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Lanny_McDonald · 06-27-2022, 03:15 PM

Bandon Dunes - a story of five golf courses.

Well, this was a very long time coming. I've been wanting to take on this collection of five courses for a few years now (back when it was just three). I managed to get a couple slots in a traveling tournament series which got us access this year, instead of looking out to 2024. So, we were lucky to be here and happy to get a crack at these courses, even if we were scoring by Stableford.

First course played was Old MacDonald. We started out at 8:40 to a slight breeze of 10 MPH (16 kph) in our faces and hitting into the wind. It looked pretty inviting and nothing to be concerned about, right? Wrong. The combination of wind, cool temperatures, and humidity from being on the coast, made the air a fight to work through. The fairways were cut short and crowned, forcing balls not hit right down the middle to funnel to the heavy rough or the fescue. Coming out of the rough was ugly as the balls just always managed to sink to the bottom where you were forced to chop out or experience the hosel rocket as the club twists in the heavy grass. If you didn't have the perfect distance, you were subject to bunkers carved deeply in the sandy soil, many of them forcing you to pitch out sideways of risk multiple shots trying to climb impossible walls. Once on the greens you were treated to big swales and grain like you've never dreamed of. This is NOT a golf course for anyone but advanced players. And this was before the real winds kicked up. By time we hit the middle of the course the winds had picked up to a constant 20 mph with gusts into the 30s. What was already a dangerous course became a Levithan with no intentions of being tamed. I worked a shot in from 140 yards that took a 70 yard hook into the middle of the surface, only to see the bounce and wind take it off the elevated green into a pit of despair they called a green side bunker. This was how Old MacDonald treated everyone that day. The design was a photograph at every turn, but the environmental conditions made it torturous to play. Finished the day at -8 in Stableford and wondering what I had got myself into.

The afternoon round was an option round on Sheep Ranch. Of course you have to play it, even if the wind is blowing, right? Bad decision. Sheep Ranch is the furthest north and most exposed course. It is also the only course that doesn't have a bunker of the five. What is doesn't have in sand it doubles down in mounding, fescue, and blind shots. As we took to the first tee the starter recommended we play up a box to account for the winds that were coming in. Coming in? We were playing in 20-30 mph as it was, it couldn't get worse, could it? Oh yes. Oh yes it could. By the third hole we were now playing in a constant 25-30 mph win with gusts at 40+. Playing down wind was awesome. I hit 3 wood off the tee on a blind 370 yard par 4 that ended up on the front of the green. So much for playing it smart and laying up. Conversely, hitting back into the wind, I crushed a ball that barely made 200 yards on a 380 yard par 4. Driver wedge was not happening. The course itself was my favorite design. Another shot makers course where you had specific targets to hit and one where you could honestly play a bump and run game to fight the wind. It was every bit as picturesque as Old MacDonald, but in a very different and more stark way. If I was to go back, this is the one course I would have to play again.

Day two saw us start on Pacific Dunes. This is kind of a hybrid of Old MacDonald and Sheep Ranch. The same difficult conditions of Old Mac but with the ability to play the bump and run game. The severe elevated greens that were a consistent feature of Old Mac were missing, presenting a course much more in line with the environmental conditions you had to play. And yes, the environment was again a factor. Winds just as difficult as the previous day. What made Pacific more interesting was the number of holes that played along the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Raw and exposed with zero bailout in one direction. We had started with so many holes into the wind that by time we got to one that was straight down wind that you were pretty much in the "#### it" zone and you only cared about hitting a straight ball. All the frustration of fighting the wind can disappear with one swing with a 25 mph wind behind you. One a 450 yard par four I swung out of my shoes and put my drive a couple yards short of a greenside bunker, for only the third 400+ yard drive of my life. Who says being pissed off can't have its advantages? That one shot righted a sinking ship that was lost in a maelstrom of depressing missing approach shots and got me back in the game. Confidence was restored and the body refreshed, allowing me to continue on. Finished the day at -4 on Stableford, which was an improvement over the hellish performance the day before. Another brutally beautiful course that was only made a nightmare scape by the windy conditions.

The afternoon saw us do another optional round on Bandon Trails. Probably the easiest of all the course, but also the most sheltered as the pine trees coming into play the most. This is a course that makes you appreciate Bandon IMO. Wonderful layout with some of the fairest greens and bunkers on property. Still a picture post card at every turn but has that dark underside just waiting for you to make the slightest mistake. I think this set me up for the final day.

