Bandon Solstice

[eswannjr1]

Have done Bandon a handful of times in years past but doing the Bandon Solstice for the first time in a few weeks. I'm in pretty decent shape for the walk, have good shoes, and my buddy and I are each taking caddies. When I was contemplating carrying my own bag I was going to leave a few clubs at home, but will probably take the full bag since we're getting caddies now.

 

Curious if anybody has done it in the past and has tips?

 

What's the food situation? I'm guessing they have some pre-made sandwiches available, planning on taking a bunch of granola bars and a water bottle.

 

Are the courses set up as easy as possible to keep play moving quickly? Move the tees up, center/accessible flags, slow greens, rough cut back?

 

Not sure if we are able to request partners at this point, but if there are any other WRXers that want to try to make a foursome, let me know (preferably if you are getting caddies as well...seems like that will speed everything up quite nicely). I'm a streaky 9 and my buddy is a streakier 15ish.

[WishIPlayedMore]

I have no answers or advice for your post but just got on the wait list for 2019. Looking forward to reading from others if they have completed this awesome event.

[payerasjl]

I have no answers or advice for your post but just got on the wait list for 2019. Looking forward to reading from others if they have completed this awesome event.

 

cal them and ask them to throw your name on the list?

[spud3]

OP:

 

Trip report! Trip report...........!

[R4haehl]

OP:

 

Trip report! Trip report...........!

 

^^ this!!!

[eswannjr1]

The recap: it’s fantastic. We both had other travel before the event, so we arrived late Monday, played Tuesday, and left Wednesday.

 

Monday afternoon we had a shaky range session and then there was a welcome reception at the punch bowl where you picked up your swag bag (Seamus headcover, Peter Millar shirt, your choice of Maui jim’s, bandon glasses and coasters). The event was not particularly inexpensive for one full day of golf, so was nice to get some good tee gifts. Free drinks were being handed out and they organized a putting contest that we didn’t bother entering. We ate at the Pacific Grill afterwards. Food was pretty good. You also get free two free breakfasts and two free dinners with the package, so only have to cough up for drinks and dessert (free for me since I won our own little putting competition). Heeding advice of others that have done this before, we did not hit the bunker bar given the day ahead of us.

 

Alarm went off 4:30 and we were walking down 1 on trails at 5:40. Would play old Mac, og bandon, and pacific after that. I liked getting the big walks of trails and old Mac over with early. Weather was great all day. Overcast and very little wind almost entire day. Sun came out and wind picked up a touch during old Mac but that was really it.

 

My buddy and I got paired up with a father son combo that we got along well with. Long day if you get paired up with a couple of jerks. That said, I don’t think there are many that show up to an event like this. Everybody that we ran into was very friendly, just happy to be doing this. We took caddies all four rounds, they took caddies last two rounds. We are both office softies...can’t imagine not taking a caddy all day. I do a buddies trip to bandon every year. We do 36 a day without caddies and it’s fine, but only being halfway done with your day at that point is a whole different ball game if you haven’t been training. Without training, if you have good shoes and socks, and take caddies, you’ll be fine. I felt much better than I expected, didn’t reeeeeally start to feel it until the fourth round (which was coincidentally when I started drinking). We did the preserve afterwards and I was dead at that point. Went downhill quickly.

 

They had the logistics down. You take a bag with you from course to course with shoes, tape, any extra layers. Change shoes and socks on the bus. Walk off the bus and hit the first tee. Got a lunch bag after the second round. We played first two rounds at 2:50-3:00 and last two about 3:20. Felt myself rushing on the first 6 or 7 holes of the day and realized I needed to slow down and take a breath once I got to the ball. In general, we just played quicker rather than moving quicker, so never felt like we were flying around. No practice swings, no circling around a putt, just hit it and keep moving (another spot where having caddies helped as they could basically give you the line, distance, aiming spot as you were walking up). First person to putt out starts heading to next tee to tee off while everybody else puttts out.

 

This was my fifth trip to bandon and the course set ups didn’t really feel any different. Greens hadn’t really been slowed down, tees in normal spots, flags in normal spots (including a number of pretty brutal / impossible flags to get to). I was glad that the set up felt “normal” and didn’t feel like we were playing a tricked up set up that’s easier than normal. I shot 86 85 81 86. My average score is an 85 and I actually hit the ball pretty well, but I couldn’t putt at all. Never got a feel for the speeds for some reason but I was happy with how I played. Was really surprised my scores didn’t trail off more as I got tired.

