Sand Valley September trip booked...tips/advice/experience please!

[StudentGolfer4]

3 hours ago, ND2005 said:

wait what? No transfusions on the course? 

Here’s the story I was told last summer by a veteran caddy in our group.
 

A group of guys were playing the sandbox at the end of the day. They had been drinking a decent amount throughout the day and could easily be described as visibly drunk. Anyway, one guy makes a hole in one. They start going crazy when it goes in and the guy that made the ace takes off his clothes. Someone very high up was on property with their family and witnessed it. They were appalled, guys kicked off the course and they made some changes to selling booze on course.  
 

(The details I’m a bit fuzzy on but here’s my recollection. He took off shirt and shorts and then started humping the hole before removing his ball. From what I recall that high up person was one of the Keisers and they were playing the sandbox with their family with women in the group.)

 

The halfway house at Sedge and Mammoth along with Craig’s Porch (sand valley) do sell alcohol. Beers are available and I think they had a couple of canned cocktails as well. Don’t recall seeing hard booze. This year, behind the tee box on hole 6 at Sedge and hole 6 and Mammoth they had a small little stand selling drinks as well. I want to say I saw a couple bottles of alcohol at Mammoth and just a cooler at sedge but I’m not sure. I didn’t purchase anything from either. (I’m guessing they started doing it at sand valley but didn’t play it my last trip so unsure. They didn’t do this last summer. Lido I haven’t played. 

Edited July 27, 2024 by StudentGolfer4

[ND2005]

4 hours ago, StudentGolfer4 said:

Here’s the story I was told last summer by a veteran caddy in our group.
 

A group of guys were playing the sandbox at the end of the day. They had been drinking a decent amount throughout the day and could easily be described as visibly drunk. Anyway, one guy makes a hole in one. They start going crazy when it goes in and the guy that made the ace takes off his clothes. Someone very high up was on property with their family and witnessed it. They were appalled, guys kicked off the course and they made some changes to selling booze on course.  
 

(The details I’m a bit fuzzy on but here’s my recollection. He took off shirt and shorts and then started humping the hole before removing his ball. From what I recall that high up person was one of the Keisers and they were playing the sandbox with their family with women in the group.)

 

The halfway house at Sedge and Mammoth along with Craig’s Porch (sand valley) do sell alcohol. Beers are available and I think they had a couple of canned cocktails as well. Don’t recall seeing hard booze. This year, behind the tee box on hole 6 at Sedge and hole 6 and Mammoth they had a small little stand selling drinks as well. I want to say I saw a couple bottles of alcohol at Mammoth and just a cooler at sedge but I’m not sure. I didn’t purchase anything from either. (I’m guessing they started doing it at sand valley but didn’t play it my last trip so unsure. They didn’t do this last summer. Lido I haven’t played. 

interesting. 
 
when I went one of the highlights of the Sandbox was the beer canoe that you hit up a couple times per round. 
 
And on Sand Valley in addition to Craig’s Porch there was also a mini drink stand setup after 3 that you also hit up after 11 and I think 14. 
 
they had no shortage of alcohol available at that time. This was a few years ago though  

[bcc624]

I went shortly after the incident in 2022. At that time they restricted hard alcohol to the clubhouse and only offered beer at Craig’s porch, the snack house before the 12th hole at Mammoth, and the Sandbox food truck. They did not have the beer canoe and got rid of any snack/drink carts they had every few holes.  Sounds like they have brought some back. The story I had heard was the same. Some drunk group had a guy get naked who started having sex with one of the holes on the Sandbox in front of someone high up or a founder. I had also heard that group trashed their rooms/lodge. Hate when one bad egg ruins it for everyone else. 

