Random Bandon Thread

[Edaw68]

3 hours ago, 2bGood said:

Turns out you can't say xxxx on here. So I will refer to it as the Devil's Uranus for now as surely the planet is not banned. 

Devils Uranus is a great name for a bunker. Which bunker is worst on property? There’s a couple on pacific where the bunker is almost over your head like a cave. 

[eboettne]

17 hours ago, Edaw68 said:

Devils Uranus is a great name for a bunker. Which bunker is worst on property? There’s a couple on pacific where the bunker is almost over your head like a cave. 

The one that come to mind are Trails 13 greenside(wayyy below the green), also I remember being in the bunker short and right on hole 1 at pacific and there was so much sand in it that it was very difficult not to keep sinking in.

[duffer987]

Trails#13 is absolutely fine IMHO, it's flat you just need to get the ball up quickly.

I've whinged before that it has to be something on Pac, due to all those stupidly huge and sanded bunker faces and the balls getting stuck in them.

The ruts and ditches on the right side of OM#9 have given me some of the worst sand-related lies, not on Pac.

[rooski]

23 hours ago, ucmike11 said:

Thanks guys - I will keep the 60 in the bag.  

 

For what it's worth, if you're rocking 14* of bounce on that thing I would think twice before pulling it out for a 20-30y pitch shot. It'll still be useful in a bunch of other places though

[rooski]

21 hours ago, Edaw68 said:

Devils Uranus is a great name for a bunker. Which bunker is worst on property? There’s a couple on pacific where the bunker is almost over your head like a cave. 

 

The two worst on property IMO come back to back at #15 on Bandon Dunes, it is horrendously difficult to get the ball on the green from that bunker.

 

Next one is on #16 at Bandon Dunes, right in front of the green. It is very small and very deep, rare to find yourself with a reasonable full swing

[spud3]

The bunkers that come to mind for me are the ones where you either have no shot out of at all (like Edaw mentions) or the greenside ones where you have no possible play toward the flag, like BD 15, PD 6, OM 14.

 

Bottom line is that most of the bunkers at the resort are at least a one stroke penalty.  Truly "hazards"...

[duffer987]

1 hour ago, spud3 said:

The bunkers that come to mind for me are the ones where you either have no shot out of at all (like Edaw mentions) or the greenside ones where you have no possible play toward the flag, like BD 15, PD 6, OM 14.

 

Bottom line is that most of the bunkers at the resort are at least a one stroke penalty.  Truly "hazards"...

 

Ah now this got me thinking, where aren't they hazards? Leaving aside Trails, which has loads of 'framing' fairway bunkers that are easy to play out of, what about the other courses.

I guess on some par 5s you could say, well not getting there in 2 anyways so it's maybe a 1/2 stroke.

 

Maybe OM#3 and BD#14 (the one short left of the green) as they both leave you the same half-wedge you'd have from the fairway. PD#3 - in there prevents you from putting your 2nd in the greenside bunker 😄

But ya for how fair/relatively easy the courses are collectively off the tee, you are going to add strokes going in the vaaaaast majority of them.

[spud3]

The list of bunkers that are not an automatic shot (or more) penalty is definitely much shorter than the ones that are. 

 

And I would include virtually every fairway cross-bunker on the entire property in that latter set.

[Kernel]

Holding the green from the greenside bunker on BT #14 is pretty tough. Same for the Road Hole bunker on OM.

 

The one short right of the green on PD #3 is super deep. My buddy spent 4 shots getting out of there one time. 

[2bGood]

For the record the bunker I have heard called the Devil's URanus is on Hole 15 Short right of the green:

 

 

I find it looks much less friendly in person.

[Chanceman]

8 hours ago, rooski said:

 

The two worst on property IMO come back to back at #15 on Bandon Dunes, it is horrendously difficult to get the ball on the green from that bunker.

