Just Booked my Bandon Trip!!!!!!!!!

[mauiman]

I'm headed there a week from tomorrow...way too giddy right now. The next week will be the longest of my life.

[CHEFMIZ]

Duffer- thanks for the pics! Glad to hear that you are enjoying your trip.

DeNinny- I can only imagine how pumped you are! I know that you have been looking forward to this trip, please update the thread if you can while you are there.

And yes Maui, this week will be excrutiatingly long

Picked up a Hard Sided travel bag especially for this trip, my old travel bag just wasn't gonna cut it- at least that's what i'm telling myself...

[DeNinny]

Two more hours to go before teeing it up on Pacific Dunes. I'm heading to the practice range in about 20 min. Should be in the 50s all day, partially cloudy with no rain and < 10 mph winds. I'll be back with a report on the round.

Yesterday I played Sandpines. I couldn't read a putt to save my life. The course was great but greens were on the slow and shaggy side. 'twas a great warmup for the Bandon courses.

[DeNinny]

Just got back from Pacific Dunes. 'twas 50 F day. The sun peeked down for about two shots on #2 and then hid behind clouds, no rain, for the rest of the round. Winds were from 0 to about 15 mph all day long. As usual, the winds were all on the coastal holes and it got progressively calmer as we went more inland. The course was in great shape. Greens were not too fast but as usual nothing sticks so play for roll. I had a rough first nine with a 47 (I'm a 10 index). I couldn't hit a shot or a putt on the front. Back nine I shot a 40 with a triple on #16, so I feel good about that. No birdies, a fair share of pars and way too many triples sums up my round. I had a 20 ft eagle putt on #3...and proceeded to 3 putt for par. That's the kind of day it was, game-wise. I call it schizophrenic golf.

Sorry CHEFMIZ, no camera.

I just got out of the jacuzzi tub in the room and will take out the wife to dinner at the Lodge. Life is good.

Tomorrow is Old Mac and likely Bandon Dunes if I have the energy.

[Dr. Shankenstein]

Is it possible or even likely to do 36 holes this time of the year? I am wanting to wrap my head around a trip for next winter.
thanks

[KSI]

[quote name='Dr. Shankenstein' timestamp='1353989300' post='5983203']
Is it possible or even likely to do 36 holes this time of the year? I am wanting to wrap my head around a trip for next winter.
thanks
[/quote]

36 in a day this time of year is no problem provided you tee off early, say the first half hour (7:30 to 8:00 am).

[duffer987]

[quote name='Dr. Shankenstein' timestamp='1353989300' post='5983203']
Is it possible or even likely to do 36 holes this time of the year? I am wanting to wrap my head around a trip for next winter.
thanks
[/quote]

With people, as the previous poster says just start early (ie. by 8:30am), as a single for a second round you can go much later.
After playing morning rounds this past Thurs (11:10), Friday (9:40), and Sunday (9:20) in your typical foursome, I went back out as a single and got in 10 holes the one afternoon and two complete rounds the other two days. You need 2.5hrs and an open course.

[Dr. Shankenstein]

Awesome. Thanks y'all. I have dreams of Bandon in my future.

[njlam]

You owe it to yourself to play the Preserve. The Preserve is particularly fun as a warm up to any of the 18 hole courses.

Last week, we tee'ed off at 830am at the Preserve and finished in time for 11am tee times at Pacific on one day and Bandon the next.

Realistically, it is easier to play the Preserve first, then an 18 hole course second.

[duffer987]

Now that I am back home after my 4 day Thanksgiving stay at Bandon, all I want to do is head back up there this coming weekend!

It is a truly awesome place for a golfer. I didn't think I'd golf as much as I did, but I just kept going back out there.
36 holes at Bandon, 36 holes at Old Mac, and 46 holes at Pacific. I kept the marshalls out later than they'd otherwise had been, but they were always up for some banter and never once did I feel pressed to get off the damn course so they could go home
I've played a good deal of Irish links golf and Bandon does not suffer by comparison at all.

[media=]http://www.flickr.com/photos/13623225@N00/sets/72157632108707235/[/media]

I uploaded these few pics to my flickr account. Photos of Bandon do not do it justice, but hopefully they help give you a taste of whats in store!

[FlyFish]

Very cool. Thank you for sharing!

[CHEFMIZ]

Duffer- Thank you kindly for the pictures. I am amazed at how green it appears, most of the grass out here is slowly fading to brown. I absolutely can't wait!!

DeNinny- I understand schizo golf a little too well. What is your wife doing while you are out on the course? Is she walking along with you? Curious since my wife is taking up the game and if i go out in 2014 i may surprise her by taking her with me...

