandon in high (but probably just average summer afternoon) winds. Awesome round and 3 of us were still craving more so we set off for another 9 holes, since everything is free after 36. I will say, this was probably the best 9 holes of the trip. The course was empty, the wind was calming, and walking up to the 4th green, down the 5th fairway, 6th green etc. while the sun was setting was unreal. If you are 50/50 on playing more holes when you are there, my advice would be to just do it! Only downside was by the time we got off the course, the restaurants on property were packed, and most of downtown bandon was closed - but we ended up at a place called the Wheel House - which was open late, but the food was not a big hit for us. They did however have cold beer, and a chair, so we were more than happy after all the walking.

 

Monday another 36 - Bandon Dunes in the morning. Was great to play it after playing it 1.5 times the afternoon prior. First time I have played a course there  and actually felt like I knew how to properly play the hole. It helped too that the wind was more mild than the afternoon prior which allowed us to play a little more aggressively. I love the 4, 5, 6, and 16, 17 holes, especially when the wind is ripping. In your face for a few, and down wind for the others. Just awesome. Followed it with 18 at Old Mac in the afternoon, in probably the windiest conditions we faced all week. Our caddy said it best, feels like you are playing on the moon. Maybe it was just me personally, or heavily influenced by wind, but I felt like those were the hardest greens for me to hold. Putting was a nightmare too. Love the course, but damn was it a grind. Afterwards we hit Pacific Grill for dinner and some drinks. Food was great, service was great, price was fair. 

 

Tuesday, and last day, finished strong with another 45 holes. Pacific Dunes in the morning in what was the windiest conditions of any morning we had there. This is such an amazing golf course. I know you all know this, but damn.. awesome. So many great holes, great challenges, emotional ups and downs, etc. Was one of the most memorable rounds of golf I have ever played. Followed that with 18 at Sheep Ranch, this time in the wind. What a difference. The course is obviously built to be forgiving in the wind, but hitting right into the fan really changed the way a lot of those holes played. Hitting dead downwind on the short par 3 7th with nothing but abyss behind the green was as nail biting as playing 16 and 17 dead into the fan. Really fun. Afterwards a quick drive back over to Bandon for our final 9 holes of the trip. Again, after 36 everything is free so we figured might as well play until daylight runs out. Had the course to ourselves, and got to play those amazing views as the sun was setting. Awesome way to end the trip. Even got a chance (since nobody behind us) to sit wind protected next to the green on 5 with the dunes at our back and pass around the flask and take in the moment. Awesome. 

 

For the golf lovers out there, Bandon is an absolute must. I can't speak to any of the non-golf activities, as this was all about the golf, but I can't wait to go back. I just cant believe how fast it went by! Legs are already feeling fully recovered.. could easily walk another 36 tomorrow if... somehow... I could.. teleport back to Bandon.

 

IMG_6274.HEIC 1.62 MB · 10 downloads

Incredible trip report!! Thanks for sharing!

 

What time were your afternoon rounds on the days you were able to squeeze in 45? I want to make sure I judge daylight as I hope to sneak in an extra 9 if possible, even if that means bumping up my afternoon rounds on my trip in a couple of weeks.

[parmo99]

3 hours ago, Lefty_89 said:

Incredible trip report!! Thanks for sharing!

 

What time were your afternoon rounds on the days you were able to squeeze in 45? I want to make sure I judge daylight as I hope to sneak in an extra 9 if possible, even if that means bumping up my afternoon rounds on my trip in a couple of weeks.

Our afternoon rounds were all between 1:20-1:40. You are going to lose a little daylight over the next couple weeks, but we were still finishing with some light and we weren't exactly playing that last 9 very fast. I think both of them we tee'd off exactly at 6PM if i remember right. And the reason we replayed Bandon both times was the routing puts you back at the clubhouse after 9 holes.

[eclectic taste]

I think Dunes is the only course that loops back to the clubhouse after 9, the others are out/back layouts. Not sure about Sheep Ranch, haven't played it yet.

