He said there were too many quirly bounces. I think he is nuts.
Did you mean to say squirrelly or quirky? I guess "quirly" could be a combination of the two.
I wanted to delve into this statement a little further. Garland's quote is perfect on this point.
To me, Trails might be the course where you get the fewest "strange" bounces. Sure, there are contours, but if you know (having played before) or can anticipate (having a bit of imagination) how the ball will play, I don't see how you can call these "bounces" squirrely or quirky. Probably makes sense to look at a few examples:
#4 - its a hogsback, you can figure it out.
#6 - this one kills me. I'd bet every caddy at Bandon has uttered the words "second bunker" to each of their loops. You can either play a safe shot or you can take your chances. There is nothing squirrelly about it.
The second bunker in the fairway on 6 is one of the best features on any course on the property.#8 - the entire fairway slopes to the left. I've never seen a ball bounce to the right here.
#12 - A while back I got into it with a certain strong-opinioned tri-stater (who is no longer active around these parts) regarding the merits of this hole. There's a secret to playing 12, which is keeping your line into the green within the left third of its face. The contours reward a shot on this line and leave you the best chance for birdie. At first glance, the idea of challenging the tree line seems risky, but to get the best results on this hole you need to have the nerve to take on that challenge.
#16 - if you haven't learned to bang your drive up the right side, you're missing the point here. The green is a bit severe, but if you keep in mind the importance of staying below the hole, it is eminently manageable.
#18 - I'll be a defender on this one. The last time I played, I carried my own bag, but had the benefit of listening to the caddies accompanying the other three guys in my group. For each of them, they were given a line on 18 and told they didn't want to be right of that line by much. Each player hit a drive that flaunted this advice, and all but one ended up having their ball end up in the rough on the right. I hit a drive a little further to the left from what I would have done on instinct and ended up just fine.
One of the joys of Bandon (PD, BT and Om more so than BD) is trying to figure out the puzzle. Taking the indecipherable to the eye and translating it into what will work. There are a multitude of ways to play the holes out there, just as there are a multitude of ways to get into trouble. To me, Trails is perhaps the most visually deceptive course on the first play, but once you've unlocked the "cheat codes," its a blast.