Random Bandon Thread

[graveydellic]

Anyone else get a number in line from the Oct - Dec 2026 Lottery?  I got around 530.  Could be better, but I suspect they had thousands try again so I'm happy to have been chosen.   Hoping for an eightsome in December but if I have to pare it back to a foursome or even my usual solo trip, I'll survive.  Just be happy to keep my December streak alive.  

[jpdx]

 

30 minutes ago, graveydellic said:

Anyone else get a number in line from the Oct - Dec 2026 Lottery?  I got around 530.  Could be better, but I suspect they had thousands try again so I'm happy to have been chosen.   Hoping for an eightsome in December but if I have to pare it back to a foursome or even my usual solo trip, I'll survive.  Just be happy to keep my December streak alive.  

L

[pearls24]

Hey Guys- random question.  For those in our group of 8 who like to have a cocktail or two before teeing off... are there outlets available on property in the mornings?  We won't have time to stop on the way in on the shuttle to go to a liquor store prior.  Anyone used Shipsticks and put nips in your golf bag?  

[dcmidnight]

19 minutes ago, pearls24 said:

Hey Guys- random question.  For those in our group of 8 who like to have a cocktail or two before teeing off... are there outlets available on property in the mornings?  We won't have time to stop on the way in on the shuttle to go to a liquor store prior.  Anyone used Shipsticks and put nips in your golf bag?  

 

Ah...I've heard of guys who will toss a flask in their ShipSticks case with a couple of ziplocs around it just to be safe.

[pearls24]

Lol- we have some members that do that at my home course.  But do you know if there are places onsite to purchase before the round at breakfast let's say or on the course in the morning? 

[me05501]

www.caddyflask.com

 

 

[kaschreiber]

40 minutes ago, pearls24 said:

Lol- we have some members that do that at my home course.  But do you know if there are places onsite to purchase before the round at breakfast let's say or on the course in the morning? 

I'm 95% sure every course has a bar / restaurant on site that can make a cocktail. I'm not 100% sure on Old Mac (pretty sure), but Bandon (main lodge near where you walk in at the first tee, not in the pro shop), Trails, Pac, Sheep do for sure. 

[thechief16]

I have definitely gotten an Irish Coffee at the main lodge when making the turn on a particularly cold and rainy morning.  

[VNutz]

1 hour ago, pearls24 said:

Hey Guys- random question.  For those in our group of 8 who like to have a cocktail or two before teeing off... are there outlets available on property in the mornings?  We won't have time to stop on the way in on the shuttle to go to a liquor store prior.  Anyone used Shipsticks and put nips in your golf bag?  

Double transfusion at the Bandon snack bar just off 1 tee. All of the courses have some sort of halfway house or snack shed as well, and stocked enough to meet your needs.

[pearls24]

9 minutes ago, VNutz said:

Double transfusion at the Bandon snack bar just off 1 tee. All of the courses have some sort of halfway house or snack shed as well, and stocked enough to meet your needs.

And open in the mornings?

[jpdx]

Every course has a spot to grab a cocktail in the morning before your round. Some are limited in your selection of spirits, thats including the range as well. I dont think its worth the hassle to risk a bottle breaking in your bag through shipsticks.

Edited May 6 by jpdx

[mikedejong33]

1 hour ago, pearls24 said:

And open in the mornings?

Yes, we were having beers with breakfast on our trip last year...

[ThatKyle]

8 hours ago, kaschreiber said:

I'm 95% sure every course has a bar / restaurant on site that can make a cocktail. I'm not 100% sure on Old Mac (pretty sure), but Bandon (main lodge near where you walk in at the first tee, not in the pro shop), Trails, Pac, Sheep do for sure. 

 

Old Mac has coffee and breakfast sandwiches. 

[kaschreiber]

13 hours ago, ThatKyle said:

 

Old Mac has coffee and breakfast sandwiches. 

Yeah, I know it has that little snack shack within their small clubhouse, but that's not what OP is looking for. 