Everyone raves about McKee's, but how is the food in the Gallery and the Pacific Grill? As a kitchen guy both of those menus look a little nicer...

Also- can anyone chime in about the bag delivery service through Bandon? It seems like it's a good idea but i would like to hear some reviews.

[duffer987]

You're welcome It's Nov in the Pacific Northwest, so green is pretty easy to maintain

It's really not a place for non-golfers. I wouldn't drag a non-golfer out there for any amount of time.

Ate at the Gallery and thought it was really good.
Ate at McKee's too and it just provides the faux pub experience to go with the real links golf experience. It's absolutely fine for what it is and you could eat there multiple nights no prob at all, but I definitely wouldn't take my girlfriend there for a top notch meal and bottle of wine.

It's great they provide all the amenities and services, but they could have a Motel6 there instead and it wouldn't take away from what is a truly awesome golfing experience. One I'm already thinking of repeating this coming Feb!

[tonster]

Noticed you're from the Bay Area as well. I'm scheduled to head up to Bandon around Christmas time. Did you drive up there or did you fly in?

[2bGood]

I will be down there in 67 days! Can't wait

[duffer987]

[quote name='tonster' timestamp='1354212274' post='5995527']
Noticed you're from the Bay Area as well. I'm scheduled to head up to Bandon around Christmas time. Did you drive up there or did you fly in?
[/quote]

The drive from the base of the Bay Bridge, to Canyonville Oregon took 6.5hrs. That was starting at 1pm on the day before Thanksgiving. So the traffic build up on 80 at the maze, Vallejo, and Vacaville, added about an extra 30mins to the trip, but once onto 515 and then I5 everything was fine. I stopped once for 10 mins and otherwise I went straight through.

The drive from Canyonville to Bandon the next morning took 90mins, but that is not 90mins to the first tee, so I'd leave a 2hr window to get to the resort, park, get your gear ready, and pay, to be able to comfortably tee-off.

On the drive back, starting at 5:15pm Sunday night, it took 8:45hrs in total. That was with a 25min break for petrol and food, and then another 10min break to close my eyes for a bit, to make sure I didn't end up in a ditch. North of Redding the drive is interesting enough with Mt. Shasta and the like, but the bit on I5 is a pretty yawn inducing.

When I return I will look at SFO to Eugene, if the timing works. It's a long time in the car, but it only cost me 2.5 tanks of gas and my time to get there and I could bring my clubs, pushcart and all the stuff I want without worrying about bag charges. The way up felt really easy, but the way back I was completely knackered at the end, for obvious reasons. With two people it would be a breeze.

[DMR2112]

Duffer

Look into a flight from San Francisco to Nothh bend on United. I took that flight 2 years ago on my connection from Philadelphia and all was good. Booked again for this coming january and bought my buddy from Sacramento a ticket on that flight for a little over $200 round trip. It's a prop jet flight, but the airport is half an hour from the resort and it's the easiest airport to get in and out of. Hertz and Avis both rent out of there too. Think we land at 12:45 or so. Plenty of time for warm up or a 9 hole round somewhere.

T minus 56 days. Can't wait to return to Bandon.

DR

[duffer987]

Hey DR - I did do that, but the once a day, mid-day flights in the winter, meant to get 4 days of play in, you'd need 5 or 6 days to fit it in.
In the summer when there is more light it may be an option, but it's the maxing out vacation days that's paramount for me
That's why evening flights into Eugene and then driving (or driving the whole way) work out better in that regard.
If you already have to fly across the country to SFO, then I can see adding that leg being a great option.

[DMR2112]

Duffer

That is a very good point. If I lived on the west coast, I would drive too!! We live in Philadelphia and go to Myrle Beach every year for vacation. It's about a 9 hour drive and I can do it in my sleep ( and have sometimes ). If there were 2 flights a day it would leave the options open a bit more. I'm with you though, when you go to Bandon, you play as much golf as humanly possible.

DR

[DeNinny]

[quote name='CHEFMIZ' timestamp='1354157551' post='5993149']
DeNinny- I understand schizo golf a little too well. What is your wife doing while you are out on the course? Is she walking along with you? Curious since my wife is taking up the game and if i go out in 2014 i may surprise her by taking her with me...
[/quote]

My wife practiced her harp and worked on her music when I was playing. She did play Bandon Preserve with me and I would have taken her on Bandon Dunes one day but she has a shoulder injury. It's not the best place for a non-golfer but there is the town of Bandon and wonderful local walks that could entertain a non-golfer for 1-2 days max.