 

Next one is on #16 at Bandon Dunes, right in front of the green. It is very small and very deep, rare to find yourself with a reasonable full swing

Totally agree on BD#16. I got stuck in that little devil so glad to hear I am not alone. Love the hole as a whole though! Strategically, scenically, the lot.

[geauxtigers777]

Bandon trip report:
To start with, our original itinerary was to fly from MSY to EUG on Saturday. We were going to meet up with rest of our 4some on the Denver connection and go from there. Unfortunately, Ida happened, and we had to flex.

Day 1 (Friday) :13 hour travel day with 2 connections. We got to Eugene at midnight with luggage and clubs making the connections. We got the quintessential Oregonian Larry as our uber driver and headed to the Courtesy Inn (Ducks first home game so most hotels were booked). The hotel was clean and did the job.

Day 2 (Saturday) : the rest of our group wasn't getting there until 1 PM, so we went down to Oregon campus and did some tailgating with our LSU gear on. Beautiful facilities from the limited bit I saw. We then went to the airport, picked up the rest of the group and the minivan ,and started the drive down to Coos Bay. We stayed at Mill Creek Casino, watched the football games at the sports bar, and played some blackjack. We went to bed fairly early because the next day was what we had been looking forward to for 21 months.

Day 3 (Sunday) : Pac Dunes was first on the agenda. I had envisioned this tee shot for months and was ready to hit it. Ended up left in the adjoining fairway, but I had 80 yards out and a perfect look at the flag. I promptly lasered a wedge 10 yards over the green and salvaged a bogey. Welcome to Bandon. My round was typical for my golf game. 46/36 with a birdie on 11 (almost holed out), and eagle on 12. All in all beautiful weather and a great start to the trip. We played sheep ranch in the afternoon, and it was a bit of a let down (more to come). Marine layer was set in some, and the course is just so compacted that it takes away from the experience in my mind. Made a couple of birdies, but overall low 80s meh round.  We went to the punchbowl that night and had a blast. Dinner at Mckees which was great (chicken pot pie).

Day 4: BD first up. Last trip, this was my least favorite course. It grew on me a lot. Highlight for me was a birdie on 3 and 7 and a 2 iron that left a Divot mark on the green on 16. Unfortunately, it went off the back and I made par. PM round was OM. The wind was up pretty good, but in my opinion, this is exactly how the course should play. Highlights of this round were 3 things.. I hit a 5 iron into the wind on #2 (hole was playing 150 yards, and that's my 205 club) that literally lipped the cup. I had less than a foot for birdie. One of my buddies had a terrible lie in the bunker on 7. The caddie (Jared, more to come on that later), was standing to the front right of him. The hozzle came in play, and the ball rifled him in the a**. It literally was Forest Gump esque. We again went to the punch bowl that night. Dinner that night was at The Forge. It was excellent. I got the Wagyu steak, and it was incredible. Awesome rebranding/redesign of the restaraunt.

Day 5: this was our light day on the trip. Early morning massage followed by a round at Bandon trails, a round at the preserve, and the punchbowl. I had my best range session of the trip, and unfortunately got the shanks on tee box 1. It was a bad first few holes, but I batteled back to salvage a respectable round. The course is pristine, and it has 3 of my favorite holes on property. (11 aka the Bob Ross hole, 17, and the second par 3 on the front). Truly a special course. The preserve round was awesome. We filled a Gatorade bottle up with bourbon, and whoever won the hole had to take a shot of birdie juice. We played carryovers, and needless to say it was a festive round. We ended the day at the punchbowl and dinner at Mckees. Also hit up the hot tub for a well needed soak.

Day 6: OM in the morning and BT in the afternoon. One of the guys on the trip went full fuego and shot a 73 with 3 3 putts. It was fun to watch. Wind was down, and he was playing target golf. Fun to see. The course was a blast, and we had a good time. My memorable shot was a 4 iron on 17. I was going for it in two and pulled a shot directly at the flag and left bunker guarding the green. My ball hit a Railroad tie and shot literally 100 yards into the trees to the left. PM round of Trails was awesome. My best ball striking round of the trip, and finally got over the hump and broke 80. Pace of play was right at 4 hours, and it was complete serenity. We finished the day by doing punchbowl and eating at Pacific Grill. The food was good but not my favorite.