Last round was on the eponymous Bandon Dunes course. Very much like Old MacDonald with deep bunkers and a lot of elevated greens which forces you to put the ball in the air. What made this one a little different was the rough was being let go for a major tournament rolling through in another few weeks. The fairways were dry and hard and the sloped fairways had your tee shots searching for trouble. The best example was the very first hole where I piped a drive right down main street only to find the ball rolling out through the fairway and to some narly #### next to an aiming bunker and being forced to hack out sideways. Caddy said it was a terrible break. Not the last time I would hear that on the day. The greens here were like Old Mac, with lots of Buicks and Chevys buried to make the impossibly fast greens that much more impossible. The winds calm for the first three holes, but then unleashed on us for another day in the 20-30 mph range. Those greens became that much more treacherous as I had two balls on different holes roll away from me as I addressed to make putts. This was the last course we had to play, and about a third of the way through it I was thankful to arrive at that realization. Scoring was the most difficult this day and even though I struck the ball the best of all rounds at Bandon I still missed my quota by two, even after lipping out eagle on the 543 yard finishing par five and taking the kick in birdie. The golf course won again.

There were a lot of positives in this visit. Even though everything was so brutally tough I still only donated four balls to monster called Bandon Dunes. I actually came home with 17 more balls than I went with, so this was a positive. I didn't play my best, but still managed to finish 7th overall in a very strong field. The golf at Bandon Dunes Resort is a grind, and you have to play consistently, even if it is consistently mediocre. I'll take a lot away from this visit as it was as much a game of mental gymnastics as it was a physical battle against a series of golf courses. I come home battered and bruised mentally and emotionally, but the only physical markings will be a wind burn that left everyone beet red.

To make the long story short, here are my overall impressions of Bandon Dunes Resort. I would say OOO! Overpriced. Over-done. Over-rated. Yes, the golf courses are beautiful and the facilities are well thought out but you have to consider may other factors Is the juice worth the squeeze? I don't think these courses lived up to the $275 a round, especially when you factor in that you NEED the caddy to know where you are going and the places where you need to aim. When you add in another $150 to $200 bucks for the cady, that makes the courses come not even close to that total cost. They have marketed the hell out of the property but made sure to keep the dirty little secrets to themselves. The courses are really over-done with the massively deep bunkers and the elevated greens. I get they were trying to emulate Scottish golf, but as soon as you throw those elevated greens into the mix, you're altering the very spirit you trying to create. You then have to ask, are the courses playable? Add in the hellscape winds and the courses become unplayable for all but the very best players. If the courses aren't playable and enjoyable for all, then aren't they over-rated? In then end I'll ask myself was it worth it? I don't know. I'll figure that out years from now as we reminisce about our experiences at Bandon Dunes.

Final stop, Florence Golf Links.

