Bandon Trip Reports - post 'em here

[spud3]

Starting a new thread dedicated to trip reports.  Post them here instead of adding them to the Random thread.

[spud3]

Bandon Trip Report Dec 3-6, 2024

I took a few days and went down solo to the resort last week and stumbled into one of those December weather stretches that make all the others worth the trouble.  Four bluebird days with temps getting into the low-mid 50's and hardly a breath of wind all week.  There were a couple frost delays plus one tsunami warning (which was just weird) that made things interesting for tee times, but otherwise the trip was pretty much spectacular.  I played all the courses except Old Mac and the Preserve, yet only finished a complete round on BD and Shorty's, mainly due to the delays.  Tried out quite a few new menu items and some of the lodging that I hadn't been in before, and generally had a near perfect trip.

Day One:
Drove down from PDX in a bit over 4 hours aiming for an 11:50 tee time on SR.  Something about the Beatles' Abbey Road album that just resonates with an early morning drive on I-5.  If I could only have one Beatles album, that one would be it.  Heavy fog all the way down until I got about to Scottsburg on Hwy 38, where the sun literally broke through just as George Harrison was leaning into the opening riffs of 'Here Comes The Sun.'  Sometimes the universe just has impeccable timing...

I arrived at the Lodge to check into my Round Lake room (first time there) about 10:30, only to learn that there was a frost delay that morning, and my 11:50 tee time had been shifted to 2 PM.  I think I've said this before, but the thing about frost delays and Bandon is that when there is a delay at my home course and they have to shift tee times, around half the players bail out and stay home, so you usually end up with not a huge time differential.  Not so at Bandon.  Everyone there is going nowhere, so a two hour shift means you are teeing off two hours later.  After a pastrami hoagie lunch (still one of the best food items on site) I was in the last group to go off.  They sent everyone out on split tees (1 and 12).  With a blue sky and no wind, SR was playing very easy and I had a lot of options for less-than-18.  I ended up playing 1-10, then shifting over to play 15-18, which is a really nice short loop, as it misses the three boring middle holes and maximizes the holes along the cliff.  Probably only works late during a frost delay, as the back nine was completely empty since most groups ahead of us weren't going to get that far. 

I'll just take a moment to make the blanket statement that all the courses were in spectacular shape, including greens.  SR was the least spectacular, but was in far better conditions than I've seen since the greens started their transition to poa grass (probably about 80% complete).  They all rolled wonderfully and true, despite being cut just a bit long, which is normal for this time of year.  There were a few spots in the fairways that had been recently punched, but this winter has been mild (so far) which means the courses are overall in great condition.

Checked in to the room after the round and I have to say the Round Lake rooms are probably what most guys think of when they envision a top-tier golf resort.  Huge, modern and new, with killer views of the lake and a peek at Trails #6 green.  I can see why they are 30% more expensive than the Inn or Lodge.  I only spent one night there, then transitioned to the Inn, but it was a very comfortable night.  My only qualm (as with the Lily Pond rooms) is that it's a bit too far of a hike over to McKee's.  After walking most of SR, I decided to drive over.

Dinner at McKee's was the usual experience, I sat at the bar and had the very good (and huge) new mac & cheese with Andoille sausage, peppers and grilled onions.  Washed that down with a Sheep Ranch Lager (my new favorite) and crashed for the night.

Day Two:
Breakfast was at the Shorty's clubhouse.  Chicken Verde Torta, which was really good.  Huge.  Could easily split amongst two or even three guys.  Another frost delay, which pushed my tee time on Trails to 2 PM.  With the short daylight hours, I was not exactly counting on getting all the way around anyway, but it's more problematic on Trails.  There's not a lot of options for jumping around holes, especially since everything in front of you is full.  The marshals were awesome, though, and they gave us a ride from 11 green up to 14 tee, where was a gap due to a couple slow groups not being able to keep up pace.  We ended up walking in on 18 in near darkness.  I did see the group ahead of us using glow-balls, which were quite fun to watch fly and roll out.  I made a mental note to pick up a sleeve and add to my Bandon Box.  Trails was playing superbly.  Greens were near immaculate and all the fairways were running well.

Got all of my gear shifted over to the Inn, enjoyed a jet-tub soak and walked to McKee's for a Pub Burger and another Sheep Ranch Lager.  Overheard at McKee's: "I lost 11 balls today!  Brand new ProV's!  How the f*ck do you lose 11 balls in one round...?!"

Day Three:
Shorty's this morning, my first trip around there.  Overall, it's fine.  A longer version of the Preserve in a very similar dune-scape.  Two things that set it apart for me: one, the greens are pure fescue, the only course there where that is true.  It was a pure joy to putt on.  I know it's an eventuality that they will transition to poa, but while they are still fescue, I'll play it as often as I can.  Two: each hole has a front/middle/back tee and a putting tee.  Anyone who's been around the Preserve knows about using a putter off the tee on 13, and the designers took that concept to heart, creating a short tee box on every hole meant for putting.  Having said that, some of the pin positions were not at all conducive to putting, so it's not exactly like a huge Punchbowl.  Still, it was a lot of fun to play a full shot, then walk down and play one from the putting tee.  Note:  they are allowing large groups to play, as at the Preserve.  I get the intention, but I'm not a fan.

