Bandon Dunes Trip Recap and Review

[DeadMan]

12 hours ago, iacas said:

I feel like the "flights" number is always low. Do you feel similarly? It's like it has to be a pretty steep climb to register or something. Going up two flights over 200 yards doesn't seem to count.

Yes, it seems off to me as well. The steps and distance seem pretty good, though.

[Big C]

Just finished reading your posts. Good write up. I have been to Bandon twice and I've always been surprised how little acclaim Old Mac gets. It generally falls near the middle to bottom of most course rankings, and based on my experience scheduling bookings, it is the easiest of the 5 to get a tee time.

But once you get past the fairly mediocre 1st hole, every hole thereafter is just so much damn fun to play. Last time we went, it was the only course we played twice and I was really glad we did. I probably could have played it exclusively all 3 days and not gotten bored. 

By contrast, Pacific Dunes is a tough test and a really beautiful round of golf, but I really didn't have any desire to play it more than once. 

Your comments on Trails struck a chord with me as well. The first time I played it, I despised the course. I got a couple of really unlucky bounces and I misjudged my clubs a few times, and I know it affected my perception. Coming back a second time with fresh eyes (and a much better swing, apparently), I was able to appreciate it much more. I wish my play didn't have an impact on how I viewed the merits of a course, but I guess it's inevitable that it does. 

My rankings

1. Old Mac

2. Bandon Trails

3. Pac Dunes

4. Sheep Ranch

DNQ - Bandon Dunes. We couldn't get a tee time during our last trip so I don't remember enough to rank it accurately.