Just returned from my first visit to Bandon. What an experience. From the 100 foot dune that fronts the Lodge to the scores of Golf bags sitting outside the clubhouse one is greeted smack in the face with the feeling that this is going to be fun.
I'll apologize in advance for any redundancy to other Bandon topics as I haven't read them all, but some of my observations. First, my gripes. The greens. Slow as molasses. Trails was playng to around a 6 on the Stimp while Bandon was being overseeded. If you didn't bang it in the hole you had no chance. I hope Trails shapes up for summer. Okay, that's it for the gripes.
I love the way Pacific and Trails meld their front and back nines so seemlessly. I'm used to playing in and out where it' so obvious that you are changing nines. Here the land dictated the routing and the flow was seamless.
I loved the way #10 and 11 at Pacific just led you right back out to the ocean and onto the gusty 12th and glorious 13th. Right after getting beat up on those four holes you hit that downwind stretch which lets you breath for a second before finishing with that great stretch of 16 (driver 40 yards left of the green rolling onto the front edge, thank you very much), 17 (hybrid drawing to a front left pin placement, thank you very much), and the wonderful 18 (driver to the 200 foot deep bunker on the left, big bummer very much). I think I'd rather play Pacific in the afternoon winds to really get the most out of it.
One problem I had at both Pacific and Trails was landing the ball just short of the green expecting it to run onto the surface, but instead having the ball die. Meanwhile, those whe landed 10 feet shorter were getting bounces all the way up to the hole. My caddie, Papa Cup explained that the watering runoff from the greens sometimes makes the surround 3 foot fringe softer than the area farther away.
Another observation: playing the bump and run wither with a hybrid from 30 yards away or bumping an 8 iron into a bank and letting it trickle to the holw were not shots I had in my bag when I arrived. thanks Papa Cup for the key shotmaking lessons "links" style.
I loved the mound in the front right of Trails #4. although the direct line from the tee is the right hand side the play really is across the left of that wonderful bisecting diagonal ridge. Great hole.
After all the love Trails and Pacific showed it's still Bandon that keeps coming to me when I'm falling asleep. From the uphill approach at #1 to the back pin placement at #2 you really gotta get going early or this place will eat you up.
Each hole had a different "line of charm" depending on the wind and that's what made it so fun. Tremendous finishing holes, I still think the drive I hit deep into the neck of 17 was the best of all 3 days there.
Glad I got a caddie, although not after the first day. After the 3rd round he figured out how I played and I figured out what he was trying to tell me and my socres plummeted while my enjoyment escalated. Our caddies, Tom, Wyatt (the ballhunter), George, and especially Lawrence were outstanding. I guess Lawrence was a junior champ at Riviera as his mom was a pro there and he was recalling fondly when the barranca was in play on #8. He said he has caddied in all 4 majors for the likes of Greg Norman, Ray Floyd and others and it showed. Outstanding job.
Can't wait to go back.