Bandon Dunes Trip Report: Mar 14-17

Chris_NH · March 18, 2014

Having “grown up” on the Myrtle Beach Golf Talk forum where lengthy trip reports are appreciated, that’s what I do. Sorry for the length.

We had a group of 8 from MA/NH that went to Bandon for 4 days/6 rounds. We flew out Thu Mar 13, drove down from Portland Friday morning. Lineup:

Friday afternoon : Old Mac

Saturday: AM – Preserve ; PM – Bandon Dunes

Sunday: AM – Old Mac; PM – Bandon Trails

Monday: AM – Pacific Dunes

Monday afternoon we drove back up to Portland, and caught a flight back to the east coast on Tuesday morning.

Friday – Old Mac: We drove down from Portland Friday morning in rain, but were optimistic for the weather that afternoon based on the forecast. They were able to check us into 3 of our 4 rooms early (11:30) so that we could unload/change. The weather did not disappoint – perfect, sunny and comfortable, only light winds. This was our warmest day and the only one I played without a compression shirt. The last few holes, the fog rolled in – I like that, as it just adds to the conditions of what one expects when one goes to Bandon. Exceptional Bloody Mary on the course ;-) Dinner at McKees Pub (very good), then scotch and cigars in the Bunker Bar for 3 of our group of 8 – then back to the room to shower, crash and burn since we’re still mostly on east coast time. I had an 84, which I was pleased with given the first round of the season.

Saturday – AM Preserve – Very foggy morning, so almost all of the views of the Pacific were obscured. I asked if we could go out together when I made the reservations and was told probably not. We got to the starter shack and he told us that he had rearranged a couple of other groups (sent one out earlier, not sure exactly what else he did) so that he could send the seven of us out together (one guy skipped this round due to elbow issue). This is just the type of service you get at Bandon all the time – everybody goes out of their way to be so helpful. We had a fun round, playing dots for closest to the pin and birdies. Highlight of the round to me was winning the closest to the pin on the last hole with a teed up putter J hitting it to about 10 feet. Yes, I missed the putt. The Preserve is just flat-out fun – everybody enjoyed it and it was fun to play one round where the entire group could play together.

PM – Bandon Dunes – fog cleared out, weather warmed up, winds picked up a bit (probably 10 to maybe 15 mph). I had my best round of the trip (81) here. This is where the Bandon “virgins” became smitten. They liked or loved Old Mac (depending upon who I asked) – but every member of our group felt that Bandon was unquestionably the best and most stunning course they’d ever played. The surf, weather, great caddies, good fun (great Bloody Mary ;-) ) all combined to make this one of those magical afternoons, and all of us came back in with silly grins on our faces thinking about the day we’d just had. Dinner (McKees again), then scotch and cigars outside near the fireplace with about half the group and half a dozen other guests of the resort – lots of laughs, then shower and crash again.

Sun AM – Old Mac. My worst round (94) – and the one where my on-again/off-again back pain was beginning in earnest. It was MUCH windier than when we played it on Friday and, for shots in the open dead into the wind, was a solid 3-club wind. The surf was, as our caddie described, at once/twice per year type of waves – loud enough to hear even when nowhere near the ocean holes, and spectacular views when near the water. Two highlights were a 5-iron I hit into the wind to pin-high…from 137 yards (that would normally be a stock 8-rion for me – and to club up and hit a full shot like that and pull it off is one of the things that makes links golf so fun IMO) and my par on #16 (The Alps) where I hit a downwind blind 230-something yard hybrid that finished about 12 feet from the pin (missed the putt…made par). Very fun morning, but by the end of the round, my feet/ankles were barking, which had me quasi-dreading, the afternoon round…but we’re at Bandon, so we sit down, have lunch (fish tacos at Bandon Trails clubhouse – mmmmm) and a fortifying adult beverage, then we soldier on.