 

Last random note: the group in front of us included bandon’s Director of instruction (who is 80ish allegedly) and three other guys that all carried their own bags. Quick as we played (with caddies), we never once waited on them. It was impressive. The group behind us was my nightmare scenario. They probably wound up finishing 1.5 hours behind us. You do fill out a questionnaire before the trip that includes a question on expected pace of play, so hopefully that is controlled for, but would be a loooong day if you got stuck with two clowns that either couldn’t play or couldn’t move faster.

 

That’s all I’ve got for now. Let me know if you have any other questions. I’ll definitely enter the lottery again and do it again if I make it through.

[Edinburghgolfer]

The recap: it's fantastic. We both had other travel before the event, so we arrived late Monday, played Tuesday, and left Wednesday.

 

Monday afternoon we had a shaky range session and then there was a welcome reception at the punch bowl where you picked up your swag bag (Seamus headcover, Peter Millar shirt, your choice of Maui jim's, bandon glasses and coasters). The event was not particularly inexpensive for one full day of golf, so was nice to get some good tee gifts. Free drinks were being handed out and they organized a putting contest that we didn't bother entering. We ate at the Pacific Grill afterwards. Food was pretty good. You also get free two free breakfasts and two free dinners with the package, so only have to cough up for drinks and dessert (free for me since I won our own little putting competition). Heeding advice of others that have done this before, we did not hit the bunker bar given the day ahead of us.

 

Alarm went off 4:30 and we were walking down 1 on trails at 5:40. Would play old Mac, og bandon, and pacific after that. I liked getting the big walks of trails and old Mac over with early. Weather was great all day. Overcast and very little wind almost entire day. Sun came out and wind picked up a touch during old Mac but that was really it.

 

My buddy and I got paired up with a father son combo that we got along well with. Long day if you get paired up with a couple of jerks. That said, I don't think there are many that show up to an event like this. Everybody that we ran into was very friendly, just happy to be doing this. We took caddies all four rounds, they took caddies last two rounds. We are both office softies...can't imagine not taking a caddy all day. I do a buddies trip to bandon every year. We do 36 a day without caddies and it's fine, but only being halfway done with your day at that point is a whole different ball game if you haven't been training. Without training, if you have good shoes and socks, and take caddies, you'll be fine. I felt much better than I expected, didn't reeeeeally start to feel it until the fourth round (which was coincidentally when I started drinking). We did the preserve afterwards and I was dead at that point. Went downhill quickly.

 

They had the logistics down. You take a bag with you from course to course with shoes, tape, any extra layers. Change shoes and socks on the bus. Walk off the bus and hit the first tee. Got a lunch bag after the second round. We played first two rounds at 2:50-3:00 and last two about 3:20. Felt myself rushing on the first 6 or 7 holes of the day and realized I needed to slow down and take a breath once I got to the ball. In general, we just played quicker rather than moving quicker, so never felt like we were flying around. No practice swings, no circling around a putt, just hit it and keep moving (another spot where having caddies helped as they could basically give you the line, distance, aiming spot as you were walking up). First person to putt out starts heading to next tee to tee off while everybody else puttts out.

 

This was my fifth trip to bandon and the course set ups didn't really feel any different. Greens hadn't really been slowed down, tees in normal spots, flags in normal spots (including a number of pretty brutal / impossible flags to get to). I was glad that the set up felt "normal" and didn't feel like we were playing a tricked up set up that's easier than normal. I shot 86 85 81 86. My average score is an 85 and I actually hit the ball pretty well, but I couldn't putt at all. Never got a feel for the speeds for some reason but I was happy with how I played. Was really surprised my scores didn't trail off more as I got tired.

 

Last random note: the group in front of us included bandon's Director of instruction (who is 80ish allegedly) and three other guys that all carried their own bags. Quick as we played (with caddies), we never once waited on them. It was impressive. The group behind us was my nightmare scenario. They probably wound up finishing 1.5 hours behind us. You do fill out a questionnaire before the trip that includes a question on expected pace of play, so hopefully that is controlled for, but would be a loooong day if you got stuck with two clowns that either couldn't play or couldn't move faster.

 

That's all I've got for now. Let me know if you have any other questions. I'll definitely enter the lottery again and do it again if I make it through.

 

Imagine travelling all that way for golf and potentially getting paired with a couple of jerks. :)

[eswannjr1]

As somebody who has been stuck with jerks for two days, I know how bad it can be! Oh wait...