Day 7: Bandon Dunes and Pacific dunes. The morning round was a carry over from the prior afternoon, and I shot 79 with 3 or 4 birdies. The putter got hot and the hole looked like a basketball rim for a bit. Really fun round, and again the course grew on me from before. Again tried to drive 16 with a 2 iron and ended up just short in greenside rough.
PD in the afternoon was possibly one of the most miserable rounds I've played on the property. Pace of play was atrocious (5.5 hours), the pins were absurd (literally cut on ledges all day), and the marine layer was in and out. It also didn't help that legs were really starting to fatigue. All in all, not my favorite round.

Day 8: supposed to play SR and OM, but we decided to scrap the PM round and hit the road back to Eugene a bit earlier. Great decision. SR again was a very meh course. I didn't play great and shot an 81 with 4 doubles. Again felt very crowded.
If you have made it this far, we will break into the specifics.

Total miles walked : 85
Total holes played : 193 + 72 punchbowl holes

Course rankings :
1. Pac Dunes
2. Bandon Trails
3. Old Mac
4. Bandon Dunes
5. The preserve
6. Sheep ranch.

PD is partially #1 because it's the first course I ever played there. Trails almost took over the #1 spot on this trip, and I think it's the best design on property. It is just a beautiful course. Bandon Dunes went from a clear last finisher to grouped with the others fairly tightly. Old Mac to me is just fun golf (especially if you are a longer hitter). Sheep ranch was a big disappointment, and I'm not sure I would play it again besides just a fun round almost equivalent to the preserve. It's just too compacted for my liking and has very few holes that I can go through the routing and remember.

Food:
McKees and the Forge for the win at dinner. The A5 Wagyu was superb. The reuben at McKees was great. At the lunch spot at Bandon, they have an awesome chicken sandwich that you can add Avacado on.

Lodging: we stayed at chrome lake Lakeview, and it was typical Bandon. Everything you could possibly need and nothing you don't. We spent less than 30 minutes of nonsleeping time a day in our room.

Caddie: we had Jared Heman. We requested him (a friend had him last time we went), and were delighted to see him walk up.. He did an amazing job. Read greens well, awesome lines. Clubbing us by second round. Great conversationalist, and a genuinely good guy. I would highly recommend him. He was double bagging 2 of us, and the other 2 carried their bag. The 2 primary golfers gave him $135/round with a little extra at the end. The other 2 golfers gave him $40-60 each a day. We tried to grab lunch, drinks, etc as he would let us. He seemed appreciative.

Add ons: the preserve, punchbowl, and hot tub are must do things. The massage was relaxing at best, and I probably won't do it again. The merchandise gear is flying off the shelves, so if you see something you like, grab it.

Favorite holes:
1. #11 at Trails (just a beautiful hole)
2.  #16 at Bandon (true risk reward hole)
3. #11 at Pacific (just a beautiful par 3)
4. Sheep Ranch #6
5. #13 at Pacific Dunes

Least favorite holes
1. #14 at Trails. The green is too penal for really any reward.
2. 16 at Old Mac. The hill just detracts from the hole.
3. Most of the connecting holes at SR that run together.

Final thoughts: Epic trip.. We will probably scale it back a bit next time. Probably 4 golfing days with cutting out sheep ranch and adding preserve at the end of one day. Play the other 4 courses twice.

Happy to answer any questions.

Edited September 12, 2021 by geauxtigers777

[Lefty_89]

Great review! @geauxtigers777

 

Out of sheer curiosity, I have to ask...1) why was BD originally your least favorite and 2) what was "different" this time for it to move up the rankings?