As I was putting on 15, where you have a nice vista over a good chunk of the course and the ocean, suddenly every phone on the whole place went off with a tsunami warning.  It was surreal.  I was far above the impact zone, so in no danger, but about 1 minute later I could clearly hear the alarm in Bandon Town, which is about 5 miles to the south.  I finished up quickly and went in for some lunch at the small clubhouse there.  I did some hunting on some local news sites and learned about the quake off the coast near Eureka.  The National Weather Service estimated the time for the water to arrive this far north would be about a half hour.  I munched down my birria tacos (super tasty, slightly greasy in a good way, taco truck gems) and headed back to my room.  I was able to see the first tee area at BD, and heard the air horn just as I arrived.  My phone got a text that they were bringing in everyone from all courses as a precaution, and I could see the players and caddies trudging in.  No more than 15 minutes went by before the horn blew again and everyone trudged back out.  Talking with one of the caddies the next day, I learned that they did not have a protocol for a tsunami warning, which was a surprise to me.  He said it was kind of a cluster f*ck, as none of the caddies had any idea exactly what to do.  Something tells me that they do now...

The tsunami warning pushed out my tee time on PD by just a few minutes to 1:40, and we were the last group out again, this time in short sleeves.  Lots of guys wearing shorts on the course.  I was paired with a couple guys from Arizona who were there for the first time.  Not surprisingly, they loved the course.  The greens were the quickest of all, I made a nice birdie on #6 and we made it through the two par 3's on 10 and 11, slipped over and played 5-7 in fading light to finish out the day.  It was just a whole lot of fun.  Got a bit of a sun burn on my face, a rarity in December.

I went to Ghost Tree Grill on an impulse and landed a four-top in the bar for dinner.  Mary's chicken and a solid mixed green salad backed with a local Pilsner.  Another dunk in the jet-tub to put a nice cap on the day.

Day Four:
Bandon Dunes at 10 after a big breakfast buffet, which I don't usually do.  I haven't done the buffet for a while, so thought I'd check out the revamped Gallery.  Looked pretty much like the previous version(s).  Buffet was decent, if spendy.  I prefer a lighter breakfast before going out, but that's just me.  No frost delay today, so I went off right at 10.

BD was in great shape.  Usually the slowest greens on property, but they were playing almost as fast as PD.  I always like ending a trip on BD.  Something about closing out a visit with the OG course just seems right.  Yet another bluebird day.  Four in a row in December.  I was paired with another first timer, who declared on the 13th hole that he liked this course more than Pebble.  There it is.  I even played well in my only full round of the week and shot a 78 to close out the trip.

The drive back to Portland was uneventful and reasonably quick.  The whole way back I just kept thinking how lucky I was to be able to come down and score a weather jackpot like I did.  My duffel bag full of rain gear and cold weather gear went untouched, which was fine with me.  Could not have had a better time and tried out quite a few new offerings.  Shorty's will be in the rota for bit, the new menu items at McKee's were on point, and the food at Shorty's will be a staple for a while.  

Already thinking of the annual trip with the guys in March...

I started a new thread in the NW forum just for Current Bandon Course Conditions.  I posted pics of the greens there.  I figure there's probably enough interest to keep that as a running thread, and hopefully might reduce the many posts asking what the current conditions are like.
 

Edited December 11, 2024 by spud3

[jvincent]

Quote

Overheard at McKee's: "I lost 11 balls today!  Brand new ProV's!  How the f*ck do you lose 11 balls in one round...?!"

 

Curious what course he was playing. In general I find Bandon to fairly benign when it comes to losing balls. Sure, there are the ocean holes and gorse but there's typically enough room on the other side that you can play safe.

[dcmidnight]

39 minutes ago, jvincent said:

 

Curious what course he was playing. In general I find Bandon to fairly benign when it comes to losing balls. Sure, there are the ocean holes and gorse but there's typically enough room on the other side that you can play safe.

 

Agreed all around. I consider myself to be of average accuracy off the tee and I played one ball for 4 rounds. We briefly lost it on one hole but the caddie said no worries we can pick that up later...then a couple holes later the caddie picked it up - right where he said it was going to be.

[spud3]

Didn’t hear, but my guess is Trails. If you’re having a bad driver day there, I could see it. I thought about asking, cause I was wondering the same thing, but decided to just mind my own business. 

[graveydellic]

During the 2nd round of the Solstice we were on Trails and I lost control of my driver for 9 holes and lost a lot of balls.  Other than Trails, I think it's fairly hard to lose balls elsewhere on the resort unless you are rinsing them in the ocean.

 

Great trip report @spud3.  Gets me excited for my own trip next week.  Amazing how I can go to a place so many times (this will be my 7th in the last 4 years) and still feel the same excitement every time.  

