First trip to Bandon

[George Freeman]

My Dad and I are heading out to Bandon for the first time at the end of April.  To say we're excited would be a drastic understatement.  Our itinerary is as follows:

Friday: Arrive in Bandon around 12:30,  3:30 round at Bandon Crossings.

Saturday: Morning is open as this will be our only time to check out the town of Bandon, the coast, and the surroundings, etc.;  afternoon tee-time at Pacific Dunes

Sunday: morning round at Bandon Dunes; afternoon round at Bandon Trails

Monday: morning round at Pacific Dunes; afternoon will hopefully be spent at the Sheep Ranch

Tuesday: Depart

Does anyone have any advice about fun/unique/quirky things that a first time visitor at Bandon wouldn't be aware of?  i.e. good places to eat in town, fun bars,  certain aspects of the resort that might not jump out at you, etc, etc.

Thanks!

[Joe Bausch]

George, enjoy your trip to Bandon.  For a restaurant I like, I'll recommend the Wild Rose Bistro.  There is one big, semi-divey bar right on the main drag in Bandon that was interesting as many locals hang out there.  And if you are still looking for a place to stay, I'd recommend the following:

http://www.lighthouselodging.com/

[Michael Dugger]

Forget town, go to the resort play the par three course.  Walk around the trails, kick it in the BT clubhouse.

I think your sequencing could use a little help.  A round of "cartgolf" at Bx is going to leave you feeling energized for the first day.

Playing 36 two days in a row is going to beat you down.  Sheep Ranch is sweet but plenty of walking.

[PThomas]

i second the idea of skipping the town part...you're there to play golf man!

[Kalen Braley]

I'd have to "3rd" that motion.  The town of Bandon is just another small town in the middle of nowhere really.  But the resort, thats a one of a kind. 

If you are planning some non-golf activities, at least for me I would likely only do so to meander around on the beach and take it all in.  I can never get enough of the coastline, and Hwy 1/101 never ever gets old.

[George Freeman]

Is the Par 3 "course" just a fancy short game practice area? Or is it a full-blown par 3 course?  Surprisingly I haven't heard much about this part of the resort.

[PThomas]

they're real holes George....and your "fee" to play is in the form of a donation ..there's a box at the first tee you put it in...the money goes to charity

[Brent Boardman]

I think it's a silly idea to not take a little bit of time and get the full experience by exploring the surrounding community.  Sure, you're there to golf and the resort is nice/great/awesome or whatever, but do everyone a favor and support a different facet of the local economy.  You never know what you'll see that someone else didn't...

[Norbert P]

 I say hit the town. It will give you a feel of the history of the area. It's lumber, fishing, tourism and cranberry history,  all give some value to its future golf history.   

  The Bandon area was named by Captain Cook as "New Albion" Very prophetic.

[Dan Herrmann]

I've always thought a great half-day was heading down to Gold Beach and taking a jet boat ride up the Rogue River.

Cape Arago, just south of Coos Bay is a great place to view seals, seal lions, etc..

[Tim Pitner]

George,

I agree with those who say you should check out Bandon town--you should have some sense of context.  Of course, the tour of the town and Face Rock takes about an hour or two so you could easily squeeze it in before your round at Bandon Crossings.

I thought playing Sheep Ranch was a great way to start the trip, but Crossings wasn't open when I was last there.  SR might be a great capper as well.  I do wonder whether playing BT or BD more than once would be better than checking out Crossings.  I'd probably lean toward playing SR on Friday instead of Crossings and then playing BT Monday afternoon instead of SR.  But, hey, that's just me. 

[Jason Topp]

There was a junky bar that was basically a shed in town that I really enjoyed.  It was near the south end of the downtown part.  Caddies and a bunch of characters.  Listen for noise to find it in the evening.

[George Freeman]

how many holes are there on the par 3 course? Are they full length par 3s?

[Will MacEwen]

I'd vote for skipping town and doing an extra round.  However, a father-son trip is a bit different and quite special.  Do whatever you think will make him happiest.  Last year, one person in my group felt overwhelmed by too much golf, and it dragged everyone down. 

[Tim Bert]

how many holes are there on the par 3 course? Are they full length par 3s?