As for the rest of my trip, I absolutely loved Old MacDonald. It is a short game player's wet dream. I didn't like all the blind shots but the greens were outstanding. Not too long of a course either. I'll still take Bandon Trails and Pacific Dunes over it but I liked it more than Bandon Dunes. I also played Bandon Dunes with a couple of scratch+ golfers from the tips. They were partying hard and I joined them. LOL so I had a terrible round but oh so much fun with those guys. Lastly, Bandon Preserve was a gem of a pitch-n-putt. Another short game test of skills, like Old Mac but no drive shot. I played it in 25 mph winds. I would not pass on Bandon Preserve at all, and it was just as much fun as the other courses.

All in all, a great trip. Perfect weather and good company.

[tonster]

Anyone have a list of caddies that they would recommend to others?

[78blades]

I just played Bandon yesterday and I've never seen my chips run out as far as they did there. I live here in the NW and have played Chambers Bay and Tetherow and I could get my ball to check on those greens, but not at Bandon. It took me until the afternoon to start to use my 3 wood instead of a wedge around the greens for many of those shots, (for those shots I really like putting with a 17 or 21* hybrid, but I took the training wheels out of my bag last year, hence I use my 3 wood for that). Of course it all pretty much depends on the lie and whats between you and the pin. So for those who are going to Bandon and live by the wedge around the greens, get ready for a learning experience, practice bump & run shots, get ready for some really, really nasty bunkers and they aren't just around the greens. Also, as many others have posted, at times it is hard to play golf because it is so damn beautiful and serene there, not to mention that the staff are just top notch. Personally, I can't wait to go back. I've only played Bandon and Pacific Dunes. I really liked Pacific Dunes, damn it was fun.

The same architect designed Pacific Dunes and Tetherow in Bend Or. I've played Tetherow the most so far, but I'm not sure which one I like the most. For scenery, serenity and a real golf experience, Pacific Dunes hands down. For a course where you get rewarded for controlling your ball from tee to green, and for me, many times it is better to go off of the tee with my 3 wood instead of my driver cuz in Bend its a one to 2 club difference for me, whereas at Pacific Dunes my drives are more in the 250-260 area,(when I'm striking the ball well; also Bend is at approx. 4000 feet above sea level). So, all in all at this point I think Tethrow is tougher, but on average the bunkers at Pacific Dunes are by far more punishing.

[DeNinny]

[quote name='78blades' timestamp='1354948152' post='6037269']
I just played Bandon yesterday and I've never seen my chips run out as far as they did there. I live here in the NW and have played Chambers Bay and Tetherow and I could get my ball to check on those greens, but not at Bandon. It took me until the afternoon to start to use my 3 wood instead of a wedge around the greens for many of those shots, (for those shots I really like putting with a 17 or 21* hybrid, but I took the training wheels out of my bag last year, hence I use my 3 wood for that). Of course it all pretty much depends on the lie and whats between you and the pin. So for those who are going to Bandon and live by the wedge around the greens, get ready for a learning experience, practice bump & run shots, get ready for some really, really nasty bunkers and they aren't just around the greens. Also, as many others have posted, at times it is hard to play golf because it is so damn beautiful and serene there, not to mention that the staff are just top notch. Personally, I can't wait to go back. I've only played Bandon and Pacific Dunes. I really liked Pacific Dunes, damn it was fun.

...

but on average the bunkers at Pacific Dunes are by far more punishing.
[/quote]

You can read up on it in advance all you want, but nothing really prepares you for how the greenside play is out there. That's links golf, baby. I hit a 3w baby runner at Old Mac from about 20 feet away, 10 being fringe, hit my normal shot but knew to play it short and I still blew it by 20 feet. (Stop, Stop! STOP already) Having been there three times now, I found that you must think out of the box on all your short game shots and also really think the type of shot through. Nearly everything is either bump and run or putt or 3w runner because flops and lobs are so hard from those tight lies. My lob wedge only saw the bunkers the entire time. To me if you are on the fairway you keep that club in the bag.

BTW, If you really wanted to test that short game you should have played Old Mac. But there's always next time.

Yeah the Pac Dunes bunkers are like the maws of giant dunemonsters just wanting to gobble your ball up. It's such a tricked out course but it is the good kind of tricked out. You can score out there but you must know how to set up the shot, otherwise you have no chance.

Since you are going back, call yourself a Bandonista now.

[ws6]

David Kidd was the architect for Bandon Dunes and Tetherow. Pacific Dunes was designed by Tom Doak.

Tehterow is pretty but the slopes in the greens are too much IMHO.

