Bandon in December??? Is this a stupid idea???

[BG5]

Gents,

 

I am considering making my first trip to Bandon but because of my work schedule I would probably have to do it in December. This would be my first time taking a trip out West.

 

1. Is it likely I would be able to golf 36 holes in a day?

 

2. I can usually handle cold weather on the course......but I am looking forward to hearing from anyone if you anticipate me facing conditions that are not playable.

 

3. Should I wait for another time or should I just go for it?

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Kernel]

1. Highly unlikely to impossible . . . shortest days of the year in December

 

2. Anything goes really. If a storm rolls in off of the Pacific then you could have driving rain and gale force winds. But it just as easily be 55 degrees and benign. And unplayable is largely relative. If you really want to play, it would be rare to have conditions that are truly unplayable.

 

3. This is completely up to you. Is cost a factor? When would be your next chance to go? But all that said, I would never discourage anyone from going to Bandon at any time of the year. It is a remarkable place.

[TMBob]

Did my only trip there the first week of Dec.....what we got was, cold in the morning and short weather by the afternoon (which I did not pack)

 

We played 27 one day, mainly because of the frost delay,

 

Sunny and 55 with little wind and only one day of marine air (Pacifc day)

 

I could not have asked for a better trip.....won the lotto those 3 days is the way that I felt when I left.

[buzlin]

I wouldn't plan on playing 36. Though if you were able to get one of the first times in the morning, you could possibly get it in if the weather was suspect and people weren't playing in the afternoon, you could fly around quickly. But realistically, you should plan on 18 plus what ever you could squeeze in. We played in December, knowing we couldn't play 36, but it was still fun to play till dark. The upside is that the punchbowl, preserve, and shorty's can be used to fill in the gaps. Also, the replay prices are so low, it's low risk.

 

Is your trip long enough to play all four courses if you were only able to get 18 per day? If this is a bucket list, only go once and check it off type trip, I wouldn't go unless you could "guarantee" playing all four. If you're game to check it out and return another time, then I would totally go for it.

[GDB02]

I've gone between xmas and new years. We played got in 36 easily but had some of the first times around 8AM each day, and took only about 20 mins for lunch.

 

Got lucky with weather as it was chilly in the morning but mid 50's to 60's in afternoon, rained hard one round but other than that it was ideal. No frost delays either

 

Definitely doable, just a bit risky. If you're coming from the east coast and likely will only make one trip, it would probably be better to try a more reliable season, but even then you never know what you're going to get.

[Edaw68]

To answer the primary question, no, it's never a stupid idea to go to Bandon. As for the rest of your questions.

 

1. 36 is possible but unlikely, and hard to plan for. Best bet is to get the first tee time out each day. If there isn't a frost delay and you aren't picky about your second round of the day, play fast then hit the pro shop and ask for an opening at whatever course may have them. I'll echo what others have said, with replay rates not getting all the way around the second round isn't a huge negative. All four courses have loops where you can skip a few holes and play less than 18.

 

2. If you're coming from Michigan, cold likely won't be the issue, it's fairly temperate on the coast. The potential for a week of epic rain and wind is much greater in winter months. Here's my trip report from December 2015. It was pretty bad, but other than one round on Pacific, playable.

 

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/1266958-december-bandon-trip-report/

 

3. I'd go for it. There is always the chance of good weather too, it's extremely variable on the coast. I've done November, December, and January. 2 out of 3 were great weather.

 

Read up on various trip reports and Bandon threads if you haven't done so. Tons of good info there on all sorts of topics, including weather gear to bring.

[ryu123]

the previous posters are correct, especially Kernel and Edaw68.

 

Unless you're willing to pay $275 per round in the summer staying at the resort (or $325 as a day guest), $100 per round in December is a great rate.

 

The chance of rain is a lot higher in the winter, but the playing conditions are still fast & firm. Between 2001 - 2014 I had been going to Bandon in December almost every year. In all that time there's been only a handful of really stormy nasty days.

 

You could fly to San Diego or Los Angeles and play average courses in great weather. Or go to Monterey and play good courses in decent weather. But Bandon is really special, especially if you've never played true links golf.

 

As Kernel suggested, there's never a bad time to go to Bandon.

[mallrat]

I miss the days when in the winter you just kept your eye on the forecast. Once you found a good 10 day window, you called up and it was on.

 

Now even for a single it's a couple months to a year out.

[QMany]

I went over Thanksgiving 2014. Here is my trip recap. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

[The Pearl]

Considering a trip to Bandon requires inverting the conventional thinking when it comes to a golf destination trip. This is a bit difficult for those considering their first trip.

 

1. I think I am safe in speaking for all of us who have made multiple trips during the "off and shoulder seasons" that there is no way any of us would make the trip during the summer and pay those prices. That is not a comment in terms of "Bandon is over priced", but rather going during the summer does not guarantee ANYTHING, it simply increases your probability of avoiding the worst case scenario of experiencing multiple days of unplayable conditions.

 

2. The nature of rain at Bandon is different than what we usually experience in our home locations. The higher probability rain "event" at Bandon is rain that comes and goes during the day or rain that makes it so you can at least slog around and have a good time. Remember, the courses are built for it.

 

3. Wind is far more of an issue in terms of playable conditions. And by wind, I mean the wind that blows over the pull carts, etc. I think nearly all of us will take a little bit of rain vs. high winds.

 

4. The big issue at Bandon is both sporty wind and sporty rain. The sideways stuff is when even the most crazy of us head in.

 

5. Planning to go to Bandon based on trying to make the best weather choice is a fool's errand. The weather is random and by random I don't mean flip of a coin random, I mean casino odds random. I am not weather dude, but I would guess the only legit forecasting window is about 4 hours in duration.

 

After two trips experiencing the entire weather spectrum, I think the best strategy is go as a solo, during the cheapest months, and stay as long as possible. This gives you the most flexibility at the lowest price point.

[payerasjl]

Pull the trigger! heading there DEC 9-12 because of those same reasons... (as a single) had some time off and $ makes sense. I part time in Miami, and ive learned from hurricane warnings and all that jazz, that weather is not to be trusted. Just go bc its bandon dunes and its amazing.

[GDB02]

I'll also point out the place was relatively E mpty between xmas and New Years last year.