[knock it close]

59 minutes ago, spud3 said:

Didn’t hear, but my guess is Trails. If you’re having a bad driver day there, I could see it. I thought about asking, cause I was wondering the same thing, but decided to just mind my own business. 

Ya I lost two at trails this year, snap hooked it into the trees on the right of 14 guarding the tee boxes on 15 and then hit my second shot on 16 a mile left. I also lost a ball on the punchbowl but there may have been other factors but that was the only 3 I lost in my 10 rounds. 

 

My buddy lost two balls on preserve, one on shortys, one on punchbowl and zero playing real golf lol. 

[jvincent]

1 hour ago, knock it close said:

My buddy lost two balls on preserve, one on shortys, one on punchbowl and zero playing real golf lol. 

 

That is an accomplishment. I shanked one on Preserve last time I played it and didn't bother looking for it.

[Edaw68]

How long was the round on Shorty's, minus the Tsunami delay?

 

[spud3]

A shade over two hours, and I was playing solo and dawdling a lot.  Interestingly, there was a group  of 9(!) that started 40 minutes behind me that caught up about hole 13.  They were hitting several shots at once, were sober and really good, so not the typical large group.

[dfwgolfer92]

On 12/11/2024 at 11:16 AM, spud3 said:

Didn’t hear, but my guess is Trails. If you’re having a bad driver day there, I could see it. I thought about asking, cause I was wondering the same thing, but decided to just mind my own business. 

From personal experience, yes you can lose a LOT of balls with a bad driving day at Trails, ask me how I know....

[graveydellic]

Trip Report - Dec 18-22

 

Wednesday

I was scheduled to fly out Thursday morning to Eugene via SLC, but there was an overnight snowstorm scheduled to arrive in Minneapolis and it made me nervous that I wouldn't get out on time and would miss the subsequent connection to Eugene.  On Wednesday at 4:30 I made the decision to fly to PDX at 6:30 that night to play it safe.  I ultimately think it was right choice as I did not want to risk throwing the trip away with travel issues.  Landed PDX around 8pm and was out of the rental car facility by 8:30.  Booked a Hampton Inn in Salem an hour south of PDX.  Don't have access to In N Out in the Midwest so figured I would stop there...only to see it had about 30 cars lined up at 9:45PM.  Didn't know the passion was that deep, but I passed.  Lowkey great bed at the Hampton Inn.

 

Thursday

Left Salem at 6:50AM.  Took 126 over to Florence and cut south.  Foggy drive in spots.  Pulled into the resort around 10:20 thinking I would have my pick of tee times as a single as is usually the case in the afternoon.  There was nothing available on a full course until about 2PM so I opted to play the Preserve which was pretty quiet.  Fun as always and conditions were good.  

Checked into NW single room in Lodge which was great - bathroom has views down 10 and the main window has views down 1, quite spacious too.  Would be an amazing room in the summer sitting on the little balcony basically in the thick of things.  Went into Bandon for dinner - grabbed a beer at Bandon Brewing and then Halibut fish & chips at Bandon Fish Market.  The fish wasn't as good as I remember (still solid) but the fries were excellent.  Back at the resort had a cigar in Bunker bar and a couple old fashioneds at the Puffin Bar while chatting with another single who I see there annually.

 

Friday

On the range at 7:20 in the dark.  Beautiful morning.  8am tee time at Pac Dunes.  This is the first tee time out.  Got paired with 3 ladies.  Two of which were probably 65 and one who was 70+.  There was one cart in the group (a first for me at the resort) and a very friendly woman forecaddie who walked but didn't carry bags.  Ended up being a good time although it was a 4 hour finish, which was a bit slower than I prefer as first group out but no complaints.  Fully loaded hot dog at the turnstand was my lunch for the day and was excellent.  Weather mostly overcast with peaks of sun, but no rain and it was unseasonably warm at over 60 degrees.  Course was in good shape.  One thing I noticed throughout the week was random holes having been punch recently, and not the little tines but larger core aeration.  Seemed liked 2-4 holes per course that had been done in the last 10 days or so.

 

Finished around noon and I teed off by myself on Trails at about 12:45.  I always make a point to play Trails solo if I can, even though I know it will be slow as a single.  I just take my time, and even let another single pass through me on 8.  Trails is my personal nirvana, and as somehow always the case for me, the late afternoon sun popped out for holes 9-13 which is my favorite stretch of holes in golf.  I don't know what it is, but when I am tucked back in that corner of the world surrounded by the towering pines, I feel very connected to the universe (sounds corny, but it's hard to explain), I just love it.  On 17 I ended up hitting up with the single in front of me and then played 18 with him and finished in the nick of time as it was past sunset.  Just an excellent day, and I was excited to head to Ghost Tree for a big steak and some wine.  Booked a shuttle over there and then was told the restaurant was closed for the night but should be open the next day.  Ok, no big deal.  Wedge salad and burger at McKees and a couple Guinness, but in bed early.