[Edaw68]

Bandon, pacific, trails all have the bar open same time as the restaurant or at least turn stand in bandons case. I know there’s cans of beer available at sheep ranch. OM I’m not sure about the pro shop, but beer and liquor minis available at the turn stand bunker after 7/15.

[jrg75]

9 minutes ago, Edaw68 said:

Bandon, pacific, trails all have the bar open same time as the restaurant or at least turn stand in bandons case. I know there’s cans of beer available at sheep ranch. OM I’m not sure about the pro shop, but beer and liquor minis available at the turn stand bunker after 7/15.

My brother got a Bloody Mary at OM clubhouse for an early morning tee time so I'm fairly confident all the big courses have an early morning cocktail option.

[SHGolfer]

On 5/6/2025 at 10:37 AM, pearls24 said:

Hey Guys- random question.  For those in our group of 8 who like to have a cocktail or two before teeing off... are there outlets available on property in the mornings?  We won't have time to stop on the way in on the shuttle to go to a liquor store prior.  Anyone used Shipsticks and put nips in your golf bag?  

All of the refreshment areas on the courses make cocktails.  Bandon Dunes has one just next to the first tee in the Lodge.  Pacific Dunes has their restaurant upstairs of the pro shop.  Trails has the restaurant located next to the pro shop and so does Sheep Ranch.  Old Mac has a snack shop in the golf shop but I have never ordered a cocktail there.

[jjthomp2]

On 5/5/2025 at 4:50 PM, graveydellic said:

Anyone else get a number in line from the Oct - Dec 2026 Lottery?  I got around 530.  Could be better, but I suspect they had thousands try again so I'm happy to have been chosen.   Hoping for an eightsome in December but if I have to pare it back to a foursome or even my usual solo trip, I'll survive.  Just be happy to keep my December streak alive.  

i got the email only to open the link and see i was in number ~1384?? something like that. Ridiculous. I took my name off the wait list

[graveydellic]

29 minutes ago, jjthomp2 said:

i got the email only to open the link and see i was in number ~1384?? something like that. Ridiculous. I took my name off the wait list

 

Why take your name off the list?  You were one of the lucky ones, less than 15% of people got selected.  

[jjthomp2]

2 hours ago, graveydellic said:

 

Why take your name off the list?  You were one of the lucky ones, less than 15% of people got selected.  

Because if it’s anything like Sand Valley and I was somewhere in the 300’s by the time I got the call they didn’t have a single weekend date available for 2 (lodging that is). How do you figure that 15% were selected? 

[dcl5dcl5]

5 minutes ago, jjthomp2 said:

Because if it’s anything like Sand Valley and I was somewhere in the 300’s by the time I got the call they didn’t have a single weekend date available for 2 (lodging that is). How do you figure that 15% were selected? 

 

Any folks here go for the lottery last Fall? I heard that once they got to about 800 all the october dates were gone, but still good November and December options available. Anyone have experience from last Fall with the lottery? Curious what dates were left by around lottery # 1,000.

Edited May 7 by dcl5dcl5

[ALTSean]

48 minutes ago, dcl5dcl5 said:

 

Any folks here go for the lottery last Fall? I heard that once they got to about 800 all the october dates were gone, but still good November and December options available. Anyone have experience from last Fall with the lottery? Curious what dates were left by around lottery # 1,000.

I’m currently sitting at just under #700 and would be happy with November tee times. 🤞

[toypor]

On 5/6/2025 at 9:37 AM, pearls24 said:

Hey Guys- random question.  For those in our group of 8 who like to have a cocktail or two before teeing off... are there outlets available on property in the mornings?  We won't have time to stop on the way in on the shuttle to go to a liquor store prior.  Anyone used Shipsticks and put nips in your golf bag?  

Maybe you should just go to Myrtle Beach 🤣

[EKB]

Heading to Bandon in two weeks for a long Memorial Day weekend.  Went 0-3 on the lotteries for 2026 so we’re treating this as it may be the Bandon swan song.  Love the place but will start branching out to other destinations.  Glad I will have done it 3 times

[sniper]

Leave a week from today for my 2nd Bandon trip. Talking 3 first timers.  Starting to get the kid at Christmas feeling.  
 

