Wind at Bandon

[Jim Hoak]

I'm not sure if this is a new topic for GCA or not; I haven't seen it during my time here.
I've been to Bandon Dunes 4-5 times and love the courses there, including Old Macdonald where I played 12 holes last fall.  The architecture and the variety of it all is phenomenal.
But every time I've been there, the wind has been over-the-top.  Generally it comes up at about 11 a.m. and blows at a 3-5 club rate.  I was told that the wind blows at that rate 300+ days a year.
I generally don't wind wind; it certainly is a part of golf and its history.  It makes you think about your shots, get creative on how you play them, and presents a challenge that we in the US don't usually face.  But 3-5 clubs almost every day is a bit much.  It's the only negative I have with Bandon, a great golf experience.
What do others think?

[Brent Hutto]

I think it's a fun experience, assuming the course is designed to accommodate play in that kind of wind. I also think a couple days in a row is about my limit for it being fun. I also think multiple days in a row of heavy wind wrecks your golf swing for anywhere from weeks to months afterward, or at least it does mine.

The problem is that Bandon is a place where people tend to want to play 36 a day for three, four, five days in a row. Based on my rather wind-blown experience on this year's England trip when the wind stays over about 20mph I'm one round and done. I happened to be in a place where I liked hanging out in the town when I wasn't playing golf but I'd imagine sticking to one round a day in Bandon during summer when the daylight lasts forever would seem like a real letdown.

[Jud_T]

Jim,

In my experience there it doesn't blow that hard all the time.  2-3 clubs seems more the norm which is workable and fun...If you don't enjoy the extreme conditions, it's best to book the oceanside courses for early morning and leave the afternoon rounds for the interior courses....

[Jim Hoak]

Brent--As great a spot as Bandon is, there isn't much to do there but golf.  And, since you generally want to tee off early to beat the wind for a while, if you don't play 36, you're sitting around for the whole afternoon.
In addition, it is so hard to get to, I've always played 3-4 days to justify the trip.
So, I agree with you--wind for a bit is fine--but for 36 holes per day over 3-4 days, it loses its attaction.

[Sean Leary]

If the wind is that strong, you can't really play for a score. Match play makes it tolerable if you can do that.

[Jin Kim]

The 3 club wind is half the fun at Bandon.  And the courses were designed with the summer winds in mind.  Love pulling of the hard punch 4 iron into the wind that goes 140 yards.  You really do need to hit a solid ball though.  Weak shots that you could get away with elsewhere will be punished.  For some reason, I usually play very well at Bandon.  I could spend a week there playing 36 a day.

[Richard Choi]

In my three trips to Bandon Dunes, I've only faced significant (+1 club) wind may be 25% of the times. I would actually prefer a bit more wind. I guess you have been just (un)lucky...

[Tim Pitner]

Jim,

What time(s) of year have you gone?  My experiences haven't been as extreme--generally 1-2 clubs in the morning and 2-3 clubs in the afternoon on the coastal courses.  Challenging, but very playable.  

[Jim Hoak]

Tim--I have gone spring, summer and fall--never winter.  I know some people who have had less wind than I have had, but maybe they got the 60 days per year when it is not exceptionally windy.  I have heard the 300 days per year windy number from several people.
Again, I have very much enjoyed the experience--and I don't mind some wind.  But every day and almost every round is over-the-top--and my only drawback to the experience.

[Tim Bert]

I have spent something like 12-14 full days at Bandon along with a few half days over the course of 4 different trips and I have to say I don't buy for one second that 300 days a year have 3-5 club wind. I could buy 2 club wind. From my experience the wind would have to be blowing 25 miles an hour or something like that to get beyond a 2 club wind... When the ball is struck crisply.  So a 3-5 club wind from my perspective must be 30 to 50 mph. Gusts - sure. Steady wind?  No way. I think people in general tend to over-state the wind.  I have been out there when the wind is absolutely whipping and asked some of the attendants and they've said the wind was maybe 20-25 at most. The typical scenario I've found there is a 0-1 club wind in the morning. I've often been surprised how calm it is there in the morning. 1-2 has been the normal in the afternoon with gusts taking it to 3. I have only played two rounds there out of over 20 where even the gusts would lush the impact beyond 3 clubs. 5 club wind sounds good in the lyrics for "I'm on a Doak" but in reality a 5 club wind would be unplayable and the balls would not sit still on the greens. I've never once experienced a completely unplayable situation at Bandon. 