[R4haehl]

Sounds awesome. I hope to do it in the next few years. How'd you feel in the following days?

[Sushiyoshi]

Thanks for the excellent recap.

 

I don't think I would be able to walk the next day playing that much golf. LOL

[eswannjr1]

Definitely a little sore the next couple of days, but I wasn’t a cripple. Again, felt much better than I expected. Standing up after not moving on the plane for a few hours was pretty rough though...

[WishIPlayedMore]

That was Grant Rogers you were following. He is a legend. I had the great privilege of playing the Preserve with him on my trip this past February. He told me (and he makes all his teaching Pro's at all the courses do the same) that he always carries his bag and never leaves a club behind. He carried his full set when we played Preserve. He said he would never want to make one of his clubs angry with him for leaving it behind:) He is also an artist on the course and loves mixing up his shots with all of his clubs. He is a magician out there

 

 

[jimwgt26]

Thanks for sharing. The Bandon Solstice is on my bucket list.

[payerasjl]

Can you share how the lottery process works?

[spud3]

Call them and ask to have your name added to the lottery drawing. I think they announce the names in January or February.

[payerasjl]

BOOKING is officially open! Will fill up fast im sure

[spud3]

Booking for when?

[payerasjl]

For the solstice event 2019. Guess they changed things up from years past and went away with the lottery system.

[Slippin_Jimmy]

I called this morning and wasn't able to secure a spot for 2019, it had filled up. Got on the waitlist. I had called earlier in the year and inquired about the Solstice Event and got on the lottery list. Received an email last week from Bandon Dunes saying that I could call in starting at 9am PT today and try to reserve a spot. They had spots for 140 players.

 

Well, I called exactly at 9am and by the time I finally got off hold (about 9:50), I was informed that the Solstice Event was sold out and that I was "really far down" on the Wait List. My would-be playing partner also did the same and had a similar experience. They sounded really overwhelmed and a bit disorganized on the phone, I just think they weren't ready for the amount of interest in the event.

 

I thought it was kind of BS that they said not to call before 9am, but clearly they accepted calls before 9am. There's no way that many people called before me, as I called at 9am on the screws. Again, it seemed like they were very overwhelmed by the response when I finally got through to someone.

 

Anyway, those who got spots are allowed to cancel up to 90 days before the event, so some spots will open up. If you call the resort you can still get on the waitlist, though of course there's no guarantee there.

[payerasjl]

I called this morning and wasn't able to secure a spot for 2019, it had filled up. Got on the waitlist. I had called earlier in the year and inquired about the Solstice Event and got on the lottery list. Received an email last week from Bandon Dunes saying that I could call in starting at 9am PT today and try to reserve a spot. They had spots for 140 players.

 

Well, I called exactly at 9am and by the time I finally got off hold (about 9:50), I was informed that the Solstice Event was sold out and that I was "really far down" on the Wait List. My would-be playing partner also did the same and had a similar experience. They sounded really overwhelmed and a bit disorganized on the phone, I just think they weren't ready for the amount of interest in the event.

 

I thought it was kind of BS that they said not to call before 9am, but clearly they accepted calls before 9am. There's no way that many people called before me, as I called at 9am on the screws. Again, it seemed like they were very overwhelmed by the response when I finally got through to someone.

 

Anyway, those who got spots are allowed to cancel up to 90 days before the event, so some spots will open up. If you call the resort you can still get on the waitlist, though of course there's no guarantee there.

 

Yeah, the system crashed twice while making my reservation. She said it was easily the most traffic she’s seen in a long time.

I called at 8:59 and so did my wife, and I was lucky enough to get through after about 12 minutes on hold.

[Slippin_Jimmy]

Glad to hear that you got through and got in. Hope you enjoy it, I am sure you will! I've never done the Solstice Event but it's definitely high on my bucket list, looks like a blast.

 

Just got another email from Bandon Dunes saying both the Solstice and the Wait List are completely full. Hopefully I get lucky and something opens up between now and June.

[spud3]

Well, I never got any notification that the lottery wasn't happening, nor that today was the day to call in. I'm kind of chapped about it.

 

I called Reservations when I got the "Sorry, all full" email and gave her an earful, and just sent an email to the Director of Golf and gave him a helping, too.

 

Badly executed, at best. Very uncharacteristic for those guys.

[payerasjl]

I booked a 2-some and dont have someone to go with. Would be nice to fill that spot with another golf nut like myself.

