Bandon Solstice 2021 - Trip Report

[spud3]

Along with 122 other fools/adventurers, my partner and I completed the 72-hole marathon known as the Bandon Solstice on June 22nd.

For those who aren't familiar, it's the annual event at Bandon Dunes on the longest day of the year where everyone attempts to complete four full rounds in a single day.  Just getting into the event is a task, as this year the resort opened up the online registration at something-A.M. a few months ago and it took only a few minutes for the 124 slots to fill up.  I've had it on my bucket list for a while, and finally succeeded in getting us in.  Included in the entry fee was two nights lodging, all the golf, two dinner and two breakfast vouchers (more on that in a bit), a bag lunch during the day and all the Clif bars, bananas and water you could ever hope to consume.  Added to that was a pre-event get-together at the Punchbowl on Monday night and a big bag of swag.  The gear in the bag included a nice Peter Millar t-shirt, a hat with  big "72" embroidered on it, four nice Sabold prints of the courses, a suede banner with the four courses, and the coup de grace, a Theragun Wave Roller (oooooh!).  Quite the gift pack.

After getting in, we figured we should probably come up with some kind of prep regimen, so a couple months ago we started adding more holes every couple weeks to our regular weekend games until we got up to 54 holes in one day about three weeks ago.  That was actually a very good thing to do, as it gave us some feeling for what it would be like to be on our feet and swinging a club for that long.

After much anticipation and anxious forecast-watching (normal for any trip to Bandon), we finally found ourselves enjoying a great lunch at Tony's Crab Shack on Monday, hoping the good forecast would hold.  We inhaled some fish tacos, crab cakes and chowder and headed over to the Practice Area after doing a pre-check-in at the Lodge and spent a couple hours re-acquainting ourselves with the firm fescue, beach-sand bunkers and massive putting green (also SOP for a Bandon trip).

I imagine the get-together at the Punchbowl was probably somewhat muted from year's past, as the state of Oregon and Coos County are still emerging from the past year of Covid restrictions.  We met up with WRX'er Slippin Jimmy and his brother, dinked around on the Punchbowl, and headed over to dinner at McKee's to see what we could get with our voucher tickets.  Turns out the vouchers were good for any entrée at any of the restaurants on property, so four steaks were ordered with no hesitation.  They were great.  After that, it was time to head back to the rooms and try to convince ourselves we could actually get some sleep before the 4:30 AM alarm went off.  Our tee time was 5:40 on the back nine of BD, and the course rotation follows the order that the courses were opened.  PD was the course left out of the rota, so our schedule was BD back 9, Trails, OM, SR and BD front 9.  We concluded that would be a perfect setup, as we could fool ourselves into thinking the first nine was kinda like a range session, then the hardest walk would be done early while the legs were still fresh, then the easiest walk would be near the end, and the final 9 would be like some extra holes after a long day.  Such are the kinds of things you need to do to keep the mental game going.

We managed to avoid drinking too much of the free alcohol at the Punchbowl, and I think we both got a few hours of sleep before the alarm went off and it was game time.  As I was getting ready, everything hurt for absolutely no reason - wrist, knees, an ankle.  I tried to tell myself not to panic, it was just the normal "oh, yeah, I turned 60 this year" kind of stuff.  Grabbed our clubs and bags (they allow you one small duffel to cart around with extra shoes, socks, ibuprofen, etc.) and headed to the Lodge for some breakfast.  I was actually still full from the huge dinner, but made myself eat a bacon/egg sandwich anyway, and we stepped out onto #10 tee about 5:35.  We met up with our other twosome, Jon and Ben from Atlanta, also Solstice Rookies.  No range session, no chipping/putting, just walk out in the grey morning and hit one.  The weather was overcast and the air was very damp and humid.  It would remain that way the entire day.

The back 9 at BD pretty much flew by.  I was carrying a half set (D, 3H, 5, 7, 8, PW, 50* Gap, 56* SW, putter) in my trusty Mizuno Aerolite bag.  No issues with feeling tired at all, played mostly decent and we finished up at 6:55 and hopped on the shuttle for the very short ride to Trails.  I had decided to keep score and set a modest goal of shooting under 90 for all four rounds, trying to give myself quite a bit of leeway.  My greatest fear was that my game would completely leave me somewhere during the day.  Ended up that segment shooting 42, with a bunch of pars, a smattering of bogeys and one double (on the par 3 12th, where my tee shot just missed having enough steam to get up the false front).  We all felt good with the pace, and spirits were high.  All in all, a decent start.

