Random Bandon Thread

[eboettne]

39 minutes ago, kaschreiber said:

 

2 v 2 makes it a little difficult as you don't really mix up pairings / matchups. We've always done an individual format with 4. But if you'd like to go 2v2 you could mix up the teams each round, make each "match" worth 1 point (ties get half a point) and the winner is the individual with most points at the end of the weekend. Or keep the 2 teams the same the whole weekend with same scoring. Games we play during a Ryder Cup format (everything is net and everyone has to have a GHIN):

 

1. 2 man quota
2. 2 man hi lo
3. Could do an alt shot / Chapman on Shortys. Probably not something you want to do on one of the main courses. 
4. 2 man best ball match
5. 2 man best ball aggey / 2nd ball tie break
6. Last round is always singles matches. 

^^ Some of these might be called different things depending on where you play / who you play with. Shoot me a dm if you're not familiar. 

 

We're doing a 8 man trip to Gamble Sands this weekend and made up a game called "Money Ball." Before each hole, you pick which one of the 2 teammates balls is the money ball. It's the 2 money balls playing match play each hole, 2nd teammate's ball is tie breaker so they don't feel out of the hole on the tee. Each player has to be the money ball for 9 holes. I have no idea if it will be fun or not, but we wanted to try something new. 

 

We throw $100 - $200 in as a bet for the weekend and then pay out the team that wins the match (~5-10% of the overall pot) and the remainder goes to the team that wins overall. The goal is to have a little juice on the line, but not so much people aren't having fun. There are guys in our group that would rather bump the amount up significantly, but no sense in being at Bandon and sweating that much over a 4' and not enjoying yourself. We just encourage those guys to have some side action if they'd like. Plus we're playing poker / dice in the bunker bar each night, so money changes hands. 

 

And then we throw in $20 each in for the round on the Preserve or whatever the par 3 is we're playing that weekend (Quicksands in this weekend's case). $1/pp kps (have to make par for it to pay) and the remainder is a "birdie pot." Each birdie you make gets you 1 share, divide the pot up evenly. 

 

Thanks! Lot of good ideas there, I like the idea of the same 2 man teams throughout the trip. We'll draw for them a week before(or on the flight) and those teams will room together as well since we have 2 lily pond rooms. Love the par 3 idea at The Preserve for KPs and Birdie Pot.  Our biggest issue will be 3 of our guys are single digits but determining a GHIN for 1 of the guys will be a guess as he plays sparingly. I'd probably put him around a 20-25. 

 

Off the cuff, thinking something like this:

 

Saturday - The Preserve Round - Kps & Birdie Pot

Sunday - Sheep Ranch (2 Man Best Ball) > Bandon Dunes (2 Man Best Ball Aggy)

Monday - Bandon Trails (2 Man Hi Lo) > Pac Dunes (2 Man Quota)

Tuesday - Old Mac (Singles Match) > Sheep Ranch (Singles Match vs other player)

Tuesday Night - Awards Ceremony

 

[kaschreiber]

1 hour ago, eboettne said:

 

Thanks! Lot of good ideas there, I like the idea of the same 2 man teams throughout the trip. We'll draw for them a week before(or on the flight) and those teams will room together as well since we have 2 lily pond rooms. Love the par 3 idea at The Preserve for KPs and Birdie Pot.  Our biggest issue will be 3 of our guys are single digits but determining a GHIN for 1 of the guys will be a guess as he plays sparingly. I'd probably put him around a 20-25. 

 

Off the cuff, thinking something like this:

 

Saturday - The Preserve Round - Kps & Birdie Pot

Sunday - Sheep Ranch (2 Man Best Ball) > Bandon Dunes (2 Man Best Ball Aggy)

Monday - Bandon Trails (2 Man Hi Lo) > Pac Dunes (2 Man Quota)

Tuesday - Old Mac (Singles Match) > Sheep Ranch (Singles Match vs other player)

Tuesday Night - Awards Ceremony

 

For the guy who plays sparingly, that's why we make everyone have a GHIN. If someone's a 21 and they think they're ~ a 23, that can sway the match, so we make sure everyone is on the same page. If that's not feasible, just have him save his scorecards through this year. Golf Digest has a free handicap service that calculates for you that he could take advantage of if he doesn't want to pony up the $40. Enjoy!