06-27-2022, 03:15 PM	#5512
Lanny_McDonald Franchise Player Join Date: Mar 2013 Exp:	Bandon Dunes - a story of five golf courses. Well, this was a very long time coming. I've been wanting to take on this collection of five courses for a few years now (back when it was just three). I managed to get a couple slots in a traveling tournament series which got us access this year, instead of looking out to 2024. So, we were lucky to be here and happy to get a crack at these courses, even if we were scoring by Stableford. First course played was Old MacDonald. We started out at 8:40 to a slight breeze of 10 MPH (16 kph) in our faces and hitting into the wind. It looked pretty inviting and nothing to be concerned about, right? Wrong. The combination of wind, cool temperatures, and humidity from being on the coast, made the air a fight to work through. The fairways were cut short and crowned, forcing balls not hit right down the middle to funnel to the heavy rough or the fescue. Coming out of the rough was ugly as the balls just always managed to sink to the bottom where you were forced to chop out or experience the hosel rocket as the club twists in the heavy grass. If you didn't have the perfect distance, you were subject to bunkers carved deeply in the sandy soil, many of them forcing you to pitch out sideways of risk multiple shots trying to climb impossible walls. Once on the greens you were treated to big swales and grain like you've never dreamed of. This is NOT a golf course for anyone but advanced players. And this was before the real winds kicked up. By time we hit the middle of the course the winds had picked up to a constant 20 mph with gusts into the 30s. What was already a dangerous course became a Levithan with no intentions of being tamed. I worked a shot in from 140 yards that took a 70 yard hook into the middle of the surface, only to see the bounce and wind take it off the elevated green into a pit of despair they called a green side bunker. This was how Old MacDonald treated everyone that day. The design was a photograph at every turn, but the environmental conditions made it torturous to play. Finished the day at -8 in Stableford and wondering what I had got myself into. The afternoon round was an option round on Sheep Ranch. Of course you have to play it, even if the wind is blowing, right? Bad decision. Sheep Ranch is the furthest north and most exposed course. It is also the only course that doesn't have a bunker of the five. What is doesn't have in sand it doubles down in mounding, fescue, and blind shots. As we took to the first tee the starter recommended we play up a box to account for the winds that were coming in. Coming in? We were playing in 20-30 mph as it was, it couldn't get worse, could it? Oh yes. Oh yes it could. By the third hole we were now playing in a constant 25-30 mph win with gusts at 40+. Playing down wind was awesome. I hit 3 wood off the tee on a blind 370 yard par 4 that ended up on the front of the green. So much for playing it smart and laying up. Conversely, hitting back into the wind, I crushed a ball that barely made 200 yards on a 380 yard par 4. Driver wedge was not happening. The course itself was my favorite design. Another shot makers course where you had specific targets to hit and one where you could honestly play a bump and run game to fight the wind. It was every bit as picturesque as Old MacDonald, but in a very different and more stark way. If I was to go back, this is the one course I would have to play again. Day two saw us start on Pacific Dunes. This is kind of a hybrid of Old MacDonald and Sheep Ranch. The same difficult conditions of Old Mac but with the ability to play the bump and run game. The severe elevated greens that were a consistent feature of Old Mac were missing, presenting a course much more in line with the environmental conditions you had to play. And yes, the environment was again a factor. Winds just as difficult as the previous day. What made Pacific more interesting was the number of holes that played along the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Raw and exposed with zero bailout in one direction. We had started with so many holes into the wind that by time we got to one that was straight down wind that you were pretty much in the "#### it" zone and you only cared about hitting a straight ball. All the frustration of fighting the wind can disappear with one swing with a 25 mph wind behind you. One a 450 yard par four I swung out of my shoes and put my drive a couple yards short of a greenside bunker, for only the third 400+ yard drive of my life. Who says being pissed off can't have its advantages? That one shot righted a sinking ship that was lost in a maelstrom of depressing missing approach shots and got me back in the game. Confidence was restored and the body refreshed, allowing me to continue on. Finished the day at -4 on Stableford, which was an improvement over the hellish performance the day before. Another brutally beautiful course that was only made a nightmare scape by the windy conditions. The afternoon saw us do another optional round on Bandon Trails. Probably the easiest of all the course, but also the most sheltered as the pine trees coming into play the most. This is a course that makes you appreciate Bandon IMO. Wonderful layout with some of the fairest greens and bunkers on property. Still a picture post card at every turn but has that dark underside just waiting for you to make the slightest mistake. I think this set me up for the final day. Last round was on the eponymous Bandon Dunes course. Very much like Old MacDonald with deep bunkers and a lot of elevated greens which forces you to put the ball in the air. What made this one a little different was the rough was being let go for a major tournament rolling through in another few weeks. The fairways were dry and hard and the sloped fairways had your tee shots searching for trouble. The best example was the very first hole where I piped a drive right down main street only to find the ball rolling out through the fairway and to some narly #### next to an aiming bunker and being forced to hack out sideways. Caddy said it was a terrible break. Not the last time I would hear that on the day. The greens here were like Old Mac, with lots of Buicks and Chevys buried to make the impossibly fast greens that much more impossible. The winds calm for the first three holes, but then unleashed on us for another day in the 20-30 mph range. Those greens became that much more treacherous as I had two balls on different holes roll away from me as I addressed to make putts. This was the last course we had to play, and about a third of the way through it I was thankful to arrive at that realization. Scoring was the most difficult this day and even though I struck the ball the best of all rounds at Bandon I still missed my quota by two, even after lipping out eagle on the 543 yard finishing par five and taking the kick in birdie. The golf course won again. There were a lot of positives in this visit. Even though everything was so brutally tough I still only donated four balls to monster called Bandon Dunes. I actually came home with 17 more balls than I went with, so this was a positive. I didn't play my best, but still managed to finish 7th overall in a very strong field. The golf at Bandon Dunes Resort is a grind, and you have to play consistently, even if it is consistently mediocre. I'll take a lot away from this visit as it was as much a game of mental gymnastics as it was a physical battle against a series of golf courses. I come home battered and bruised mentally and emotionally, but the only physical markings will be a wind burn that left everyone beet red. To make the long story short, here are my overall impressions of Bandon Dunes Resort. I would say OOO! Overpriced. Over-done. Over-rated. Yes, the golf courses are beautiful and the facilities are well thought out but you have to consider may other factors Is the juice worth the squeeze? I don't think these courses lived up to the $275 a round, especially when you factor in that you NEED the caddy to know where you are going and the places where you need to aim. When you add in another $150 to $200 bucks for the cady, that makes the courses come not even close to that total cost. They have marketed the hell out of the property but made sure to keep the dirty little secrets to themselves. The courses are really over-done with the massively deep bunkers and the elevated greens. I get they were trying to emulate Scottish golf, but as soon as you throw those elevated greens into the mix, you're altering the very spirit you trying to create. You then have to ask, are the courses playable? Add in the hellscape winds and the courses become unplayable for all but the very best players. If the courses aren't playable and enjoyable for all, then aren't they over-rated? In then end I'll ask myself was it worth it? I don't know. I'll figure that out years from now as we reminisce about our experiences at Bandon Dunes. Final stop, Florence Golf Links.