The Bandon Experience

[ALo314]

Just spent Sunday-Wednesday on property. The four of us that played were all first timers. I will update this thread to give insight to our time there and post pics and vids. We brought two of our buddies along, who have both worked as media members at Am events at Bandon previously to capture our journey. Here's a couple quick photos to start things off.

 

[fixyurdivot]

That sounds like a great time.  Did you get to do any re-plays?  Which one are you in the group photo?  Always nice to put a face to a forum name.

[ALo314]

1 hour ago, fixyurdivot said:

That sounds like a great time.  Did you get to do any re-plays?  Which one are you in the group photo?  Always nice to put a face to a forum name.

I'm the bearded, burly fella. We played Old Mac twice, and everything else once.

Even toured the new par 3 with the architect. 

[GolfSpy_BEN]

Thanks for sharing! Those are some stunning views

[ALo314]

Day 1 - The Preserve + Old Mac

 

As we drove down the coastline, the excitement continued to build. The Ford Expedition was jam packed with 6 of us and all the belongings we figured we needed for our voyage to the Oregon coast mecca.

 

As we pulled in, the butterflies were scrambling as we all piled out and started to unpack our clubs. We walked up the hill, bags strapped to our back, ready to take on the Preserve as a gentle welcome to Bandon golf.

What a perfect start to what would be a fantastic trip. The par 3 helped with learning the turf interaction of the clubs, how the ball moves on the poa, and how the wind can swirl on various holes. What a fun walk to stretch our legs as we got ready for the next few days.

After we finished our 13 hole loop, we drove straight to Old Mac. We met our caddies for the afternoon and paced around as we were too excited to relax as we waited the 45 minutes to our tee time.

We strolled to the the first tee after we watched the group in front of us tee off. We spun a tee and determined our order. I was the lucky soul who got to send our first official ball downrange at Bandon. A rush of excitement and emotion swept over me as I stood over the ball.

 

The first two holes at Mac are a gentle handshake from Doak and Urbina, and the last time you'll be somewhat sheltered from the coastal breezes until you get to the 16th green. After you hit your blind tee shot on 3 (deathly afraid not to hit the iconic ghost tree that's a literal "tower of Pisa" at this point) you drop down into the huge bowl of sand dunes for the next 13 holes. 

The tribute to CB Macdonald is more than a mere nod. The mammoth greens and myriad of bunkers make each shot one that would be difficult to replicate until you've played Old Mac countless times.

My most memorable holes here were #8 (the biarritz), the stretch from 14-16 (par 4-5-4), and the finishing hole with the punchbowl green.

As I walked off of the 18th green, with the soon to open Ghost Tree Grill a mere flip wedge away, I knew that this property, this trip, was going to be as special as I imagined.

 

I am truly blessed to have such incredible friends to bring me along with them on this journey. It doesn't hurt that they are professional photographers 

 

 

Edited September 20, 2023 by ALo314

[StrokerAce]

wow - what an experience.

I played Pacific Dunes last year and it was amazing. Every hole is stunning. 

I was born and raised in OR and used to go to Bandon before any of these courses were built and remember the charm of the small town there. The Oregon coast is something to behold.

[ALo314]

Day 2 - Pacific Dunes + Old Macdonald

Today we experienced the full Bandon adventure. We started our morning barely able to see where our tee shots were going due to the foggy mist rolling off of the ocean on Pac, and ended with clear skies and gusty breezes making the flagsticks whip back and forth on Mac.

My driver decided to abandon me from the get-go, so it took me a few holes to remind myself that I was living an experience that very few folks in the entire world ever get to. After snapping back from my self-pity, I was able to fully appreciate how great of a golf course Pacific Dunes is.

Hole 6 is one of the most incredible short par fours that I've ever played. No matter where you go with your tee shot, the approach shot is do-or-die. Bunkering on the left of the green protects errant shots, and the severe slope off to the right of the green will take your ball 15-20 yards away if you hit the wrong mound. 

Hole 9 is so vast. There's an upper green and lower green. the fairway is so sloped that your ball could roll 100 yards from right to left if you are too far left with your tee shot.

Hole 18 was one of my favorites on the entire property. A blind-ish tee shot will take you up a slight slope and reveal the rest of the finishing hole. Three well placed shots are a key if you want a look at birdie on the final hole of your round.

Doak created a masterpiece with Pac Dunes. Or was it nature? A lot of the holes feel like they have been there for centuries. I feel like the gorse came into play more on Pac Dunes than any of the other courses. 

 

Our afternoon round at Old Mac was super relaxed. We were the last group on the tee sheet, so other than a few caddies and other employees playing a few holes here and there, nothing was happening around us. We took our time and relished a clear sky and long shadows as we strolled through our second round on Old Mac in the past 24 hours. Its funny how "relaxed" golf tends to equate to better shots and better scores. We didn't take many photographs in the afternoon. Our "camera crew" grabbed their clubs and joined us for the round. We had a nice little 3v3 going as the pacific sun set on us.

 

What a glorious day.