[geauxtigers777]

21 minutes ago, Lefty_89 said:

Great review! @geauxtigers777

 

Out of sheer curiosity, I have to ask...1) why was BD originally your least favorite and 2) what was "different" this time for it to move up the rankings?

The first time I played it, it was 30 mph sustained winds with 40 + gusts (the ball wouldn't stay still for you to putt at times) , and I think I didn't even get to see much of the course because I was just keeping my head down to try and stay alive. The second time of the same trip, I couldn't keep the ball on the face of the earth. This time we played it in a moderate wind (15 mph for most of the round), and basically no wind. It allowed to actually appreciate the holes 

Edited September 12, 2021 by geauxtigers777

[jackbauer]

@geauxtigers777 Well done! I'm counting the days until my next trip in November. I share your love of #11 at Trails; it's in my top five for sure. Just curious, is #4 really your favorite hole at Sheep Ranch?

[Lefty_89]

1 hour ago, geauxtigers777 said:

The first time I played it, it was 30 mph sustained winds with 40 + gusts (the ball wouldn't stay still for you to putt at times) , and I think I didn't even get to see much of the course because I was just keeping my head down to try and stay alive. The second time of the same trip, I couldn't keep the ball on the face of the earth. This time we played it in a moderate wind (15 mph for most of the round), and basically no wind. It allowed to actually appreciate the holes 

 

I figured something like that had to be the reason haha.

 

Same reason why Pac Dunes is 4th on my list because I played it in crazy winds and it was my worst round of the trip. I have a strong feeling the next time I step foot on it it'll 100% move up the rankings.

[geauxtigers777]

17 minutes ago, jackbauer said:

@geauxtigers777 Well done! I'm counting the days until my next trip in November. I share your love of #11 at Trails; it's in my top five for sure. Just curious, is #4 really your favorite hole at Sheep Ranch?

Sorry meant #6. Good catch. I updated it. 

[PorkChopExpress]

On 9/10/2021 at 5:35 PM, 2bGood said:

For the record the bunker I have heard called the Devil's URanus is on Hole 15 Short right of the green:

 

 

I find it looks much less friendly in person.

You should have seen it before they redid the bunker 

it was like PD 6 left green side side bunker 

Edited September 13, 2021 by PorkChopExpress

[2bGood]

1 hour ago, PorkChopExpress said:

You should have seen it before they redid the bunker 

it was like PD 6 left green side side bunker 

When did they re-do it? I suspect I have not seen it since it has been redone. 

[PorkChopExpress]

2018?

https://www.bandondunesgolf.com/blog/changes-bandon-dunes-pt-1-interview-david-mclay-kidd
 

hard to tell from the top view but that bunker was way more intimidating with the elevation 

[rooski]

Small photo dump from my weekend trip out to Bandon. I'm blessed enough to have grown up in the area/have worked at Bandon and have some good long term friends that still work there. 

 

That means you message your buddy 5-7 days in advance and say "hey man if I head over that way can we sneak in a few rounds?"

 

Managed to get Pacific, Trails, and an emergency 9 in at Bandon 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Peep the ol' rooski on the Bandon Dunes instagram story 😂, as you can tell one of my buddies runs their social media)

 

EDIT: We also ate at The Forge for dinner one night, and wow that was easily one of the best meals I've ever had. I got the scallops and they were incredible.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 13, 2021 by rooski

[2bGood]

8 hours ago, PorkChopExpress said:

2018?

https://www.bandondunesgolf.com/blog/changes-bandon-dunes-pt-1-interview-david-mclay-kidd
 

hard to tell from the top view but that bunker was way more intimidating with the elevation 

 I have not played the Reno then. just missed it. 

[Swingem]

Maybe I missed it, but didn't see the greenside bunker left of the green on PD #6 mentioned. Easily, for me, one of the most "don't go there" bunkers on the property.

[VNutz]

27 minutes ago, Swingem said:

Maybe I missed it, but didn't see the greenside bunker left of the green on PD #6 mentioned. Easily, for me, one of the most "don't go there" bunkers on the property.