[buzlin]

I've been wanting to replace my golf bag for awhile and decided to replace it with a Bandon Dunes Sun Mountain 4.5.  The price was less than retail, plus no tax.  Also picked up a couple new head covers and water bottles.  I know people feel differently about logo'd bags/etc, but each time I see any Bandon logo, it makes me smile inside.  🙂 

[mci711]

49 minutes ago, buzlin said:

I've been wanting to replace my golf bag for awhile and decided to replace it with a Bandon Dunes Sun Mountain 4.5.  The price was less than retail, plus no tax.  Also picked up a couple new head covers and water bottles.  I know people feel differently about logo'd bags/etc, but each time I see any Bandon logo, it makes me smile inside.  🙂 

 

They still selling the Yeti's for $20? Such a good deal, they look great too. 

[buzlin]

7 hours ago, mci711 said:

 

They still selling the Yeti's for $20? Such a good deal, they look great too. 

Yep!  They had them at every proshop.

[jackbauer]

May-November 2023 lodging rates are now up on the site. Here are some things I noticed (may not apply to The Grove, Lodge Suites, and Chrome Loft as I don't pay attention to those):

1. May is now the same as October (was slightly cheaper in 2022).
2. June is now the same as July-September (was slightly cheaper in 2022).
3. May and June had the largest increases at ~13% and ~15%, respectively.
4. From July on, prices are up 5%-7% on average.
5. From October on, there are no changes to double-occupancy rooms and Inn Kings except for a $20 increase to Round Double in early November.
6. Round King and Lodge Singles had the largest increases at $45-$115 and $20-$60, respectively.

[bird206]

Anyone know how the Hot Tub has been in the Main Lodge lately? Has it been packed and hard to get in?

[eboettne]

This information fits in the Random Bandon Thread. We just booked our flights for our trip in February of 2023 flying into North Bend. The flight we booked is Saturday through Wednesday so we were going to fly in OTH Saturday and fly out Wednesday.  United has the flights available at a decent price so I booked them, easy right?  

 

I emailed Terra with Aviation Transport that we wanted to book a shuttle arriving Saturday and leaving Wednesday. She was kind enough to let me know Skywest lets you book a flight arriving on Saturday into North Bend but they've never had Saturday(or Tuesday) flights in the winter months. So a few months down the line I would have got an email our flight had been cancelled and needed to reroute to a different city or a different day. 

 

Props to Aviation Transport(used them on our 1st trip and they rock) but what a joke for Skywest to allow that flight to get booked only to cancel and leave people scrambling.

 

Thought it was a good FYI for anyone flying into OTH

Edited May 17, 2022 by eboettne

[jvincent]

1 hour ago, eboettne said:

Thought it was a good FYI for anyone flying into OTH

 

One other tidbit for flying in to OTH from Denver.

 

Some guys we played with on one of my trips said that they had been of a flight that was overweight because of the number of golf bags and guess what didn't make the trip? So if you're going that route seriously consider ShipSticks.

[VNutz]

2 hours ago, jvincent said:

 

One other tidbit for flying in to OTH from Denver.

 

Some guys we played with on one of my trips said that they had been of a flight that was overweight because of the number of golf bags and guess what didn't make the trip? So if you're going that route seriously consider ShipSticks.

That's the primary argument for shipsticks to Bandon, but every trip you see a half dozen plus bags come off that plane...