The round at Trails felt basically like any other early tee time round.  After a disastrous double on the first hole, I settled into a good groove and finished the front in 41.  The back nine had more travails (as it often does) including a triple on 11 and a couple doubles to go with a few bogeys and finished up with a somewhat depressing 87.  I felt like I was playing better than that score showed, and I tried to remind myself there was much golf left to play.  I didn't feel like my game had totally left me, just got unlucky on a couple holes and hit a few bad shots - again, a normal round on Trails.  We finished the round at 9:55, for a pace of 2:50.  We were all quite pleased with that, and took the shuttle to OM.

Everyone changed shoes/socks on the shuttle, and we went right off at 10:05.  It was still grey and damp and the balls carried even less than they normally do there, but the fairways were running great and the courses were all in very good shape.  On the green at #3, I noticed that the poa is finally invading the greens on OM, which just last March showed little signs of that.  The front nine went fairly quickly and other than one double on #4 (a hole I have never played well) and a few bogeys (mostly three-putts) I felt good about making the turn in 40.  OM is the one course there that I do not have at least one sub-80 round, so I was feeling good about my chances.  Bruce and I both birdied 10, which was a real treat.  I dropped a putt from about 20 feet directly above the hole, and he canned a bomb from around 40 feet, which really lifted our spirits.  Midway through the round was the real mental test - the walking was beginning to take its toll, and the relatively ho-hum nature of the middle section of OM didn't help much.  It was the only time that I had any notions that I may not make it through.  We were all dragging a bit those last few holes, despite all of us keeping up on the bananas, water and protein balls (I want to hug whoever came up with those little gems)  throughout the morning.  We finished up at 1:05 PM, exactly three hours after we teed off (our longest round), and were really happy to see that we had a few minutes to wait for a shuttle, the only time we had to wait all day, as we were handed our lunch bags as we came off the course, and it gave us all time to sit for a bit and eat the killer club wraps and change shoes before heading over to the Sheep Ranch.  Final score at OM: 85.

Not sure if it was the club wrap, the shoe/sock change or the handful of ibuprofen kicking in, but I felt great by the time we got to the first tee at SR at 1:35 PM.  It's such a beautiful course, you can't help but be jacked about playing.  I think we also were all starting to sniff the finish line.  The front nine went great, out in 37 with all pars, one bogey and one double.  Sadly, the poa has also begun to creep into the greens at SR.  They still rolled fine, but it made me glad we got to play them earlier this year with all fescue surfaces.  The back nine had a couple wayward tee shots that I couldn't quite recover from, and I ended the round carding an 82.  We had one peek at the sun during the round, but I must have angered the Golf Gods by switching to sunglasses and putting on a bit of sunscreen, so that was the last of that.  Sorry, guys.  We finally caught up with the group ahead of us on 18, and the fog was really rolling in.  We couldn't see farther than a couple hundred yards on that last hole.  We finished at 4:30, just under 3 hours, and we were all feeling really good, as we knew we could play the front nine at BD basically on our hands and knees, if we had to.

Fortunately, we didn't have to.  By the time we got to the #1 tee at BD, the fog had mostly cleared.  We were all very excited and couldn't wait to finish the trek.  Naturally, we then had to wait to tee off.  No matter, the final nine went by as fast as the first nine that morning, and we finished up at 6:32 PM, total time for BD of 2:52.  I shot another 42 on that nine, for a total score of 84.  We shook hands, high-fived, got our crisp $100 bills, posed for some pictures and that was it.  We had done it.  Jon and Ben made the turn and played the back nine again (crazy kids...), while Bruce and I headed in for a well-deserved beverage.  We ended up in the Tufted Puffin for another steak dinner (love those vouchers!) and watched Jimmy and his brother finish up.

Some random thoughts:
- The event was incredibly well run and all the staff was very supportive and anxious to make the day go as smoothly as possible.  No surprise, there.
- The prep was super helpful; again, just to get a taste of what it feels like to be walking/swinging for that long.

- We stayed in a Chrome Lake upstairs unit, and the digs were great.  It was my first time outside of the Lodge or Inn.
- The gorse had zero blooms, so the scent was missing from all the ocean courses, though Trails still had that wonderful sandalwood smell to it.  I miss the smell of the gorse...
- We could not have asked for better weather.  Never got too hot, the wind never got above 8-10 mph, and only a couple holes on SR where there was much fog.

- There were about a dozen duffed shots/putts that  I wish I had back, but overall I'm happy that my game held up very well.  I was worried that the grind would leave me with no swing at some point, but that never happened.