It is a 9 hole course.  I think the hole range from a few less than 100 yards on up to closer to 200 yards.  Most of them fall in the 120-170 range.  The greens are fun.  It is a really nice addition to the practice area and it is one of the most enjoyable par three courses I've played.

Attached is a link (I hope) to a thread I started last year along with some pictures of the holes.

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,30068

[John Kavanaugh]

The resort was dead at night with the Bunker Bar closing as early as 11.  I got one poker game started by just asking if anyone wanted to play a $20 buy in holdem tournament.  I don't know why but my last trip seemed to have much more action and it was even a month earlier.  You will not find a decent holdem game at the Mill Casino anyday except Friday or Saturday night.  It is a fun and very low limit casino with $3 black jack.  I discussed the game at Lloyds of Bandon with a few locals and would recommend staying away.

My biggest surpise this trip was the quality of the par three course.  It has the most interesting green sites on the course and reminds me much more of Ballyneal than Pacific.  If I take my son and wife in the next few years (son to play, wife to caddie) I will hit the par three everyday for my second round.

One thing I would do again is eat pizza and drink beer at the place next to the dress shop down town.  We got fully full and happy for only $10 per man. 

The other thing I hope to do again is stay a night at the Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City.  A beach front walk out room was only $70 per night.  They also dealt single deck blackjack at $10 limits with no goofy rules.  I also am very impressed with the Portland Airport and drive down the Oregon coast.  I'm not a seenie weenie and look forward to the drive again.

[hhuffines]

Tim,

Thanks for the link to the Par 3 pics.  Did one of the architects design the Par 3 holes or was it done "in house?"  Looks great to me!

[Will MacEwen]

Four questions on the par three course:

1.  How much to play?

2.  Is it by the practice area?

3.  How long can a quick threesome move through it - 75 min or so?

4.  Do they shut it down early?

[John Kavanaugh]

Four questions on the par three course:

1.  How much to play?

2.  Is it by the practice area?

3.  How long can a quick threesome move through it - 75 min or so?

4.  Do they shut it down early?

You just donate money some or none to play.  it is by the practice area.  You take as long as you want and can cut from number anything to number nine and go home.  They do not shut it down early and even went out and cleaned it up for us when the red flag was up.  It is the the best damn thing I have ever seen.  btw...I played it with one club not very well.

[George Freeman]

Tim,

Thanks for the great pics of the par 3!  Looks like a blast and I am looking forward to playing it in April!

[ed_getka]

George,
   You can head into town in the evening for dinner, otherwise I would stay at the resort. There isn't much to the town as some have pointed out. As far as the economy goes, I'm pretty sure the Bandon resort brings plenty to the economy they never had before.
   I would think twice about playing PD and then going to Sheep Ranch. Sheep Ranch is a better place for getting the kinks out after traveling most of the day to get to the resort. I wouldn' t want to pass up the discounted green fee for a second round at PD that day.
    I also wouldn't play anything outside of Bandon resort if this is your first trip there. Take my word for it that you will be kicking yourself for any time you could have spent at Bandon and didn't.
   And no I don't work for their marketing department.

Have a great trip and let us know what you thought when you get back.

[Michael Dugger]

DM Kidd designed "Shortys"

[John Kavanaugh]

I would rather play Crossings once than any single course at the resort twice.  I would also rather play the par three for free than pay to play Crossings.

[George Freeman]

DM Kidd designed "Shortys"

Yes, if I recall correctly, I read somewhere on GCA.com that it was designed by DMK

[Tom Jefferson]

John Kavanaugh, and others;

Just a note to clarify the fees at Shorty's;

The Honor Box is located inside the tiny building near the first tee.
While it clearly is voluntary whether anyone donates, we do hope that everyone that plays, including guests, employees, and caddies, contributes on occasion, as the funds that are generated are shared between the Evans Scholarship Fund and the junior golfer programs and in our local area.

In the two plus years that Shorty's has been open, word has spread about the fun factor and good practice available there.  We are happy to provide the course for our guests, and gratified as well that we can direct those funds for two worthy programs.

Not to mention the several pretty cool architectural features there: the bunker on #1 that pays homage to the Devil's _______ at PV; the Redan
#3; the 5 greens that serve both as targets on the south range AND as pretty darn playable golf greens; and the short game practice area that doubles as holes #1, #2, and #9.

Best,
Tom