[dvq9654]

Headed up this week for our third straight year. Arrive Wednesday night (via Eugene), staying off property and then 4 days of golf pleasure. Current line up:

 

Thursday

Morning: Sheep Ranch 

Afternoon: Pacific Dunes

Option to Add: Short Loops

 

Friday 

Morning: Bandon Dunes

Afternoon: Bandon Trails

Option to Add: Preserve, Short Loops

 

Saturday

Morning: Old Mac

Afternoon: Bandon Trails

Option to Add: Preserve, Short Loops

 

Sunday

Morning: Pacific Dunes

 

Pacific and Trails are my two favorites, so this lineup looks great to me. Sheep Ranch is also a great way to ease into the weekend. Feels weird to only play Bandon once, but there's only so much time. Maybe we can do a short loop one of the evenings. 

 

Random other objective: find a hat similar to my current Preserve hat. My massive head fits perfectly in that hat, but the hat is on its last legs, so finding another one would be a big win

 

 

[flip_rome]

21 hours ago, dvq9654 said:

Headed up this week for our third straight year. Arrive Wednesday night (via Eugene), staying off property and then 4 days of golf pleasure. Current line up:

 

Thursday

Morning: Sheep Ranch 

Afternoon: Pacific Dunes

Option to Add: Short Loops

 

Friday 

Morning: Bandon Dunes

Afternoon: Bandon Trails

Option to Add: Preserve, Short Loops

 

Saturday

Morning: Old Mac

Afternoon: Bandon Trails

Option to Add: Preserve, Short Loops

 

Sunday

Morning: Pacific Dunes

 

Pacific and Trails are my two favorites, so this lineup looks great to me. Sheep Ranch is also a great way to ease into the weekend. Feels weird to only play Bandon once, but there's only so much time. Maybe we can do a short loop one of the evenings. 

 

Random other objective: find a hat similar to my current Preserve hat. My massive head fits perfectly in that hat, but the hat is on its last legs, so finding another one would be a big win

 

 

 

Great line up!  Just got back from Bandon.  Bandon Trails was closed earlier this week they punched the greens.  We played Pacific Dunes on Monday and the greens were still bumpy from being punched.  Bandon Dunes, Sheeps and the Preserve were in great shape.  I have a massive head as well and couldn't find a hat to fit me.  

[dvq9654]

19 hours ago, flip_rome said:

 

Great line up!  Just got back from Bandon.  Bandon Trails was closed earlier this week they punched the greens.  We played Pacific Dunes on Monday and the greens were still bumpy from being punched.  Bandon Dunes, Sheeps and the Preserve were in great shape.  I have a massive head as well and couldn't find a hat to fit me.  

Too bad to hear about the greens. Hopefully they will be a little better by later this week. We’ve gone the last couple Mays and aeration was never an issue. Must be on a different time frame this year 

 

I’ve heard they generally punch a bit smaller in Bandon so probably ok regardless 

[ND2005]

I too suffer from a big head. American needle has been my go to brand for a while now

[stanford88]

Just got back from Bandon. Pac Dunes punched greens were healing well on Wednesday, barely noticeable. I heard they punched Trails on Tuesday. 
 

Merch was typically good. Didn’t see American needle in any of the shops. 
 

[eboettne]

Getting our Feb 2023 trip solidified, here's the itinerary:

 

Fly into Eugene very late Friday

 

Saturday

Drive to Bandon in the morning

Bandon Dunes Noon Tee Time

Punch Bowl

 

Sunday

Sheep Ranch AM

Preserve PM

 

Monday

Trails AM

Pac PM

 

Tuesday

Old Mac AM

Sheep Ranch PM

 

Got a couple first timers with us so I like the idea of starting the trip on the original course.

 

Another observation, wow shipsticks has doubled in price since the last time I went. $130 or something to ship the clubs roundtrip! I may just bring them on the plane this go round for that price.

[HokieGolf12]

Going for my first post after sifting through dozens of pages here.

 

I am planning a trip for my dad's 60th which is in October 2023. I managed to snag a couple of nights stay 10/30-11/1 for the two of us. It was the best they could do before Thanksgiving. I am on the list to be notified for when they open reservations for April 2024, which is still preferred as the goal is to take a foursome. I figure I will cancel the October dates if we can get what we want. 

