Bandon Course Rating

[Jin Kim]

Just got back from my fourth Bandon trip.  God I love that place.  Was analyzing my scores and the bogey rating for Pac Dunes really stuck out.  I think it is a harder course (not by much, but definitely noticeable) than Bandon Dunes, but the bogey rating on PD is 5 strokes lower! (97.5 vs 92.5 from the green tees).  Anybody else think that is out of wack?  For this trip, my average score on BD was 82 on BD compared to 90 on PD.  Not a statistically valid sample set, and my PD scores were higher this trip than years past, but I have consistently scored better on BD on my past trips as well.

[Jud_T]

Similar wind conditions?

[Jin Kim]

Similar wind conditions?

Pretty much.

[Will MacEwen]

Jin,

I am around a 7 index, and I bet I average 7-8 more strokes on PD than BD, having played each around 15 times, maybe more. 

My theories:

1.  More potential for blowup holes at PD.  I have low blowup hole resistance.
2.  Easier to get up and down and save par at BD.
3.  Par 5s at BD are good scoring holes for me.

Of course, now I am kind of psyched out at PD, and find it hard to hold a round together.

[Jin Kim]

You and I have the same experience.  So why is Bandon rated harder?

[Tim Bert]

I almost always play better at Bandon Dunes than at Pacific Dunes.  I've been a 9-13 handicap when I played over the course of several trips.  Large variety of wind on each, but over the course of all the trips it has probably evened out.  Possibly in my head, but I agree with the comment that there are more blow-ups waiting to happen at Pacific Dunes, particularly for someone that sprays the ball like me.  The disparity of blow-ups is growing as they continue gorse removal at Bandon, for instance what they've done at #5 recently.  Not to mention that Pacific doesn't always need gorse to drive blow-ups.  I've had more than my share without losing a ball.  I would note that typically my adjusted scores at Pacific are higher as well, so you can't chalk it all up to my blow-ups.

I could see that for better players or from the tips Pacific could be an easier course than Bandon, but I'd be surprised if that were true for the majority of 10-20 handicaps out there.

[Tom_Doak]

I get reports on either side of this issue all the time -- Pacific is way harder, says one email; the next has it reversed.

Bandon Dunes is rated higher because it's longer, even though length is less of a factor in the difficulty at Bandon Dunes than most anywhere else, because of the run of the ball and the distorting effects of the wind.  [It's not so easy to hit a short iron close in the wind.]

Trying to put it all in a formula is pretty much a waste of time, in my opinion.  I wouldn't be offended if they took the tack of a couple of courses I know and dispensed with a rating and slope altogether, and just discouraged you from posting your scores when you get home.  But the USGA doesn't like such subversion, and they do hold events in Bandon, so I guess they'll keep using their silly formulas.

[Garland Bayley]

It sounds like they need a little weather station that can compute the rating based on the weather. Then when you finish your round, you insert your card into the station and it stamps it with rating/slope.

[Michael Dugger]

I happen to fall in the camp of performing better at Pacific.

I think part of it is the "zen golf" aspect; the course is mesmerizing to me and thus I think less.

That being said, I've noticed something over the years regarding the difference between how players score on BD and PD and it has to do with the strength of your golf game.

Pacific puts more of a premium on strategy and short game.  Bandon allows you to knock it around a little more freely and is generally more forgiving around the greens.

A player with better tee to green game will often beat me at Bandon, but if their short game isn't all that great I can get over on them at Pacific.

[Tags:]

Tags: