Travel advice: Nebraska to Bandon

[Brett_Morrissy]

just after some local advice: travelling from Australia

Am in Colorado/Nebraska for 5 days in July and then head to Bandon for another 5 days.

Heading East thru Colorado to Nebraska, with departure from either SH or Prairie Club (to Nth Platte?)
and then need to get to Bandon Dunes in shortest possible fashion. Suggestions?

Do all flights depart Nth Platte and then 'hub' thru Denver?

Will we be able to fly direct from DEN to Bandon - best airport suggestion near Bandon - KP suggested Coos Bay?

Cheers
Brett

[Adam Clayman]

Brett, Yes all flights out of Nth Platte go thru Denver. They get almost $200 for the privilege of saving you the drive time. (3.5 hrs. from Nth Platte) However, they have no qualms about making you wait indefinitely, if they need to.

It's a 5 hour drive to Bandon from Portland. The last section is enjoyable driving once you get off the I-5. You can fly a puddle jumper to North Bend/Coos Bay (OTH) which is only 40 minutes to Bandon.

These smaller airports are ideal if there's no delays.

[Tom_Doak]

Brett:

Personally, I would take the time and drive thru the American West.  That is the most beautiful part of the country, and there are a couple of very good courses en route (Rock Creek in particular).

But, assuming you don't have 3 or 4 days to sightsee, you should drive to Denver and catch a plane to either Portland or Eugene. 
Eugene is 2 1/2 hours from Bandon and cuts the Portland drive in half, and there are direct flights to Eugene from Denver, I think.  Flying into North Bend these days is asking for a connection delay, unfortunately.  The only advantage of flying direct is that you don't really need a car at all while you are staying in Bandon, so if you fly to North Bend you can take a shuttle down and avoid the rental car charges.

[Dan Herrmann]

Tom's right - drive to Denver.

Frontier Airlines flies from DIA (Denver) to EUG (Eugene).

From Eugene, take OR126 west to US101 south directly to Bandon.

[Brett_Morrissy]

Thanks Tom & Dan,

So you recommend driving Denver to BN, SH (Maybe Priarie) and then driving the return leg back again?
- I understand it is a beautiful drive, are the flights out of Nth Platte ( or see below - Valentine) really that bad?

Thanks for the advice from the Bandon end also - we might drive from Portland and then back to Chambers Bay at the end....

Thanks Adam,

Are there flights out of Valentine as well?

It may be easier to go BN, SH and then Prairie Club and fly from Valentine/DEN/Bandon? is that the case?

Cheers guys
Brett
PS: reasonably accessible courses wise - would you vote Monterey or Chicago for 3-4 days golf - added onto to the above after Bandon?

[Jason Hines]

Brett,

IMHO, it's a toss up driving or flying to North Platte, however you will fly right over BN.  Another thing to consider is the cost of the rental in Denver vs. North Platte.

J.

[Brett_Morrissy]

Brett,

IMHO, it's a toss up driving or flying to North Platte, however you will fly right over BN.  Another thing to consider is the cost of the rental in Denver vs. North Platte.

J.

J. - can you elaborate a little further on the cost of rental DEN vs NP pls?

B.

[Jason Hines]

Hi Brett,

Smaller airport rentals can be more expensive because of the lack of competition and especially if you are picking up and dropping off in another location.  However Denver has some of the highest rental fees at dia because of the tourists going up in to the mountains.

[Tom_Doak]

I would not fly to and from North Platte.  It's a bumpy ride on the best days, and by the time you wait for your connection, you're halfway to Sand Hills, even when it's on time.

There is no commercial service from Valentine, as far as I know.  It MIGHT be worth considering flying from somewhere in South Dakota back to Denver.

[Chip Gaskins]

I agree with Tom and Adam.  Just drive.  Yes you can fly, but the potential risk of delay, extra costs, bag loss, and extra drop fees on the rental car make it a much better bet to simply fly into Denver and rent a car.  Renting a car in Denver is much cheaper than the other smaller airports.  

Drop fees on rental cars in small airports will be costly.  Matter of fact the rental agencies in Kearney and North Platte are locally owned and you can't even do one way rentals.  Hell, I took a bus one time from Kearney to Omaha!

I would try and see Prairie Club.  I was there a few summers ago when they were building it and it looks a cool place to spend some time.

I would fly into Eugene direct from Denver on Frontier or Untied.  Eugene is a shorter drive than Portland.  

Have fun!  You coming through Washington DC?

[Scott Warren]

Brett,

easycar.com is an option on car rentals that is much cheaper than a lot of the alternatives. Owned by easyJet. I have used it a lot. They have great prices and use the local companies around Europe, the UK, US etc.

In some US states they don't charge one-way drop fees.

[Ben Sims]

Brett,

In my opinion, you've got three options.

1) Drive Denver-BN-SH-Prairie Club-Denver and fly to North Bend, OR.
2) Drive Denver-BN-SH-Prairie Club-Rapids City; fly to Portland and drive Portland-Bandon.
3) Drive the whole thing.  

I would caution against driving the whole front side of the trip back to Denver and flying to Portland, only to drive to Bandon.  That's a brutal day.

I would argue that Montana isn't exactly on the way between Valentine and Bandon, but I have no idea how much time you have.  On the upside, if you do drive the whole thing you should go through Salt Lake and Bend, those are great towns with several golf courses worth seeing.  

Enjoy your trip on the New American links.  Or as I like to call it, Cowboy Golf.

[Tony_Chapman]

Brett -- This sounds like one hell of a cool trip you are planning. Might I suggest that if you come all this way and skip Wild Horse I think it'd be a mistake. If you fly into Denver you could do Ballyneal, WH up to Mullen and then Valentine if you choose.

You've got to also remember this is God's country. Just because it says "300" miles, doesn't mean it's seven hours. In fact, it probaby four at the most! There is nothing out here to slow you down. Denver to Ballyneal is probably two hours, BN to WH the same. Maybe 90 minutes from WH to SH and SH to Prairie Club another 90 minutes.

As for Chicago v. Monterey, I'd go Monterey (Adam Clayman, Shivas and some others would surely give you better advice than me, though) as you could do Pebble and Pasatiempo for sure (no access issues as far as them being private) and could do better I'm sure with some phone calls.

[Adam Lawrence]

But, assuming you don't have 3 or 4 days to sightsee, you should drive to Denver and catch a plane to either Portland or Eugene. 
Eugene is 2 1/2 hours from Bandon and cuts the Portland drive in half, and there are direct flights to Eugene from Denver, I think.  Flying into North Bend these days is asking for a connection delay, unfortunately.  The only advantage of flying direct is that you don't really need a car at all while you are staying in Bandon, so if you fly to North Bend you can take a shuttle down and avoid the rental car charges.

I only have one data point, but I think from my own experience and that of some of the people I talked to in Bandon in February that this is very good advice. Especially if you use the San Francisco to North Bend service, the risk of severe flight delays seems very high. I had allowed four hours between the scheduled arrival of my North Bend flight in SFO and the departure of my flight back to London; when we arrived at North Bend airport to find that the previous flight had only just departed, and the same aircraft was coming back to operate our service, I started to get nervous. This didn't improve as the projected delay increased from two to three hours, and I only started to relax when we got on board and the pilot quoted an estimated arrival time that would give me thirty minutes to catch my plane. I made the connection, but it didn't do my blood pressure any good. People there told me that SFO is notorious for weather issues, and that when they arise, it's always the puddle jumpers that get shoved to the back of the queue.

[Brett_Morrissy]

You guys are unreal - thank you.
I am about to jump into a car and head to play Royal Adelaide, Glenelg and Port Fairy - so will digest this info and get back to you all if i have any other questions.

You've got to also remember this is God's country. Just because it says "300" miles, doesn't mean it's seven hours. In fact, it probaby four at the most! There is nothing out here to slow you down. Denver to Ballyneal is probably two hours, BN to WH the same. Maybe 90 minutes from WH to SH and SH to Prairie Club another 90 minutes.

Tony - nothing to slow us down EXCEPT local CHIPS - highway patrol, police, etc???