- A 36-hole day will no longer seem like too much, at least for a few more years.

- There was really not a huge difference in the way the courses played from our usual off/shoulder season visits.  Made me feel good about saving the $ by going in those times as opposed to high-season.
- Once is enough, for me.  One of the things about playing there that I love is taking the time to appreciate the courses and their designs and subtleties.  Not much time to do that during the Solstice event.  You are pretty much hitting a shot or walking the entire time.  That's no knock on the event.  I just look at it as something I wanted to do to prove to myself that I could do at age 60.  
- I won't be eating any bananas for a while.

 

[Tupperwolf]

Awesome report!  Thank you so much!  I would love to do this event in the future.  Carrying a half set and an extra pair of shoes sounds like just the ticket.

[MongoSmash]

Great write-up. When is the sign-up normally??? I might want to do it as well. 

#FeatsofStrength

[birdhays]

@spud3 continues to deliver with the best Bandon trip reports. Well done! 

[BgSprings87]

Any insight into the cost of the trip?

[BgSprings87]

1 hour ago, MongoSmash said:

Great write-up. When is the sign-up normally??? I might want to do it as well. 

#FeatsofStrength

If as in the last couple years it’s usually around November. 

[MongoSmash]

43 minutes ago, BgSprings87 said:

If as in the last couple years it’s usually around November. 

Thank you. About to hit 40. Having those mid-life crisis of, “Can I still hack it. ?” 🤦‍♂️🤣

[duffer987]

Good stuff Spud! 😃

Were the 4 courses reserved solely for you brave folks all day? 31 groups isn't that many spread across the courses, so I am guessing they were block booked for you guys at points and then open for regular visitor play?

How were you able to play at such a good clip all day? Unless we're first 3 or 4 out or way later in the day, we can only dream of 3 hours rounds, let alone less.

 

Better you than me though, no way I keep my concentration for 4 rounds, well done!

[avidgolfer23]

6 hours ago, spud3 said:

Along with 122 other fools/adventurers, my partner and I completed the 72-hole marathon known as the Bandon Solstice on June 22nd.

For those who aren't familiar, it's the annual event at Bandon Dunes on the longest day of the year where everyone attempts to complete four full rounds in a single day.  Just getting into the event is a task, as this year the resort opened up the online registration at something-A.M. a few months ago and it took only a few minutes for the 124 slots to fill up.  I've had it on my bucket list for a while, and finally succeeded in getting us in.  Included in the entry fee was two nights lodging, all the golf, two dinner and two breakfast vouchers (more on that in a bit), a bag lunch during the day and all the Clif bars, bananas and water you could ever hope to consume.  Added to that was a pre-event get-together at the Punchbowl on Monday night and a big bag of swag.  The gear in the bag included a nice Peter Millar t-shirt, a hat with  big "72" embroidered on it, four nice Sabold prints of the courses, a suede banner with the four courses, and the coup de grace, a Theragun Wave Roller (oooooh!).  Quite the gift pack.

After getting in, we figured we should probably come up with some kind of prep regimen, so a couple months ago we started adding more holes every couple weeks to our regular weekend games until we got up to 54 holes in one day about three weeks ago.  That was actually a very good thing to do, as it gave us some feeling for what it would be like to be on our feet and swinging a club for that long.

After much anticipation and anxious forecast-watching (normal for any trip to Bandon), we finally found ourselves enjoying a great lunch at Tony's Crab Shack on Monday, hoping the good forecast would hold.  We inhaled some fish tacos, crab cakes and chowder and headed over to the Practice Area after doing a pre-check-in at the Lodge and spent a couple hours re-acquainting ourselves with the firm fescue, beach-sand bunkers and massive putting green (also SOP for a Bandon trip).

I imagine the get-together at the Punchbowl was probably somewhat muted from year's past, as the state of Oregon and Coos County are still emerging from the past year of Covid restrictions.  We met up with WRX'er Slippin Jimmy and his brother, dinked around on the Punchbowl, and headed over to dinner at McKee's to see what we could get with our voucher tickets.  Turns out the vouchers were good for any entrée at any of the restaurants on property, so four steaks were ordered with no hesitation.  They were great.  After that, it was time to head back to the rooms and try to convince ourselves we could actually get some sleep before the 4:30 AM alarm went off.  Our tee time was 5:40 on the back nine of BD, and the course rotation follows the order that the courses were opened.  PD was the course left out of the rota, so our schedule was BD back 9, Trails, OM, SR and BD front 9.  We concluded that would be a perfect setup, as we could fool ourselves into thinking the first nine was kinda like a range session, then the hardest walk would be done early while the legs were still fresh, then the easiest walk would be near the end, and the final 9 would be like some extra holes after a long day.  Such are the kinds of things you need to do to keep the mental game going.

