Random Bandon Thread

[puttnforthe8]

Sticks not going to get lost. However, if you ShipStix them, you can forgo the rental car and take the shuttle to Bandon - thus saving some hassle and money.

the eccos are fine - but take some extra socks and maybe change at 9. but get the boots if you must. :)

[spud3]

Agreed that the boots aren't really necessary unless the weather is really bad (>30mph wind with rain). And it can get really bad in January. Or June...

 

Are you part of a group? If you're not planning on leaving the resort (and there's not a big reason to), you can probably skip the car rental and take the shuttle, even with your clubs. The resort shuttles will get you around very efficiently, so if you're looking to trim some $ that's a place to start. It is really convenient to have your own ride though, and if you've got more than yourself chipping in for the car it's worth it, but certainly not a requirement.

[dcmidnight]

My only issue in looking at OTH flights for next fall is that it appears there is one flight a day out of OTH to SFO - and maybe one flight a day period on some days? Its a very small airport and if your OTH flight gets cancelled for whatever reason, you're sort of stuck? Its not like theres another flight an hour later. For me getting back to the East Coast, its not really something I wanted to worry about so I'll be doing Eugene to DC through Seattle.

That being said, I've read most Bandon threads on here and I dont remember reading anyone having flight issues at OTH one way or the other. Maybe one flight that was delayed for wind.

And we plan on using Shipsticks - having talked to people who have been, it sounds like a very easy thing to do.

[shackmangolf]

We had flight issues from SFO to OTH and were delayed 2.5 hours. It was June. We had to push back our tee times on the day of arrival by 2 hours and bandon accomodated us. I would suggest that you have trails or old mac scheduled for that first day (get less play later in the day) and late in the day so you can still get a round in. FWIW - I was there this October and played 45 holes in one day and could have played more with the light but was too tired after carrying my bag and having a few late afternoon bourbons. There is plenty of light.

[JNewsted]

I'm a single, so I get to call the shots (fun). Mostly looking to avoid any logistic issues. I'm leaning towards Shipsticks, as I've got a decent discount code and renting a car. My first night will be staying in town, and it's actually about 50% of the cost of the resort for that night, so may as well rent a car. I'm getting a little excited here.

[Dsevans8]

Check out waterproof socks on Amazon, game changer for sure.

[buzlin]

I think the advantage with the "boots" comes when things get really cold or really sloppy (muddy or ponding water). At Bandon, things rarely get that bad, but when water begins to pond, the higher ankle coverage makes walking less stressful as you don't have to watch your steps as carefully. I have spikeless and spiked gore-tex eccos that are my go to shoes and I'll use them unless we're expecting heavy rain, then it's a no brainer imo. That said, I agree with others, they're not necessary, more of a luxury in certain conditions.

[VNutz]

That airport won't lose your sticks. To my knowledge only 1 commercial flight goes in and one goes out of that airport on a daily basis, and the luggage comes right off the plane onto the tarmac like in the olden days, no jet way.

But if I were you I'd use Ship Sticks, for a couple of reasons:

1) That's a really tight layover time, and it might prove too tight a window for your luggage and clubs to make it onto the new plane for OTH. If they don't make it they'll be on the next flight, the next day.

2) The plane you take to North Bend is incredibly small, like 30 people small, and thus doesn't have a ton of room for luggage and bigger items like clubs, and from what I've been told items often get bumped. Considering there's only 1 commercial flight into and out of this airport per day, if your clubs get bumped you're screwed. There's no delivery coming that evening. And being that you've got a short layover your clubs even if they do make it, will be some of the last items getting on that plane and thus will have the least amount of room set aside for them. That's too much risk for me.

3) You can rent a smaller car or have any taxi take you. IIRC for my trip last month it was about $48 for a taxi ride, regardless of how many people. You can take a taxi or call Fairway Shuttle and see if he's got room for 1 guy. IMO once you get there you really don't have need for a vehicle unless you want to hit the town, and the town is really small. You can get by easily on food and drink with what's at the resort, and quite well; their shuttle system works quite nicely. It's always nice to have a vehicle for your own freedom, but both times I've been there I've been really glad we didn't pay to rent a car as we never would have used it.

From my experience the full waterproof boots haven't been needed, even though I've brought my Nike Bandons each time. Fortunately I haven't seen the epic Bandon washouts that others have.

Enjoy your time!!

[spud3]

As alluded to in the previous posts, the higher boots really make a difference when the wind is blowing the rain sideways. With regular shoes (even waterproof ones) the rain will blow under your pantleg, into your sock, then drain down into the shoe. The Adidas or Nike boots pretty much keep that from happening.

