Bandon

[Golfnuck]

3 hours ago, ND2005 said:

 

I described a Transfusion to my caddie at Royal Dornoch and his response was - that actually sounds delicious but I'm pretty sure you'll get kicked out of the pub if you try to order that here. 

 

Loved Royal Dornoch but it has never hosted a major open championship and is way up north.  However it arrived on the golf map when Tom Watson played there after his Open win at Muirfield and proclaimed it as "the most fun I’ve ever had on a golf course ".  Brilliant move by whom ever it was that invited him to play.

 

Interesting problem when I post from my computer the picture is rotated to landscape mode but when I post from my phone its is ok.

 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2023 by Golfnuck
Picture posting issue

[jvincent]

On 12/10/2023 at 11:31 AM, ND2005 said:

 Transfusions and espresso martinis haven’t really made it over to Ireland and Scotland. So you gotta factor that in too. 

 

Yes, but if you ask for a "whiskey to go" they give a full takeout coffee cup of whiskey!

 

At least that's what they gave one of the guys in our group this spring. 

[jvincent]

5 hours ago, dcmidnight said:

Look I've said this before. From the East Coast Bandon takes twice as long to get to and costs twice as much as Ireland or Scotland. They are both great great options.

 

If you want to pack 36 a day for 4 or 5 days in a row - then its Bandon.

 

If you want 18 a day and then a half day of just pure enjoyment of the environment - then its Scotland/Ireland.

 

Agreed on the travel time, but at the time of year we typically go they end up being about the same price for the same number of rounds.

 

Your other two points are bang on. Bandon is golf-a-palooza. Scotland/Ireland is more relaxed, unless you are crazy.

[vallygolf]

All one needs to know about Bandon is that throughout this thread it, as a stand alone location, is being compared to two of the finest golf COUNTRIES in the world.  This dialogue alone should answer the question if it is worth the trip irrespective of distance.  Both Ireland and Scotland are worth the trip as well, again distance is irrelevant.

[sabram]

4 hours ago, vallygolf said:

All one needs to know about Bandon is that throughout this thread it, as a stand alone location, is being compared to two of the finest golf COUNTRIES in the world.  This dialogue alone should answer the question if it is worth the trip irrespective of distance.  Both Ireland and Scotland are worth the trip as well, again distance is irrelevant.

Not really. There are numerous villages and localities  in Scotland, Ireland and England that have more and better golf than Bandon in a very small geographic area, so it's not a comparison of Bandon to an entire country. In St Andrews alone you have more than 7 courses. In and next to Gullane along the southern coast of the Firth of Forth you have 8 great courses within about 15 minutes of each other. In Ayr you have a strip of linksland that has 8 courses that run almost contiguously up the coat from Prestwick to Irvine. At one point you can stand on a tee and hit a wedge onto Western Gailes, Glasgow Gailes and Dundonald. Near Liverpool you have 8+ great courses, including three Open Championship venues all bunched close to each other.  Kent is another  place that has loads of great golf options. There are dozens of trips like that to GB&I that will me more memorable than Bandon. There is no need to galivant across GB or I to find a small locale that has numerous great golf options with very minimal drive time between courses,  that will be easier to get to than Bandon (at least from the Eastern US)

 

No doubt Bandon is a great golf resort. I've loved my visits there, but I've enjoyed my golf trips to Scotland, England and Ireland even more. On each of those trips I've stayed in a small area that makes up a tiny fraction of a country and have played the most memorable golf of my life on those trips

[Golfnuck]

Sabram said it best.

 

I played Bandon 4 times and thought it was the best.  I then went to Scotland and realized it was not even close.

 

Not knocking Bandon at all but for me it does not compare to Scotland.

 

Curious as to how many were like me? 

[dcmidnight]

4 minutes ago, Golfnuck said:

Sabram said it best.

 

I played Bandon 4 times and thought it was the best.  I then went to Scotland and realized it was not even close.

 

Not knocking Bandon at all but for me it does not compare to Scotland.

 

Curious as to how many were like me? 

 

Different trips for me. I had no interest in playing 36 a day in Scotland - or even traveling for that matter. We stayed in StA for 8 days, played golf in the morning, relaxed and walked around and enjoyed the town in the late afternoon/evening. If you wanted to you could play 10 rounds on completely different courses - and not drive more than 15 minutes from town. But we had no interest in doing that.

 

Its completely different from packing 36 a day in over multiple days at BD. 

 

If someone wants to argue that the 5 courses at BD are *that much* better than the Old/New/Jubille/Crail/Elie/Kingsbarns...just to name a few...nah, I'm not buying it.

 

But we can probably all agree. This is like trying to take 20 5-star restaurants and saying one is "best".