We managed to avoid drinking too much of the free alcohol at the Punchbowl, and I think we both got a few hours of sleep before the alarm went off and it was game time.  As I was getting ready, everything hurt for absolutely no reason - wrist, knees, an ankle.  I tried to tell myself not to panic, it was just the normal "oh, yeah, I turned 60 this year" kind of stuff.  Grabbed our clubs and bags (they allow you one small duffel to cart around with extra shoes, socks, ibuprofen, etc.) and headed to the Lodge for some breakfast.  I was actually still full from the huge dinner, but made myself eat a bacon/egg sandwich anyway, and we stepped out onto #10 tee about 5:35.  We met up with our other twosome, Jon and Ben from Atlanta, also Solstice Rookies.  No range session, no chipping/putting, just walk out in the grey morning and hit one.  The weather was overcast and the air was very damp and humid.  It would remain that way the entire day.

The back 9 at BD pretty much flew by.  I was carrying a half set (D, 3H, 5, 7, 8, PW, 50* Gap, 56* SW, putter) in my trusty Mizuno Aerolite bag.  No issues with feeling tired at all, played mostly decent and we finished up at 6:55 and hopped on the shuttle for the very short ride to Trails.  I had decided to keep score and set a modest goal of shooting under 90 for all four rounds, trying to give myself quite a bit of leeway.  My greatest fear was that my game would completely leave me somewhere during the day.  Ended up that segment shooting 42, with a bunch of pars, a smattering of bogeys and one double (on the par 3 12th, where my tee shot just missed having enough steam to get up the false front).  We all felt good with the pace, and spirits were high.  All in all, a decent start.

The round at Trails felt basically like any other early tee time round.  After a disastrous double on the first hole, I settled into a good groove and finished the front in 41.  The back nine had more travails (as it often does) including a triple on 11 and a couple doubles to go with a few bogeys and finished up with a somewhat depressing 87.  I felt like I was playing better than that score showed, and I tried to remind myself there was much golf left to play.  I didn't feel like my game had totally left me, just got unlucky on a couple holes and hit a few bad shots - again, a normal round on Trails.  We finished the round at 9:55, for a pace of 2:50.  We were all quite pleased with that, and took the shuttle to OM.

Everyone changed shoes/socks on the shuttle, and we went right off at 10:05.  It was still grey and damp and the balls carried even less than they normally do there, but the fairways were running great and the courses were all in very good shape.  On the green at #3, I noticed that the poa is finally invading the greens on OM, which just last March showed little signs of that.  The front nine went fairly quickly and other than one double on #4 (a hole I have never played well) and a few bogeys (mostly three-putts) I felt good about making the turn in 40.  OM is the one course there that I do not have at least one sub-80 round, so I was feeling good about my chances.  Bruce and I both birdied 10, which was a real treat.  I dropped a putt from about 20 feet directly above the hole, and he canned a bomb from around 40 feet, which really lifted our spirits.  Midway through the round was the real mental test - the walking was beginning to take its toll, and the relatively ho-hum nature of the middle section of OM didn't help much.  It was the only time that I had any notions that I may not make it through.  We were all dragging a bit those last few holes, despite all of us keeping up on the bananas, water and protein balls (I want to hug whoever came up with those little gems)  throughout the morning.  We finished up at 1:05 PM, exactly three hours after we teed off (our longest round), and were really happy to see that we had a few minutes to wait for a shuttle, the only time we had to wait all day, as we were handed our lunch bags as we came off the course, and it gave us all time to sit for a bit and eat the killer club wraps and change shoes before heading over to the Sheep Ranch.  Final score at OM: 85.

Not sure if it was the club wrap, the shoe/sock change or the handful of ibuprofen kicking in, but I felt great by the time we got to the first tee at SR at 1:35 PM.  It's such a beautiful course, you can't help but be jacked about playing.  I think we also were all starting to sniff the finish line.  The front nine went great, out in 37 with all pars, one bogey and one double.  Sadly, the poa has also begun to creep into the greens at SR.  They still rolled fine, but it made me glad we got to play them earlier this year with all fescue surfaces.  The back nine had a couple wayward tee shots that I couldn't quite recover from, and I ended the round carding an 82.  We had one peek at the sun during the round, but I must have angered the Golf Gods by switching to sunglasses and putting on a bit of sunscreen, so that was the last of that.  Sorry, guys.  We finally caught up with the group ahead of us on 18, and the fog was really rolling in.  We couldn't see farther than a couple hundred yards on that last hole.  We finished at 4:30, just under 3 hours, and we were all feeling really good, as we knew we could play the front nine at BD basically on our hands and knees, if we had to.