[Banker]

Just got back. We played 8 rounds over 6 days. Almost 80 miles walked. First 3 days were really windy. Like realllly windy. Old Mac, Bandon Dunes and Sheep Ranch were almost unplayable with the wind, just brutal. #7 at old mac is 350 yds, uphill. I hit the drive of my life followed by the hybrid of my life to get there. 

 

The resort didn’t miss anything that you could imagine or want in a guy’s golf trip. Food was awesome, and when you order a double jack and coke, you get a solid drink. covid protocols were good, masks inside until you get to your table, hand sanitizer everywhere. We stayed in lily pond rooms and they were perfect. Fireplace in the room, nice little porch, keurig in the room. 
 

I’ll say for those going there, afternoon rounds are brutal. We played 36 at bandon and pacific and both took over 5 hours. Granted it was blowing at bandon and fogged in at pacific, but it was still painful.  Also, hit the preserve in the morning. A couple of us went on day 2 morning and had it to ourselves. Some others in our group decided to wait until the last afternoon and had an hour’s wait if they wanted to play.....

 

 

Edited September 5, 2020 by Banker

[graveydellic]

For those who have gone in Dec/Jan, what time of day is typical for a lull in tee times? I am going first week of January with my non golfing wife and my preference is to just play as a single and have wife walk along, but obviously don't want to get backed up by groups.  In the dead of winter with minimal daylight, do groups typically try and get 36 in or do most just play once midday?  

[Lefty_89]

19 hours ago, Banker said:

Just got back. We played 8 rounds over 6 days. Almost 80 miles walked. First 3 days were really windy. Like realllly windy. Old Mac, Bandon Dunes and Sheep Ranch were almost unplayable with the wind, just brutal. #7 at old mac is 350 yds, uphill. I hit the drive of my life followed by the hybrid of my life to get there. 

 

The resort didn’t miss anything that you could imagine or want in a guy’s golf trip. Food was awesome, and when you order a double jack and coke, you get a solid drink. covid protocols were good, masks inside until you get to your table, hand sanitizer everywhere. We stayed in lily pond rooms and they were perfect. Fireplace in the room, nice little porch, keurig in the room. 
 

I’ll say for those going there, afternoon rounds are brutal. We played 36 at bandon and pacific and both took over 5 hours. Granted it was blowing at bandon and fogged in at pacific, but it was still painful.  Also, hit the preserve in the morning. A couple of us went on day 2 morning and had it to ourselves. Some others in our group decided to wait until the last afternoon and had an hour’s wait if they wanted to play.....

 

 

Great pictures and recap!

 

I'm flying out a week from today; can't wait. I will say that I am worried about my Old Mac round the first day there at 2:30pm, after Preserve at 10:15am but are hopeful winds aren't too brutal. I'll be posting an extensive recap once the trip is over!

[Apindara]

21 hours ago, Banker said:

Just got back. We played 8 rounds over 6 days. Almost 80 miles walked. First 3 days were really windy. Like realllly windy. Old Mac, Bandon Dunes and Sheep Ranch were almost unplayable with the wind, just brutal. #7 at old mac is 350 yds, uphill. I hit the drive of my life followed by the hybrid of my life to get there. 

 

The resort didn’t miss anything that you could imagine or want in a guy’s golf trip. Food was awesome, and when you order a double jack and coke, you get a solid drink. covid protocols were good, masks inside until you get to your table, hand sanitizer everywhere. We stayed in lily pond rooms and they were perfect. Fireplace in the room, nice little porch, keurig in the room. 
 

I’ll say for those going there, afternoon rounds are brutal. We played 36 at bandon and pacific and both took over 5 hours. Granted it was blowing at bandon and fogged in at pacific, but it was still painful.  Also, hit the preserve in the morning. A couple of us went on day 2 morning and had it to ourselves. Some others in our group decided to wait until the last afternoon and had an hour’s wait if they wanted to play.....

 

 

Great recap. Did you use a caddie and of the rounds?

[Banker]

1 hour ago, Apindara said:

Great recap. Did you use a caddie and of the rounds?

I didn’t but somebody in the group usually had one. From what I saw it was hit or miss. One guy in our group switched halfway through the trip because the guy had no idea what was going on. 
 

