Hypothetically...

[John Kavanaugh]

I drove the green at the 16th at Bandon...who hasn't.  I even went to the web site and look at pictures and can't get what is special about the 5th...I did seem to like how the ocean presented itself on the 4th..that was nice.

I'm guessing the 16th was better the day it opened before it was softened up for the one time players.  Hopefully it will be restored some day.

[John Goodman]

I really liked BD 5, driving over those tufts.  The alley to the green looks REALLY narrow if you're not hitting the ball especially well.  The caddies recommended one of our guys hit putter from 200 yards - it took him two whacks but he got it on there and made 5.  I plead guilty to liking dumb blondes, eye candy, whatever you want to call it - I thought BD was a great golf experience.  If there are rookie design mistakes there then I am too big of a GCA rookie to notice.

BT is an excellent course as well, and to my mind the most difficult of the three.  I want another crack at holes 14-18 - I really coughed up a hair ball there, twice.

[Tim Pitner]

I drove the green at the 16th at Bandon...who hasn't.  I even went to the web site and look at pictures and can't get what is special about the 5th...I did seem to like how the ocean presented itself on the 4th..that was nice.

I'm guessing the 16th was better the day it opened before it was softened up for the one time players.  Hopefully it will be restored some day.

Well, I haven't driven the green at #16--actually, I've never tried.  I have the length to give it a go, but when I stand on that tee, it never looks like the right shot to me.  I don't see why driving BT 14 (or getting in the vicinity) is any more "magical" than driving BD 16; I'd agree that BT 14 is the better hole, though.  

What's not to like about BD #5?  You have the ocean left, it requires a solid drive to place it where you have a good look at the green, and then, especially into the prevailing wind, you need a long iron to approach the green set into the dunes, with a natural (or at least natural-looking) bunker along the right side.  It works for me.