Fortunately, we didn't have to.  By the time we got to the #1 tee at BD, the fog had mostly cleared.  We were all very excited and couldn't wait to finish the trek.  Naturally, we then had to wait to tee off.  No matter, the final nine went by as fast as the first nine that morning, and we finished up at 6:32 PM, total time for BD of 2:52.  I shot another 42 on that nine, for a total score of 84.  We shook hands, high-fived, got our crisp $100 bills, posed for some pictures and that was it.  We had done it.  Jon and Ben made the turn and played the back nine again (crazy kids...), while Bruce and I headed in for a well-deserved beverage.  We ended up in the Tufted Puffin for another steak dinner (love those vouchers!) and watched Jimmy and his brother finish up.

Some random thoughts:
- The event was incredibly well run and all the staff was very supportive and anxious to make the day go as smoothly as possible.  No surprise, there.
- The prep was super helpful; again, just to get a taste of what it feels like to be walking/swinging for that long.

- We stayed in a Chrome Lake upstairs unit, and the digs were great.  It was my first time outside of the Lodge or Inn.
- The gorse had zero blooms, so the scent was missing from all the ocean courses, though Trails still had that wonderful sandalwood smell to it.  I miss the smell of the gorse...
- We could not have asked for better weather.  Never got too hot, the wind never got above 8-10 mph, and only a couple holes on SR where there was much fog.

- There were about a dozen duffed shots/putts that  I wish I had back, but overall I'm happy that my game held up very well.  I was worried that the grind would leave me with no swing at some point, but that never happened.

- A 36-hole day will no longer seem like too much, at least for a few more years.

- There was really not a huge difference in the way the courses played from our usual off/shoulder season visits.  Made me feel good about saving the $ by going in those times as opposed to high-season.
- Once is enough, for me.  One of the things about playing there that I love is taking the time to appreciate the courses and their designs and subtleties.  Not much time to do that during the Solstice event.  You are pretty much hitting a shot or walking the entire time.  That's no knock on the event.  I just look at it as something I wanted to do to prove to myself that I could do at age 60.  
- I won't be eating any bananas for a while.

 

This sounds amazing.  Can you disclose what the cost of the golf event is?

[CDM]

Awesome write up @spud3   Looking forward to my first time playing Bandon.......Tomorrow 😃 

[Kernel]

Great report, Spud. I have never had an interest in playing the Solstice event for the reason you mentioned. I cannot imagine going to Bandon and not being able to soak it all in and appreciate every single hole. But it does sound like quite an adventure. 

[buzlin]

Awesome write up Spud!  Great job playing well throughout the entire day.  I'd be afraid of losing my swing both mentally and physically. 

 

Curious how your body felt in the days after?  Did you feel the urge to play the next day as well?

[spud3]

Base cost for the event was $1595 each, but that's for double occupancy.  We got the upgrade to the Chrome Lake singles, so final cost was $1895.  Only thing we paid for out of pocket was alcohol. 

 

Being a data nerd, I priced out what it would cost if I just called the resort and booked two rounds, two replays and two nights in a Chrome Lake unit in June, and that came out to about $1500. Add a couple steak dinners, two breakfast buffets, a sack lunch and all the water and snacks we could want, it would probably be around $1650 or so.   Considering we got close to $300 worth of swag, it was basically a push, financially.

 

The four courses in the rotation were all dedicated to the Solstice players.  PD and the Preserve were open for the other guests.  Having full commitment to the Solstice folks is the only way they can guarantee the kind of pace that is required for the whole day.  As duffer states, there's no way you'd be able to go at a sub-3 hour clip anytime other than the first few slots in the morning or late in the afternoon.

 

Registration was the first week of November 2020.  If you are thinking of doing it, call or email the resort to get added to the alerts on when it is happening this year.  It was an online feeding frenzy, and all the slots were filled about 5 minutes after it opened.

 

The body felt better the next day than I thought it would.  I actually went for a walk to the Lodge to breakfast, then ambled around the Beach trail and made a visit to the Labyrinth, maybe an hour's total walking.  I had zero desire to play a full round the day after.  Briefly thought about going out on the Preserve, but decided to amble home along the coast route instead.