 

Tee times were really tough to get. After ~15 minutes of trial and error, the customer service rep and I settled on the following:

 

10/29

Arrive in Eugene in the afternoon. Stay offsite. Try to hit Preserve or Punchbowl if we can.

 

10/30 (check in)

Bandon Dunes - 8:40AM

Bandon Trails - 2:00PM

 

10/31

Old Mac - 8:20AM

Preserve - 2:00PM

 

11/1 (check out)

Sheep Ranch - wait list

Pacific Dunes - 2:00PM

 

 

My questions are

• Will I have enough time to finish those afternoon rounds if sunset is around 6:10PM?
• What luck have people had with getting times when being on the waitlist? I don't want to go out there from the east coast and not play all courses
• We both love to practice. I think a highlight for us may be messing around on the Punchbowl or Preserve. Should I just not consider a trip this time of year since we'll be on the course for all of the hours of daylight (other than 10/31)? April is my current top choice due to the combo of price, average rainfall, and the sun sets after 8PM, but it seems like that is not a guarantee I will get what I want in 2024.

 

 

Thanks all in advance!

[jvincent]

Depending on how busy it is and how much cloud cover there is you'll be tight on the 2PM times.

 

I was there in November and IIRC we had a 1:50 tee time and made it in just at dark.

[dcmidnight]

17 hours ago, HokieGolf12 said:

We both love to practice. I think a highlight for us may be messing around on the Punchbowl or Preserve. Should I just not consider a trip this time of year since we'll be on the course for all of the hours of daylight (other than 10/31)?

 

Hmmm.

 

Is your question, should you consider not going to Bandon *at all* because you might be "stuck" playing actual golf and unable to go hit some putts around the Punchbowl or play the Preserve?

 

I did an October trip, did 36 x 4 straight days, didnt spend one second on the Punchbowl or Preserve - and havent thought about it once since.

[HokieGolf12]

Quote

Is your question, should you consider not going to Bandon *at all* because you might be "stuck" playing actual golf and unable to go hit some putts around the Punchbowl or play the Preserve?

 Not at all. We would still be aiming to go the following April. The golf is the priority, but I think he/we would have a lot of fun in the evenings on the Punchbowl killing daylight. Just trying to maximize the experience since I doubt we will get to go back for quite a while and neither of us are getting younger. Noted though, and thanks for the input!

[buzlin]

We usually alternate annual trips between February and April ( have done November and December trips as well).  We don't mind the possibility of wind and cold temps, so February has always worked out great.  That said, paying extra in April means we'll have more relaxing mornings and anywhere from 1-3 hrs of daylight after our second round.  We're either at Shorty's, Preserve, Punchbowl, and even the putting green at the lodge each night before dinner after sundown.  The time we spend messing around after 36 holes is as valuable to these trips as the 36 themselves.  We only go in February to save money, if we could choose, April (or any month with extra daylight) is well worth it.  Obviously, go anytime you can, but given the choice?  Get all the daylight you can.

 

Side note, those April 2024 tee times open up in November this year I think.  We've found that a leisurely start, 8 am-ish tee times, with a 6 hour gap, 2 pm-ish afternoon times, gives us the right balance of not rushing, but enough time afterwards to hang out.

Edited May 25, 2022 by buzlin

[dcmidnight]

28 minutes ago, HokieGolf12 said:

 Not at all. We would still be aiming to go the following April. The golf is the priority, but I think he/we would have a lot of fun in the evenings on the Punchbowl killing daylight. Just trying to maximize the experience since I doubt we will get to go back for quite a while and neither of us are getting younger. Noted though, and thanks for the input!

 

Hey I'm all for maximizing the time! But don't sleep on how great it is to sit outside with a couple of cocktails and put your feet up for an hour or so at the end of a long day too.

 

Could just be me though LOL.