 

Saturday

Headed over to Sheep at 7:15 and again hit balls in the early light (this time at the Sheep range).  8am tee time again and it started off as a full rainsuit day.  Paired with a single from Georgia and a father/son from Washington.  Course was fairly wet from the night before, and the first 3-4 holes we got hammered with wind and rain.  Head down trudging forward.  Ultimately the rain dissipated to a mist, and then nothing.  The wind became more manageable near the end of the first 9.  Was done with the rain gear before we made the turn and even had some sun pop out along the way.  What was supposed to be rainy all day turned into a quite a nice day.  Was the best I had seen Sheep's greens.  For the first time I didn't notice a bunch of dirt patches or spottiness, seems like they are finally hitting their stride.  Last few holes at Sheep my knee was killing me, not sure what happened.  

 

Considered more golf but the knee scared me a bit, and Trails/Bandon were closed for the day for a junior tourney so my options were limited given that pushed people to the other courses.  Had a great lunch at Trails and then took a nap.  In the afternoon I headed over to Punchbowl for an hour.  Sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky.  It was quite busy with all the families there for the tournament, but a great place to be on a sunny day if there is no more golf in the cards.  They even opened the bar down there which I had never seen open in the winter.  

 

Time for a nice night at Ghost Tree, still craving that steak...oh, closed again! So on a busy Friday/Saturday night their flagship restaurant was closed.  Have to say, I was legit bummed.  I love the vibe in there and had been looking forward to a nice piece of meat and some red, but alas, it was not meant to be.  That they don't mention this when you check in is a little offputting.  Ended up sitting outside McKees at the big fireplace from 4-7 drinking old fashioneds and chatting with various groups who sat down or stood around to warm up.  Wedge salad and baked mac & cheese for dinner at McKees after that, and in bed by 9.

 

Sunday 

Did some shopping for people in my family.  I think the main Bandon shop is subpar to be honest, or at least nothing really unique there.  I actually like the shop in the lodge for some higher end items, and I think Sheep has the best variety of items.  I was out of the resort by 9am headed to Eugene.  Home in Minneapolis by 9pm, so standard long travel day.

 

Observations

- It's objectively getting busier in December.  What used to be a very light crowd has definitely picked up.  I suspect this trend will not go away.  You can just tell by the restaurants and tee sheets that many more are on property compared to usual these last 2 weeks of December

- Pricing continues to tick up.  The Ghost Tree hazy IPA is $9 on course for example, something that used to be $7.  You kind of feel this everywhere you go now.  Do I get it?  Kind of.  Do I like it?  No.  Sand Valley retains low end pricing on various beers and foods.  That's sort of what Bandon used to do, but definitely feels like it's becoming about the all mighty dollar and that Bandon is the Keiser families cash cow that they probably use to fund other projects.  It used to be all about the golf, but there's definitely a little bit of a vibe shift.

- I didn't have a focus on course conditions, but all were in good shape.  None stood out as being out of this world, but for late December, they are certainly worth the price of admission.  A handful of newly aerated holes (cored not tined) across the property but it wasn't a downer

- And again - closing Ghost Tree grill on a busy Friday/Saturday seems like a miss on my part.  They were closing every restaurant for 2 days around the holidays to give staff a reprieve, but I felt it could have been scattered dates and I think it should be pointed out at Check In.  

 

All that said - can't wait for next year.  The value is still excellent in December although the influx of people definitely has me nervous for future years and the future state of the resort.  

[sniper]

Just back from Bandon…what a special place.  It was my 2nd trip but took 3 first timers. I tried not to over sell it but they found it as wonderful as I did.  
 

Bandon is a haul from NC so we got in late and stayed at the Bandon Inn.  We had a little time the next morning so we picked up a bottle of Buffalo Trace for our flasks (should’ve bought 2). 
 

Weather was fantastic with one hole of rain and lighter winds. I’m very lucky in that my two trips have had one hole of rain. My first trip had more wind. 
 

Since we had a long travel day we started with Shorty’s and Preserve.

Shorty’s is fun but had a few people out.  Greens were a little slow.  One guy had a hole-in-one on 19th.  

 

Preserve is just awesome and in great condition. Greens were quicker 

 

First full round was at Sheep Ranch.  Greens were slower after being punched but not terrible. All agreed if these were the worst greens, we were in for a special week. I think a morning round at Sheep is the perfect way to work into the trip. Views speak for themselves. 
 

Second round of the day was Bandon Trails.  Actually changed into shorts for the round.  Very good condition and so many great holes on Trails. Could play it every day and be happy. 
 

Day 3 had Old Mac and Bandon Dunes.  Old Mac had a little more wind. One again very good condition.  I worried this would be the course that had mixed reviews but all liked it and agreed it’s not to be skipped. Caddy didn’t like driver on Ghost Tree hole.  Didn’t hit a great 3w but still made par.  Wish I’d sent driver. 
 

Bandon Dunes is in amazing condition right now.  Just a great course. We had a 30-year old scratch player with us.  He played the tournament tees (US Am tees). Caddy said if he breaks 80 it’s great.  He shot +1. Pretty damn impressive in my opinion and fun to watch.  We worried we might have some higher winds but it actually died down.  
 