 

The half set was a great choice.  My back and shoulders were definitely tired and sore the next day, but really not too badly.  I had left open the possibility of grabbing a riksha if I needed to, but never felt the need.  Most of the players seemed to have caddies, who only looped for 36 holes at a time, and most that I saw were double bagging.  None of our group had a caddie; Jon and I carried, Ben had a riksha and Bruce had his Clic Gear.  We were asked more than once as we got off the shuttle where our caddies were.  Got a couple quizzical looks when we said we didn't have any.  It certainly would have made the trek easier, but it was a personal goal of mine to carry for the whole thing.  Plus, not having to do the caddie dance after a couple rounds made the transitions that much simpler.  Get off the shuttle, walk to the tee, and go.

 

All in all, it was a great experience, and I'm glad I did it.  It helped to have a great partner and the guys we were paired with were awesome (and total sticks, to boot).  As I said, this was really a bucket list thing, and I came to the conclusion fairly early in the day that it was not something that I would likely repeat (but never say never, right?).  I just like to be able to take in the courses and their own individual personalities.  The other big thing I came away with was how the courses played essentially the same as they do even when I go in December or January.  The weather wasn't that much different (if you hit the right days), the fairways still run and the course conditions are no different.

 

And I just love the smell of the gorse in bloom...

[jrg75]

Awesome, congrats to all that completed it and impressed @spud3with your scores considering pace and duration.   Do you know if they allow singles to take it on or is it all double occupancy or greater? I'd love to do it, but all of my golfing friends are not that hardcore.

[CDM]

1 hour ago, spud3 said:

Base cost for the event was $1595 each, but that's for double occupancy.  We got the upgrade to the Chrome Lake singles, so final cost was $1895.  Only thing we paid for out of pocket was alcohol. 

 

Being a data nerd, I priced out what it would cost if I just called the resort and booked two rounds, two replays and two nights in a Chrome Lake unit in June, and that came out to about $1500. Add a couple steak dinners, two breakfast buffets, a sack lunch and all the water and snacks we could want, it would probably be around $1650 or so.   Considering we got close to $300 worth of swag, it was basically a push, financially.

 

The four courses in the rotation were all dedicated to the Solstice players.  PD and the Preserve were open for the other guests.  Having full commitment to the Solstice folks is the only way they can guarantee the kind of pace that is required for the whole day.  As duffer states, there's no way you'd be able to go at a sub-3 hour clip anytime other than the first few slots in the morning or late in the afternoon.

 

Registration was the first week of November 2020.  If you are thinking of doing it, call or email the resort to get added to the alerts on when it is happening this year.  It was an online feeding frenzy, and all the slots were filled about 5 minutes after it opened.

 

The body felt better the next day than I thought it would.  I actually went for a walk to the Lodge to breakfast, then ambled around the Beach trail and made a visit to the Labyrinth, maybe an hour's total walking.  I had zero desire to play a full round the day after.  Briefly thought about going out on the Preserve, but decided to amble home along the coast route instead.

 

The half set was a great choice.  My back and shoulders were definitely tired and sore the next day, but really not too badly.  I had left open the possibility of grabbing a riksha if I needed to, but never felt the need.  Most of the players seemed to have caddies, who only looped for 36 holes at a time, and most that I saw were double bagging.  None of our group had a caddie; Jon and I carried, Ben had a riksha and Bruce had his Clic Gear.  We were asked more than once as we got off the shuttle where our caddies were.  Got a couple quizzical looks when we said we didn't have any.  It certainly would have made the trek easier, but it was a personal goal of mine to carry for the whole thing.  Plus, not having to do the caddie dance after a couple rounds made the transitions that much simpler.  Get off the shuttle, walk to the tee, and go.

 

All in all, it was a great experience, and I'm glad I did it.  It helped to have a great partner and the guys we were paired with were awesome (and total sticks, to boot).  As I said, this was really a bucket list thing, and I came to the conclusion fairly early in the day that it was not something that I would likely repeat (but never say never, right?).  I just like to be able to take in the courses and their own individual personalities.  The other big thing I came away with was how the courses played essentially the same as they do even when I go in December or January.  The weather wasn't that much different (if you hit the right days), the fairways still run and the course conditions are no different.

 

And I just love the smell of the gorse in bloom...

 

Did you factor in the CRISP BENJAMIN at the end of the round in those totals  😃  (JK)   

 

Always wondered though...for those who complete Solstice for the first time, do they frame the BENJI and hang it up to remember? Spend it in the pro shop?  Drinks? Etc.