[WishIPlayedMore]

I booked a 2-some and dont have someone to go with. Would be nice to fill that spot with another golf nut like myself.

 

Put me on your list of potential partners!!!! Would love to be a part of this day.

[spud3]

I booked a 2-some and dont have someone to go with. Would be nice to fill that spot with another golf nut like myself.

 

Put me on your list of potential partners!!!! Would love to be a part of this day.

 

Me too, me, too!

[Slippin_Jimmy]

I sympathize with you, spud3. The reservation system for the Solstice was pretty ham-handed for Bandon Dunes. I've been to some of their tournaments and the process for booking was much smoother, though I do think the Solstice Event is probably the most anticipated event that they do.

 

I also complained about the process and received a polite reply. They claim that no reservations were taken before 9, but I think you could have called before 9 and waited on hold and been near the front of the line. When I called the resort the week before and asked, they specifically said not to call until exactly 9, which of course didn't work out for me at all.

 

Another flaw is that they allowed people to book up to 12 spots. Kind of ridiculous for an event with a max of 140 participants. 4 would have been a much more reasonable/fair number. Anyone with 18K burning a hole in their pocket (not me, but there are certainly people out there) can hold 12 spots until March without any penalty for canceling.

 

I still have a glimmer of hope that I'll get lucky on the Wait List, but not much more than that. At least I'm not bitter about it or anything. Just seems like a really cool event and I'd like to take part someday.

[payerasjl]

I sympathize with you, spud3. The reservation system for the Solstice was pretty ham-handed for Bandon Dunes. I've been to some of their tournaments and the process for booking was much smoother, though I do think the Solstice Event is probably the most anticipated event that they do.

 

I also complained about the process and received a polite reply. They claim that no reservations were taken before 9, but I think you could have called before 9 and waited on hold and been near the front of the line. When I called the resort the week before and asked, they specifically said not to call until exactly 9, which of course didn't work out for me at all.

 

Another flaw is that they allowed people to book up to 12 spots. Kind of ridiculous for an event with a max of 140 participants. 4 would have been a much more reasonable/fair number. Anyone with 18K burning a hole in their pocket (not me, but there are certainly people out there) can hold 12 spots until March without any penalty for canceling.

 

I still have a glimmer of hope that I'll get lucky on the Wait List, but not much more than that. At least I'm not bitter about it or anything. Just seems like a really cool event and I'd like to take part someday.

 

I agree with your comment. I think being able to book a 12 some is borderline absurd.

[spud3]

I sympathize with you, spud3. The reservation system for the Solstice was pretty ham-handed for Bandon Dunes. I've been to some of their tournaments and the process for booking was much smoother, though I do think the Solstice Event is probably the most anticipated event that they do.

 

I also complained about the process and received a polite reply. They claim that no reservations were taken before 9, but I think you could have called before 9 and waited on hold and been near the front of the line. When I called the resort the week before and asked, they specifically said not to call until exactly 9, which of course didn't work out for me at all.

 

Another flaw is that they allowed people to book up to 12 spots. Kind of ridiculous for an event with a max of 140 participants. 4 would have been a much more reasonable/fair number. Anyone with 18K burning a hole in their pocket (not me, but there are certainly people out there) can hold 12 spots until March without any penalty for canceling.

 

I still have a glimmer of hope that I'll get lucky on the Wait List, but not much more than that. At least I'm not bitter about it or anything. Just seems like a really cool event and I'd like to take part someday.

 

I agree with your comment. I think being able to book a 12 some is borderline absurd.

 

You can book a 12? Wow, that is absurd. Not sure what they were thinking there. I would think 4, max.

 

I also received a nice reply from the Director, who reiterated the point that this event has essentially become bigger than they ever dreamed and they are searching for the best way to manage it.

 

Personally, I think they need to first decide if they want to cater to the legacy players and give them first shot at spaces (similar to the Masters lottery, which is eventually self-defeating IMO), or re-institute a lottery system that aims at giving the most players the chance to experience it (i.e., players who have not done it are given some preference in a weighted lottery system). The alternative is what we had this year, which brings back bad memories of trying to score tickets to one of the Rolling Stones' farewell tours back in the 90's.

 

I get that there's no easy answer, and there will always be a percentage of players who feel the system is unfair. Either way, I'll be bugging them a lot next year about what they are doing for the 2020 event.

 

As for 2019, if anyone needs someone to fill one of those 12 slots (or even just one), PM me. I'll bring good Scotch... :wave: