Predictions for Bandon Preserve

[Terry Lavin]

As to pricing, my understanding is that it will operate independently and will not factor in to the replay rate on another course.  For instance, if you play the Preserve in the morning and go out on PD at 11, you pay full freight at PD.  If you play PD first thing and play your second round at the Preserve, you pay full freight at the Preserve.

Am I out of line in my thinking that $100 to play 13 single shot holes is a bit steep as a replay?

This has been the subject of a lot of chatter on the site, so I'm not tying to provoke a repeat of that, but I think the price might sound steep and if it does, then it will reduce play, which will be good for the 200 or so guys who want to play the course every day.  It will be a huge hit.

[Garland Bayley]

How can BP be warm up for holes like Redan on OM and PD? How can BP be warm up for holes like Biaritz and Eden? Perhaps BP can be warm up for relatively short par 4s and for par 5s, but shouldn't you forgo the tee, and go find some unlevel ground to hit from?

Then don't play it. Problem solved.

No, the problem is not solved. William asserted that it would be a nice warmup for the other courses. I don't prove or disprove that assertion by not playing it. The problem is solved by William explaining his meaning. If by nice he means picturesque, then I agree with him. If by nice he means better than a warm up on the practice range, I would like to know why he thinks it is so. As you can see, I don't think it would be a particularly good warm up for playing the other courses.

[William_G]

Garland,

You do enjoy being difficult, don't you.  

When i say "more architecturally sound", I mean more planning and effort (more eyeballs) was put into BP as the site is the 7th golf course on property and its 2012, not 2000. Have you been on BP yet, if not you'll see soon.

Lost golf balls was a point of distinction as there is the Cut Creek ravine between BP and BD and comes into play on three holes.

A warm up for hitting shots off of tight lies, fescue, and putting, as the ground conditions @ Bandon are different than my course or most folk's course. However, typically I don't hit range balls anyway unless I'm killing time and hanging out with buddies. So with BP, I view it as more of a warm up, I mean swinging a golf club, hitting a ball, watching it fly in the wind is still golf isn't it?

FWIW, I think the grass at Bandon's driving range is not reseeded with fescue as it grows too slowly.
Hang in there.

thanks

[Jud_T]

This will be the best gambling venue north of LA and Vegas...Probably needs to have it's own bar....given that a round shouldn't take more than an hour and 45 minutes if you're not waiting I'd think you could handle quite a few golfers and still keep a good pace...

[Terry Lavin]

This will be the best gambling venue north of LA and Vegas...Probably needs to have it's own bar....

This will be passed on, today!

[Tom Jefferson]

Willlam G;

The fine fescue blend used on the  4 BDGR courses is the only seed used in maintaining all the surfaces at the Practice Center.

Tom

[William_G]

Willlam G;

The fine fescue blend used on the  4 BDGR courses is the only seed used in maintaining all the surfaces at the Practice Center.

Tom

Thanks Tom for the correction.

[Garland Bayley]

Garland,

You do enjoy being difficult, don't you. 

If being accurate is difficult, than guilty as charged.

When i say "more architecturally sound", I mean more planning and effort (more eyeballs) was put into BP as the site is the 7th golf course on property and its 2012, not 2000. Have you been on BP yet, if not you'll see soon.

Some of the architects put extensive planning and effort into drawn plans and revisions of those plans, and those plans are seen by permitting agencies, and hired construction companies giving them lots of eyeballs. So it seems you are maintaining the working style of C&C, Doak, et. al. are not as architecturally sound. Or, are you just being inaccurate? What were the 6 previous golf courses on the property?

Lost golf balls was a point of distinction as there is the Cut Creek ravine between BP and BD and comes into play on three holes.

Perhaps a negative point of distinction.

A warm up for hitting shots off of tight lies, fescue, and putting, as the ground conditions @ Bandon are different than my course or most folk's course. However, typically I don't hit range balls anyway unless I'm killing time and hanging out with buddies. So with BP, I view it as more of a warm up, I mean swinging a golf club, hitting a ball, watching it fly in the wind is still golf isn't it?

Clearly playing BP would be a better warm up than your usual no warm up.

FWIW, I think the grass at Bandon's driving range is not reseeded with fescue as it grows too slowly.

Tom Jefferson says you are inaccurate on this point too.

Hang in there.

thanks

[William_G]

Garland,

You do enjoy being difficult, don't you. 

If being accurate is difficult, than guilty as charged.

The shield of accuracy again eh?

When i say "more architecturally sound", I mean more planning and effort (more eyeballs) was put into BP as the site is the 7th golf course on property and its 2012, not 2000. Have you been on BP yet, if not you'll see soon.

Some of the architects put extensive planning and effort into drawn plans and revisions of those plans, and those plans are seen by permitting agencies, and hired construction companies giving them lots of eyeballs. So it seems you are maintaining the working style of C&C, Doak, et. al. are not as architecturally sound. Or, are you just being inaccurate? What were the 6 previous golf courses on the property?

Like I said, you'll see soon.

Lost golf balls was a point of distinction as there is the Cut Creek ravine between BP and BD and comes into play on three holes.

Perhaps a negative point of distinction.

IYHO.

A warm up for hitting shots off of tight lies, fescue, and putting, as the ground conditions @ Bandon are different than my course or most folk's course. However, typically I don't hit range balls anyway unless I'm killing time and hanging out with buddies. So with BP, I view it as more of a warm up, I mean swinging a golf club, hitting a ball, watching it fly in the wind is still golf isn't it?

Clearly playing BP would be a better warm up than your usual no warm up.

FWIW, I think the grass at Bandon's driving range is not reseeded with fescue as it grows too slowly.

Tom Jefferson says you are inaccurate on this point too.

FWIW there have been different grasses used at the range, but I will not argue as I have the utmost respect for TJ, and as I don't visit the range often. [color]

Hang in there.

thanks

Please let me know what you you think after playing it, assuming you do, because then we can have a more civilized and germaine discussion.

thanks

[Emile Bonfiglio]

* * * That bell signals the end of the first round of Bayley v. Grieve.

During the intermission i'll pose this question "Would you take a caddie with you to BP, what if money/rights where on the line?"

[Greg Tallman]

As to pricing, my understanding is that it will operate independently and will not factor in to the replay rate on another course.  For instance, if you play the Preserve in the morning and go out on PD at 11, you pay full freight at PD.  If you play PD first thing and play your second round at the Preserve, you pay full freight at the Preserve.

Am I out of line in my thinking that $100 to play 13 single shot holes is a bit steep as a replay?

This has been the subject of a lot of chatter on the site, so I'm not tying to provoke a repeat of that, but I think the price might sound steep and if it does, then it will reduce play, which will be good for the 200 or so guys who want to play the course every day.  It will be a huge hit.

Heck I am even guessing that morning tee times here might be curtailed given the pounding the course would take. Of course I am sure C&C took this into consideration and built some massive tees. Even still I would imagine they could not stand up to the level of play I would expect on this course and thus the rate would be one of the methods through which to curtail the number of players to a manageable level. 

[William_G]

* * * That bell signals the end of the first round of Bayley v. Grieve.

that is hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[David Kelly]

During the intermission i'll pose this question "Would you take a caddie with you to BP, what if money/rights where on the line?"

Under no circumstances would I take a caddie on a 13 hole Par 3 course.

[Garland Bayley]

...
The shield of accuracy again eh?
...

That is hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Garland Bayley]

I walked out on BP some the last time in Bandon. The obvious difference with Shorty's is the scenery. Another obvious difference is the extent of the tee building. As far as the scenery is concerned, I guess I come down on the side of PM in the PM vs. Huckster PB debates. Not that important to me. Which is probably part of the reason why OM and BT are my two favorite courses at the resort. As far as tee building is concerned, it think I would rather play from uneven lies such as one would encounter for approaches on the other courses.

Another obvious difference between the two is the hole length. Shorty's has a larger dispersion of hole lengths. Perhaps one can argue that the wind exposure will make a greater variation in effective playing lengths at BP. But there has been very little wind when I have been at the resort. The most fundamental difference I see is that BP will offer a much larger set of recovery shots for misses. However, with the short hole lengths, there will be less necessity to hit recovery shots at BP.

Therefore one of the most attractive draws for me to BP is the donation to environmental protection/restoration.

William,

Your round two response?

[Joe Bentham]

the teeing grounds at the Preserve are far from level.

[Michael Essig]

As to pricing, my understanding is that it will operate independently and will not factor in to the replay rate on another course.  For instance, if you play the Preserve in the morning and go out on PD at 11, you pay full freight at PD.  If you play PD first thing and play your second round at the Preserve, you pay full freight at the Preserve.

We will have to see, but the replay rate is for any course at the resort. The issue is whether BP will also be considered "any course" or treated differently.

Also, I don't think I would pay $100 when a replay is a maximum of $115, but I would for $50. 

I am headed there in April for my fourth trip, and looking forward to seeing BP.

[Stephen Davis]

I was checking out as much of the Preserve as I could last time I played there in Feb and it looks like it is going to be a great course. I spoke with the people at Bandon and they said that since the proceeds go to charity that the rounds at the Preserve would not be eligible for the usual reduced replay rate. What are your thoughts on the Preserve? Anyone planning on being there for the opening day on May 1st?

[Chris_Hufnagel]

I was really impresed with what I saw three weeks ago. 

I try to make it out to Bandon every other year at a minimum - I am the designated organizer of our trip and usually make all the reservations, plans, tee times, etc.  I usually herniate over which courses to play and when to play them over the course of our four or five days at the resort.

The Preserve will definetely be added to our rota - I would guess I would try to play it the day of our arrival as we are all coming from the east coast. Then perhaps we would play there in the afternoon one of the other days - probably after 36 holes depending on the time of year and daylight...

It looks like a ton of fun and a great walk.

[William_G]

Bandon Preserve will be very successful.

While pricing details have yet to be worked out, I would probably like it as a warm up for an 11 or 12 o'clock tee time elsewhere as Shorty's is not usually open in the AM.

Have played it twice and look forward to it opening.

[Ronald Montesano]

1. People book crusades? Did knights?

2. What amount of $$$ goes into the Preserve protection fund for endangered wildlife?

[Norbert P]

  I predict that Silver Phacelia will propogate so fruitfully that it will solve the world hunger problems.



  The course will do fine.  It has a terrific group fostering its health.