 

 

[spud3]

Mine is sitting on my desk at home.  Might slide it into a frame of one of the prints we got.  Thought about spending it in the pro shop, but god knows I've got enough gear...

 

Not sure if singles are accepted for this event or not.  They used to allow groups of up to 16 players, but this year started limiting the group size to 4 (good move, IMO).  They did require a payment of the full $1595 for all players at the time of registration, so make sure your visa card isn't maxed out.

 

I am lucky to have a fellow Bandon-addict for a playing partner.  We checked in with each other a lot during the course of the day, and having someone who knows your game and knows when to crack a joke (and when not to) is priceless.  When I dropped my birdie on OM and Bruce came in with his right on top of it, it was the highlight of the day.

[GQ0208]

Great report. Looks like we finished right behind you guys. We went off Bandon back nine at 6 am and played through the 5:50 group. Caddies were definitely a huge help for us but it was all of our first trip to Bandon so we needed them. 

[Slippin_Jimmy]

Got back from Bandon on Friday, the Solstice was a spectacular event and my brother and I were both really glad that we were able to take part in it this year.  Spud3 really hit all of the high notes with his trip report, but I'll add a few thoughts here myself after a few days to reflect on it.

 

- We arrived at PDX from BOS on Sunday night late and drove to Salem to stay for one night.  Monday AM we got up early, drove another 45 minutes to an Elmer's for our big "day before" breakfast, then got to Bandon around 10am.  Enough time to change and hit balls before an 11:50 warmup round at Trails.  Great way to break up the long drive, our best travel itinerary to date.

- Met up with Spud3 and WishIPlayedMore at the Punchbowl event on Monday afternoon.  This will come as little surprise to anyone who reads this board, but they were great guys and it was really nice to meet up in person, share a meal, and talk about Bandon, golf, and life.  Definitely a highlight!

- We were the 6th (and last) group to tee off the Bandon Back 9 at 6:10am.  We were a little worried that the 1st group that went off Bandon #1 would be right on us, but thankfully we never saw them until late in the round at Old Mac (We went BD #10, BT, OM, SR, BD #1).

- We hit the lottery with playing partners, the random twosome you get paired with could make or break your Solstice.  We lucked out with 2 great guys, buddies from Northern CA.  My brother is a 20+ handicap and was nervous about who we'd play with, they put him at ease right away and he ended up playing his best golf of the trip during the Solstice.

- My scores ranged from 77 to 85 during the 4 rounds.  We were very liberal with gimmes and the occasional 2nd drive, so take that for what it's worth.  I don't think I will post them.  I got tired on the 2nd 9 of Sheep Ranch and was leaving every drive way right, but thankfully it's so wide open you can get away with it there.  It would have been an ugly round at Trails.

- Switched socks and put Chamois Butt'r on my feet between rounds and had zero blisters. My brother only switched the socks and ended up with a couple of blisters at the end.

- We stayed an extra 2 days after.  The plan was to stay one extra but JetBlue changed our return flight so we got an extra night and round at Trails.  We played 36 the day after the Solstice (Sheep & BD) and felt great.

- We would 1000% do it again.  Already talking with our playing partners about next year if one of us manages to get a spot, we'd book for 4 and go as a group again.  I get why Spud3 wouldn't want to, he's local and can pop down more often.  For me, it's a great way to get a bunch of golf played in a short window and play at a time that's pretty close to guaranteed great weather.

- I wouldn't stay the extra days next time.  I'd just do an extra round on the front and back end and play 6 rounds over 3 days.  The resort really 180'd after the Solstice players (more regular guys IMO) left and the peak season crowd arrived (older group, families, etc).  Not saying that was good or bad or knocking anyone, but it was just a very noticeable change in golfers.

- If anyone is interested in playing Solstice, I would tell you that you can absolutely do it and physically it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.  I was well prepared for the walk and felt good throughout, and was ready to golf again the next day, albeit with a later start at 10:30.

[BgSprings87]

1 hour ago, Slippin_Jimmy said:

Got back from Bandon on Friday, the Solstice was a spectacular event and my brother and I were both really glad that we were able to take part in it this year.  Spud3 really hit all of the high notes with his trip report, but I'll add a few thoughts here myself after a few days to reflect on it.

 

- We arrived at PDX from BOS on Sunday night late and drove to Salem to stay for one night.  Monday AM we got up early, drove another 45 minutes to an Elmer's for our big "day before" breakfast, then got to Bandon around 10am.  Enough time to change and hit balls before an 11:50 warmup round at Trails.  Great way to break up the long drive, our best travel itinerary to date.