Sun PM – Bandon trails – Sitting for 40 minutes rejuvenated me to a surprising extent and I felt positively energized for the afternoon round. The wind was RIDICULOUS. 3 clubs plus on the exposed first few holes where hats were flying off heads, balls hit with any spin ballooned and spun severely off line. Yet none of us minded. These are Bandon conditions, and we all LOVED it. I had a good front, then a bad back (both my back, and my back nine) and limped home with an illegitimate 88 (taking my handicap max double on a couple of holes). This may have been the most fun round, though – the wind just added such an element of challenge and everybody rose up to it then, having conquered it, got a tremendous amount of satisfaction for having played that course in those conditions. Dinner at the Pacific Grill (menu is heavy on seafood) was very good.

Mon AM – It began raining 45 minutes after our round at Trails on Sunday evening…and stopped about an hour before we woke up on Monday. Yes – we know how lucky we were weather-wise. Pacific Dunes – the most stunningly beautiful course I’ve ever played - did not disappoint. Even those who had a different favorite still agreed that Pac Dunes is the most stunning visually. However, the first few holes were VERY cold (don’t know the temperature but this was the only round where some of us wore a beanie cap) so we layered up – but after about 3 holes and sun getting higher, it became very comfortable. Another very windy day, but by now we were all getting very comfortable playing in the wind. I had another good start / bad finish for an 86.

The resort allowed us to get late checkout on two of our rooms so that we could pack up after the round. Fish tacos again at Trails restaurant, then we all made the drive back up to Portland.

The trip overall is the most fun trip I’ve ever been on. Nobody knew everybody (friends of friends were invited, etc) – but the chemistry was great. People who wanted to drink a bit more did, those who wanted to retire early did. Foursomes were constantly shifted, sometimes with money games, other times not. But great chemistry amongst all, everybody came away with appreciation/awe for what Bandon is. We had some preliminary talks about a return trip – we’ll see how that develops over the next couple of months. But – and I just keep saying this – this place is so special. The golf, the amenities, the service, the ambience, the blooming gorse – they all just add up to the perfect golf destination in my mind – plus the fact that March is “Bandon is on sale” month.

It was interesting how my opinions on the courses changed. After our trip last year, I would have called Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes and Old Mac essentially tied for first place, and Bandon Trails a distant second. If pushed, I probably would have picked Pac Dunes as my favorite.

This year, my opinion began to change. First, Trails is an unbelievable golf course. 3 of the 4 par 3s are just as gorgeous and well-designed as one could ask. I also liked Bandon Dunes better than Pacific Dunes this year. That could be because of score, but I really think it’s more that it has a wilder, more rugged flair to it, in my opinion. So I’d rank them BD/PD/BT/OM . Hopefully I’ll return again and get an opportunity to change my mind again.

We stayed in Chrome Lake this year. We were in Lily Pond last year. The only difference I could see is the king size bed in Chrome versus queens in Lily Pond – and the $10/night higher cost for Chrome. They’re both very well appointed, functional, comfortable and entirely adequate/supportive for your golf trip.

cdnrockies · March 18, 2014

Good review! Glad you guys had fun.

For myself I would go PD, OM/BT, then BD. To each their own.

spud3 · March 19, 2014

I'd probably go with

1. BD
2. (tie) PD/OM/BT

Great report, Chris - glad you had as good of a time this year as last. Did you feel like you were a bit less "star-struck" this time? I noticed that on my return trip. Not like it wasn't as cool, but just less nervous-y...

I've already got a room booked for the last week of Feb next year. Already adjusting the packing list... maybe I should get some more tees and balls tomorrow...