Pac Dunes was our last round. In very similar condition to Bandon Dunes. Greens just  touch slower. Pac is just awesome and my favorite.  We have a friend that likes to play Bandon Dunes/Pac then switch if the next day so you get a morning and afternoon round on each. I would like to do that one day.

 

Our splitting hairs rankings go as follows:

Pac/Trails/Bandon/Old Mac/Sheep

Pac/Bandon/Trails/Old Mac/Sheep

Bandon/Pac/Trails/Sheep/Old Mac

Bandon/Pac/Trails/Sheep/Old Mac (tie)

McKee’s is solid bar meal.  Nothing special but just a good dinner. 
 

Gallery Italian is very good. You can go very hearty but also lighter.  I will say we all got a Caesar and it wasn’t our favorite salad.  Good wines. We all got a pizza on our way out and it was great. 
 

Poke Bowl at Trails is a lot of food but feels like a lighter meal.  
 

Pastrami at Sheep is fantastic.  
 

Ghost Tree is wonderful.  Two of us had ribeye. Felt like the waitress tried to push us towards a sauce with as our ribeye’s. Can’t imagine eating it with any sauce.  Others had filet and prime rib.  We got fries and Brussels as sides. All thought the Brussels were a little two crispy.  Ordered these little doughnut holes with butterscotch sauce, wow were they good.  I did like the wine we had at Gallery better than Ghost but we just made a better pick. 
 

Caddies were fantastic. 13 & 16 years of experience.  Can’t imagine playing without them. Saves us so many shots. 

 

 

[jrg75]

Great review @sniper.....but no review is complete without some eye candy.   Any good pics?  Fwiw, I was there a weeks ago with a buddy who was a first timer, exact same reaction, just a special place.

[sniper]

@jrg75 I didn’t take as many pics this time but here are a few. 
 

[jrg75]

Wanted to add a couple of my favorite photos from my trip in late April.  The photo of 11th at Pacific was right at sunset, we had already played 36 and managed 11 more before calling it a day (and trip)

[pearls24]

Just got back from my first trip to Bandon- wow what a special place.  Rooms at the Round Lake were incredible.  Only thing missing was a hot tub at each building.  Would have been well used!  Dinner at Ghost Tree Grill and Pac Dunes were great.  Gallery just ok.  Courses were all incredible except the greens on Sheep weren't very good since they had punched right before we arrived.  I would rank my fav courses as:

 

Bandon

Pac Dunes

Sheep (if greens were like the others)

Trails

Old Mac- loved the layout but hated the green complexes.  

[knock it close]

1 hour ago, pearls24 said:

Only thing missing was a hot tub at each building.

I've always wondered why they don't have that. Is it a maintenance/staffing issue? The chrome lake rooms have great soaker tubs but I do prefer the round lake rooms. 

[VNutz]

On 5/27/2025 at 5:02 PM, knock it close said:

I've always wondered why they don't have that. Is it a maintenance/staffing issue? The chrome lake rooms have great soaker tubs but I do prefer the round lake rooms. 

They cost a lot to operate and maintain and are a pain for maintenance. 

 

I would also imagine there aren't a surplus of repair companies around should they have mechanical issues.

[EKB]

Just got back from a long Memorial Day Weekend at Bandon.  
 

1.  Stayed at Bandon Inn again the night before going on property.  Nice rooms, good views.  Ate at the Wheelhouse in town, excellent meal

 

2. Started out with just 18 at Old Mac on Day 1.  My buddy and I played 8 total rounds and 5 of them were just he and I.  I was surprised the courses weren’t more crowded over a holiday weekend

 

3. Played 36 on Day 2 (Pac and Bandon).  I thought both courses/greens were in really good shape.  We played with a father/son twosome from the Chicago area.  Great guys.  Ate at McKee’s that night, I had the meatloaf and my buddy had the fish and chips.  Both were good

 

Pacific #4

 

Fire pit overlooking Bandon #18

 

4. Played 36 on Day 3 (Sheep Ranch x 2).  It was my 3rd time there and my buddy’s 2nd but neither of us had played SR before.  Weather was spectacular (the caddy with the other twosome said it was amongst the 5 best weather/wind days he could recall).  The weather and views were so good we decided to do the replay there.  Greens were rougher than the other courses, a combination of a recent punch and the transition of the greens from fescue to poiana (according to Caddy Craig).  ***Had the pastrami hoagie and a Ghost Tree Hazy IPA for lunch….OUTSTANDING!  Had dinner that night again at McKee’s.  Both had the burgers, they were okay

 

Sheep Ranch #17

 