Edited July 27, 2024 by bcc624

[ND2005]

3 hours ago, bcc624 said:

I went shortly after the incident in 2022. At that time they restricted hard alcohol to the clubhouse and only offered beer at Craig’s porch, the snack house before the 12th hole at Mammoth, and the Sandbox food truck. They did not have the beer canoe and got rid of any snack/drink carts they had every few holes.  Sounds like they have brought some back. The story I had heard was the same. Some drunk group had a guy get naked who started having sex with one of the holes on the Sandbox in front of someone high up or a founder. I had also heard that group trashed their rooms/lodge. Hate when one bad egg ruins it for everyone else. 

 

Seems like a very reactionary move. Alcohol sales are a huge revenue source for a resort like that. 

[The Milkman]

On 7/26/2024 at 6:43 PM, ND2005 said:

wait what? No transfusions on the course? 

nvm. Covered my others

Edited July 30, 2024 by The Milkman

[The Milkman]

On 7/27/2024 at 5:28 PM, ND2005 said:

 

Seems like a very reactionary move. Alcohol sales are a huge revenue source for a resort like that. 

Don't think they are worried about that amount of extra revenue. They're doing just fine 

[pmccallum86]

On 7/26/2024 at 5:43 PM, ND2005 said:

wait what? No transfusions on the course? 

 

Correct, only beer and seltzers now.

[mshills]

On 7/26/2024 at 10:05 PM, StudentGolfer4 said:

Here’s the story I was told last summer by a veteran caddy in our group.
 

A group of guys were playing the sandbox at the end of the day. They had been drinking a decent amount throughout the day and could easily be described as visibly drunk. Anyway, one guy makes a hole in one. They start going crazy when it goes in and the guy that made the ace takes off his clothes. Someone very high up was on property with their family and witnessed it. They were appalled, guys kicked off the course and they made some changes to selling booze on course.  
 

(The details I’m a bit fuzzy on but here’s my recollection. He took off shirt and shorts and then started humping the hole before removing his ball. From what I recall that high up person was one of the Keisers and they were playing the sandbox with their family with women in the group.)

 

The halfway house at Sedge and Mammoth along with Craig’s Porch (sand valley) do sell alcohol. Beers are available and I think they had a couple of canned cocktails as well. Don’t recall seeing hard booze. This year, behind the tee box on hole 6 at Sedge and hole 6 and Mammoth they had a small little stand selling drinks as well. I want to say I saw a couple bottles of alcohol at Mammoth and just a cooler at sedge but I’m not sure. I didn’t purchase anything from either. (I’m guessing they started doing it at sand valley but didn’t play it my last trip so unsure. They didn’t do this last summer. Lido I haven’t played. 

Whoa. And….this is why we can’t have nice things. 😳
 

I was expecting to hear what was mentioned elsewhere on here about caddies at SV ordering a double transfusion at the halfway house…..also totally unacceptable IMO. 

[nalaws2]

17 hours ago, pmccallum86 said:

 

Correct, only beer and seltzers now.

Just to be clear, they are 100% selling canned transfusions at Sedge Valley, on the first snack/beverage stand on course which I believe is after par 3 5th hole.

[me05501]

On 7/26/2024 at 10:05 PM, StudentGolfer4 said:

A group of guys were playing the sandbox at the end of the day. They had been drinking a decent amount throughout the day and could easily be described as visibly drunk. Anyway, one guy makes a hole in one. They start going crazy when it goes in and the guy that made the ace takes off his clothes. Someone very high up was on property with their family and witnessed it. They were appalled, guys kicked off the course and they made some changes to selling booze on course.  
 

(The details I’m a bit fuzzy on but here’s my recollection. He took off shirt and shorts and then started humping the hole before removing his ball. From what I recall that high up person was one of the Keisers and they were playing the sandbox with their family with women in the group.)

 

 

On the one hand, it seems like a lot of these places make most of their money from groups of (mostly) men who are paying a ton of money to be at a place where they can play all day, drink all day and let loose a bit. I'm sure the owners hope most people will be too worn out after 36 holes to go buck wild but some silly guy stuff is bound to happen when you get that many dudes out in the sticks away from the women in their lives. And at the price point of a Sand Valley or Bandon or Streamsong there is likely to be a sense of entitlement from certain guests who feel like they're spending enough to behave however they want. 