[Dan Herrmann]

Brett,
If you haven't been to the USA before, remember  -  we're a HUGE country compared to what you see in Europe.

When I was a kid, my friend's German relatives were visiting his family in Buffalo, NY.  They left for a short drive and called 8 hours later saying, "Just how far IS Massachusetts from you!"

[Steve Lang]

  You'll be flying low on I-80 in that territory.. drive man drive..

I would not miss the opportunity to drive up into the Rockies above Fort Collins or better yet The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, head across idaho and take in the Columbia River Gorge and then get down to Bandon

purple mountains majesty.. GOD'S COUNTRY INDEED.. 

[Adam Clayman]

Brett, It's a no brainer on Monterey V. Chicago. Monterey is the states Kingdom of golf. Fog, wind, and the Marine layer provide for a variety of weather conditions. Even if you balk at the cost of the Pebble Beach Co.'s rates, you can play Pacific Grove daily, on top of Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hilll, Spanish Bay, Poppy Hills and the Fort Ord courses, Black Horse and Bayonet. Even the poorer quality courses are special on the peninsula. ( Monterey Pines )

The idea of driving across country is a fantastic one, if you have the time. But, with the resources available to you through the generosity of people on this site, you may want to save that time for golf courses.

There is an interesting dynamic happening out here in Nebraska concerning the State Patrol. Due to the price of gas, and short falls in revenue, the attorney general has focused the state patrol officers, close to the bigger towns. They've been writing tickets like crazy, but mostly in town. So the extreme rural parts of your trip (SH and Prairie Club) should be clear sailing.

[Jason Hines]

Brett,

Keep us posted on your dates and routes, I guarantee you that some of us will show up and play with you.

[Ron Farris]

Here is a little incentive to go The Prairie Club, near Valentine:

[Kevin Pallier]

Brett

I was quite lucky with my connections with all the trips being pretty much stress free.

I flew into Denver from NJ hired a 4WD as the road south of Holyoke to Ballyneal is gravel based. Lucky I did because I wouldn't have gotten out of there with all the snow I'm sure you'll be OK in summer though

I then flew out of the same airport direct to SFO and then onto Coos Bay near Bandon. The later has an AM / midday and PM flight from memory but it was quite a small plane. I also hired a Mustang for the day at the airport to have a look around Bandon - nothing like experiencing an American classic car with a bit of grunt 

[Brett_Morrissy]

Guys - thanks again

Have confirmed our itinerary - 4 of us
Playing Ballyneal in Jim's event, then onto Sand Hills for 36/54 holes and then probably Prairie Club for a day.

Based on your recommendations, we will do the round trip in a car- seems the most practical.

Q: extra day at Sand Hills (total 72 holes) or see Prairie Club for 36 plus Horse?

Are these times about correct - not taking into account speeding?

3.5 hours from Denver International Airport to Ballyneal
3.0 hours Ballyneal to Sand Hills
1.5 hours Sand Hills to Prairie Club
5.0  hours Prairie Club back to DIA

KP - you didn't play Prairie Club did you?

Then fly DIA to North Bend – shuttle to Bandon OR fly into Eugene and drive to Bandon.

Thanks again everyone.
Brett

[Scott Szabo]

Brett,

As for the times, I would say a little short of 3 hours from DIA to Ballyneal - remember to watch the speeding when you head east from Sterling.  Probably closer to 4 hours from Ballyneal to Sand Hills.

Also - extra day at Sand Hills?  Take it - there's not a better place to spend a day than there.  Do not pass it up!  Certainly not a knock against the Prairie Club, just that Sand Hills is that good.

Looking forward to meeting you - I too will be playing in the Yucca.  Should be a great time!

Scott

[Kevin Pallier]

KP - you didn't play Prairie Club did you?

No Brett I didn't

Remember to allow extra time at the Airports to drop off your hire cars. Invariably they are a shuttle bus ride or train to get to the actual terminals.

[Steve Lang]

  Two hours before flight, you might want to drop off clubs and luggage and get boarding pass first, return car second.. to get through security without fretting..

make sure your name on ticket/boarding pass exactly matches your name on identification / passport