A combination of the recent postings of the Evil Leprechaun and Brains Goodale struck a chord that has bothered me since Pacific Dunes opened.
Bandon has clearly gotten the short shrift - with the same jackals who once sang its praises now tearing at its flesh with disparaging remarks revealing a complete loss of perspective.
Some of it borders on the ridiculous. Some of the drivel I’ve heard:
“Why would anyone play Bandon with Pacific Dunes right there?”
“I think the ratio ought to be 4 rounds to 1.”
“Bandon only got high ratings from GolfWeek because Sandpines sucks so bad.”
“Any idiot could have designed Bandon Dunes because the land is so good.”
Please. Comparisons between the two are pointless mental masturbation. Despite their geographic proximity, the terrain they sit on is dissimilar.
And sometimes the old toy is just as much fun to play with as the new one.
First off, we have all appropriately genuflected at the altar of Doak. Pac Dunes is a reflection of his genius and his group deserves all the kudos and more. I know it, you know it, and even though Tom won’t admit it in person, he damned well knows it too!
But that does not diminish the greatness of Bandon Dunes. Yes, the word is great - especially with a few recent tweaks.
For some reason, I rarely see some of the clever touches on Bandon discussed as thoroughly as the little features on Pac Dunes. Maybe that is because some of them are not as obvious - or perhaps the reason is that David Kidd isn’t a regular contributor.
Here are some of the things I’ve noticed about individual holes:
#1. Barring a moon ball, the left side of the green (on the far side of the spine in the putting surface) can only be reached by playing the tee shot to the right and flirting with the bunker. Pop one down the center or left, and it is very difficult to avoid leaving a 40 foot downhill slider.
#3. The short path over the sandy waste from the tee orients you towards trouble. To play to the safer left side demands a much longer carry than it appears - especially with the wind. The hole looks so innocuous, but I’ve seen so many guys in trouble from the tee.
#4. The most interesting approach shot on either course. Depending on the wind, there are at least 4 ways to nudge the ball onto the green. No matter what you choose, there is a necessity to manufacture something. 4-iron from 150 yards along the ground? Toss a 7-iron at the right side and hope the wind brings it in? The front left bunkers and the Redan-esque contouring on the right make the hole.
#5. With the last fairway island removed, this is a hole Raynor would love. Shoot the gap to the left, and it’s wide open coming home. But if the tee shot balloons right, no matter how long you are, the angle coming into the green over the right hand shoulder of sand is a horribly awkward angle - mostly blind too.
#7. The tendency is to play safe to the right side off the tee. However, that leaves an approach over a wall of grass to the short side of the green.
#8. Confusing fairway littered with bunkers. Even a small mishit brings the sand into play. The best approach angle - especially with the pin on the left - is guarded by a nasty pot bunker. I know, because I normally leave a cold beer in there as it’s inevitable I find it.
#9. Yeah, in a summer wind the hole is easy - except for the fairway bunkers that guard the outside corridor of the right-side shortcut. I played this hole in an opposite wind once, and the wide-open green presents an interesting bump shot.
#10. Why do so many people blast away over the right side fairway bunkers? It only leaves 110 yards, but the approach is entirely blind over a sandhill to the short side of the green. The neat feature I like is the little catch-basin short of the green on the far side of the hill. Play it left from the tee and avoid sand, the approach is a mid-iron punch to the long way into the green.
#11. The further your tee shot strays from the fairway bunkers on the left, the harder the approach to the short side. The contours of the putting surface shoulder the ball away towards the sandhill on the left side of the green. There is something about the right side of the green that acts as a magnet and the chip is beyond the skill of this Armenian.
#12. The left hand tee doesn’t work, but from the right side, tell me that squeezing one between the sandhill and Road Bunker doesn’t pucker you a bit . . . . don’t lie.
#13. The tee faces you down the right side, but unless you blast a screaming slider towards the high side on your 2nd shot, the 3rd is blind from the bottom of the hill (similar to #15 at Pac Dunes). Check out the contours on the green from that angle. I finally got up the nerve to hit one to the alternate left-side fairway from the tee last time, and although the carry to the green looks intimidating, it is really about 180 yards and the terrain feeds it onto the green.
#14. I love this hole - maybe because I have not figured out the right way to play it. It is similar to #8 in that the fairway bunkers seem to guard the ideal angle depending on the pin.
#15. This hole is much easier the first time. That bunker in front seems to get bigger, meaner and deeper every time. Pure intimidation like the 17th at TPC. One bad swing can turn a 72 into a 78. Trust me.
#16. I’ve said before this hole would work fine if the tee were moved to the left. It is kind of a bottle hole and although everybody criticizes it, there is a way to play it safely. Sometimes beguiling and complex is a good thing. If you want to play it as a par 4 ½, just hit a 3-iron (summer wind) up the ramp on the left side of the fairway around the waste area. It is not that tough! The only problem is the temptation of wailing away like an angry gorilla trying to drive the green.
#17. Bunkers on the left side or not, the approach from the bottom of the right hand basin is thrilling. Enormous green full of rolls and plateaus with several levels. Seeing the ball fly over the canyon to an elevated green - at least to me - is visually satisfying.
#18. Why doesn’t everybody love this hole? Maybe because you have to choose your line carefully. David Kidd set it up to draw your eye and ball towards the sand on the right from the tee. From there it is instant double bogey. If you think about it, the hole sort of wriggles and writhes all the way to the green. You really have to concentrate because the temptation to flame one right and cut off some acreage is ever-present.
The point is that Bandon has plenty of compelling strategies and there is a reason it shot up to #2 on our Modern List. The golf course just doesn’t beat you over the head with its greatness like Pac Dunes.
You just have to think about it.