- Met up with Spud3 and WishIPlayedMore at the Punchbowl event on Monday afternoon.  This will come as little surprise to anyone who reads this board, but they were great guys and it was really nice to meet up in person, share a meal, and talk about Bandon, golf, and life.  Definitely a highlight!

- We were the 6th (and last) group to tee off the Bandon Back 9 at 6:10am.  We were a little worried that the 1st group that went off Bandon #1 would be right on us, but thankfully we never saw them until late in the round at Old Mac (We went BD #10, BT, OM, SR, BD #1).

- We hit the lottery with playing partners, the random twosome you get paired with could make or break your Solstice.  We lucked out with 2 great guys, buddies from Northern CA.  My brother is a 20+ handicap and was nervous about who we'd play with, they put him at ease right away and he ended up playing his best golf of the trip during the Solstice.

- My scores ranged from 77 to 85 during the 4 rounds.  We were very liberal with gimmes and the occasional 2nd drive, so take that for what it's worth.  I don't think I will post them.  I got tired on the 2nd 9 of Sheep Ranch and was leaving every drive way right, but thankfully it's so wide open you can get away with it there.  It would have been an ugly round at Trails.

- Switched socks and put Chamois Butt'r on my feet between rounds and had zero blisters. My brother only switched the socks and ended up with a couple of blisters at the end.

- We stayed an extra 2 days after.  The plan was to stay one extra but JetBlue changed our return flight so we got an extra night and round at Trails.  We played 36 the day after the Solstice (Sheep & BD) and felt great.

- We would 1000% do it again.  Already talking with our playing partners about next year if one of us manages to get a spot, we'd book for 4 and go as a group again.  I get why Spud3 wouldn't want to, he's local and can pop down more often.  For me, it's a great way to get a bunch of golf played in a short window and play at a time that's pretty close to guaranteed great weather.

- I wouldn't stay the extra days next time.  I'd just do an extra round on the front and back end and play 6 rounds over 3 days.  The resort really 180'd after the Solstice players (more regular guys IMO) left and the peak season crowd arrived (older group, families, etc).  Not saying that was good or bad or knocking anyone, but it was just a very noticeable change in golfers.

- If anyone is interested in playing Solstice, I would tell you that you can absolutely do it and physically it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.  I was well prepared for the walk and felt good throughout, and was ready to golf again the next day, albeit with a later start at 10:30.

Interesting review. Thank you! Contemplating bringing my buddy for his first trip to Bandon. Would you think it’d be better to avoid solstice with a first time Bandon player? 
 

just want him to get full experience and not be rushing every shot. But what a cool experience 

[duffer987]

51 minutes ago, BgSprings87 said:

Interesting review. Thank you! Contemplating bringing my buddy for his first trip to Bandon. Would you think it’d be better to avoid solstice with a first time Bandon player? 
 

just want him to get full experience and not be rushing every shot. But what a cool experience 

IMHO that's a rhetorical question 😉

A non-solstice trip - again IMHO - is going to be much better for someone who wants to go to Bandon because they want to go to Bandon. If they like events and checking lists and you're struggling to get your mate to go otherwise, then maybe that's the ticket.

[Slippin_Jimmy]

1 hour ago, BgSprings87 said:

Would you think it’d be better to avoid solstice with a first time Bandon player? 

Personally, I think if you can do Solstice you should do it. There are only 124 spots and it sells out in an instant. If you can get in, jump on it.

 

Duffer is right that your friend will soak it in more on a regular trip. For me, it was my 8th trip and other than Sheep Ranch I had played them all before, so I knew the courses well and where to hit it, for the most part.

 

One thing I would add though, it wasn’t as much “speed golf” as I thought it would be. We walked with pace and played very ready golf, but still it was much like a regular round in many ways.  I think on a lot of the YouTube Solstice videos they are sort of hamming it up. We took warmup swings, and no one was lying down or anything near the end.  It’s very doable if you are in decent shape.

[eighttothreein2020]

Wow, thanks for this amazing recap. My buddy and I were lucky enough to get two spots in the 2022 event and I am going insane with excitement. A great review and I didn't realize that they gave gift bags and food vouchers. That's pretty insane. 

[Slippin_Jimmy]

On 9/30/2021 at 2:28 PM, eighttothreein2020 said:

Wow, thanks for this amazing recap. My buddy and I were lucky enough to get two spots in the 2022 event and I am going insane with excitement. A great review and I didn't realize that they gave gift bags and food vouchers. That's pretty insane. 

You're going to love it, hope to see you there.  Drop me a line anytime if you have any questions.