Last time I struggled from the softer sand in fairway bunkers…any tips?

[Edaw68]

Temper your expectations out of the fairway bunkers. Unless the lie is really sitting up so it’s possible to clip it while taking no sand, just get it out with a greenside style shot. 
 

[dcmidnight]

On 5/9/2025 at 12:30 AM, EKB said:

Heading to Bandon in two weeks for a long Memorial Day weekend.  Went 0-3 on the lotteries for 2026 so we’re treating this as it may be the Bandon swan song.  Love the place but will start branching out to other destinations.  Glad I will have done it 3 times

 

IMO the popularity is just the way it is at this point at the nicer resorts. I was in Pinehurst a couple months ago, I know I've heard people compare BD to PH saying well I just called and got on and I didnt have to plan two years ahead. But PH the resort itself is 10 courses with one on the way and there's probably, I dont know, 15-20 courses around there to play outside of the resort itself?

 

BD will be like this for the foreseeable future - until they jack up their rates significantly. Its the only way they are going to cut back on demand. And honestly I just dont see that happening.

That being said I've watched my share of the course cams and...there certainly seem to be openings. I've watched the morning wave starting around 7 local time and there are definitely twosomes going out and then even what seem like a gap here and there a couple hours in.

 

So if you're going as a solo or twosome - I wouldn't give up hope.

[Edaw68]

Yeah, tee times, especially for singles or twosomes, are pretty easy to come by.  Lodging, especially for singles, is extremely difficult.  

 

I'd like to see them reduce the prices of the Grove cabins a bit so it's closer to single room prices.  Might move some of the larger groups that occupy a bunch of single rooms to the cabins that way.   To use right now as an example, 2,000 a night for the Grove versus 350 a night for a Lodge golf single.  If the Grove was 1600 a night, I gotta think some foursomes occupying single rooms at the lodge might split a cabin 4 ways.  On my trips it seems like the lodge and the inn are always crowded, but I never see much activity at the Grove.  Maybe I'm mistaken and they're full too.

[me05501]

6 hours ago, dcmidnight said:

IMO the popularity is just the way it is at this point at the nicer resorts. I was in Pinehurst a couple months ago, I know I've heard people compare BD to PH saying well I just called and got on and I didnt have to plan two years ahead. But PH the resort itself is 10 courses with one on the way and there's probably, I dont know, 15-20 courses around there to play outside of the resort itself?

 

BD will be like this for the foreseeable future - until they jack up their rates significantly. Its the only way they are going to cut back on demand. And honestly I just dont see that happening.

 

 

The "solution" will likely come in one of two forms: 

 

If demand continues at a high level we'll continue to see a lot of copycat offerings like the one closest to me. It's not the same pure golf vibe as Bandon but they're marketing to the same audience: STAY & PLAY PACKAGES — THE MCLEMORE RESORT ON LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, GEORGIA

 

If the economy slips into recession it will have a big impact on mid-market demand, revealing the current situation to be the last gasp of the post-pandemic golf bubble. 

[dcmidnight]

26 minutes ago, Edaw68 said:

Yeah, tee times, especially for singles or twosomes, are pretty easy to come by.  Lodging, especially for singles, is extremely difficult.  

 

I'd like to see them reduce the prices of the Grove cabins a bit so it's closer to single room prices.  Might move some of the larger groups that occupy a bunch of single rooms to the cabins that way.   To use right now as an example, 2,000 a night for the Grove versus 350 a night for a Lodge golf single.  If the Grove was 1600 a night, I gotta think some foursomes occupying single rooms at the lodge might split a cabin 4 ways.  On my trips it seems like the lodge and the inn are always crowded, but I never see much activity at the Grove.  Maybe I'm mistaken and they're full too.

 

I wouldn't do the Grove only bc I think the Lodge/Inn locations are better. Marginally better - I get it - but I like it better.

 

But the price difference kills it. $1400/nt for 4 Golf King singles in the Inn vs $2000 for the Grove or $1800 for the suites in the Lodge? No brainer to go with the single rooms.