 

On the other hand I think there's a direct connection between the over-the-top antics described here and the content promoted by a ton of golf-related social media feeds.

 

I get so tired of seeing videos of guys racing carts, puking on the course, playing in 8-somes, going nuts all over the green after someone makes a putt, etc. A lot of  guys under 40 are being conditioned to believe these are normal and acceptable parts of enjoying the game when they're the direct opposite. 

 

I don't blame Sand Valley for adjusting their service to encourage better behavior. 

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

Just got back. Pony up for caddies, Mammoth and SV are tough walks, the humudity was unbearable this past week; might be better than in Sept. Food is great here! Definitely make reservations at the gallery. You dont need your car once parked, they have shuttles all over. 

[italianstallion]

On 8/1/2024 at 10:40 AM, me05501 said:

 

 

On the one hand, it seems like a lot of these places make most of their money from groups of (mostly) men who are paying a ton of money to be at a place where they can play all day, drink all day and let loose a bit. I'm sure the owners hope most people will be too worn out after 36 holes to go buck wild but some silly guy stuff is bound to happen when you get that many dudes out in the sticks away from the women in their lives. And at the price point of a Sand Valley or Bandon or Streamsong there is likely to be a sense of entitlement from certain guests who feel like they're spending enough to behave however they want. 

 

On the other hand I think there's a direct connection between the over-the-top antics described here and the content promoted by a ton of golf-related social media feeds.

 

I get so tired of seeing videos of guys racing carts, puking on the course, playing in 8-somes, going nuts all over the green after someone makes a putt, etc. A lot of  guys under 40 are being conditioned to believe these are normal and acceptable parts of enjoying the game when they're the direct opposite. 

 

I don't blame Sand Valley for adjusting their service to encourage better behavior. 

I just got back from Sand Valley and honestly the behavior of guests as a whole seemed to be better. Not sure if that’s a direct result of the aforementioned drinking “restrictions,” if the clientele that goes there is different from the clientele that goes to Bandon, or if I just caught a good week. I did find it funny one of the guys I got paired with at Lido was complaining about the course being a “dry” course. 
 

@BEND OF THE RIVER GC it was definitely humid last week but living in Florida it still felt way better than what I’ve had to deal with this year down here. But yes, some tough walks out there, I think Mammoth is the worst of them. 

[takito24]

On 7/24/2024 at 9:18 AM, underwaterDMS said:

AWFUL!  The layout is perfect setup for these types of mistakes.  You'd think that a caddy would 100% prevent that from ever happening.  But yes, not all caddies are created equal.  I too did not have the strongest caddy with me when I played Lido last year.  I'm not a member, and perhaps they save their alphas for members and throw newbies at non-member shmucks like me?

Lido hardly gets any member play so they def aren't saving the good caddies. Gotta remember lido just opened last year and it doesn't get much play so honestly the caddie you got might have only seen the course a couple times. 

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

The humidity was so bad, I was drinking 12-16 oz of water on every hole at Sedge. Sedge is an easier walk compared to Mammoth Dunes and Sand Valley. Lido REQUIRES a mandatory caddy. Th$100 plus tip. They have free bottled water about every 3 holes in large ice chests. The push carts are FREE.

 

If I had a do - over I would have taken a caddy for both rounds at SV and Mammoth Dunes. The food at the half way houses is cheap, but not the same at all courses; they sell different items. SV - tacos MD - hotdogs Sedge - Meat Pies......

[italianstallion]

39 minutes ago, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

The humidity was so bad, I was drinking 12-16 oz of water on every hole at Sedge. Sedge is an easier walk compared to Mammoth Dunes and Sand Valley. Lido REQUIRES a mandatory caddy. Th$100 plus tip. They have free bottled water about every 3 holes in large ice chests. The push carts are FREE.

