Bandon May 2025

[pearls24]

Hey All:

I know there are some other threads on Bandon but I wanted to start a more current one and have some specific questions regarding our trip (which may help others looking to go as well).  We are a group of 8 traveling from Boston.  After reading so many of the comments, really concerned about the flight into SF then to North Bend.  We are going May 19th-25th.  Is weather a concern for flight delays typically this time of year?  Are we better off flying into Seattle and then to North Bend?  We are contemplating flying non-stop to Portland and then doing a private puddle jumper to Bandon State or North Bend but that increases the price from about $1200-$15000/ticket to around $2600-$3000 per person.   This type of plane is a Pilatus PC12 which looks rather small and to be honest, a little scary to fly in especially if windy or any weather issues.  Anyone have any suggestions/experience with these options and coming from the East Coast?  Much appreciated!

[PNW]

Are you able to fly into Eugene? Much easier drive than from Seattle and saves a few hours vs Portland. 

[pearls24]

26 minutes ago, PNW said:

Are you able to fly into Eugene? Much easier drive than from Seattle and saves a few hours vs Portland. 

No non-stop flights into Eugene from Boston.  Would have to connect through Salt Lake City.

[kaschreiber]

That's likely to be a better weather window than other times of the year, but a) it's the Oregon Coast - there can be crappy weather any time of the year and b) even if there's no rain, there can be substantial wind. If you're really worried, I'd still say SLC > EUG is going to be better than trying Seattle / Portland to North Bend and one less thing to stress about. The drive from Eugene is ~2.5 hours, you'll be out of the airport in ~15 mins after landing, and if you haven't spent a lot of time in the PNW it's a really scenic drive and the back half really hits home the sleepy coastal / logging town feel of the area. Since you're looking at a connection in SF regardless, I'd suggest Eugene, personally. 

 

The other thing that can cause delays with North Bend, other than weather, is they use small planes with strict weight limits. I've heard stories of people in the plane seeing their clubs left on the tarmac because the plane is overweight, so even if the plane leaves on time they get to the resort empty handed. You could use ship sticks to avoid this risk, but I feel like I've heard more negatives than positives (I get that's what you're going to hear more of) going through North Bend and may just be worth the drive from Eugene. Final plug for Eugene - Fiddler's Green Golf Center is 5 minutes from the airport, will have everything you'd ever need to stock up on (or if you need new rain gear, shoes, etc) and Oregon has no state sales tax. I'm able to drive to Bandon / always fly through Eugene if I do fly and I always make a stop there even if I don't really need anything.

[PNW]

26 minutes ago, pearls24 said:

No non-stop flights into Eugene from Boston.  Would have to connect through Salt Lake City.

Right, or through Seattle on Alaska. Point being, it's going to be easier to lay over in Seattle or SLC flying into Eugene then a) layover to North Bend, b) drive from Seattle or Portland with non-stops. The drive down is fine but the return drive to Portland or Seattle is a grind after that trip. You'll also then avoid potential risks of North Bend. 

[Jeff58]

The problem tends to be fog in OTH as often as some limiter out of SFO. Eugene and a van carpool is the classic alternative, and for good reason. Portland is also obviously further, and you can be enveloped in traffic at times.

 

[pearls24]

16 minutes ago, PNW said:

Right, or through Seattle on Alaska. Point being, it's going to be easier to lay over in Seattle or SLC flying into Eugene then a) layover to North Bend, b) drive from Seattle or Portland with non-stops. The drive down is fine but the return drive to Portland or Seattle is a grind after that trip. You'll also then avoid potential risks of North Bend. 

We wouldn't drive from Seattle or Portland.  If we go into Portland it is then to take a private puddle jumper into Bandon State or OTH.  That was the higher cost option I listed above.  I suggested the Seattle option to avoid SF as I thought that might be better.  

[jvincent]

1 hour ago, pearls24 said:

Hey All:

I know there are some other threads on Bandon but I wanted to start a more current one and have some specific questions regarding our trip (which may help others looking to go as well).  We are a group of 8 traveling from Boston.  After reading so many of the comments, really concerned about the flight into SF then to North Bend.  We are going May 19th-25th.  Is weather a concern for flight delays typically this time of year?  Are we better off flying into Seattle and then to North Bend?  We are contemplating flying non-stop to Portland and then doing a private puddle jumper to Bandon State or North Bend but that increases the price from about $1200-$15000/ticket to around $2600-$3000 per person.   This type of plane is a Pilatus PC12 which looks rather small and to be honest, a little scary to fly in especially if windy or any weather issues.  Anyone have any suggestions/experience with these options and coming from the East Coast?  Much appreciated!

