Bally Bandon Sheep Ranch

[dpark]

I haven't ran out of likes for a while and this thread just may do it.

 

There is a limit for "likes"? Learn something new every day!

 

Glad you enjoyed the posts!

[dpark]

So I've seen that house... who owns it?

 

I don't know, but it is for rent...

[DeNinny]

I haven't ran out of likes for a while and this thread just may do it.

 

There is a limit for "likes"? Learn something new every day!

 

Glad you enjoyed the posts!

 

Yes there is something like a rolling limit on likes. If you give out more than about 75 in the last 24 hrs you will get a notification pop-up that says you hit the limit.

 

I've never played the Sheep Ranch but have always wanted to, so I seriously enjoyed all your pics. Plus I've posted pics to WRX whilst on the course before too and I know it is a distraction and can be a chore, so I appreciate your efforts.

[dpark]

So some other thoughts about the sheep ranch, in most cases there isn't a "tee box" like most golfers are used to, so you just find some flat spot to tee off of for your next hole. In most cases you can see where other people reed off but al lot of times, depending on what hole you want to go to next you just walk a hit to find someplace level.

 

We liked it but if "rustic golf" isn't your thing you may thinking "what sort of cheese ball place is this?" Also no ball washers or trash cans so a little difficult to dispose of your beer bottles and sandwich wrapped. And no, not cool to just toss them on the ground and leave them for someone else. In fact, I saw no trash anywhere. So nice to see people taking good care of this place and not littering.

 

Sometimes there was no clear fairway between where we teed off and the target green. The "rough" was oftentimes reemerging gorse that was maybe 6" tall. Just tall enough to swallow a golf ball on an errant shot. No knocking this at all but it led to a local rule for us. If you lost a ball in the short gorse, we played it like a lateral. Made it much faster, but we lost a combined dozen balls due to the short horse.

 

This place is a lot of fun and I highly recommend playing it at least once. Really good for match play. Probably not the best for stroke play especially if it is your first time playing the course.

[DeNinny]

So dpark having played it "raw", do you think it would make a good resort course?

 

Personally I like the raw and unstructured set up as-is. As long as they allow public play on it, I'm good. But if they could make it as majestic and as "perfect" as Pacific Dunes, I would have no complaints as well.

[mallrat]

I could see it as the best of the resort courses if done right.

[PorkChopExpress]

Need more pics

[dpark]

Need more pics

 

Very funny Charlie :)

[dpark]

So dpark having played it "raw", do you think it would make a good resort course?

 

Personally I like the raw and unstructured set up as-is. As long as they allow public play on it, I'm good. But if they could make it as majestic and as "perfect" as Pacific Dunes, I would have no complaints as well.

 

So IMHO, the challenge for this to be a true Bandon-style course, it will need work to create better definition between the holes.

 

From what I was told by Greg is that the property is 450 acres, and by the looks of it they aren't using nearly all of it today.

 

I am no golf course architect, but to me the current routing is probably good for a dozen holes to make enough breathing room so that golfers aren't hitting into/over each other.

 

They would need to make 6 new holes in the other unused acres they have (assuming that there really are 450 acres total)

[mallrat]

So dpark having played it "raw", do you think it would make a good resort course?

 

Personally I like the raw and unstructured set up as-is. As long as they allow public play on it, I'm good. But if they could make it as majestic and as "perfect" as Pacific Dunes, I would have no complaints as well.

 

So IMHO, the challenge for this to be a true Bandon-style course, it will need work to create better definition between the holes.

 

From what I was told by Greg is that the property is 450 acres, and by the looks of it they aren't using nearly all of it today.

 

I am no golf course architect, but to me the current routing is probably good for a dozen holes to make enough breathing room so that golfers aren't hitting into/over each other.

 

They would need to make 6 new holes in the other unused acres they have (assuming that there really are 450 acres total)

 

They would have some room between OLd Mac and Sheep Ranch as that’s all their property and some acreage on the other side of the road.