5. Played 36 on Day 4 (Trails and Bandon).  My buddy tapped out on the afternoon 18 at Bandon.  I wished I had my phone out to capture his look when he looked uphill at Trails #16.  Prisoners going to the chair have more upbeat looks!  I gained a new appreciation for Trails and the design.  The weather was spectacular so that never hurts.  I played Bandon by myself that afternoon behind a four-ball.  Wind was kicking at around 20 mph but the sun was out.  I played that round like the consummate lesson round as I had time behind the foursome.  My buddy was waiting for me at the fire pit overlooking #18 with a G&T in hand and an open tab.  Enjoying a good drink and good company with that view doesn’t suck!  We ate Italian that night at The Gallery and it was excellent 

 

View towards the Pacific, waiting to hit my approach into Bandon #17

 

5. Played 18 at Old Mac on Day 5 to finish out the trip.  We again played as a twosome.  My buddy grabbed a caddy (6’7” Aiden from Pennsylvania.  Recent college grad, 3rd season caddying and a good dude).  Weather was great

 

Old Mac #18 - Ghost Tree Grill in the background

 

6.  Odds and ends:

 

-Stayed at Chrome Lake Lofts again, perfect for us.  No hot tubs but good showers with shelfs for a beverage 

 

-Highly recommend the pastrami hoagies at SR (we had them for lunch 3 days in a row and I’m sure my cholesterol reflects it), the brats at the snack shacks (I’m a Wisconsin kid), the Ghost Tree IPA, and the Bandon Energy Balls (favorites of both golfers and ravens)

 

-It was my 2nd trip that I didn’t use a caddy.  In the vein of “golfer know thyself”, I can go into a dark place for 2-3 holes on any given round and I don’t want the caddy to have to feel like he/she has to sunny me up.  I related that to Aiden, he got it.  And yes, he was a good dude so I tipped him cuz he was a good dude and it was a great day to be at Bandon.  My buddy benefitted from having Aiden on his bag

 

-The logo/merch at Old Mac is the best IMHO.  Golf shops are the only places when most guys enjoy clothes shopping and Old Mac won’t disappoint 

- For our next trip, we’ll probably do a later 18 on Day 1 and spend the morning at the Practice Facility getting a feel for chipping, putting and bunkers

Edited May 30 by EKB

[jackbauer]

Trip Report / April 2025 / 235 Holes Is a Lot of Golf

 

Summary

• This was my 14th trip and is my second time reporting. All of my previous trips except one were solo or with one friend, but I went with two buddies this time. Interestingly, we were all paired together on multiple trips before, stayed in touch, and ended up becoming friends.
• My goal going in was to play 54 holes a day, and since we were the first or second group out every day, I knew I had a good chance barring injury (which unfortunately happened last year).
• The itinerary:
  • Day 1 (Arrival): Shorty's
  • Day 2: Sheep Ranch/Bandon
  • Day 3: Pacific/Trails
  • Day 4: Old Mac/Sheep Ranch
  • Day 5: Bandon/Pacific
• What I ended up playing:
  • Day 1: Shorty's
  • Day 2: Sheep Ranch/Old Mac/Pacific
  • Day 3: Pacific/Trails/Bandon
  • Day 4: Old Mac/Sheep Ranch/Bandon
  • Day 5: Bandon/Old Mac/Pacific
  • We were able to tee off on every second round between 11:20 and 11:40 but had to switch courses on Days 2 and 5.
• So yes, I was able to do four days of 54!

 

Notes and Highlights

• For no particular reason, I started some Bandon rituals several years ago. When I get into my rental car at Eugene Airport, the first song I play is the highlight theme from The Masters. And when I get to the entrance of the resort and make that glorious right turn onto Randolph Rd., I play this song. (I laughed when I saw this commercial during the second Chiefs-Niners Super Bowl.)
• We were all playing Shorty's for the first time. Being relatively young, I like to play as many holes on the 18-hole courses as daylight allows, so I will only play the par-3 courses on arrival or departure days. Shorty's was fine but not as good as Preserve (which I haven't played in 10 years), so I doubt I'll go back anytime soon.
• I was thrilled to have snagged the NW Room at The Lodge, which was the last one to check off the list. (I have no interest in Grove Cottages, The Lodge Suites, Chrome Lake Loft, or Round Lake Single.)
• For dinner, we ate twice each at McKee's and The Gallery & Puffin Bar and once at Arcade Tavern in town. McKee's and The Gallery & Puffin Bar are good value and perfect after a long day of golf. I've been to Ghost Tree Grill and Pacific Grill (for dinner) before, but they don't fit the golf trip vibe for me like the other two. I normally go to Bandon Brewing and Wilson's Market at least once every trip, but it wasn't possible due to playing so late into the evening.
• The wind was consistently high but not ridiculous to where Rikshas were blowing over. It drizzled for a total of two holes the entire trip (2 and 3 at Old Mac on Day 2). We realistically couldn't have asked for better weather.
• Course conditions were generally good and the greens at Sheep Ranch have improved. While I have my personal course rankings (see below), I'd still play each one twice if I had 10 rounds. For 12 rounds, I'd normally triple up on Bandon and Pacific, but we played a third round at Old Mac and just one at Trails since the greens were recently punched.
• This was my first trip carrying. Even with 14 clubs, I found it to be easier than pushing a Riksha as long as you pack smartly and maintain good posture. A Sun Mountain 2.5+ definitely helped too.
• I played pretty well with scores ranging from 73 to 84 and broke 80 five times. Putting was good with 12 birdies but could've been so much better with about 10 lip-outs (360s on 6 at Old Mac and 9 at Sheep Ranch especially hurt, as did near misses on 8 and 13 at Pacific).
• My three favorite rounds were:
  • Sheep Ranch (Day 2): Birdied 1 and bookended the round with another on 18 for a 73. The lip-out on 9 would've meant even par.
  • Bandon (Day 3): Birdied 3, 6, and 8 for an even-par front and finished with a 75.
  • Pacific (Day 5): Friend 1 had to drive home after the second round, so it was just Friend 2 and me for extra holes. This is where I had the birdie lip-outs on 8 and 13. We didn't see anyone else on the course until 14 green. We both birdied 16 and he was a foot away from holing out for eagle. Bookending the trip with birdies on the big courses was a great way to end things, so I hit tee shots on 17 and 18 for fun, gave myself bogeys, and wrote down a 77.
• My front-leg Achilles started to chirp on Day 4 at Bandon, so I had a noticeable limp and had to power through the last four rounds.
• This was my last reservation under the booking system with random email blasts where I was able to schedule everything to a tee. I abhor the lottery and wish they would go back to any of the previous systems other than the virtual waiting room.
• Following departure day rituals, I had a leisurely breakfast at Pacific Grill and returned to my room to pack my last few belongings. After loading up the car, I walked back to the area around the Bandon starter shack and just stood there for a minute or two, taking in the sights. Then I turned around, making sure not to look back, got in the car and drove to Eugene, counting down the days until my next trip.