[SnapFade2]

[quote name='2putttom' timestamp='1351703919' post='5872977']
[quote name='Sushiyoshi' timestamp='1350514715' post='5808775']
That would be cool. I can't smoke or drink tho.

I have not been able to confirm the dates yet and tee times yet. But base on the last couple of years that I have gone, we will play a course each day from Saturday through Monday. Since the Preserve is now open, I think we will probably play Saturday because our foursome usually have an earlier tee time. We usually start the drive back to Portland after the round on Monday since it's a long drive.

On Thursday, we usually play Sand Pines before heading down to Bandon. Should get there before 8PM. Not sure if we may skip that and get down to Bandon ASAP to play the Preserve instead this year.

I probably won't be able to get a schedule until around Thanksgiving as has been in previous years.

Never heard of Sheep Ranch but just googled it. Looks awesome!

[url="http://www.cybergolf.com/golf_news/bally_bandon_sheep_ranch_a_throwback_to_simpler_times"]http://www.cybergolf...o_simpler_times[/url]
[media=]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qWxEOHDNfM[/media]
[/quote]One of many things I love about this video is NO HOUSES! just unspoiled beauty.
[/quote]
actually there is one sick a** house off to the hard right of where these guys are teeing off. but yes it super natural. one of the best courses i have ever played

[SnapFade2]

[quote name='CHEFMIZ' timestamp='1354157551' post='5993149']
Duffer- Thank you kindly for the pictures. I am amazed at how green it appears, most of the grass out here is slowly fading to brown. I absolutely can't wait!!

DeNinny- I understand schizo golf a little too well. What is your wife doing while you are out on the course? Is she walking along with you? Curious since my wife is taking up the game and if i go out in 2014 i may surprise her by taking her with me...

[b]Everyone raves about McKee's, but how is the food in the Gallery and the Pacific Grill? As a kitchen guy both of those menus look a little nicer...[/b]

Also- can anyone chime in about the bag delivery service through Bandon? It seems like it's a good idea but i would like to hear some reviews.
[/quote]
get the fried eggs from there the best

[78blades]

Thank you DeNinny and Ws6.

IMO the 3 biggest things to practice when going to Mecca are 1) practice putting with a 17 or 21* hybrid or 3 wood, (this will save 3 or more strokes on your round IMO), 2) practice bunker shots, especially ones that have to carry some distance and 3) get a good knock down shot, and it doesn't have to windy for it either.

My golf partner shot a 71 last Wednesday at Stone Creek and was excited. After the round we were having a beer and he says, "hey, lets go to Bandon tomorrow (Thursday), I'm a regular there, they know me". Heck I'm retired, so I said, "sure". The only problem was that he had to be back that night. So we hit the road at 0400 Thursday morning. Got to Bandon at 0810. Grabbed a to go breakfast. The driving range wasn't open, so a little putting and we were off at 0851 on Bandon Dunes. Got done at 1300; had lunch, (BTW the meat loaf is excellent!) and went over to Pacific Dunes at 1420 and got 13 holes in before we ran out of light. Hit the road again at 1815 or so. I finally got home, (Portland) at 2320 after dropping my friend off. Greens fees were 75 bux and 40 bux for the replay. It was a very long day, but well worth it.

[DeNinny]

Nice story 78. It says a lot about the place actually.

Good move going back for one more fix like a junkie after a binge.

[78blades]

I'm hopelessly addicted.

[2putttom]

[quote name='78blades' timestamp='1355021029' post='6040125']
Thank you DeNinny and Ws6.

IMO the 3 biggest things to practice when going to Mecca are 1) practice putting with a 17 or 21* hybrid or 3 wood, (this will save 3 or more strokes on your round IMO), 2) practice bunker shots, especially ones that have to carry some distance and 3) get a good knock down shot, and it doesn't have to windy for it either.

My golf partner shot a 71 last Wednesday at Stone Creek and was excited. After the round we were having a beer and he says, "hey, lets go to Bandon tomorrow (Thursday), I'm a regular there, they know me". Heck I'm retired, so I said, "sure". The only problem was that he had to be back that night. So we hit the road at 0400 Thursday morning. Got to Bandon at 0810. Grabbed a to go breakfast. The driving range wasn't open, so a little putting and we were off at 0851 on Bandon Dunes. Got done at 1300; had lunch, (BTW the meat loaf is excellent!) and went over to Pacific Dunes at 1420 and got 13 holes in before we ran out of light. Hit the road again at 1815 or so. I finally got home, (Portland) at 2320 after dropping my friend off. Greens fees were 75 bux and 40 bux for the replay. It was a very long day, but well worth it.
[/quote] So Im gonna assume you enjoyed the "ride" ?