I did Bandon without caddie - April. But I did study the courses beforehand quite a bit through videos and fly throughs and so forth. Caddies are not needed. It's expensive like any destination, but all five courses are incredible - but I am a bit of a golf course architecture snob. The Phoenix stuff just doesn't float my boat, I guess.
Another low key great, relatively affordable trip is North Carolina without Pinehurst Resort. 2, 4 and now 10 all require a couple nights stay at the resort, which is expensive. The courses are expensive too. I played 2 (alongside 3 as warm up). But I would go back in a heartbeat and just play relatively affordable Tobacco Road, Southern Pines, Pine Needles and Mid Pines (whereby you can stay in a regular cheap hotel). Those four courses are world class. Tobacco Road might legitimately be the most "fun" golf course in the world. It's wild.
Excited to go to Scotland in June.
North Berwick
Gullane 1, 2
Dunbar
Kilspindie
Elie
Crail
New
Old
Panmure
