Bandon Trip Report - April 2021

[Kernel]

Another trip in the books . . . another amazing experience. We played all 5 courses over 3.5 days. Rather than a blow-by-blow, a few highlights/observations from this trip:

 

• The forecast was beyond perfect leading up the the trip, but the Bandon weather variability caught up to us this time. It was dry, but we dealt with fog for a good chunk of the trip. At times it was thicker than anything I've seen there, making visibility challenging. Most of my inaugural round at Sheep Ranch was socked in, which definitely took away from the experience.
• As many have recently reported, the greens are, overall, in the best shape I have seen them. Pacific was the best and fastest, OM the slowest. Obviously this excludes SR, but I found them to be far more playable than expected.
• The place was PACKED! We were told that Friday was the first day in resort history with over 1000 rounds played.
• Slowest round I have ever played there was Friday morning at Pacific in thick fog - 5:15. It was brutal. And it forced us to move back our Trail tee time that afternoon to 3:50, which meant we were the last on the course and had to sprint to finish before dark. The fog combined with packed tee sheet really threw things out of whack. Too much waiting, working the phones to find a new tee time, rushing to finish . . . a frustrating experience
• Also a product of the traffic, I assume, was the condition of the range. It was basically sand. It was full each day and I am sure maintenance is almost impossible given the constant, heavy use. 
• The new lodging near Trails really hurts the feel of the course on the 6th hole. You are now staring at a couple of giant buildings right behind the green. 
• They are building a pub/restaurant next to the Old Mac clubhouse. They've only cleared the land to this point, so no idea on when that will be done. 
•  I really, really like Old Mac, but it's always last on my course rankings. Something about my round there this time has me rethinking. I generally think of that middle stretch of 9-13 to be fairly forgettable, but it felt more interesting this time. It might still be last, but that's just because everything else is so stinking great. 
• I have to give Sheep Ranch an incomplete because so much of it was obscured by the fog. I went in thinking it would be all views and a vanilla course, but I left feeling more intrigued by the design than expected. It'll probably land in the 4th or 5th spot for me, but I want to play it when I can see the entire thing before knowing for sure. 
• Customer service is still outstanding. 
• Plenty of outside tables to eat at Trails and Pacific for us (RIP rockfish sandwich at Trails End)
• The amount of music being played on course is off the charts.  Save that for your local weekend round, bro 
• Get the bagel and lox sandwich with egg at SR clubhouse - awesome. 

 

I am genuinely concerned about the crowds and how that will impact the feel (and, selfishly, the access for Oregonians like me) of the place. I know the US Am exposure brought in a lot of new people and the backlog of COVID-cancelled trips has to have an impact. But it felt very crowded, way more than I have ever felt. And that's before the new lodging comes online. Was told by a starter that they are planning on additional lodging over and above what is happening at Trails. 

[Slippin_Jimmy]

Great writeup Kernel!! Glad you had a great trip and mostly good weather.  I'll be there in late June and am counting down the days.

 

Agreed on Old Mac, I enjoy it more & more, never skip it but still I would rank it last.  The Redan Par 3 (#12 I think?) might be my least favorite hole on the property.

 

I guess I have mixed feelings on the crowds, it's good for business but if Bandon was still a secret for many golfers, the word is out and it's going to be booked well in advance for a while.  Same with the music, I like to think of myself as pretty laid back but it's a bit much if other groups can hear it.  Do you really need to crank The Eagles or whatever to enjoy your time at Bandon?  I would hope not.

 

Also, if the rockfish sandwich at Trails End is gone does that mean the fish tacos are back?  Because that would be fantastic...

[puttnforthe8]

Nice....There in a couple of weeks.

 

Odd that it was so busy while you were there.  I have been watching the course cameras today and have seen very few groups going off.  

 

 

Looked at TE menu - no fish tacos; looks like they are using the rockfish for curry.

[spud3]

Good writeup - seeing more and more comments about the place being full and it kind of stretching at the seams.  I would think at some point, the benefits of growth would overshadow the feeling of intimacy that I so love about Bandon.  I get that it's a business, but it is a business with a specific mission, and my understanding of the mission is not that it becomes a mega-anything.  I conveyed that sentiment in the post-round survey that they always send and would encourage everyone here to complete that survey with your honest opinions.

 

And I think we should start a petition to BRING BACK THE FISH TACOS!

[dcmidnight]

IMO as long as they are sold out and keep packing the place - they aren't really incentivized to have *fewer* people coming in. For every guy that says they wont go back because it was too full, they will have ten people waiting on hold to take that spot.

 

I guess its good and sucks at the same time.

[SouthLand]

Couldn’t some of this be the Sheep Ranch honeymoon and covid?  I know I’ve tried to dial up ten different excuses to get down there just to play it.  
 