 

Yup, although I'm 2/2 in finding that bunker. But also 2/2 on getting out. I've never been short right on 15 BD, but I think that might be worse since it's such a small bunker and rises more abruptly. On 6 you have to get really high up but at least you have the distance to make it happen.

 

Perspective is a bit skewed from the pic angle from below, but this illustrates it pretty well.

 

[geauxtigers777]

The other thing I forgot to mention is that double socks is a game changer. I wear Balega running socks, and even with changing pairs between rounds, my feet were getting pretty worn down. The last 3 days, I doubled them up and did substantially better. I plan to do that on every trip going forward. 

[eboettne]

14 hours ago, rooski said:

Small photo dump from my weekend trip out to Bandon. I'm blessed enough to have grown up in the area/have worked at Bandon and have some good long term friends that still work there. 

 

That means you message your buddy 5-7 days in advance and say "hey man if I head over that way can we sneak in a few rounds?"

 

Managed to get Pacific, Trails, and an emergency 9 in at Bandon 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Peep the ol' rooski on the Bandon Dunes instagram story 😂, as you can tell one of my buddies runs their social media)

 

EDIT: We also ate at The Forge for dinner one night, and wow that was easily one of the best meals I've ever had. I got the scallops and they were incredible.

 

 

 

 

Those first 2 pictures are incredible

[rooski]

1 minute ago, eboettne said:

Those first 2 pictures are incredible

 

Thanks! I'm not usually very good at taking pictures so I'm not sure why they came out so well.. Must be beginners luck.

 

The picture from my favorite moment of the trip didn't come out very well unfortunately. The sun was setting over #5 at Bandon near the ocean, everything was golden and the marine layer fog was just starting to roll over the course.

 

Almost a religious experience yet my picture of it doesn't capture the essence at all

[philsRHman]

On 9/11/2021 at 10:18 PM, geauxtigers777 said:

He was double bagging 2 of us, and the other 2 carried their bag. The 2 primary golfers gave him $135/round with a little extra at the end. The other 2 golfers gave him $40-60 each a day. We tried to grab lunch, drinks, etc as he would let us. He seemed appreciative.

If I'm reading right, that's about $700+ on your 36 hole days? As someone who lugged bags for a living, I would hope 700 would make him happy for a long day's work, unless that much has changed since I left the game 5 years ago.

[2bGood]

1 hour ago, geauxtigers777 said:

The other thing I forgot to mention is that double socks is a game changer. I wear Balega running socks, and even with changing pairs between rounds, my feet were getting pretty worn down. The last 3 days, I doubled them up and did substantially better. I plan to do that on every trip going forward. 

Curious to know if you are regular walking golfer? I walk 120ish rounds per year so I don't find anything special needed at Bandon other than changing socks between rounds. I also like to change shoes as much as I can throughout a trip and bring 3 or 4 pairs. 

 

Having said all that I do find coolmax sock liners great when hiking but have never given the a try for golf. That might be good for person who does not walk allot and have blister issues. 

[dlow206]

16 hours ago, rooski said:

Small photo dump from my weekend trip out to Bandon. I'm blessed enough to have grown up in the area/have worked at Bandon and have some good long term friends that still work there. 

 

That means you message your buddy 5-7 days in advance and say "hey man if I head over that way can we sneak in a few rounds?"

 

Managed to get Pacific, Trails, and an emergency 9 in at Bandon 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Peep the ol' rooski on the Bandon Dunes instagram story 😂, as you can tell one of my buddies runs their social media)

 

EDIT: We also ate at The Forge for dinner one night, and wow that was easily one of the best meals I've ever had. I got the scallops and they were incredible.

 

 

 

 

 

Pacific Dunes 10 and 11 are my favorite holes at Pacific Dunes. (primarily because my high handicapper game found a way to par both in a row with the crazy wind).