Course Order at Bandon....Will I wear myself out????

[BG5]

Gents,

Booked a group of 12 guys to Bandon next June and want some feedback on our course order and rotation. I am planning on taking a caddie for all rounds to conserve energy but wanted to know if this seams reasonable. I would also like feedback on what our last round should be on day 5 and I am considering getting out there a day early so I can get in another round or two on day 1......thoughts on this and if I did fly in a day early is there a cheap place to stay on the way????

Day 1 - Preserve

Day 2 - Pacific Dunes and Preserve (tournament ties up 3 courses)

Day 3 Sheep Ranch and Old Mcdonald

Day 4 Bandon Dunes and Bandon Trails

Day 5 - Option to play morning round.....which course would be best

[jackbauer]

Two straight days of 36 is doable for most but you obviously have to factor in your age, physical condition, etc.

The ranking of courses from most affected by wind/morning round preferred to least/afternoon is probably Sheep Ranch, Old Mac, Pacific, Bandon and Trails. So, you could try to reschedule days 3 and 4 to be Old Mac/Bandon and Sheep Ranch/Trails or vice versa (Trails and Old Mac is the hardest 36-hole walk), although that could be difficult since you'd need three consecutive tee times.

[kaschreiber]

Agreed with @jackbauer. My dad played 36 back to back days at 60 on a ruptured ACL. If he can, anyone can. Pack a lot of ibuprofen, change socks between rounds, and start walking the courses you play at home to get in shape. Caddie will help as well. It's hard to give a recommendation for Day 5, it depends on what you like to play. You won't choose incorrectly. If you're concerned about 36 in back to back days for you or anyone in the group, you could flip days 2 and 3 as well, go 36, 18 + 13, 36, 18. Old Mac and Trails are the hardest walks, although I haven't played Sheep. While it's short on the card, getting beat up in that wind could make all the difference. I've never played Old Mac in the afternoon, it's always a morning round for us and as called out above, Mac and Sheep get the most wind in the afternoon.
Book whatever course you're most excited to play for Day 5. If you walk off day 4 and want to change for a course the group really wants to get out on, it will be hard to do so with 12 in June, but worth a shot. If you need a recommendation I'd say Bandon- it's the OG, I think it's the most fun, but Trails is my favorite course there. You'll get a lot of differing opinions from people here on what's most fun/the best course, which is part of the beauty about the place. There is no easy answer to "which course is best" unfortunately. If anyone in your group has been before, see if they have any input as well. If you switch Bandon and Old Mac as well, Bandon in the morning will play a bit differently. If you are really jacked on the ocean views- Sheep/Pac are your bet, if that's of less importance, Bandon/Trails.

[Edaw68]

That rotation of courses looks fine. If you normally walk 18, you should be able to handle the 36 days. The other comments about socks, ibuprofen and what not are spot on.

[puttnforthe8]

My take is a SR OM 36 is a long tough day - I would not do them together. And as mentioned - do both in the morning....if in June as early as you can.

[newg33b]

I do like your day 2 of having Pacific + Preserve, but it may be even better to get that later in the trip if possible, but the tournament may make this tricky. I find a day like that where you're playing less than 36 is better after you've already had a day of 36. The first day isn't bad at all IMO. Personally I would rather play one of the 18 hole courses twice rather than the Preserve twice but that's just me. You won't be disappointed by the Preserve though; it's awesome.

Personally I'd try to get Old Mac in the morning of Day 4 if you can. I like Old Mac in the morning more. I think Sheep Ranch will probably be the same story if not more so. One option would be Sheep Ranch and Trails on Day 3 or you could do Sheep Ranch and Bandon on Day 3 and then do Old Mac and the other on Day 4. If you have the option of playing a morning round on your last day, I'd recommend Bandon. I did that on my last day and it was really easy logistically. And looking back I'm glad I got a round in then since days at Bandon are so precious.

On caddies: If your budget allows, having a caddie the whole time, it will obviously be a great experience. Caddies at Bandon are probably very helpful the first time you play the course and then more a luxury afterwards if your budget allows (both for the experience of hearing the stories and the weight off your back).

On cheap places to stay: it depends where you're flying into. I don't know about places between Portland and Bandon, for example. If you want to stay in the town of Bandon for a night beforehand, I'd recommend the Bandon Inn. Probably $150 ballpark for a night. A nice place and easy to get from there to the resort.