[spud3]

The conversation I had with Greg a couple years ago when we played there revealed that they had laid some basic irrigation lines, but didn't have water rights, which is why they close it in the summer. They'd certainly need to work that out before committing to a full course. I think there's enough room, but there isn't a lot of contour. They may have to move some dirt, which kind of goes against how the other courses use the natural topography.

[DeNinny]

Yeah spud3 from all the pictures I've seen I don't see nearly as much contour as the first three courses.

[dpark]

Yeah spud3 from all the pictures I've seen I don't see nearly as much contour as the first three courses.

 

That's what I meant by not having enough breathing room between holes. Pretty flat ground where most of the routing is today.

[DeNinny]

So is it always just one group out playing at a time or are there more?

[Chanceman]

The photos dont really show the undulations too well. You enter the property at an elevated point and look over a big low basin and then the ground rises towards the ocean side and also on the Old Mac side with a few humps in the centre. They will probably have to move some ground but lots to work with as it is.

[mallrat]

As said above

 

There is more undulations than it looks. I’d say think Old Mac but a tad bit more. I’d be really curious to see how it was routed if developed.

 

One thing I will add, our caddy was saying how Kaiser is famous for this. The word is every time a new resort or golf destination starts taking some of Bandons thunder he leaks something. The new par 3 isn’t happening, supposedly Doak was curious why he hadn’t been up for any of Keiser’s projects so Keiser brought him out to let him know he liked his work and would have something for home soon. So back to what I was saying, when Keiser feels the popularity is dipping he will leak the par 3 or Sheep Ranch being a full course. If I understand it correctly, last time Keiser and the other owner of Sheep Ranch met, he said to Keiser “I still own 1/2 that property so i’m Not sure how you are going to build a course around my 1/2.” Then he told some people at the Arcade he has no intention of developing that property.

[PorkChopExpress]

Need more pics

 

Very funny Charlie :)

What? I counted 3 holes .... hahahaha

 

Sweet pics

[kzell13]

Was just at bandon for the first time Thursday-monday (holy hell, that was awesome!). A caddy mentioned that Coore had been out about 3 weeks ago looking at the sheep ranch property. The resort needs another Coore/Crenshaw if you ask me!

[dpark]

Was just at bandon for the first time Thursday-monday (holy hell, that was awesome!). A caddy mentioned that Coore had been out about 3 weeks ago looking at the sheep ranch property. The resort needs another Coore/Crenshaw if you ask me!

 

I greatly respect Coore/Crenshaw, but if any course should have been cut off at 13 holes, it is Trails. 14, 16 and 18 are crappy holes. Yeah, the terrain is a problem, but they should've found a different routing. It ruins the course with that finish.

 

I don't think there is a terrain problem with the sheep ranch, in fact the opposite. They would need to move a lot of dirt or plant a lot of trees to frame the holes.

[Golfnuck]

Great write up.

 

For those that have not been there this should give you some visual references as to the layout.

 

 

 

 

[Chanceman]

So is it always just one group out playing at a time or are there more?

Our group of 6 had the place to ourselves for the whole day - I assumed that is the way they do it because there is no defined course as such, just suggested routings. So if there were even two groups out and they were playing different hole sequences it could be a little "conflicting" with balls buzzing in every direction.

[Sushiyoshi]

Anyone have news of the project down by Port Orchard?

Played with a guy named Darren and he said he was working on that project. He was using hickory sticks and was killing it on Pacific.

[oregongolf]

Anyone have news of the project down by Port Orchard?

Played with a guy named Darren and he said he was working on that project. He was using hickory sticks and was killing it on Pacific.

 

Pretty sure they have had some issues with the county and also raising money. I know a couple guys who have been approached.

 

I really do hope it goes. It's a sweet piece of land and adding some competition for Bandon would be great.

[Kernel]

From Matt Ginella via Instagram this morning:

 

matt_ginellaUpdate on Sheep Ranch at Bandon: They’ve closed the course to clear gorse for both routing and irrigation questions. Several steps closer to Coore & Crenshaw getting both Coul Links and Sheep Ranch.

[CMCSGolf]

I saw that and was surprised for a few reasons. First, they close the course every summer, so that's not new. Secondly, I didn't know C&C were the final pick. That is new and certainly interesting. Anyone have details on when the architect was actually picked?