[mikedejong33]

I have done 1 trip to Bandon with a group of 40 buddies, and 1 trip to Scotland with the wife. Both were perfect for what they were. Bandon to me is like an all inclusive resort purely for golf, which I loved. 5 world class golf courses, good food, drinks, etc. and you never have to leave the property. After playing a full round of golf, you can play again, or mess around on the putting green, par 3 course, etc. It is the best buddy trip destination I think.

 

On the other hand, I could live in St Andrews, we just loved it so much. But there is so much more than golf there, with the castles, ruins, old buildings, history, etc. It was just a really cool place to visit, driving between places was part of the attraction as you got to see so much. 

 

So probably for me, if I want a pure golf trip, Bandon is hard to beat. If I want more, a little culture, adventure, site seeing, etc. then Scotland was better. At Bandon we played 8 rounds in 5 days, while in Scotland we played 8 rounds in 10 days and we didn't feel cheated either way. Both were bucket list trips, but I bet I am back at Bandon before I am back to Scotland in my lifetime.    

[ND2005]

26 minutes ago, dcmidnight said:

 

Different trips for me. I had no interest in playing 36 a day in Scotland - or even traveling for that matter. We stayed in StA for 8 days, played golf in the morning, relaxed and walked around and enjoyed the town in the late afternoon/evening. If you wanted to you could play 10 rounds on completely different courses - and not drive more than 15 minutes from town. But we had no interest in doing that.

 

Its completely different from packing 36 a day in over multiple days at BD. 

 

If someone wants to argue that the 5 courses at BD are *that much* better than the Old/New/Jubille/Crail/Elie/Kingsbarns...just to name a few...nah, I'm not buying it.

 

But we can probably all agree. This is like trying to take 20 5-star restaurants and saying one is "best".

 

Agreed, they are just incomparably different to me. 

 

A Scotland trip for me is probably a once every 5 years or once every decade event. Too much planning, logistics, travel, and time off of work. If I'm going I'm going for at least a full week to make it worth my while. And it will be 18 holes most days, maybe one or two 36 hole days if courses are close by. It also involves multiple hotel transfers, planning out/finding meals. Outstanding experience no doubt, but a lot of prep and leadtime needed. 

 

Bandon? I show up, turn off my brain, and golf til my feet fall off. Everything is close/convenient, shuttles running everywhere, easy food and drink options. And I can do it over a long weekend and be back to work on Monday. I'll go at least once a year to one of the US "all-in" golf resorts like Bandon or SV or Pinehurst. 

[Mullenboy]

A Scotland trip is indeed quite different from a Bandon trip, for all the reasons quite well-stated.  There are great reasons to do each.

 

I think the points here are however:

 

a) if you can only do one, do Scotland or Ireland first... the real thing is always going to be better than an imitation - and as great as Bandon is, it's not real links golf; and 

b) from the east coast USA, the logistics of getting to Bandon tend to make it such that it's easier to get to Ireland in particular than Bandon... so why not go to Ireland?

[italianstallion]

On 12/10/2023 at 1:50 AM, Golfnuck said:

 

As I've said I golfed Bandon 5 times and last year I played the Old Course for the first time.  For me no comparison.  I will remember that first tee shot at the Old Course for the rest of my life.

 

To par the 18th and head off to the Dunvegan Pub for drinks  ....   wow.  I am not knocking Bandon and will be heading there for the 6th time next year but its not the GOAT for me.

 

I did Bandon in June and the Old Course in July. I absorbed everything I could about Bandon for the year leading up to the trip, and I didn't realize it at the time but in retrospect it caused me to have these super lofty expectations when I got there. I paid what I thought was a premium for better weather and conditions, and as luck would have it I got four days of cold, wind, and rain along with punched and potmarked greens on a couple of the courses. Bandon can't control the weather, but those bright blue-bird day pictures you see posted everywhere (including in this thread) are never guaranteed. The picture I took (attached) is what we faced/saw for six of the eight rounds. The only way we knew the ocean was even there was by of the sound of the crashing surf and the 40mph winds coming off of it. We were hardmen, we did it when most people were abandoning their second rounds every day, but I left feeling like all I did was pay $5K to go toe-to-toe with Ali for four days.

 

After that Instagram vs. reality moment, I decided to not look up a single thing about the Old Course beyond what I already knew. This was helped in part by the fact that I was going to have to do the singles queue so I wasn't even guaranteed to play. In short, I got to play. The next 24 hours starting with my arrival at singles queue, to playing (and having my wife walk with me), to having a pint at Dunvegan, and finishing with a fantastic meal and drink at the 18 at Rusacks were beyond perfect. It was one of the top three days of my life. Memories per dollar were quite the bargain compared to Bandon. 