[AMM315]

Leave next Tuesday for my second pilgrimage. Flying into Portland, doing a night in the city, then making the 4 hour road trip in the morning. Flew into Eugene last trip, but flight options were better into Portland this go around. The humidity has arrived in the south, so looking forward to some crisp PNW air. For those who have been recently, was the resort packed? We have 36 scheduled everyday, but unfortunately getting replays on Sheep, Pac and Trails were difficult. Think we only play Pac and Trails once each over the course of 4 days which were my two favorites. This will be my first time playing Sheep, so very excited for that experience. 

[jrg75]

Hey everyone, just wrapped up a trip and heading back to Eugene this morning. We have several hours to kill, and I think I remember a post several months back about a great breakfast place maybe in Florence?  I tried searching but can someone repost the name of this place?

[Chanceman]

15 hours ago, jrg75 said:

Hey everyone, just wrapped up a trip and heading back to Eugene this morning. We have several hours to kill, and I think I remember a post several months back about a great breakfast place maybe in Florence?  I tried searching but can someone repost the name of this place?

River Roasters in Florence has excellent coffee and a good breakfast too.

[snakano]

Fortunate enough to sneak down for a few days this coming week/weekend. Only able to play Old Mac, Trails and Bandon and staying off property, but for calling on a flier to make a res just a couple of days ago I'll take it (and some meatloaf to go.)

[fundustrial]

On 5/26/2022 at 9:18 AM, AMM315 said:

Leave next Tuesday for my second pilgrimage. Flying into Portland, doing a night in the city, then making the 4 hour road trip in the morning. Flew into Eugene last trip, but flight options were better into Portland this go around. The humidity has arrived in the south, so looking forward to some crisp PNW air. For those who have been recently, was the resort packed? We have 36 scheduled everyday, but unfortunately getting replays on Sheep, Pac and Trails were difficult. Think we only play Pac and Trails once each over the course of 4 days which were my two favorites. This will be my first time playing Sheep, so very excited for that experience. 

Resort was busy - think they’re booked out until 2024…! 
 

Sheeps is awesome and the on a windy day is actually pretty tough… 

[LBattaglia93]

On 5/19/2022 at 7:57 PM, dvq9654 said:

Headed up this week for our third straight year. Arrive Wednesday night (via Eugene), staying off property and then 4 days of golf pleasure. Current line up:

 

Thursday

Morning: Sheep Ranch 

Afternoon: Pacific Dunes

Option to Add: Short Loops

 

Friday 

Morning: Bandon Dunes

Afternoon: Bandon Trails

Option to Add: Preserve, Short Loops

 

Saturday

Morning: Old Mac

Afternoon: Bandon Trails

Option to Add: Preserve, Short Loops

 

Sunday

Morning: Pacific Dunes

 

Pacific and Trails are my two favorites, so this lineup looks great to me. Sheep Ranch is also a great way to ease into the weekend. Feels weird to only play Bandon once, but there's only so much time. Maybe we can do a short loop one of the evenings. 

 

Random other objective: find a hat similar to my current Preserve hat. My massive head fits perfectly in that hat, but the hat is on its last legs, so finding another one would be a big win

 

 

 

How did you make out with your 36 hole days? I'm heading out to Bandon with a group of 8 for 4.5 days. Current itinerary is as follows:

 

Day 1 (travel day)

Evening loop on the Preserve

 

Day 2

Bandon Dunes AM

Pacific Dunes PM

 

Day 3

Pacific Dunes AM

Bandon Trails PM

 

Day 4

Old MacDonald AM

Bandon Trails PM

 

Day 5

Bandon Dunes AM

Sheep Ranch PM

 

This is our first trip to Bandon and I think most of us are worried about how we'll hold up physically (and mentally) with all the 36-hole days. I'm personally taking a caddy every round (I figured every bit of help I can get will be well worth it). I've been carrying my bag to prep myself and the recent swing of 90+ degree heat and 80%+ relative humidity in the Norhteast is taking a toll. Is this itinerary crazy for 8 moderately-atheltic 28-30 year olds??? We plan on doing a Ryder cup style match so I'm thinking singles matches in the moring and doubles in the afternoon when the exhaustion may be setting in. 

