Bandon Preserve - The Photo Tour

[Mike Benham]

Matthew -

Why is there an impact board on each tee box?  I assume that is from your group, are you using it as an indicator of the direction of the hole for the benefit of the photograph?

[Ben Sims]

Matthew -

Why is there an impact board on each tee box?  I assume that is from your group, are you using it as an indicator of the direction of the hole for the benefit of the photograph?

Mike,

All preview play was from a lie board as the turf needs maturing a bit.  Remember, it's fescue, so it doesn't repair as quickly as others.  I guess they are still using lie boards for preview play until the opening next week.

Jim Tang,

There is plety of run up on 4 and 5.  I wouldn't choose to on 1, 2 or 3, but it's possible to do it on 1 as well.  Once the course firms up, landing short will be imperative #5 and possible even #4, depending on wind.

[Mike Benham]

All preview play was from a lie board as the turf needs maturing a bit. 

Well, that sucks ...

[Matthew Essig]

I am going to post more in a few hours.

Also, don't think I'm stupid for misspelling Preserve.........  

[Matthew Essig]

HOLE 6



It feels like a corridor. Trees left and high dunes right. There have been tricks to every hole and this hole is no different. The green side bunker of #5 acts slightly as an allusion bunker (looks close to the green) to the tee shot. The big trick is (once again) how deep the green is. 40 yards with 4 bunkers along the left, even though you can only see two.



A couple of tee boxes up, the hole is much clearer. The third bunker on the left is visible and you can see the big false-front.



Looking at the front of the green from first bunker.



Looking at the center of the green from second bunker.



Looking towards front of green from third bunker.



Looking at the center/back of green from back left bunker.



A look at the false front.



Looking from front to back.



Left center of green looking towards the front.



Looking from back to front. Another hole where the back section is lower than the rest of the green.



From dune on right looking at front and center of green.



From dune on right looking at back of the green.



Overall - An extremely slender green and fairly bumpy. I would be happy with a par.

[Matthew Essig]

HOLE 7



While I usually end with what I think the score needed is, I am going to say it now. GOOD LUCK MAKING PAR!!! Huge false front, thin green, and little bailout (the connection between the #4 and #7 greens).



Do not come up short.



Looking from right to left. Now you can tell just how thin the green is with the false front. I hope balls roll back off of the backboard.



The bunker long is no easy up and down, either, as you must be able to stop your ball in a very short amount of time.



Standing on #4 green/the junction. If you bail out back here, you have a roller coaster putt.



Left edge looking towards right. Better hope your ball gets stopped by the backboards.
Note: there is this tucked pin location on the left behind the knob.



Overall - I already mentioned it. PAR; That is all I am thinking of on that hole.

[Matthew Essig]

HOLE 8



The shorty.



The blind front left part of the green is in a bowl.



You can see the massive dividing ridge in the middle of the green.



The bunker is probably the worst place to be if the pin is on the right.



But if the pin is on the left, the bunker is not so bad.



Another view of the massive dividing ridge.



Back right looking towards the front left.



Overall - "so easy a caveman could do it."   If the hole is on the left, it is hard not to make birdie. If the hole is on the right, it takes more mental focus and a little bit better shots to make birdie. A definite birdie hole.
Dare - If someone plays it and the hole is on the left, I dare you to try putting it down into the front left part.  

[Matthew Essig]

HOLE 9



The most picturesque hole, although #5 is pretty nice, too.
Very straight-froward hole with only one visual trick; the views. Beware of OB right.



From a few tees forward, you can see the false front.



The false front.



The two bunkers on the right, with the OB lurking just to the right of them.



The bunkers are bad places to miss.



The hidden bunkers. First, the bunker back right. Second, the bunker back left.





Green looking from back to front. It is a little bumpy. There is a slight false back.



Overall - If it is dead calm and you are accurate from 115-145 yards, birdie hole. If one of those two is not true, good luck making par.

[Matthew Essig]

HOLE 10



No, this is not a game of "Where's Waldo?" The green is completely blocked out and it is even hard to see the top of the flagstick in the picture.



The bunker in front that blocks out the view of the green.



Front left corner towards front right corner



Front left corner towards back



Front right corner towards back left corner



While there are some little bumps on the right that keep your ball on the green, if you go right of those, you are left with this.