Chris_NH · March 19, 2014

Good way to put it, spud - yes, less star-struck. However, the beauty of good architecture (which all these courses have in spades) is that things reveal themselves round by round. You begin to notice certain bunkers or strategy that the designer has incorporated or, having played them a couple of times, begin to feel a bit more comfortable about your route around certain holes, where to miss, etc. So less star-struck, but no less in love :-)

And the more I think about it and let the courses kind of sink in after the second trip, the more I want to put BD up at the top too.

dtwak47golf · March 19, 2014

[quote name='Chris_NH' timestamp='1395225661' post='8902967']
Good way to put it, spud - yes, less star-struck. However, the beauty of good architecture (which all these courses have in spades) is that things reveal themselves round by round. You begin to notice certain bunkers or strategy that the designer has incorporated or, having played them a couple of times, begin to feel a bit more comfortable about your route around certain holes, where to miss, etc. So less star-struck, but no less in love :-)

And the more I think about it and let the courses kind of sink in after the second trip, the more I want to put BD up at the top too.
[/quote]

Hopefully I have just as good a report next week. I'm leaving tomorrow morning! Flying directly into the North Bend airport through SF, so that should be a new experience. I'm using the shuttle bus (Connoisseurs Golf Transportation) and already shipped my clubs through shipsticks, another new thing for me. So I'm doing everything they say, whereas last year it was Portland, lugging clubs, etc. Hopefully this is a much easier travel situation.

Thanks for all that info...this will be my third trip, but what you and spud3 said about the star-struck stuff will be interesting. Only two of eight in the group have been there before. I appreciate all the little details. Things like the early check-ins and late check-outs, the course rankings, and how they changed after another trip, nuances of the courses after playing them...all good stuff. There are also friends of friends on this trip which create interesting dynamics. I'll post my report next week.

Chris_NH · March 19, 2014

[quote name='jchungum' timestamp='1395237267' post='8903675']

Hopefully I have just as good a report next week. I'm leaving tomorrow morning! Flying directly into the North Bend airport through SF, so that should be a new experience. I'm using the shuttle bus (Connoisseurs Golf Transportation) and already shipped my clubs through shipsticks, another new thing for me. So I'm doing everything they say, whereas last year it was Portland, lugging clubs, etc. Hopefully this is a much easier travel situation.

[/quote]

Have a good trip. My day-counter just flipped back to the 350+ day range ;-)

mringwelski · March 19, 2014

Chris_NH sounds like you really soaked it all in when you were at Mecca. Looks like Old Mac got the best of you (the 3 hole stretch of #10, #11, #12 is tough with a strong north wind) Glad to see you got to really appreciate Trails. Bandon truly is a special place for the pure, avid golfer.

lowndes · March 19, 2014

Great write up Chris. Makes me anxious for my trip (had to move from our April spot last year to September) so it is still a good ways away.

DeNinny · March 19, 2014

Gah I love and hate these threads. Love that they provide a vicarious experience and emotion. Hate that the experience is vicarious.

Good to see more love for trails. No other golf course epitomizes oregon golf better. PD and BT are my faves.

spud3 · March 19, 2014

[quote name='Chris_NH' timestamp='1395225661' post='8902967']
Good way to put it, spud - yes, less star-struck. However, the beauty of good architecture (which all these courses have in spades) is that things reveal themselves round by round. You begin to notice certain bunkers or strategy that the designer has incorporated or, having played them a couple of times, begin to feel a bit more comfortable about your route around certain holes, where to miss, etc. So less star-struck, but no less in love :-)

And the more I think about it and let the courses kind of sink in after the second trip, the more I want to put BD up at the top too.
[/quote]

+1

Being a bit less starry-eyed on my second trip yielded more focus on the design and strategy of each course/hole. Like you said, the nuances and brilliance of the course designs seem to reveal themselves slowly, so as not to overwhelm. I played the courses better this time, I believe partially because I was less like a kid in a candy shop. I took a few photos, but mainly was able to focus on the play. The first time there carries so many (wonderful) distractions, and each time around these courses, I get a clearer sense of how I should play each hole. Less giddy, but no less in love, for sure.

How were the greens on PD? Any sign of the bare sections that I saw?

Nice that you got a late checkout, but note that they also have a locker room downstairs near the bunker bar that you can use to change on departure day. Just ask for a locker key at the front desk and you can shower and freshen up before that long drive back to PDX.

Trip counter: 345 days til next trip...

