Pace of Play - Bandon Courses - Which one is the fastest walk?

[BG5]

Good Morning,

 

I am trying to find out the suggested times on all the courses but I dont see anything.  I will be arriving late in the afternoon one day and want to try to sneak in a round on a course but will be fighting daylight.  Which course would be the fastest walk?

[BG5]

Also....which courses should be eliminated becasue they take to long?

[stanford88]

They just get a lot of play and not sure if anything will be clear for a single walker. I'd just go with the earliest tee time they can get you out. My guess is that Old Mac would be the fewest because of the wind?

[VNutz]

In all honesty it completely depends on the weather. If calm all can play smoothly, and they do a great job of keeping people on pace. On top of that a lot of the people out there are pretty serious golfers and you don't see the usual hijinks you might see on a Saturday afternoon public course, and the lack of carts IMO really cuts down on the drinking shenanigans that lock up many courses.

 

I'd think the one course IMO that could be troublesome is Pacific, just because it has more spots where people can find trouble and slow down the pace of play. Bandon Dunes has some too, but not to the same extent IMO. Trails is pretty tame and less weather affected, and Old Mac being links and fairly open should move well. No experience on Sheep Ranch as of yet, but I have heard talk of fog and wind being issues there, so that could slow things down.

 

As a single you would be at the mercy of the pace of play ahead of you, it's amazing how quickly one can eat up a big opening ahead by ones self.

[Edaw68]

Trails tends to get fewer replays than the others so it might be the least crowded. 

[duffer987]

@BG5 - how much time do you have from the start of when you could realistically teeoff before dark? 2.5hrs? 3hrs? If it's over 3.5hrs I'd pick the one you most want to play and you'll get what you get, unless there's a tourney on it or something like that.

 

Do a search on Bandon replays, loops... something to that effect anyways, and you'll see all the suggestions for how to max out holes in dying light for each of the courses.
Per Edaw - the fastest and slowest will depend on which course is busiest on the day - and picking Trails which would seem counter intuitive because it is longest walk could absolutely be the winner if no one is out there.

[mallrat]

Sheep Ranch is the fastest walk and it’s not much of a question from my understanding (I work with a caddy there 3 days a week). Based on the size of the property and length of the course it makes sense. 
 

Trails and OM are the longest walks but Trails is often wide open in the afternoon and you can actually fly around and then I would say Old Mac for openness in the afternoon. 
 

Here’s the thing, I think 4:15 is the average round at any of their course if not 4:30. Now you generally move pretty good during this time and it doesn’t seem long. Just an FYI

[spud3]

As mallrat said, SR is definitely the shortest walk, but it's also the most crowded right now.  Lots of folks trying to jam in replays until there's no light left.  But it's got plenty of >18 short loops.

 

Only issue with Trails is that it's not even close to an out-and-back set of nines (well, only Bandon actually is, but PD, SR and OM have lots of short loops).  Once you get past #6 green on Trails, you're out in the wilds.  If you're alone, don't run into traffic and aren't hunting for balls, you can get around Trails in about 3:15 or so. 

 

Having said all that, Trails solo is a Golf Zen experience any time of the day, but especially in the afternoon/evening...

I'd ask at the pro shop when you get there and find out which tee sheet is most open that afternoon, and play that one.  Depending on how much daylight you have left, you might need to be ok with playing less than 18 (you'll still be paying full price no matter where you end up, since it's your first round of the day).  If you can get at least 10 holes or so, it's probably worth it.  Otherwise, just go dink around on Shorty's and/or hang out at the Practice Area til around sunset, then hit the Punchbowl.

[spud3]

Okay, I just created a new thread dedicated to possible short loops on the main courses.

[BG5]

11 hours ago, duffer987 said:

@BG5 - how much time do you have from the start of when you could realistically teeoff before dark? 2.5hrs? 3hrs? If it's over 3.5hrs I'd pick the one you most want to play and you'll get what you get, unless there's a tourney on it or something like that.

 

Do a search on Bandon replays, loops... something to that effect anyways, and you'll see all the suggestions for how to max out holes in dying light for each of the courses.
Per Edaw - the fastest and slowest will depend on which course is busiest on the day - and picking Trails which would seem counter intuitive because it is longest walk could absolutely be the winner if no one is out there.

 

 

I fly into Portland and Land about 11:15 a.m.  My thought is by the time I get my rental car etc i Will be leaving Portland about 12:00.  I think I can make it to Bandon and tee off at 5:00 with 5:30 being the latest.  The good news is I will be golfing on June 19 so the sun does not set until 9:30 so I should be able to get in at least 14-15 holes.  I think its right to call the day of and see what is happening but I am probably going to push for Bandon Dunes or Sheep Ranch as my opening round.  The only thing about Sheep Ranch is the poorer conditions since its a new track and I want some faster greens.  I am guessing that Bandons greens will be a lot nicer.  I will probably take a caddie as well which should help me speed up through the round.  But I would not hesitate to play any of the courses if the tee sheet was more wide open.  I just want to get in as many holes as I can and I would rather be playing a real course vs. the par 3s or putting course

[duffer987]

2 hours ago, BG5 said:

 

 

I fly into Portland and Land about 11:15 a.m.  My thought is by the time I get my rental car etc i Will be leaving Portland about 12:00.  I think I can make it to Bandon and tee off at 5:00 with 5:30 being the latest.  The good news is I will be golfing on June 19 so the sun does not set until 9:30 so I should be able to get in at least 14-15 holes.  I think its right to call the day of and see what is happening but I am probably going to push for Bandon Dunes or Sheep Ranch as my opening round.  The only thing about Sheep Ranch is the poorer conditions since its a new track and I want some faster greens.  I am guessing that Bandons greens will be a lot nicer.  I will probably take a caddie as well which should help me speed up through the round.  But I would not hesitate to play any of the courses if the tee sheet was more wide open.  I just want to get in as many holes as I can and I would rather be playing a real course vs. the par 3s or putting course

Ya say 5:30pm start on one of the longest days of the year, you'd definitely get finished on an open course and would for sure get in enough holes to make it worth your while. Heck that's enough time to get in 27 holes in the right circumstances. SR could be hella windy, but for sure play the one you most want to see twice on your trip.

I'd get ready to rickshaw it or shoulder your own bag though, as I don't think there will be a lot of caddies hanging around at 5pm hoping to get a loop, especially as they'd either still be out on their 2nd of the day or already completed it. Maybe if one of them was just coming off the course and wanted to go right back out.

[buzlin]

Assuming courses are full, I was impressed with how quick our rounds at SR were.  At one point in our trip, our slowest players were all in one group, and they still played in under 4 hrs.