Bandon Dunes - Great Golf Destination
I have been fortunate enough in the last 4 years to play at Bandon Dunes twice, once at the Bandon Dunes track and once at Pacific Dunes. If you love links golf, then this is the place to go in the US. I can't say enough about the quality of the courses there and how much it feels like Scotland.
The property sits on the dunes, high up over the beach below - a very typical Scottish landscape. There are currently 3 top level golf courses at the resort; Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes and Bandon Trails. Though I have never played Bandon Trails, I've seen many of the holes and it looks like it's right up there with the other two. If you can only play one course and you want the toughest one, then Pacific Dunes is for you.
If you're looking for a place to play golf and also party, then this isn't your destination. This is hard core golf at a fair price. The full price in peak season is a bit stiff, but it's greatly reduced from November to April. If you're worried about the weather, then you're not a real Scottish links golfer. You may encounter a bit of wind and rain, but this is golf as it's typically played in Scotland. (I once inquired of a Scotsman who planned a week's golfing trip in Scotland for myself and a friend about what would happen if we got rained out of a round. His response, 'I don't know, I've never known it to happen' - meaning they don't stop playing for a 'wee bit of rain'.)
You can also knock down the price of a round by staying at the hotel. It's not a bad idea to consider as there aren't many alternatives in the area. A bit of advice, don't get the room my wife and I had that is over the downstairs bar, you'll be up until the last golfer's go to bed. The food at the resort is not to die for, but it's reasonable fair.
If you go, plan in advance as the course can be booked out at certain times. Be prepared to walk, I don't think they even have carts. For those of you not used to hoofing it, there are caddies available. There are also pull carts readily available. It's an easy course to walk, as most links courses are because they are relatively flat. Though I haven't played the 'Trails' course, it looks a bit more up and down than the two 'Dunes' courses.
If you can possibly swing a trip to Bandon - do it! I'm not being compensated in any way by the people who own the resort to promote it. In fact, they don't even know I'm writing this. If you get a chance to play any or all of these courses, please let me know how you fared.
6 comments:
Can I post your review on http://golfhubs.com/search/?q=bandon+dunes?
Stephen
But can anyone tell me how to play those greens at Bandon? I have also made this pilrimage the past two winters and love the whole experience. But those greens are entirely different than anything else I play. I hit fairways and then hit, or rather rolled through, the greens and sullied my scorecard each time. How do I practice for that? otm
Stephen,
Yes, of course.
OT
I know exactly what you mean. In many cases the greens are raised and rounded presenting an intimidating look. Add to that a wind that blows in the wrong direction and one can get a little shaky on approach shots. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I'd love to have the low pitch the pros have that comes in low, bounces twice and stops.
This year was my first trip to Bandon of many to come! I loved everything about it - the beauty, the setting, the winds, the architecture, even those fast and undulating fescue greens. I'd recommend taking full advantage of their great practice facility to work on your punch shots to deal with the wind and bump and run shots to deal with the roll.
Hey I finally got around to posting your review; you can see it here: http://golfhubs.com/course/reviews/?courseid=22728
Additionally, if you've got any others that you wouldn't mind me posting, you can post them directly on the website or I can do a "bulk insert" if you've got a ton.
I'll send your user/pass to your email. Thanks!
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