Not saying the place will empty out later, but it might be a perfect storm.  It’s not like BD was a secret before the Am.  Anyone who was into golf and has the means tot ask trips in the US already knew about it, and likely had it on the radar for their next one.

 

Or maybe they’ll have to just build a new course?!?  Another inland sister to Trails, perhaps, if the land is there.

 

And totally agree on the muzak, bros.  I didn’t fire up the speaker for my recent round at Chambers, and couldn’t hear anyone else doing so.  Would be annoying to have to put up with Florida Georgia Line, Little Wayne, or the effin Eagles, man.

Edited April 20, 2021 by SouthLand

[Slippin_Jimmy]

I really think it's more COVID than anything, it will be interesting to see if the pandemic golf boom will last.  All the guys trips to sporting events, concerts, etc. are golf trips now since it's one of the few things you can still do.  As has been discussed on some other threads, I do think the drink first/golf second types will likely make one trip to Bandon and won't return.

 

Still, to make another music reference, it does feel like the indie band we all loved went mainstream.  It's good for the resort, but it does mean we can't just book when we want to anymore and it's probably going to be more crowded when we get there.  Booking over a year out seems crazy, but in many cases that's reality now.

 

Love the Big Lebowski reference, SouthLand!  Far out, man.

[Kernel]

2 hours ago, Slippin_Jimmy said:

I really think it's more COVID than anything, it will be interesting to see if the pandemic golf boom will last.  All the guys trips to sporting events, concerts, etc. are golf trips now since it's one of the few things you can still do.  As has been discussed on some other threads, I do think the drink first/golf second types will likely make one trip to Bandon and won't return.

I do think that this is the bulk of the explanation. There's a confluence of factors - COVID delays, US Am publicity and the general golf boom - that have to be driving the record numbers this year. How much of that is sustainable is an open question. I have to imagine that some this wanes, but not all. As we all know, once you make that first trip to Bandon you usually become a regular. And with added lodging coming online soon, it will eat into at least some of the tee time availability permanently. 

Edited April 21, 2021 by Kernel

[The Pearl]

Great point about #6 at Trails.  The first thing that hit me was that it was very "Un-Bandon" like.  I think it is a total shank that you can now see the new lodging while playing Trails.

 

One way to ease the feeling of a crowded resort is to get out of there and eat downtown.  Pain the arse during COVID, but it is usually a great move to get away from the crowd.

 

The "music on the course" movement is a total miscalculation by the "grow the game" golf business advocates.   The fact that we now have an entire generation who literally can't function without having constant brain stimulation is a tragedy. If you still need music at Bandon with some of the best combinations of natural stimulation of the sense, than you really have psychological issues. 

 

 

[Obee]

32 minutes ago, The Pearl said:

Great point about #6 at Trails.  The first thing that hit me was that it was very "Un-Bandon" like.  I think it is a total shank that you can now see the new lodging while playing Trails.

 

One way to ease the feeling of a crowded resort is to get out of there and eat downtown.  Pain the arse during COVID, but it is usually a great move to get away from the crowd.

 

The "music on the course" movement is a total miscalculation by the "grow the game" golf business advocates.   The fact that we now have an entire generation who literally can't function without having constant brain stimulation is a tragedy. If you still need music at Bandon with some of the best combinations of natural stimulation of the sense, than you really have psychological issues. 

 

 

 

^^^^^^Post of the Decade.

[buzlin]

Golf as it was meant to be....................................................they best start rethinking where they're going with this.  

[dcmidnight]

ROFL, we are a spoiled group sometimes, lol. I saw them being built when we were there in October and I thought, thats a cool spot, I bet thats going to be a good view and I bet they look nice when they are finished. Honestly I didn't think it really ruined any sort of vibe any more than I did seeing the Lodge or the Inn. Cripes, its not like they are building a 20 story high rise right next to the tee box.

 

Assuming you dont count the Main Lodge or the Inn, you can now see "other" lodging on...one hole (barely) out of 90 holes of golf there. I think we'll be OK!

 

 

 

[buzlin]

It's the little things.  Tiny, microscopic, miniscule, irrelevant, minutia, that are the most important!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahaha.  Now, why doesn't the thermostat adjust to tenths of degrees!?!?! 

[dcmidnight]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY ARE OUT OF PROTEIN BALLS!

[blink3665]

On 4/22/2021 at 12:32 PM, dcmidnight said:

WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY ARE OUT OF PROTEIN BALLS!

 

This would have been tragic. I ate a ton of those things. I just got back from my trip. I stayed in the farthest Lily Pond building, so I was probably a 7 iron away from the #6 green. Didnt know it until I was on the #6 green. LOL.