[Sean_A]

I've said it many times, folks often over-estimate the wind by quite a margin.  A five club wind is 30+mph in my book - at many courses this is unplayable as balls will roll around on greens if stimping at 10 or even 9 - this is a low gale force wind.  There are VERY few courses that can handle 40mph either with fairway width or the greens.  This is very trying conditions and not terribly fun.  3-4 clubs is about 20mph and that is a strong wind.  In my experience, folks think it is blowing 25mph when its closer to 15mph.  

The poor folks over for Buda are getiing some windy days. Porthcawl wasn't too bad, but the wind increased at Pennard from 15-20 on Saturday to 25-30 on Sunday.  Too much!  For me, I will stick to 10-15 mph as a good wind.  Anything more gets old quick.

Ciao

[Doug Wright]

The 3 club wind is half the fun at Bandon.  And the courses were designed with the summer winds in mind.  

Actually I believe it's been stated on threads here that at least regarding Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes the courses were designed with both the prevailing summer and winter winds in mind. (As I understand it, they largely come from opposite directions in summer (N) and winter (S)). See, e.g., #4 and #13 at Pacific.

I've only played the courses in winter (Bandon/Pacific in January/February) and I never found the wind or weather conditions over the top. Maybe just lucky. Will report back if my luck changes when I'm there week after next .   

[Greg Holland]

Interesting.  I was talking to a friend recently -- and he loves great golf courses and belongs to some of the finest.  He loves going to Scotland as well.  Biut, he made the same comment:  While he enjoyed the courses, the wind was just too over the top for him to truly enjoy the place on a regular basis. 

[Matt_Ward]

Jim:

I know the feeling because I've been to Bandon on four (4) separate occasions and the wind velocity has always been a factor. Jim, you just have to adjust and realize that in going to Bandon the weather / wind is ALWAYS part of the equation. No doubt luck / bad luck plays a role. A person can be there the day before you play and it's fine -- 1-2 club wind. The next day it can be 4-5 club wind.

You just have to forget about par designations and play with what the "new" par is given what the wind is doing.

As someone else suggested -- the wind velocity really determines how good a ball striker you are -- the slightest mishit and it's clear you will not get anywhere close to where you want to go. Ditto for downwind situations.

[Brent Hutto]

I never keep score. Par is not an issue. The reason heavy wind ceases to be fun by about the third day in a row is the impossibility of keeping a decent tempo and swing mechanics whilst being toppled forward, back or sideways on most full swings. Well, not impossible in theory for a good player. But impossible in practice for someone whose tempo and swing is barely holding together on a still day.

I don't care if it's match play or you're just hitting the ball for the hell of it, hitting pulls and hooks and shanks and duffs and sticking the club in the ground after about 45 holes or so in the wind isn't golf any longer.

[William_G]

Jim, sorry you've been so unlucky with the wind.

What's so great about Bandon is that even if you've played there a ton, it's always different because of the weather.

It is not typical country club golf where you know the club and shot you will hit before you get to the tee or the ball in the fairway.

I have not seen a wind where it is more than a 3 club wind, so your 5 clubs might be an over exaggeration.

As in the Home of golf, Scotland, it can be calm in the morning and a raise in the wind speed by 11 am.

I've played the same course in Bandon am and pm same day with a 19 shot difference in score, LOL.

Your brain is always working to overcome mother nature, which requires a glass or more of your favorite after the day is done!

Thanks

[Bill Brightly]

.
I generally don't mind wind; it certainly is a part of golf and its history.  It makes you think about your shots, get creative on how you play them, and presents a challenge that we in the US don't usually face.  But 3-5 clubs almost every day is a bit much.  It's the only negative I have with Bandon, a great golf experience.
What do others think?
[/quote]

Jim, your post makes me wonder how much you try to change your golfing approach when the wind is howling. Perhaps you are like me the first few times I played overseas: I just kept adding clubs based upon how hard I thought the wind was blowing and I got killed. (It is AMAZING how far into the fescue I can hit a full driver with only a slight fade! ) I think many US players only know how to play golf on parkland courses, and only know how to add or subtract clubs for a 5 to 10 mph wind. (Sean is right, we also grossly overestimate windspeed...) I dont think that works in serious wind, I think you need a whole arsenal of different shots.