The reality is nitpicking a Bandon itinerary is a fun thing to do beforehand, but you're going to have a blast regardless of the order in which you play the courses.

[spud3]

If you're flying into Portland, spending a night in Eugene is around halfway, and you get the boring part of the drive over with. If you're flying into Eugene, drive to Bandon and stay at the Bandon Inn (nicer) or the Inn At Old Town (cheaper, but adequate). I would definitely vote for getting there and getting at least 18 in on the first day. June has long daylight hours, so even if you get started at 3 or so, you are good to finish 18. Add Shorty's afterwards or a short loop on one of the big courses.

 

I like for the final round to be on BD, just because it's right at the Lodge and the logistics (loading, check out, etc.) are easy and there's a locker room in the basement for a quick shower. That itinerary is fine, though. The good news is that you can't make a bad decision, once you're there.

[BG5]

Looks like we will play both Pacific Dunes and BAndon Dunes twice.........We will play Sheep Ranch, Old Mcdonald, and Bandon Trails each once for sure. There is a good chance that we will get to play a second round on either Sheep Ranch, Old Mcdonald, or Bandon trails......which of these 3 should we only play once?

[jackbauer]

Definitely a second round at Sheep Ranch. Based on the insane amount of time I've spent looking at the Envisage flyover, it has seven of the best 18 holes at the resort.

[volrus]

Did Bandon last year before SR was open. We did 3 straight days of 36 and I’ll be honest, by that last round of 18 I was done and couldn’t wait for it to be over. The thing I didn’t account for his the firmness of the grounds and how it impacts your feet. My feet were killing me by the end of each day. Here in the south the fairways are nice and lush and generally medium to soft. Out there...firm and hard. My order of preference in courses was Old Mac, Pac, Bandon, and Trails.

[smb4ua]

Just wrapped up my first ever Bandon trip, and faced a similar first-world problem of deciding which course(s) to play twice. I elected to play Sheep Ranch and Pacific Dunes twice, and was really glad I went that route.

It’s so windy at Sheep Ranch that another round there is helpful. After my first round, I can’t say I had the most positive opinion of the place. The words “goofy golf” entered my mind many times during the round. But on the 2nd round I grew to appreciate the design more, and some of the imagination it requires you to have. Playing it in good humor is the best tip I could give you. You’ll hit some good shots that don’t end up well, and you just sorta have to embrace the elements and move on to the next shot.

Pacific Dunes and Bandon Trails were probably my 2 favorites, but they’re all great.

[nolayup]

while you can’t really go wrong any way you slice it, me personally I’d opt trails in the am. It’s a harder walk. If u swapped day 4, as a added bonus you’d get a coastal course in the pm to catch the sun setting on the back 9. Worth the wind trade off

[Slippin_Jimmy]

Big advocate of "golf as much as possible while you're there". You can eat & drink anywhere, you're at Bandon to golf, and it's unlikely you'll leave and regret you played too much golf. That said, your physical condition is obviously important, so you would know best what you can and can't do. In addition to what has been suggested about shoes/socks/ibuprofen, the one other thing I would suggest is some type of anti-chafing cream or gel (I use Chamois Butt'r). It's a life saver, nothing worse than getting out there and having blistered up feet or any other pain that could have easily been prevented.

Personally, I would always pick Trails for an extra round, it's my favorite course, but they are all great and your preference may vary. Hope you have a great trip!!

[eclectic taste]

On 6/4/2020 at 3:52 AM, BG5 said:

Gents,
Booked a group of 12 guys to Bandon next June and want some feedback on our course order and rotation. I am planning on taking a caddie for all rounds to conserve energy but wanted to know if this seams reasonable. I would also like feedback on what our last round should be on day 5 and I am considering getting out there a day early so I can get in another round or two on day 1......thoughts on this and if I did fly in a day early is there a cheap place to stay on the way????
Day 1 - Preserve
Day 2 - Pacific Dunes and Preserve (tournament ties up 3 courses)
Day 3 Sheep Ranch and Old Mcdonald
Day 4 Bandon Dunes and Bandon Trails
Day 5 - Option to play morning round.....which course would be best

 

Fly into Medford, only 3 hour drive to Bandon. Leave at 6 am, be there in plenty of time for late morning round.

Day 5, I'd go for PD, that's my favorite (but I haven't played SR).

[ernotte]

Hell of a trip. You can't really go wrong whatever you do.