Chris_NH · March 19, 2014

PD greens seemed basically like all the others (Old Mac had just aerated with small tines, so they were a bit sandy, but not so much as to bother us). And the PD greens were noticeably faster than last year, which was one of my gripes. Glad they read my trip report and adjusted accordingly ;-)

BigHunk · March 19, 2014

Thanks for the great report,my trip was the best 4 days ever spent golfing.The whole experience was just awesome.

spud3 · March 19, 2014

[quote name='Chris_NH' timestamp='1395270089' post='8907243']
PD greens seemed basically like all the others (Old Mac had just aerated with small tines, so they were a bit sandy, but not so much as to bother us). And the PD greens were noticeably faster than last year, which was one of my gripes. Glad they read my trip report and adjusted accordingly ;-)
[/quote]

Glad to hear that. What a difference a couple weeks can make..

Tallen01 · March 21, 2014

Great report. I am headed there 5/15-5/19. Will be using ShipSticks as well. Really happy to read these reports, so I can remember to bring things like warm hats, etc. Let's hope they are not needed in May!

BigSky59 · March 31, 2014

[quote name='Chris_NH' timestamp='1395183495' post='8900261']
Having “grown up” on the Myrtle Beach Golf Talk forum where lengthy trip reports are appreciated, that’s what I do. Sorry for the length.

We had a group of 8 from MA/NH that went to Bandon for 4 days/6 rounds. We flew out Thu Mar 13, drove down from Portland Friday morning. Lineup:

Friday afternoon : Old Mac
Saturday: AM – Preserve ; PM – Bandon Dunes
Sunday: AM – Old Mac; PM – Bandon Trails
Monday: AM – Pacific Dunes

Monday afternoon we drove back up to Portland, and caught a flight back to the east coast on Tuesday morning.

Friday – Old Mac: We drove down from Portland Friday morning in rain, but were optimistic for the weather that afternoon based on the forecast. They were able to check us into 3 of our 4 rooms early (11:30) so that we could unload/change. The weather did not disappoint – perfect, sunny and comfortable, only light winds. This was our warmest day and the only one I played without a compression shirt. The last few holes, the fog rolled in – I like that, as it just adds to the conditions of what one expects when one goes to Bandon. Exceptional Bloody Mary on the course ;-) Dinner at McKees Pub (very good), then scotch and cigars in the Bunker Bar for 3 of our group of 8 – then back to the room to shower, crash and burn since we’re still mostly on east coast time. I had an 84, which I was pleased with given the first round of the season.

Saturday – AM Preserve – Very foggy morning, so almost all of the views of the Pacific were obscured. I asked if we could go out together when I made the reservations and was told probably not. We got to the starter shack and he told us that he had rearranged a couple of other groups (sent one out earlier, not sure exactly what else he did) so that he could send the seven of us out together (one guy skipped this round due to elbow issue). This is just the type of service you get at Bandon all the time – everybody goes out of their way to be so helpful. We had a fun round, playing dots for closest to the pin and birdies. Highlight of the round to me was winning the closest to the pin on the last hole with a teed up putter J hitting it to about 10 feet. Yes, I missed the putt. The Preserve is just flat-out fun – everybody enjoyed it and it was fun to play one round where the entire group could play together.

PM – Bandon Dunes – fog cleared out, weather warmed up, winds picked up a bit (probably 10 to maybe 15 mph). I had my best round of the trip (81) here. This is where the Bandon “virgins” became smitten. They liked or loved Old Mac (depending upon who I asked) – but every member of our group felt that Bandon was unquestionably the best and most stunning course they’d ever played. The surf, weather, great caddies, good fun (great Bloody Mary ;-) ) all combined to make this one of those magical afternoons, and all of us came back in with silly grins on our faces thinking about the day we’d just had. Dinner (McKees again), then scotch and cigars outside near the fireplace with about half the group and half a dozen other guests of the resort – lots of laughs, then shower and crash again.