 

If I had a do - over I would have taken a caddy for both rounds at SV and Mammoth Dunes. The food at the half way houses is cheap, but not the same at all courses; they sell different items. SV - tacos MD - hotdogs Sedge - Meat Pies......

 

I was pleasantly surprised at how reasonably priced all the food and drink options were. Really enjoyed my time there, 10/10 for everything but the caddie experience we had. Would highly recommend Sand Valley to anyone.

[zer0]

On 7/27/2024 at 1:24 PM, bcc624 said:

 The story I had heard was the same. Some drunk group had a guy get naked who started having sex with one of the holes on the Sandbox in front of someone high up or a founder. I had also heard that group trashed their rooms/lodge. Hate when one bad egg ruins it for everyone else. 

 

 

I don't know how many times I can apologize for this before you people finally let it go.

 

Once again....

 

I'M SORRY!

 

 

 

 

Edited August 5, 2024 by zer0

[StudentGolfer4]

2 hours ago, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

The humidity was so bad, I was drinking 12-16 oz of water on every hole at Sedge. Sedge is an easier walk compared to Mammoth Dunes and Sand Valley. Lido REQUIRES a mandatory caddy. Th$100 plus tip. They have free bottled water about every 3 holes in large ice chests. The push carts are FREE.

 

If I had a do - over I would have taken a caddy for both rounds at SV and Mammoth Dunes. The food at the half way houses is cheap, but not the same at all courses; they sell different items. SV - tacos MD - hotdogs Sedge - Meat Pies......

I was thinking about the walks myself earlier. (Full disclosure, I caddy and will do 36 about 1-2 times a week during the summer. I didn’t have any issues with the walks. It was also a high of 82-84 so nothing too hot or humid to worry about. ) 
 

I played sedge first and mammoth second my last trip out there. I think Sedge is a sneaky difficult walk. Yes it’s 1000 yards shorter and that surely makes a difference but it has a ton of uphill walks. Thinking back, holes that are uphill: 1, 2, 6, 11, 12, 14, 16. If you count the holes where you went down off the tee and then back up again then the number increases: 3, 4, 5, 7, 18. 7 is a good example. Fairly play par 3, maybe a little uphill. But after teeing off you walk down 10-15 ft and next thing you know it’s an uphill walk. Same with 12. Maybe my memory is wrong and I’m not saying they’re big climbs but there’s a lot of up at Sedge. I didn’t realize it when playing until I was talking it over with a buddy post trip. 
 

To me Sand Valley is the easiest of the bunch. 

Edited August 5, 2024 by StudentGolfer4

[vandyfan]

There are 1000s of bars all the over the US where you can get blind drunk (a lot of them here in Nashville). There are very places in the same league as Sand Valley. Why you would want to wait for months and months to finally get on and booked into Sand Valley and then get wasted out there makes no sense to me. But maybe I am just the puritan here. They could ban all alcohol sales across all the courses and I am hard pressed to know how that would significantly detract from most people's experience out there. Go there to golf, get drunk other places. 

[zer0]

16 minutes ago, vandyfan said:

There are 1000s of bars all the over the US where you can get blind drunk (a lot of them here in Nashville). There are very places in the same league as Sand Valley. Why you would want to wait for months and months to finally get on and booked into Sand Valley and then get wasted out there makes no sense to me. But maybe I am just the puritan here. They could ban all alcohol sales across all the courses and I am hard pressed to know how that would significantly detract from most people's experience out there. Go there to golf, get drunk other places. 

 

 

I'm not a fan of drinking on the golf course, but I'll never give dudes a hard time for going out and getting wasted and having a good time on their golf trips.  Some people bust their a** at work and at home all year and then once a year get a reward of a weekend golf trip with their buddies.  If they feel they need to get black out drunk, get naked and start humping the hole all I would say in response is to please put the flag back in the hole when you're done.

[nalaws2]

21 hours ago, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

The humidity was so bad, I was drinking 12-16 oz of water on every hole at Sedge. Sedge is an easier walk compared to Mammoth Dunes and Sand Valley. Lido REQUIRES a mandatory caddy. Th$100 plus tip. They have free bottled water about every 3 holes in large ice chests. The push carts are FREE.

 

If I had a do - over I would have taken a caddy for both rounds at SV and Mammoth Dunes. The food at the half way houses is cheap, but not the same at all courses; they sell different items. SV - tacos MD - hotdogs Sedge - Meat Pies......

FYI the push carts are not free.  They are $10 per day.  

[mshills]

17 hours ago, vandyfan said:

There are 1000s of bars all the over the US where you can get blind drunk (a lot of them here in Nashville). There are very places in the same league as Sand Valley. Why you would want to wait for months and months to finally get on and booked into Sand Valley and then get wasted out there makes no sense to me. But maybe I am just the puritan here. They could ban all alcohol sales across all the courses and I am hard pressed to know how that would significantly detract from most people's experience out there. Go there to golf, get drunk other places. 

100%

 

Golf is a sport. Getting FUBAR while playing a sport is just nuts, and I don’t want to be around that.

 

Have a drink or two after the round and I’ll join you, but I’m not getting blind drunk. Being around someone else who insists on getting tore up is the WORST. 

[mikekim251]

lido. more lido. lots of lido 😃

[italianstallion]

3 hours ago, mikekim251 said:

lido. more lido. lots of lido 😃

I couldn’t be certain but I think you wanted more of the Lido. 

[italianstallion]

If I was wrong about that, here’s just a bit more of the Lido just in case. 

 

 

[Santiago Golf]

[NewGuy412]

10 days till we leave for our trip. 
 

Has anyone been up to SV in the past couple of weeks that could give a conditions report? 

[sabram]

2 hours ago, NewGuy412 said:

10 days till we leave for our trip. 
 

Has anyone been up to SV in the past couple of weeks that could give a conditions report? 

I'll be there starting Tuesday. 

 

Do you really have any doubt about conditions at Sand Valley?

[NewGuy412]

37 minutes ago, sabram said:

I'll be there starting Tuesday. 

 

Do you really have any doubt about conditions at Sand Valley?

No, I’m just excited man 😂

[miss0033]

17 hours ago, NewGuy412 said:

10 days till we leave for our trip. 
 

Has anyone been up to SV in the past couple of weeks that could give a conditions report? 

I was there Labor Day weekend.  Conditions were great.  Sedge was a little patchy in areas, but expected with a course in its first full season.  

 

However, one person I got paired with was there for the first time and whined about the conditions compared to their private club at home.  It is not lush green, thick grass everywhere.  If you've been to Sand Valley, Bandon, etc. before, those are the conditions to expect, and are great to play on.  If you want it to look like Augusta, you will probably be disappointed.

 

EDIT:  Sand Valley did have a few "G.U.R." spots, but nothing obtrusive.  Most notably the large collection area short and right on Par 3 hole #5.

Edited September 9, 2024 by miss0033

[NewGuy412]

2 hours ago, miss0033 said:

I was there Labor Day weekend.  Conditions were great.  Sedge was a little patchy in areas, but expected with a course in its first full season.  

 

However, one person I got paired with was there for the first time and whined about the conditions compared to their private club at home.  It is not lush green, thick grass everywhere.  If you've been to Sand Valley, Bandon, etc. before, those are the conditions to expect, and are great to play on.  If you want it to look like Augusta, you will probably be disappointed.

 

EDIT:  Sand Valley did have a few "G.U.R." spots, but nothing obtrusive.  Most notably the large collection area short and right on Par 3 hole #5.

Awesome! Thank you