 

If it were me, fly direct into Portland and drive from there. Yes, you might hit traffic, but with connection times / etc you will end up at the resort the same time as if you fly into OTH but without the worry of bags not making due to weight or weather.

 

Also, the last hour or so of the drive is pretty scenic. Just soak it in.

[pearls24]

9 minutes ago, jvincent said:

 

If it were me, fly direct into Portland and drive from there. Yes, you might hit traffic, but with connection times / etc you will end up at the resort the same time as if you fly into OTH but without the worry of bags not making due to weight or weather.

 

Also, the last hour or so of the drive is pretty scenic. Just soak it in.

Thought about that but the last thing anyone wants to do after flying for 6 hrs + 3 hr time difference, layover, etc. is drive another 4.5 hrs.  

[srs06d]

Fly into Portland and take https://bandonlooptransportation.com/ to bandon

[pearls24]

1 hour ago, srs06d said:

Fly into Portland and take https://bandonlooptransportation.com/ to bandon

Contacting them last week and still haven't received a reply.... Still a 4.5 ride though which isn't ideal.

[kaschreiber]

For me it's never the trip there - I'm so excited the drive flies by. The last thing anyone wants to do after the last round is sit in a 5 hour drive, which is where Eugene really works for me. I think it boils down to being direct to Pdx with a much longer drive, or a layover to Eugene with a much shorter drive if you're really worried about the flight into Bandon / NB. There's a chance you could fly there without a hitch (probably a good chance too!) but if it's something you really want to avoid, I'd suggest whichever of those two options are most palatable to ya. 

Edited September 16, 2024 by kaschreiber

[Bsarosi]

I'll second EUG. I was trying to decide between a non-stop, direct flight from DC to PDX followed by the 5-hr drive to Bandon (and return 5 hr drive our last day) or DC > DEN > EUG followed by the 2.5 hr drive. Ended up flying in/out of EUG because it allowed us to play 36 on our last day and be able to drive back to EUG in a timely manner to overnight before flying out early next day. Additionally, there were weather delays out of DC but all of us were able to change flights and still make it to DEN in time for flight to EUG (stayed over in EUG then drove to Bandon the next morning). 

 

Met some guys who flew in on a private plane from AZ while at Bandon...definitely the best option if all goes to plan but they said that fog and wind have delayed their previous flights in/out of OTH. If you have the $$ to fly a private plane, it's the best option (hence the price), but still not without risks.

 

And there have been many horror stories about golf bags not making it to OTH from SF due to weight...if you go that route, you absolutely should use shipsticks. The other issue is that flight out of SF is usually the 3rd or 4th leg of the day for that plane so any earlier weather delays or mechanical issues will impact you. There's another thread in the forum that has many folks with bad experiences flying SF > OTH; most advise against flying SF > OTH.

Edited September 16, 2024 by Bsarosi

[pearls24]

Anyone use Aviation Transportation for the shuttle from Eugene to the resort?  On Loop's website it says $2925 for r/t service.  Seems rather expensive compared to what we paid for our own private driver for a week in Ireland vs just 2.5 hr drive each way.  

[Jeff58]

15 hours ago, pearls24 said:

Anyone use Aviation Transportation for the shuttle from Eugene to the resort?  On Loop's website it says $2925 for r/t service.  Seems rather expensive compared to what we paid for our own private driver for a week in Ireland vs just 2.5 hr drive each way.  

Rent 2 vehicles from Enterprise in EUG, drop off 6 at Bandon, return vehicles to OTH, UBER back to Bandy World, and spend the $2k on meatloaf.

[ND2005]

I feel like you're coming up with really complicated solutions. 

 

If you want the convenience, roll the dice with North Bend. That's cheaper than your private flight option, and most of the time it works out just fine...it's just a significant set back if you're one of the unlucky few it doesn't work out for. Silver lining though - even if it has to divert, you're just in Eugene so you are in the same boat you would have been otherwise.

 

If you want the safe route, go to Eugene and rent cars. 4.5 hours isn't that long and you will have friends so you could always swap drivers if you need.

 

Yes, it is a slog getting to Bandon from the East coast. That's just reality. There's a reason some East Coasters say they'd prefer a trip to Scotland/Ireland over trying to get to Bandon. 

[pearls24]

Agreed- I think we have decided to just roll the dice and go BOS-SF-OTH.  Think we are all going to Ship Sticks our clubs to help avoid any potential issues as well.

[VNutz]

45 minutes ago, pearls24 said:

Agreed- I think we have decided to just roll the dice and go BOS-SF-OTH.  Think we are all going to Ship Sticks our clubs to help avoid any potential issues as well.

Highly recommend ShipSticks, just build in an extra day or two just in case of delays. Bandon has plenty of rentals but that's not the same. And it makes transportation to/from North Bend so much easier. Call Fairway Shuttle or hit up a taxi, Uber was quite limited there in my experience.