 

Course Rankings

• Me: Bandon/Pacific/Sheep Ranch/Trails/Old Mac
• Friend 1: Bandon/Old Mac/Trails/Pacific/Sheep Ranch
• Friend 2: Pacific/Bandon/Trails/Sheep Ranch/Old Mac

 

Top 18 Holes

* I accidentally deleted my pictures of 3 and 12 at Pacific and 1 at Sheep Ranch.

1. 16 Bandon (Par 4)
2. 13 Pacific (4)
3. 11 Trails (4)
4. 11 Pacific (3)
5. 4 Bandon (4)
6. 3 Trails (5)
7. 10 Pacific (3)
8. 4 Pacific (4)
9. 3 Pacific (5)
10. 6 Sheep Ranch (4)
11. 9 Sheep Ranch (4)
12. 1 Sheep Ranch (5)
13. 5 Bandon (4)
14. 16 Sheep Ranch (3)
15. 17 Old Mac (5)
16. 17 Sheep Ranch (4)
17. 12 Pacific (5)
18. 16 Old Mac (4)

 

 

Best trip ever!

Edited June 1 by jackbauer

[jvincent]

5 hours ago, jackbauer said:

• What I ended up playing:
  • Day 1: Shorty's
  • Day 2: Sheep Ranch/Old Mac/Pacific
  • Day 3: Pacific/Trails/Bandon
  • Day 4: Old Mac/Sheep Ranch/Bandon
  • Day 5: Bandon/Old Mac/Pacific
  • We were able to tee off on every second round between 11:20 and 11:40 but had to switch courses on Days 2 and 5.
• So yes, I was able to do four days of 54!

 

 

Best trip ever!

 

You sir, are a warrior. Well done.

[shackmangolf]

@jackbauer Well done sir. I love 54 days at Bandon. Absolutely the way to do the resort.

 

I hate to think that 54 holes are days of the past. It seems like the pace of play is a serious issue. 15 years ago it was impossible to play over 4 hours. Now it's impossible to play under 4 hours.  I read in a previous post that even first tracks guys are taking 4:30 to complete - that is absolute BS.

 

If I can ever make it back to Bandon (stupid new reservations process), I look forward to my favorite 54 hole day - trails, pac, bd. Just a great day.

 

 

[dcmidnight]

7 minutes ago, shackmangolf said:

Now it's impossible to play under 4 hours.

 

The three rounds we had the first tee time we played in under 4 hours - BD 3:45, PD 3:55, SR 3:50. The other two were closer to 4:10 - nowhere near 4:30 though.

 

We joked that for the first...two hours of tee times they should offer $5 gift cards to everyone if they finish in 4 or less.

[shackmangolf]

1 minute ago, dcmidnight said:

 

The three rounds we had the first tee time we played in under 4 hours - BD 3:45, PD 3:55, SR 3:50. The other two were closer to 4:10 - nowhere near 4:30 though.

 

We joked that for the first...two hours of tee times they should offer $5 gift cards to everyone if they finish in 4 or less.

 

Are you saying that you played under 4 hours in the first tee time each day? Well, I hope you did!

 

Try teeing off on PD at 1pm. It's an easy 4:30 round. 

Edited June 10 by shackmangolf
mis read

[dcmidnight]

1 minute ago, shackmangolf said:

 

That's awesome to hear. What time of the year? 

