I just arrived home Charlie! I haven't been home for 3 hours and you're already looking for an essay!!!
What an amazing trip. I will do a proper write up once I get time (I am studying for my first exam already!) but until then here is a quick summary:
12 rounds at the four Bandon courses (4 Pacific, 3 Old Mac, 3 Trails, 2 Bandon). At the moment pacific and Old mac are tied for the lead as Old Mac is simply fun golf (so many playing options) and Pacific as many of you know is a genius routing with not one let down in terms of individual holes. Trails also gets a mention because to me the routing is amazing, the holes are visually beautiful and individually awesome, and it may possess the greatest green sites I have seen. Bandon Dunes is a good golf course with 7 or 8 very good holes, but some of the other holes I found to be a bit lacking.
Some highlights include:
Generally playing with other GCA'ers, although I missed out on playing with a few of you, it was awesome to meet everyone.
Playing my first round on Pacific (first round of the whole trip) with Ran, Ken Cotner and Dave McCollum, and incidentally spraying my tee shot right and losing it (good start!).
Pacific:
Playing the 6th at Pacific 1 under for the week, while showing Tom Doak how to birdie from left of the huge greenside bunker. Playing the 13th at Pacific even for the week, no easy feat. Driving the 16th at Pacific, only to 3 putt and make par
. I could not hit the 9th and 11th greens in 4 rounds. Making 5 from the huge blowout left of 18th fairway.
Trails:
Driving in to the right green side bunker on Trails and making 5 (that is a tough bunker shot). Taking 3 on the 7th. Approaching the 13th green was always a pleasure, and I hit it each time! Driving the 14th green only to make par (tough green). Playing 16 in 1 under for the week. Never finding the green on 17 (very intimidating tee shot). Even on 18 for the week (each day playing into the wind). 1 under on the 5th, perhaps the most intimidating pitch on the property (although there are others out there).
Dunes:
Approaching the 4th green (one of the most intimidating shots at the resort). Killing a drive on 5 only to pull my second about 60 yards left and almost off the cliff! Figuring out why the par 3's there are difficult by missing the greens on almost each attempt. Attempting to drive the 16th only to have the ball fall off the right side of the green, finding it, playing it with my foot in a gorse bush (and nothing else underneath) and lipping out the birdie putt (maybe the most entertaining par all week). Playing 9 one late afternoon with no one else on the course, the most peaceful thing I have ever done.
Old Mac:
Playing the course was a highlight, but shooting 76 the first go around was amazing. Having my caddie (Dustin) and Ken's caddie (Phil) betting on the outcome of almost every single shot I played, and then how many it would take me to get down from a certain position (usually from trouble). Putting from almost everywhere around the greens has never been so entertaining. Putting on the greens. Approaching 7 is extremely intimidating. Hitting over hell. Hitting over alps. Playing opening day and meeting Mike Keiser and Jim Urbina at the tee, and having Tom Doak watch me drive the 13th. Witnessing some guy who dressed like Anthony Gray grab a hole in one on the Redan on opening day (from an adjacent hole), which I did not even manage to reach (with driver!). Playing in 40mph winds, gusting to 55, with rain, and shooting 82.
I will stop there because I could go on and on. Meeting all the GCA'ers was indeed a privilege, and it was a great group of guys out there. Meeting Tom Doak, Mike Keiser, George Bahto and Jim Urbina was fantastic, and listening to each of them talk golf courses was awesome and interesting. I will get my photos together and write a proper one up, but will take me a while due to exams and the fact that I could write about this week for hours. So please be patient with me on this one, I will get there eventually.
Andy