Sun AM – Old Mac. My worst round (94) – and the one where my on-again/off-again back pain was beginning in earnest. It was MUCH windier than when we played it on Friday and, for shots in the open dead into the wind, was a solid 3-club wind. The surf was, as our caddie described, at once/twice per year type of waves – loud enough to hear even when nowhere near the ocean holes, and spectacular views when near the water. Two highlights were a 5-iron I hit into the wind to pin-high…from 137 yards (that would normally be a stock 8-rion for me – and to club up and hit a full shot like that and pull it off is one of the things that makes links golf so fun IMO) and my par on #16 (The Alps) where I hit a downwind blind 230-something yard hybrid that finished about 12 feet from the pin (missed the putt…made par). Very fun morning, but by the end of the round, my feet/ankles were barking, which had me quasi-dreading, the afternoon round…but we’re at Bandon, so we sit down, have lunch (fish tacos at Bandon Trails clubhouse – mmmmm) and a fortifying adult beverage, then we soldier on.

Sun PM – Bandon trails – Sitting for 40 minutes rejuvenated me to a surprising extent and I felt positively energized for the afternoon round. The wind was RIDICULOUS. 3 clubs plus on the exposed first few holes where hats were flying off heads, balls hit with any spin ballooned and spun severely off line. Yet none of us minded. These are Bandon conditions, and we all LOVED it. I had a good front, then a bad back (both my back, and my back nine) and limped home with an illegitimate 88 (taking my handicap max double on a couple of holes). This may have been the most fun round, though – the wind just added such an element of challenge and everybody rose up to it then, having conquered it, got a tremendous amount of satisfaction for having played that course in those conditions. Dinner at the Pacific Grill (menu is heavy on seafood) was very good.

Mon AM – It began raining 45 minutes after our round at Trails on Sunday evening…and stopped about an hour before we woke up on Monday. Yes – we know how lucky we were weather-wise. Pacific Dunes – the most stunningly beautiful course I’ve ever played - did not disappoint. Even those who had a different favorite still agreed that Pac Dunes is the most stunning visually. However, the first few holes were VERY cold (don’t know the temperature but this was the only round where some of us wore a beanie cap) so we layered up – but after about 3 holes and sun getting higher, it became very comfortable. Another very windy day, but by now we were all getting very comfortable playing in the wind. I had another good start / bad finish for an 86.

The resort allowed us to get late checkout on two of our rooms so that we could pack up after the round. Fish tacos again at Trails restaurant, then we all made the drive back up to Portland.

The trip overall is the most fun trip I’ve ever been on. Nobody knew everybody (friends of friends were invited, etc) – but the chemistry was great. People who wanted to drink a bit more did, those who wanted to retire early did. Foursomes were constantly shifted, sometimes with money games, other times not. But great chemistry amongst all, everybody came away with appreciation/awe for what Bandon is. We had some preliminary talks about a return trip – we’ll see how that develops over the next couple of months. But – and I just keep saying this – this place is so special. The golf, the amenities, the service, the ambience, the blooming gorse – they all just add up to the perfect golf destination in my mind – plus the fact that March is “Bandon is on sale” month.

It was interesting how my opinions on the courses changed. After our trip last year, I would have called Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes and Old Mac essentially tied for first place, and Bandon Trails a distant second. If pushed, I probably would have picked Pac Dunes as my favorite.

This year, my opinion began to change. First, Trails is an unbelievable golf course. 3 of the 4 par 3s are just as gorgeous and well-designed as one could ask. I also liked Bandon Dunes better than Pacific Dunes this year. That could be because of score, but I really think it’s more that it has a wilder, more rugged flair to it, in my opinion. So I’d rank them BD/PD/BT/OM . Hopefully I’ll return again and get an opportunity to change my mind again.

We stayed in Chrome Lake this year. We were in Lily Pond last year. The only difference I could see is the king size bed in Chrome versus queens in Lily Pond – and the $10/night higher cost for Chrome. They’re both very well appointed, functional, comfortable and entirely adequate/supportive for your golf trip.
[/quote]Thanks for the great review. Headed down in November myself.