 

 

On 12/10/2023 at 10:45 AM, jerebear21 said:

if there's 10 trips to take, I'd do 9 ireland, 1 bandon.  Love bandon.  Everyone should go.  Ireland/scotand has an enter the wilderness feel to me.  Bandon is starting to feel corporate. 

 

I found the accommodations at Bandon to be excellent for the price paid for the rooms. The food and service however were quite disappointing resort wide. You're right, its a corporate operation and when you stopped to look around you realized you were just being corralled around the resort (range in the morning, punchbowl in the afternoon, McKees at night). Aside from one or two people you're not getting the personalized  treatment you see the influencers getting.

Edited December 28, 2023 by italianstallion

[hammergolf]

On 12/8/2023 at 10:13 PM, Foley589 said:

Is Bandon really worth the money or is there a better place to golf? A few of my buddies want to go next year and I am just wondering if it’s worth the cost?

 

thanks 

I’ll start off by saying that Bandon is great! However, I can go to Ireland or Scotland for half of what it costs to go to Bandon. I’m in the Midwest, so the trip to Ireland is about the same flight time as Bandon. If your buddies aren’t up for a trip overseas, then by all means do Bandon. But if you want the best experience I highly recommend Ireland. 

[hammergolf]

On 12/10/2023 at 9:45 AM, jerebear21 said:

if there's 10 trips to take, I'd do 9 ireland, 1 bandon.  Love bandon.  Everyone should go.  Ireland/scotand has an enter the wilderness feel to me.  Bandon is starting to feel corporate. 

I agree. There’s just nothing on this continent that can compare to Carne, RCD, Tralee, Ballybunion, Enniscrone, Waterville, Lahinch, Portrush, etc…..

[jerebear21]

honestly you can play some of those courses above ^^^ 2-3 times in a row and now be bored.  I find myself getting bored of bandon and the bandon "routine" stallion spoke of on previous post.  

 

and if I want a quick weekend getaway, i believe there are exceptional resorts with easier transportation than the hike to bandon.  Not taking anything away from bandon.  It's worth more than a weekend trip.  I honestly just hate the hike from the east coast. 

[The Pearl]

I have done the Bandon experience 6 times.  I encourage everybody to go once or keep going as long as the enthusiasm is there.  Like the poster above, I will probably never go back, mostly do the weather randomness. The first few times it is kind of fun. No anymore.

 

We have substituted Sand Valley the last two years. Of course, weather was brilliant and Sand Valley has a different vibe, almost early Bandon. With that said, SV will eventually suffer some of the same concerns now facing Bandon. A bit of corporate feel with a bunch pretend golf enthusiasts. 

 

As far as Scotland/Ireland, I have never been and the desire is not really there anymore.  The flight, running around from place to place, etc. Just seems like a hassle.

 

I am gravitating toward finding way, way out of the way courses in the U.S., mom and pop types to see. Less people, less pomp and circumstance.

[jimwgt26]

I think Bandon is great and a good value if you're going to play 36/ day or more.  However, I realize that's not for everyone.  Reviewing my invoice, I always feel like I got my money's worth.  Scotland and Ireland are also fantastic and worth it. I do hate Tom Coyne putting them on more people's radars.  

[Chanceman]

On 1/3/2024 at 6:26 AM, The Pearl said:

I have done the Bandon experience 6 times.  I encourage everybody to go once or keep going as long as the enthusiasm is there.  Like the poster above, I will probably never go back, mostly do the weather randomness. The first few times it is kind of fun. No anymore.

 

We have substituted Sand Valley the last two years. Of course, weather was brilliant and Sand Valley has a different vibe, almost early Bandon. With that said, SV will eventually suffer some of the same concerns now facing Bandon. A bit of corporate feel with a bunch pretend golf enthusiasts. 

 

As far as Scotland/Ireland, I have never been and the desire is not really there anymore.  The flight, running around from place to place, etc. Just seems like a hassle.

 

I am gravitating toward finding way, way out of the way courses in the U.S., mom and pop types to see. Less people, less pomp and circumstance.

I agree. After a while golf is golf and there are some awesome courses around that most people have never heard of and are cheap as chips. You only have to read Argonne’s travelog for examples.

[dcmidnight]

On 1/2/2024 at 2:26 PM, The Pearl said:

As far as Scotland/Ireland, I have never been and the desire is not really there anymore.  The flight, running around from place to place, etc. Just seems like a hassle.

 

If thats how you do Scotland than you're doing it wrong.

 

You could stay in St Andrews for 3 weeks alone, play a different course within say an hour drive each day and not get bored. People who do the kind of trips you described - IMO - miss out on 99% of what Scotland is really about in the first place and are just on a "bag tag Bob" kind of trip to check as many boxes as possible.

