Bandon short notice on budget

[MongoSmash]

All,

i did a search, but am looking for more data....

my Scotland trip 1st week of Aug got canceled due to Corona.

 

im thinking of going to Bandon for 3-4 days as a solo. I’d like to save a few bucks (got to keep the wife happy).

In general, is it cheaper to stay at hotels in town and pay higher play rate for green fee?

i know about replay rates to save a few bucks. And of course bring some snacks and beverages. Other $ saving tips?

 

thanks in advance.

[puttnforthe8]

You can save a little money staying in town at a place like Table rock or Bandon Inn since the green fee rate for guest v non-guest is ~$50. So if you stay at Table rock for $99, you save ~$150 on the room. Other than that, no other savings tips - except if you get one of the off season, non published packages. for the resort.

 

snacks, food and alcohol.....and you save big time.

[spud3]

As puttn stated, you can save a little by staying in town and buying Lunchables, but frankly, it would deter from the whole experience IMO. Keep in mind that you won't be able to make tee times until 2 weeks out, which may be a factor for you, especially if you have a particular schedule or course that you want to play on a given day. Not as big of a deal if you're a single and flexible, but the early tee times will likely be gone, and you may have some challenges getting 36 in on different courses. Just depends how busy they are and how important it is to play a particular course. And you won't know that until two weeks out.

 

You may want to think about pitching a trip during the shoulder- or off-season to the missus. A 3 night/6 round trip in March is about $1000 less than August, and the same trip in February is about half. December/January is even more of a deal. You'll need to be prepared for the worst weather, though.

 

And condolences - my Scotland trip this June got postponed to 2021 too...

[Slippin_Jimmy]

The best way to save $, as Spud3 mentioned, is to play a little "Oregon Roulette" with the weather in the shoulder season. You can get great weather any time of the year, but it's more unpredictable in the shoulder months. Depends how far you are traveling and how much risk you want to take. My first trip to BD was a February, got a great "stay & play" package through the resort, and then got some of the worst weather imaginable. Snow (admittedly that was incredibly rare), hail, rain, wind, etc. Still had a blast though. But you'll see so many stories on the boards about people who went during those times and got perfect weather. It's just a gamble.

On a lesser note, my "Save $" tip at the resort is to eat dinner at the bar in the main lodge (believe it's called the Puffin Bar). They have a full dinner menu but will also let you order dinner off the bar menu, much more affordable. The burger & fries are fantastic and it's like $10, what more do you want after playing 36? That's where I'll have dinner usually every night when I'm there.

[VNutz]

What's the travel situation like for you? If you're close enough to drive then that's definitely a savings opportunity, and then opens up savings to stay offsite. If you're flying in then renting a car solo is probably going to make it a wash for savings over staying on property. If you're flying in, the flights into and out of North Bend from San Fran are cheaper Monday thru Wednesday as Thursday - Sunday are pretty full with golfers. On my last trip I went in a day early and stayed a day later and the flight savings alone offset the extra days and golf. You might also be able to fly into Eugene on a cheaper flight and rent a car, but that has it's own set of potential issues. Otherwise as mentioned the shoulder seasons could be your best bet. I've been twice in the November shoulder and have lucked out both times. Best of luck.

[jjr]

This February my buddy and I arrived the night before and stayed @ Tablerock, we stayed at Bandon 3 of the 4 days we played, the last day we played we stayed @Tablerock and left the next morning. We also ate dinner in town all nights and had 2 breakfasts at The Minute Cafe, snacked all other times. Covid hit a couple of weeks after we left, we were lucky with the weather and Covid. The trip was fantastic, not eating at Bandon took nothing away from the trip, I ate at Bandon my last trip and I enjoyed the in town restaurants more.

Played the Preserve 1st thing in the morning 2x, then played our 18 and we had 2 free 9 holes.

[2bGood]

I have playing in Feb, March, April July (only one day) and October. The best weather I got was in February and out of about 50 days of golf at Bandon, I have only been rained out one day.

I love playing Bandon off season - the rates are way better and the golf vibe is much cooler as it all pretty much huge golf enthusiasts that are willing to risk playing in a bit of rain.

[ernotte]

Joined a group this past January for 3 days. They'd been going for 10 years in January and said they'd never got rained on. We got dumped on 2 of the 3 rounds. Not sure I will be invited back because of it. ? 

[philsRHman]

I went in March as a single. It was brisk Walking out of the hotel in the morning and I quickly realized I had to leave 15 min to defrost the car after the first day I drove with my head out the window in order to make my tee time. 

The key was having the right clothes. Thin base layer was huge. Hand warmers. Winter hat. I’d say each day I was fine within 3-4 holes.
 

Given the price difference I think I would only consider the Shoulder or off-season. 

[spud3]

Heh.  Yep.  Done the 'drive to the course with my head out the window' thing.  Great way to wake up....

[ernotte]

11 hours ago, spud3 said:

Heh.  Yep.  Done the 'drive to the course with my head out the window' thing.  Great way to wake up....

I believe you mean you drove your Porsche convertible to the 1st tee