[Edaw68]

Interesting, the original rumors were Hanse was going to get the 5th course. Is it official that Coore and Crenshaw are doing this one?

[mallrat]

There was a rumor awhile ago that Hanse and Keiser(?) had a falling out. Word also was that C&C were upset with Keiser that he hadn’t used them on any recent projects. Maybe Keisers way of saying all is good.

[The Pearl]

Was just at bandon for the first time Thursday-monday (holy hell, that was awesome!). A caddy mentioned that Coore had been out about 3 weeks ago looking at the sheep ranch property. The resort needs another Coore/Crenshaw if you ask me!

 

I greatly respect Coore/Crenshaw, but if any course should have been cut off at 13 holes, it is Trails. 14, 16 and 18 are crappy holes. Yeah, the terrain is a problem, but they should've found a different routing. It ruins the course with that finish.

 

I don't think there is a terrain problem with the sheep ranch, in fact the opposite. They would need to move a lot of dirt or plant a lot of trees to frame the holes.

 

I will give you 14. BUT, 15 is a great hole. It looks easy of the tee, but if they tuck the pin way in the back, it can have some teeth. And my lordy 17 might be the best hole on the entire property, I think it is brilliant. Nothing wrong with 16 or 18. I like the tee shot on 16 and the walk up the hill and 18 is just fine once you figure the right line with the tee ball and the approach is pure links as you can run the ball up with the wind in either direction.

[Edaw68]

Was just at bandon for the first time Thursday-monday (holy hell, that was awesome!). A caddy mentioned that Coore had been out about 3 weeks ago looking at the sheep ranch property. The resort needs another Coore/Crenshaw if you ask me!

 

I greatly respect Coore/Crenshaw, but if any course should have been cut off at 13 holes, it is Trails. 14, 16 and 18 are crappy holes. Yeah, the terrain is a problem, but they should've found a different routing. It ruins the course with that finish.

 

I don't think there is a terrain problem with the sheep ranch, in fact the opposite. They would need to move a lot of dirt or plant a lot of trees to frame the holes.

 

I will give you 14. BUT, 15 is a great hole. It looks easy of the tee, but if they tuck the pin way in the back, it can have some teeth. And my lordy 17 might be the best hole on the entire property, I think it is brilliant. Nothing wrong with 16 or 18. I like the tee shot on 16 and the walk up the hill and 18 is just fine once you figure the right line with the tee ball and the approach is pure links as you can run the ball up with the wind in either direction.

 

I agree, 15 and 17 are both awesome holes, 17 being one of my favorite par 3's anywhere. Once you've played 18 a couple times and understand the lines, it's really a cool way to finish. 16 is just kinda meh for me, I don't love it or hate it.

 

14 could have been a very good hole but it needs a little more bailout in my opinion. For most average golfers there isn't really a safe tee shot. A driver is risky because the area to land it where you don't go all the way to the bottom is narrow, and a fairway wood or hybrid may not be enough club to get to the flattish area on the left. So there isn't really an option to play safe off the tee and deal with the trouble on the second shot if you choose. In other words, all heroics, no choice. The only thing I can think of with my admittedly limited design creativity would be to cut a significant amount of vegetation and trees out of the hillside on the left so there is a bailout area. If the bailout area was forgiving off the tee but positioned so you still are playing to the narrow green at an angle rather than having the whole length of the green to work with, then the choice off the tee becomes much more interesting.

 

The other thing I would do would be to create kind of a collection bailout area for shots to the green where you can putt from, probably short left. This would leave a spot to hit to that would allow average players to avoid ping ponging back and forth over the green, but good players wanting to birdie a short hole would still have to make either a great drive or a great wedge to have a chance.

 

My uneducated opinion.

[ryu123]

Matt Ginella on Twitter July 2, 2018:

 

Update on Sheep Ranch at Bandon: They’ve closed the course to clear gorse for both routing and irrigation questions. Several steps closer to Coore & Crenshaw getting both Coul Links and Sheep Ranch.