 

Three weeks ago.

[shackmangolf]

The expectation is that if you play in the first hour of the day, you play under 4 hours. If you are one of the first 6 tee times, there is never a time where it should take over 4 hours. If you want a 4+ hour a round, book another tee time but don't hold up the entire course. 

[shackmangolf]

But then again, my perspective is that you should be able to play your first 4 rounds under 2:45 per round. Your fifth round can take a bit longer - 3:15. 😉 

[dcmidnight]

4 minutes ago, shackmangolf said:

The expectation is that if you play in the first hour of the day, you play under 4 hours. If you are one of the first 6 tee times, there is never a time where it should take over 4 hours. If you want a 4+ hour a round, book another tee time but don't hold up the entire course. 

 

Not even BD has those expectations so maybe you should give them a shout.

[dcmidnight]

My bad, I realized I posted this in the other thread only:

 

Random BD notes:

 

#IMO

 

Overall

 

Bandon was just spectacular. Four of us played 10 rounds in 5 days, well 11 if you include a loop around Charlottes. Its probably right up to the line of being too much golf. If I did it again, I think I'd go back to 4 x 36 and just skip the short courses - not worth the time or the money, comments above on those. 

 

You also do not get a replay discount if its your second round, so its $110 or $125 for those rounds. And I thought $50 at the Cradle in Pinehurst was a lot...

 

Weather was a 9.5/10 - got sprinkled on two mornings but that was about it, otherwise it was sunny/windy, maybe low 50s in the morning into the low 60s by early afternoon. I would absolutely go back in late May again, great weather and the yellow gorse was still out.

 

Courses

 

My new ranking is 

 

Pac

SR/BD

Trails

Old Mac

 

I dont think I could give Pac a fair shake on my last trip because of how foggy it was but to me its still the 1 seed. It is just a good fun mix of holes from start to finish. I still hate 18 but I dealt with it.  SR is pretty close behind. Trails gets bumped down because we had a round where about half the pins were completely inaccessible. Even our caddies said more than once they had never seen a pin there. We were supposed to double up on Trails rounds but swapped out for a second at SR and I am really glad we did. Except for the ocean you can literally hit the ball anywhere off the tee at SR and chances are you can go play your 2nd.

 

We were first out three of the five days. We played BD in 3:45, SR in 3:50 and PD in 3:55. Four of us walking, with caddies. We stopped at the halfway house or the turn, we were not running but we play ready golf. I dont know why this isn't more the norm. The marshall at BD said to one of your caddies that you never see anyone in the green anymore - not sure what that was about but maybe a way they track with the caddie tracker whose behind pace? At SR the group behind us was almost 40 minutes behind at the end. Now they played in 4:20 from their time, which we can debate if thats good for the 2nd group out. But we had finished, eaten lunch on the patio and were having a beer when they finally finished - and it was backed up behind them.

 

I dont know how I'd go out and play without having the first tee time out on at least three of the days, man it makes such a huge difference.

 

Lodging

 

The Inn is IMO the best of both worlds for lodging. You are close enough to the Lodge to be a 5 minute walk from all thats going on there - without the noise at night. I dont know how the Lodge single rooms are at night but it sure looks like they basically open right into the lobby/Gallery bar area. The Library Lounge at the Inn is also a sneaky great quiet hang for a nightcap.

 

Food

 

Trails still has the best menus/food on the property (Ghost Tree notwithstanding). Fantastic chicken/waffles for breakfast and the ramen was a big hit at lunch. Innovative menu and everything is excellent. Unfortuantely they are not open for dinner unless its private parties - which I dont understand. 

 

McKees was just meh over our two meals. The first night we went I dont think any of us had a good meal. The meatloaf was better than I remember it but its not life changing. And as I said in another comment, they are only open on the first floor so they have a pretty limited capacity, a lot of people crowding around waiting, sometime *right* next to your table.

Ghost Tree was really good, even better than I expected. Food, service, wine selection - top to bottom it was a great final meal of the trip. 

 

Gallery bar is a good casual spot to eat a few times, the menu is the same but the food/pizza was good. Its just the same menu. But if you are only there 3-4 nights, its probably not an issue.

 

I still think they *really* need another casual option there for people who are on longer trips. Maybe reopen McKees 2nd floor, I dont know. 

 

Misc

 

Normatec boots were a lifesaver at night, as was the Theragun. I noticed they stock a bunch of Theraguns now in the pro shop and gift shop in the Lodge. I had a fully packed 100L duffel bag and I think 1/3 of it was recovery gear LOL.

 

Shuttle service is extremely fast - its actually so quick that you shouldnt call one if you're just waiting on one person to come down from their room, it will be there before they are. Honestly I could see getting a van service from Eugene next time and save the wear and tear on the driver. It was great having a car there but you certainly dont *need* one.

 

Shipsticks is so easy to use at BD. They keep them there before you arrive, they will deliver them to your room when you get there if you ask and you can drop them off when you leave. It could not be easier.