 

I hope you had a great trip!

 

[kaschreiber]

1 hour ago, LBattaglia93 said:

 

How did you make out with your 36 hole days? I'm heading out to Bandon with a group of 8 for 4.5 days. Current itinerary is as follows:

 

Day 1 (travel day)

Evening loop on the Preserve

 

Day 2

Bandon Dunes AM

Pacific Dunes PM

 

Day 3

Pacific Dunes AM

Bandon Trails PM

 

Day 4

Old MacDonald AM

Bandon Trails PM

 

Day 5

Bandon Dunes AM

Sheep Ranch PM

 

This is our first trip to Bandon and I think most of us are worried about how we'll hold up physically (and mentally) with all the 36-hole days. I'm personally taking a caddy every round (I figured every bit of help I can get will be well worth it). I've been carrying my bag to prep myself and the recent swing of 90+ degree heat and 80%+ relative humidity in the Norhteast is taking a toll. Is this itinerary crazy for 8 moderately-atheltic 28-30 year olds??? We plan on doing a Ryder cup style match so I'm thinking singles matches in the moring and doubles in the afternoon when the exhaustion may be setting in. 

 

I hope you had a great trip!

 

 

The only time it may be difficult is Day 4. Those are the two most difficult walks, late in the trip, same day. For context, my dad is in his mid-60s and walked 36 holes back to back on a ruptured ACL. If he can do it, you guys should be fine and that's what you're there to do. Change your socks between rounds (shoes if possible to avoid hot spots). You can always make a game time decision to bail on the afternoon round as well. Make use of the hot tub in the basement of the main lodge, assuming it's open. Caddie will help as well. The biggest detriment we usually run into is staying up til 1-2 playing cards / dice in the bunker bar and drink 43 beers a day, not so much the walk. Try playing a few 36 hole days at home walking as well, or even just walking on a treadmill at the gym.

 

Some other things we've done on a Ryder Cup format, just to keep in mind to break up the formats if you're at all interested: 

1) we save single matches for the final day so we can get the biggest swing in accumulated points. But with teams of 4 over 8 rounds, shouldn't be an issue for you guys. 

2) we play Quota at least once and hi / lo at least once just for a different format. 

3) If you end up bagging one of the day 4 rounds (I'd suggest Mac, just as Trails is my favorite course there, but you'll get different answers), you can do an alt shot / Chapman on Shorty's assuming it's open while you're there and it's no extra out of pocket cost except for what you decide to donate. 

3) Make one round not count for the overall game (could be on day 4) so that anyone that decides to take a break isn't screwing up the game and then can side bet with whoever does play if anyone bails. 

[2bGood]

42 minutes ago, LBattaglia93 said:

 

How did you make out with your 36 hole days? I'm heading out to Bandon with a group of 8 for 4.5 days. Current itinerary is as follows:

 

Day 1 (travel day)

Evening loop on the Preserve

 

Day 2

Bandon Dunes AM

Pacific Dunes PM

 

Day 3

Pacific Dunes AM

Bandon Trails PM

 

Day 4

Old MacDonald AM

Bandon Trails PM

 

Day 5

Bandon Dunes AM

Sheep Ranch PM

 

This is our first trip to Bandon and I think most of us are worried about how we'll hold up physically (and mentally) with all the 36-hole days. I'm personally taking a caddy every round (I figured every bit of help I can get will be well worth it). I've been carrying my bag to prep myself and the recent swing of 90+ degree heat and 80%+ relative humidity in the Norhteast is taking a toll. Is this itinerary crazy for 8 moderately-atheltic 28-30 year olds??? We plan on doing a Ryder cup style match so I'm thinking singles matches in the moring and doubles in the afternoon when the exhaustion may be setting in. 

 

I hope you had a great trip!

 

For what it is worth, my group is late 40's early 50's these days. We still play 36 a day most trips. We did an 8 day 15 round trip last time. I won't say 'no issue' but very doable. Mind you we all walk 80-180 rounds a year.