We had 9 people on the trip, i think 4 or 5 had caddies. Only 1 dude switched. It’s cool how they pair you up with the same caddy your whole trip, but it makes it awkward if you have to go to guest services to get another one, lol. 
 

[puttnforthe8]

4 hours ago, graveydellic said:

For those who have gone in Dec/Jan, what time of day is typical for a lull in tee times? I am going first week of January with my non golfing wife and my preference is to just play as a single and have wife walk along, but obviously don't want to get backed up by groups.  In the dead of winter with minimal daylight, do groups typically try and get 36 in or do most just play once midday?  

 

From my experience, the rounds are packed midday.    Only hardcore folks go out early and try for 36.   So if you can handle early cold then you could be alone.   

 

[graveydellic]

On 9/6/2020 at 2:06 PM, puttnforthe8 said:

 

From my experience, the rounds are packed midday.    Only hardcore folks go out early and try for 36.   So if you can handle early cold then you could be alone.   

 

 

Thanks.  I called reservations to discuss with them but they made it sound like every course is busy sun up to sundown in the winter.  I’d think there are less golfers in the winter, but there are also less tee times so maybe it’s true.  I’ll just rearrange everything when I arrive.  As a single I should have plenty of flexibility, especially on Trails, etc

[puttnforthe8]

1 hour ago, graveydellic said:

 

Thanks.  I called reservations to discuss with them but they made it sound like every course is busy sun up to sundown in the winter.  I’d think there are less golfers in the winter, but there are also less tee times so maybe it’s true.  I’ll just rearrange everything when I arrive.  As a single I should have plenty of flexibility, especially on Trails, etc

 Sun up is ~800 and Sun down is ~500 - 9hrs of daylight.  

[buzlin]

I was talking about OM with a buddy of mine who's made the trip to Bandon with me (and others) on every trip.  He says he's always up for skipping OM.  He says it's fine, but it doesn't offer anything that the other courses don't in some capacity.  I generally see OM as either the first, or dead/distant last.  My suspicion is that you have to be a really good golfer (low single) or a mid/high (>13) cap.  I say this because I think to really appreciate OM, you're either 1) able to control your ball so well that you can utilize what they've given you, or 2) your ball control expectations are low enough that you're able to enjoy the randomness of the slopes and bumps and gigantic greens.

 

Again, these are just generalizations and my observations, but why do you think OM tends to end up on the bottom or top of lots of people's lists?

 

Edited October 30, 2020 by buzlin

[Edaw68]

I'm one of those that has OM as the last of the 4 in my personal rankings. (low to mid single handicap)  It's last for me because it just seems the least interesting of the 4. (I haven't played the Sheep Ranch yet.)  My general impression is they tried for a gimmick with the MacDonald templates rather than just designing the course the land gave you as the other courses are.  It's gimmicky, and after the first few rounds the gimmick wore off.   I don't think it's a bad course in any way, and there are some cool shots, but it's the lesser of the group.

[puttnforthe8]

14 minutes ago, Edaw68 said:

I'm one of those that has OM as the last of the 4 in my personal rankings. (low to mid single handicap)  It's last for me because it just seems the least interesting of the 4. (I haven't played the Sheep Ranch yet.)  My general impression is they tried for a gimmick with the MacDonald templates rather than just designing the course the land gave you as the other courses are.  It's gimmicky, and after the first few rounds the gimmick wore off.   I don't think it's a bad course in any way, and there are some cool shots, but it's the lesser of the group.

Sorry, I don't understand this statement.  The course was built virtually exactly as the land provided.  That was a main premise behind the architecture. 

 

Regardless, everyone has their style they prefer.  This is my first missed year in 12 years, but OM is still one of my most favorite courses anywhere in the world.  

 

 

[spud3]

It's at the bottom of my list for two reasons:

1. There are a few really memorable holes (3, 5, 7, 16) but the rest are not as striking as the holes on the other courses.

2.  It remains the only course there that I have not had at least one good (sub-80) round.  Mostly due to putting.  That's on me, but it is a thing...