 

Best of luck with the travel, there really is no perfect way. On my 4th trip in 6 weeks, and I've had varying levels of success each option. First trip had delays in SF and didn't get into North Bend until 6pm, wasted a day. 2nd trip was perfect and we were hitting balls at 2:00, but leaving the flight was cancelled and we had to rent a car to drive to Eugene. 3rd trip went into Portland on miles and rented a car, and that's the way I'll be going from now on. It's not ideal, but the drive that day was gorgeous and I'd gladly do it again. Just take an extra day for travel if you can and build it into your schedule.

 

Eugene with greater non stop options really would be the best route, but the last time I found those was 2019, don't seem to be many of them anymore.

[eboettne]

2 hours ago, pearls24 said:

Agreed- I think we have decided to just roll the dice and go BOS-SF-OTH.  Think we are all going to Ship Sticks our clubs to help avoid any potential issues as well.

For what it's worth we flew into Eugene our 1st trip and rented a car then flew into OTH on the 2nd trip and took the shuttle.  Granted our flights worked out fine but as soon as we got on the shuttle, cracked a beer, and enjoyed the drive down we said "I don't think we can ever fly into Eugene again, this is too easy"

[ND2005]

1 hour ago, eboettne said:

For what it's worth we flew into Eugene our 1st trip and rented a car then flew into OTH on the 2nd trip and took the shuttle.  Granted our flights worked out fine but as soon as we got on the shuttle, cracked a beer, and enjoyed the drive down we said "I don't think we can ever fly into Eugene again, this is too easy"

when it works, it is great. You can be on the course basically an hour after you touch down. 

[eboettne]

On 9/18/2024 at 1:21 PM, ND2005 said:

when it works, it is great. You can be on the course basically an hour after you touch down. 

 

We felt like we had gamed the system, not supposed to be that easy to get to Bandon 

 

We're going in October 2025 but flying direct from Denver to OTH so that'll be an even bigger cheat code if all goes to plan.

[pearls24]

There is a flight from BOS to Denver to OTH but it is seasonal and we miss it by a couple weeks I think for this trip.  

[jimhaire]

We flew to Eugene and drove to Coo bay where we a Had an Airbnb   Drive was easy   Flying into that airport didn’t seem fun  You still need transportation to Bandon  

[eboettne]

On 9/28/2024 at 11:13 AM, jimhaire said:

We flew to Eugene and drove to Coo bay where we a Had an Airbnb   Drive was easy   Flying into that airport didn’t seem fun  You still need transportation to Bandon  

That's what the shuttle with a cooler of beer is for

[Caddy Woods]

On 9/17/2024 at 3:03 AM, pearls24 said:

Anyone use Aviation Transportation for the shuttle from Eugene to the resort?  On Loop's website it says $2925 for r/t service.  Seems rather expensive compared to what we paid for our own private driver for a week in Ireland vs just 2.5 hr drive each way.  

We used Aviation for our trip in August. We flew in and out of EUG.

They did a great job. Our flight into EUG was a bit delayed but they were able to hustle us to Bandon for a late afternoon round on the Preserve. Ask for the van with the two tables, facing chairs, and big forward facing skylight window. Enjoy the scenery on the way into Bandon. The cooler full of domestics and nobody in the group responsible for driving was a great way to bookend the trip. 

[pearls24]

Hey Fellas- looks like our group leader had some miscommunication with Bandon on the # of nights we are staying for our trip.  So for our last night we need to find a place to stay (8 people).  Any suggestions on hotels near Bandon or closer to OTH since we are flying out of there the last day?

[graveydellic]

10 minutes ago, pearls24 said:

Hey Fellas- looks like our group leader had some miscommunication with Bandon on the # of nights we are staying for our trip.  So for our last night we need to find a place to stay (8 people).  Any suggestions on hotels near Bandon or closer to OTH since we are flying out of there the last day?

 

Bandon Inn.  Someone else may be able to chime in on something in Coos Bay or the like.  

[Seamus_MacDuff]

Bandon Inn is great if you want to be close to the resort.  If you'd rather be close to the airport, I'd recommend The Mill Casino.

[btga222]

Two comments. 
1. Flying into Eugene is easy even if it has to be from a connecting flight 

2. The motel 6 in coos bay is dirt cheap and very reasonably clean for a bunch of guys 

[kaschreiber]

Bandon Crossings has some decent stay and play options if you wanted to check that out. I think their 8 person option is a house that's literally overlooking the driving range, smaller options are condos ~15 mins away with views of the ocean. We've done that if we want to get into down a day early - Crossings is a fun trek and you can take a cart - but if the option is a round there or another round at the resort it's the resort 10/10