 

Having said that, it never ceases to amaze me how water can find a way into whatever rain-proofing we can come up with. On the worst days at Bandon, it's really a matter of controlling how wet you get.

[Roadking2003]

I will be there in late August and thought there would be much less chance of rain so I wouldn't need rain gear. But reading this thread, I'm rethinking that decision.

 

This graph shows very little rain in August.

 

[spud3]

Generally, you should be good in August. The Oregon Coast is a strange creature, though (note that we don't call it 'the beach' here). While those averages are pretty accurate, those eight-ish days of rain can be hellacious. It is entirely possible for you have a day in the low 50's and rain blowing sideways, then mid-70's and clear the next.

 

Wind is generally more of an issue in the summer. I cannot imagine going to Bandon (even in August) without rain gear.

[buzlin]

Our group has been beaten up more in April than February. Granted we have a small dataset. The winds we encountered in April were oppressive. We had much less rain, which was nice. The long days are fantastic for hanging out after the rounds. We're doing April next year, but switching back to February for 2021. That said, if we could choose (ie, had more cash), we'd go Roadking style in August.

[newg33b]

I went in August this year thinking I'd be perfectly fine without rain gear but as it got quite close to departure the forecast changed and rain was in the forecast for my first full day there. It would've stunk had I not gotten rain gear before leaving so I'd recommend it out of abundance of caution. In my case, I've used the rain gear since on a November trip to Kiawah, so it was nice to have a kick in the pants so to speak to get rain gear in the first place.

[mallrat]

To be fair, you can have both weather days you described in a 4 hr spam. In August I would be more worried about high wind days than rain. I look at it as anytime you go you are going to get some rain just how much.

[StarFleetGolfer]

Anyone at Bandon now or very recently? Going in a few days and just wondering if rain is steady or intermittent? Trying to decide what gear to take. I'll have to buy raingrear as I dont even own any.

[Thornbrugh]

I was there December 26-28 and the weather was amazing. A little cold in the mornings, but finished each day in short-sleeves on the course. No rain and very little wind. My Advice is to pack so you can layer your clothes each day for maximum flexibility and assume you will get some rain. Forecast looks like 50/50 on rain after Tuesday but that can change quickly. Enjoy your trip!

[Edaw68]

Always bring raingear to Bandon, no matter what the forecast says. It can change a day out. This time of year days without rain are a bonus.

[jjr]

Less then 6 weeks out, super pumped, rain would be fun just keep the wind down to a breeze.

 

Happy New Year all.

[duffer987]

That's like saying getting kicked in the junk would be fun just to avoid getting slapped in the face ;-)

Rain sucks, always. Wind can be suck score wise, but it can also be a lot of fun.

[jjr]

Lol, If it rains we'll imagine we're in Scotland or Ireland, it's all about the experience.

[mallrat]

If you need to you can stop by RedTail for some good deals but nothing fancy. Or stop by Fiddlers Green in Eugene. Not sure if their selection but a famous golf shop in Oregon.

[duffer987]

Fair enough :-) Even though I'm now in California, being a PNWer and former UK/Ireland resident, I've seen enough rain for a lifetime.

That said, embracing the conditions is absolutely the attitude to have! You definitely get in the right mindset for when it does come that way.

[Mustu]

I stopped at fiddler's green in Eugene on the way down a few weeks ago. Amazing pro shop that had a really good selection of rain gear. It was the best prices I've seen on rain gear. That's where I'd buy if I needed it I don't think I'd be playing golf in Bandon in January without available rain gear.

[VNutz]

They have gear at the shops if you don't have any currently. You'll likely pay a pretty price for it, but if you're the gambling type it might be a good option. I've had days with literally 0% chance of rain forecasted, only to get rained on.

[duffer987]

Here's a random one - have you repeat visitors gotten any 'gifts' from the resort over the years?

We got something this year, TBH I've forgotten already whether it was an oversized ball mark or a bag tag type thing, and were joking, after 9/10 trips think there might be a free breakfast in it at least :-)

[jrg75]

Four trips, I got a leather keychain on my trip this year. I definitely don't go for the freebies ?

[duffer987]

Snap! That's what it was, thanks for jogging my memory, lol. I was just going through one of my bags I took to Bandon in Nov and it reminded me that we got something upon checkin, but I couldn't remember or find it.

[buzlin]

Oversized ball marker, wooden bag tag, beer coozie, and a couple other things I can't recall. The beer coozie is the best.

[duffer987]

There we go, I really did just need a smack upside the head to remember: I do have a beer coozie as well... think I need to do a proper rummage through the junk drawer now.

[buzlin]

I just found the leather tag, it's on my roller.