 

All that's not to say it's a bad course, just my least favorite, and the first one I drop when I don't have time to play all of the (big) courses.  Been that way for a long time.  And OM was my first round at Bandon, so it does have that sentiment attached.

[Edaw68]

1 hour ago, puttnforthe8 said:

Sorry, I don't understand this statement.  The course was built virtually exactly as the land provided.  That was a main premise behind the architecture. 

 

Regardless, everyone has their style they prefer.  This is my first missed year in 12 years, but OM is still one of my most favorite courses anywhere in the world.  

 

 

It's hard for me to articulate, more of a feeling.  I'm sure the actual dirt moving for OM is similar to the others, but it just feels forced to me.

[philsRHman]

I fell into the other camp on OM. It spoke to me in a way that almost felt spiritual. The Ghost Tree. The awe and splendor coming over the hill on 3. The cliff side green on 7. Just worked out that I played it 3x plus once by myself at dusk, where I watched the sun set from the edge of 7 green, flask in hand. The more I played it, the more I enjoyed dissecting it, taking what I was given etc. 
 

 I have it neck and neck with PD as No . 1 after my one trip. 

[spud3]

Sunset from OM 7 green whilst playing solo... that would be killer.

 

Gotta hurry on 8, 9, and 10 to make it back with any daylight, tho...

[philsRHman]

19 minutes ago, spud3 said:

Sunset from OM 7 green whilst playing solo... that would be killer.

 

Gotta hurry on 8, 9, and 10 to make it back with any daylight, tho...

I underestimated how fast dark would arrive. If I remember I ended up

on a dirt path behind 5 maybe. And using my phone flashlight. 

[puttnforthe8]

20 minutes ago, spud3 said:

Sunset from OM 7 green whilst playing solo... that would be killer.

 

Gotta hurry on 8, 9, and 10 to make it back with any daylight, tho...

My ashes are to be spread off #7 there at the back! 🙂

[spud3]

1 hour ago, philsRHman said:

I underestimated how fast dark would arrive. If I remember I ended up

on a dirt path behind 5 maybe. And using my phone flashlight. 

Yep, all my short loops on OM are based around the fact of 10 green being near 5 green and that service road that runs over the hill from 5 back to the clubhouse.  Once that sun hits the horizon, it gets dark fast. 

 

Usually there's a marshal out keeping tabs on late singles for just such an occurrence.  But I've stumbled over that road in the dark more than once...

 

[spud3]

1 hour ago, puttnforthe8 said:

My ashes are to be spread off #7 there at the back! 🙂

That's one of about a dozen great ash-dumping spots at Bandon.

 

Mine is at the corner of #4 fairway on BD where you get that first glimpse of the green.

[dcmidnight]

10 hours ago, Edaw68 said:

I'm one of those that has OM as the last of the 4 in my personal rankings. (low to mid single handicap)  It's last for me because it just seems the least interesting of the 4. (I haven't played the Sheep Ranch yet.)  My general impression is they tried for a gimmick with the MacDonald templates rather than just designing the course the land gave you as the other courses are.  It's gimmicky, and after the first few rounds the gimmick wore off.   I don't think it's a bad course in any way, and there are some cool shots, but it's the lesser of the group.

 

I'm in this camp as well (3 index). I dont know about the second part but I feel like they tried for something that just didnt hit with me.

 

And I dont know if its hypocritical of me or not. For those that have played Mike Strantz courses, I'm not above loving a gimmicky course with huge gimmicky greens (like Tobacco Road, which I love). Something about OM just didn't speak to me. Not when you surround it with the other 4 courses there. Whereas when I played SR, something reached all the way down inside of me and just said THIS right here, this is everything I love about golf - the layout, the design, the walk, the course - everything. 

 

Props to OM though for moving to the ghost tree logo on their merch, thats an A+ move and one that probably should have been done initially.

Edited October 29, 2020 by dcmidnight

[kro88]

Flying from NYC area,  most people recommend flying into Eugene.  any reason i should not be looking at OTH (North Bend) if there are flights available?

 

thanks