[Mullenboy]

54 minutes ago, dcmidnight said:

 

If thats how you do Scotland than you're doing it wrong.

 

You could stay in St Andrews for 3 weeks alone, play a different course within say an hour drive each day and not get bored. People who do the kind of trips you described - IMO - miss out on 99% of what Scotland is really about in the first place and are just on a "bag tag Bob" kind of trip to check as many boxes as possible.

And the same goes for Ireland.  Pick any of several cities/villages, stay put.

Edited January 9 by Mullenboy

[Golfnuck]

"As far as Scotland/Ireland, I have never been and the desire is not really there anymore.  The flight, running around from place to place, etc. Just seems like a hassle."

 

"If thats how you do Scotland than you're doing it wrong."

 

Spot on.  On our trip we only stayed in St. Andrews for 6 days and could have stayed for 2 weeks.

 

IMHO for those of us that live in North American we don't really have a good perspective of just how small the UK is and just how many golf courses are available within 1 hour of St. Andrews.

Edited January 11 by Golfnuck

[dcmidnight]

30 minutes ago, Golfnuck said:

IMHO for those of us that live in North American we don't really have a good perspective of just how small the UK is and just how many golf courses are available within 1 hour of St. Andrews.

 

Concur. I think there were easily another 10 courses we could have played that we had nowhere near the time for.

 

We also dont have an appreciation - until you go there - of how bonkers a "four hour drive" might be. Its not four hours on a wide open interstate bombing away at 75-80 mph. 

[eboettne]

I love Bandon but can't wait to get my Scotland and Ireland experience.  I'd like to start with St Andrews because it looks like a town I'd never want to leave.

[hgb]

As with many of you I have taken trips to both Bandon and Ireland.   I enjoyed both immensely and don't try to rate one against the other.   Both were great for  the same reason (great golf) and also were different enough as travel destinations to make the experiences unique.   Bandon, once on property was golf only (no long drives -and so very relaxing)  and while Ireland entailed travel, the golf vacation was enhanced by immersion in the sites and culture.

 

However any comparisons are between a resort (6 courses) and a country (several hundred).      I loved both, but "daydream" of returning to Ireland since a second trip would be something entirely new.    My first trip focused on the West and Southwest, but my next trip will include the Northwest and Northern Ireland,   Add Scotland/England to the mix and there are many more locations, each of which would compare to Bandon.  I loved Bandon but would rather return to GB&I

 

 

 

 

 

[cjblake09]

7 hours ago, dcmidnight said:

 

Concur. I think there were easily another 10 courses we could have played that we had nowhere near the time for.

 

We also dont have an appreciation - until you go there - of how bonkers a "four hour drive" might be. Its not four hours on a wide open interstate bombing away at 75-80 mph. 

We went to St Andrews in 2022 and while it was great i would not say there again.  I appreciated much more the smaller towns and courses up north of there all the way up to Royal Dornoch.  

[Golfnuck]

On 1/11/2024 at 5:33 PM, cjblake09 said:

We went to St Andrews in 2022 and while it was great i would not say there again.  I appreciated much more the smaller towns and courses up north of there all the way up to Royal Dornoch.  

 

I cannot pin point exactly what it is about Royal Dornoch but the majority of my group agreed that they could play it as their home course and not get tired of it.  Certainly its not because of the grandeur of its clubhouse.

[cjblake09]

1 hour ago, Golfnuck said:

 

I cannot pin point exactly what it is about Royal Dornoch but the majority of my group agreed that they could play it as their home course and not get tired of it.  Certainly its not because of the grandeur of its clubhouse.

They just broke ground on a new clubhouse . 

[Golfnuck]

22 hours ago, cjblake09 said:

They just broke ground on a new clubhouse . 

 

I don't know how I really feel about that.  There was a sense of history in that clubhouse.  Sitting in the dining room looking out at the course was pretty cool.  The lockers, while dated, were in good shape and certainly was not just like every other modern clubhouse.  Good comparison would be between Royal Dornoch and Castle Stuart (now Cabot Highlands).

[Golfnuck]

 

Castle Stuart mens locker.

Edited January 16 by Golfnuck

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, Golfnuck said:

 

I don't know how I really feel about that.  There was a sense of history in that clubhouse.  Sitting in the dining room looking out at the course was pretty cool.  The lockers, while dated, were in good shape and certainly was not just like every other modern clubhouse.  Good comparison would be between Royal Dornoch and Castle Stuart (now Cabot Highlands).

I agree, but realize I’m in the minority that really enjoys the older structures and history. In fact, I’m really only concerned about the course itself and not the other amenities.

[3eagles18]

Been in September the last two years from AZ and going again this year. Call and get on the wait list for lodging. There are plenty of cancellations. The staff will contact you with openings. tee times are available.