 

 

 

Edited September 25, 2023 by ALo314

[StrokerAce]

17 minutes ago, ALo314 said:

Day 2 - Pacific Dunes + Old Macdonald

Today we experienced the full Bandon adventure. We started our morning barely able to see where our tee shots were going due to the foggy mist rolling off of the ocean on Pac, and ended with clear skies and gusty breezes making the flagsticks whip back and forth on Mac.

My driver decided to abandon me from the get-go, so it took me a few holes to remind myself that I was living an experience that very few folks in the entire world ever get to. After snapping back from my self-pity, I was able to fully appreciate how great of a golf course Pacific Dunes is.

Hole 6 is one of the most incredible short par fours that I've ever played. No matter where you go with your tee shot, the approach shot is do-or-die. Bunkering on the left of the green protects errant shots, and the severe slope off to the right of the green will take your ball 15-20 yards away if you hit the wrong mound. 

Hole 9 is so vast. There's an upper green and lower green. the fairway is so sloped that your ball could roll 100 yards from right to left if you are too far left with your tee shot.

Hole 18 was one of my favorites on the entire property. A blind-ish tee shot will take you up a slight slope and reveal the rest of the finishing hole. Three well placed shots are a key if you want a look at birdie on the final hole of your round.

Doak created a masterpiece with Pac Dunes. Or was it nature? A lot of the holes feel like they have been there for centuries. I feel like the gorse came into play more on Pac Dunes than any of the other courses. 

 

Our afternoon round at Old Mac was super relaxed. We were the last group on the tee sheet, so other than a few caddies and other employees playing a few holes here and there, nothing was happening around us. We took our time and relished a clear sky and long shadows as we strolled through our second round on Old Mac in the past 24 hours. Its funny how "relaxed" golf tends to equate to better shots and better scores. We didn't take many photographs in the afternoon. Our "camera crew" grabbed their clubs and joined us for the round. We had a nice little 3v3 going as the pacific sun set on us.

 

What a glorious day.

 

 

 

Pac Dunes is an amazing place. The way they designed it using the natural terrain is out of this world. It's like the golf course was just there and wasn't even built.

Did you bring a caddy?

[ALo314]

2 minutes ago, StrokerAce said:

Pac Dunes is an amazing place. The way they designed it using the natural terrain is out of this world. It's like the golf course was just there and wasn't even built.

Did you bring a caddy?

I had a caddie for the first lap around Old Mac on Day 1. The rest of the rounds I carried.

[No3PuttLaLa]

On 9/20/2023 at 9:26 AM, ALo314 said:

Day 1 - The Preserve + Old Mac

 

As we drove down the coastline, the excitement continued to build. The Ford Expedition was jam packed with 6 of us and all the belongings we figured we needed for our voyage to the Oregon coast mecca.

 

As we pulled in, the butterflies were scrambling as we all piled out and started to unpack our clubs. We walked up the hill, bags strapped to our back, ready to take on the Preserve as a gentle welcome to Bandon golf.

What a perfect start to what would be a fantastic trip. The par 3 helped with learning the turf interaction of the clubs, how the ball moves on the poa, and how the wind can swirl on various holes. What a fun walk to stretch our legs as we got ready for the next few days.

After we finished our 13 hole loop, we drove straight to Old Mac. We met our caddies for the afternoon and paced around as we were too excited to relax as we waited the 45 minutes to our tee time.

We strolled to the the first tee after we watched the group in front of us tee off. We spun a tee and determined our order. I was the lucky soul who got to send our first official ball downrange at Bandon. A rush of excitement and emotion swept over me as I stood over the ball.

 

The first two holes at Mac are a gentle handshake from Doak and Urbina, and the last time you'll be somewhat sheltered from the coastal breezes until you get to the 16th green. After you hit your blind tee shot on 3 (deathly afraid not to hit the iconic ghost tree that's a literal "tower of Pisa" at this point) you drop down into the huge bowl of sand dunes for the next 13 holes. 

The tribute to CB Macdonald is more than a mere nod. The mammoth greens and myriad of bunkers make each shot one that would be difficult to replicate until you've played Old Mac countless times.

My most memorable holes here were #8 (the biarritz), the stretch from 14-16 (par 4-5-4), and the finishing hole with the punchbowl green.

As I walked off of the 18th green, with the soon to open Ghost Tree Grill a mere flip wedge away, I knew that this property, this trip, was going to be as special as I imagined.

 

I am truly blessed to have such incredible friends to bring me along with them on this journey. It doesn't hurt that they are professional photographers 

 

 

These images belong in The Golfers Journal. Absolutely epic!

I don’t think I could what to play Bandon more than I did but you sir, have achieved that with the sick images. Thank you for sharing! 

[ALo314]

On 9/25/2023 at 2:56 PM, No3PuttLaLa said:

These images belong in The Golfers Journal. Absolutely epic!

I don’t think I could what to play Bandon more than I did but you sir, have achieved that with the sick images. Thank you for sharing! 

We did have a little section in Dream Golf magazine...

[No3PuttLaLa]

13 hours ago, ALo314 said:

We did have a little section in Dream Golf magazine...

Do you have a link to share?!