If you have a full wedge distance and judge a 3 club wind, do you hit 7 iron? That shot gets crushed if it is not hit straight as an arrow. Or do you hit a punched 5 or 6 iron to minimize the effect of the wind? Do you have a 3/4 punched driver swing? Can you hit a low driver? Can you putt from 40 yards off the green? Do you practice all of these shots before you go to Bandon?

I admit that I am not really good at hitting these shots, but I am really trying to get better. I  think you need to go to Bandon (or any other links site) expecting to use all these shots, and then feel totally relieved when you catch Pac Dunes in a one club wind

[Pete_Pittock]

Jim,
You should be there now. Very little wind according to the wind forecast site iwindsurf.com.
http://www.iwindsurf.com/windandwhere.iws?regionID=122&regionProductID=2&day=0&timeoffset=17&selected_model_id=
For the next week the 2pm predictions have 2 days with 15N winds, 1 day 15S winds and the rest under 10mph.
I've been there a lot over the years and I've only experienced excessive wind a handful of times, but plenty of days around 20mph.
A long long time ago (before Pac Dunes opened) I asked why they didn't have a wind gauge. They didn't want one.

[Eric Olsen]

I have been to Bandon well over a dozen times, going again in a couple of weeks, and I honestly have more fun when the wind is up and the weather is variable.  I like the diversity of the light and shadows, and the range of shots that you have to execute in the wind.  I hit alot of 1/2 to 3/4 shots, I rarely will hit full irons, and putt from all over the place.  Some of my favorite memories are absolutely in the most severe weather, like one day I hit a really hard punch 2 iron hybrid into a 3-4 club wind and rain on 14 at Pacific in about 45 degree temperature.  I hit the green but 3 putted...

You just gotta surrender to and immerse yourself in the experience because you can't control it....

[Tim Pitner]

Some of my favorite memories are absolutely in the most severe weather, like one day I hit a really hard punch 2 iron hybrid into a 3-4 club wind and rain on 14 at Pacific in about 45 degree temperature.  I hit the green but 3 putted...

Eric,

I agree with the sentiment, but c'mon--those are great stories after the fact; wind + rain + 45 degrees = misery. 

I'll take the wind over the rain (not mist) any day.

[David Camponi]

Been to Bandon 1x and thought the golf, architecture, and atmosphere was great. 

I will not go back because of the severity of the conditions; playing in a 4-5 club wind is fun for 9 holes; after that it gets tiresome. 

[Joe Bentham]

we get a lot more windless days then people think (when you take the WHOLE year into account)...and I agree that almost everyone overestimates the wind. 
That being said there are certain shots on the resort that play 4-5 clubs longer in relation to the actual yardage without fail on our average windy day in the summer.  That doesn't mean it is blowing 45-50 mph, like others have said, that would be unplayable.  It is just the way those shots play with our normal summer wind, which I'd say is a lot closer to 17-23 MPH. 
I don't think there are many days that the courses are unplayable due to wind, and all of those would be in the winter.  The greens keeping staff (best in the world IMO) do a wonderful job maintaining our putting surfaces at just the right point.  Slow enough that balls won't blow off of them but fast and firm enough that you must account for run at all times. 
As far as full shots are concerned, well it is never too windy for a knockdown shot.  Keep the ball lower, think about hitting things softer, with less spin and most importantly have fun.  You'll play as many downwind holes as you will into the wind holes.

"Nae wind, nae golf."

[Jim Nugent]

The greens keeping staff (best in the world IMO) do a wonderful job maintaining our putting surfaces at just the right point. 

Joe, do the greens stimp pretty much the same at all the Bandon courses?  i.e. do OM's greens stimp around the same as PD's, as BD's and BT's? 

[Steve Salmen]

I agree with Jim.  Two of the three times I've been to Bandon, the wind was tremendous.  My brother went Driver wedge to 15 at Pacific once. 

Compared to Scotland I think it's far windier.  I can only think of three rounds out of several hundred where the wind compared to that of the Oregon coast.

[Scott Warren]

Can anyone give me some idea what sort of weather conditions - mostly temps and likelihood of rain (which I realise is always pretty high in the PNW!) - I could expect were I to visit Bandon in January?