Back right towards back left



Looking from back left to front right



Back left towards back right



Overall - The green has a downslope in front. After that, it is fairly flat, possibly allowing shots to the front hold. From the center to the back, the green is very bumpy. If it is dead calm and you are accurate from 95-135 yards, birdie hole. If one of those two is not true, par is a good score.

[Jim Colton]

How bout that 7th green!? I have to admit, I underestimated this course. I'm kicking myself for not at least walking it when I out in Bandon last fall.

[Matthew Essig]

If you thought 7 was hard (I do), then the next hole is difficult.

HOLE 11



A very difficult hole. If the course had handicaps, i think this would be the handicap 1. OB left with an angled green. If the wind is blowing from the north, the tree might come into play. The bunker on the right isn't in play if you hit a solid shot; however, if you bail out right during the middle of your swing and don't hit the shot right, the bunker may come into play.



From a few tees up, the angle of the hole no longer exists. You can also see the tree isn't that close to the green.



If you do happen to end up in the bunker, an up and down is almost impossible.



Looking from front right to back right. The green is severely contoured.



Front right to back left. The heavily guarded left side is even more contoured.



Front left to back left. There is a bowl in the front left. The slope you see falling off left of the green is not rolling into OB but...



...deep bunkers. They are located to the back left.



Front left corner to front right. A collection area at the front right corner.



Looking back. It reminds me of a picture someone submitted for photo of the year last year. The tree is not as close as it looks in the picture. The Bandon Dunes #17 green is located on upper right corner (for anyone who does not know exactly where Preserve is).



Picture of the green overlooking Bandon Dunes.



A couple other random pictures overlooking Bandon Dunes.





Overall - PAR hole. Even on a dead calm day, it is a par hole. If is windy, GOOD LUCK!!!! This hole will test your mental, emotional, and physical abilities. If you are having a good round up to this hole, don't kill yourself if you make a big number. It will happen to everyone at least once after a few times playing.

[Matthew Essig]

HOLE 12



The visual trick on this hole is the bunkers. The bunker on the left is extremely deep, but it is quite a ways in front of the green, which is partially blocked out by the bunker. The bunker on the right is also quite a ways in front. It blocks out the landing area to the right of the green that you probably have to use on a right hole location. You will see why.



Even from a few tee boxes up, the bunkers still play tricks on you.



You can see that the bunkers are quite a ways in front of the green. You can also now see the landing area to the right, and the part of the green blocked out by the bunker on the left.



Now for the green. Looking from front to back. The massive slopes are the defense of the hole. Keep in eye out on where the hole location is; whether is in the top right, the low left, or on the section in the back that is lower than the front right but higher than the left.



A look back at the bunker on the left side of the hole from the front left edge of the green. It is very tall and deep.



Looking from left of the green to the right. The slopes in the picture look huge, but remember, pictures flatten things. The dividing slope is massive in person.



A look back at the small-in-comparison-but-actually-fairly-good-sized slope making the back section.



Looking back. I suggest you use the bank on the right (left in picture) to have your ball roll onto and stay on the high section of the green.



Overall - If the hole location is in the lower left, it is a birdie hole. If it is in the back or on the right, it is a par hole. If is is windy or you hit a bad tee shot, good luck making par.

[Matthew Essig]

HOLE 13 - (the tricky, slightly unfair, and unlucky number hole)



A drop-shot hole with no bailout except for the fairway run-up area short left. It is surrounded by bunkers left and short right, and fall-offs long and long right. This might be the only hole without a visual trick, except you may include the tee boxes blocking out the run-up area short left from the back tee.



A better view of the hole from in front of the front tee box. The unfair part of the hole is the exact hole location that is placed in the photo. You could try landing it short-right, but it is too big of a downslope to stop a ball, especially if it becomes firm.
Side Notes: The Bandon Dunes clubhouse is to the left edge of the picture and the bag-drop is slightly visible behind the first tees on the right.



The bunkers short right are no good.



The green is fairly flat with a slight left to right slope. The only big slope is the backboard behind the hole location on the right.



The downslope behind the green.



The backboard behind the hole also creates a mini back right shelf.



From the exit path.



Looking back.



From next to the #1 tee. View of Bandon Dunes behind.



Overall - If it is dead calm, you are accurate from 100-140 yards, and the pin is anywhere left of the bunkers short right, birdie hole. If one of those three is not true, par is a good score.

[Matthew Essig]

WRAP-UP

- Every hole seems to have some visual distraction or has something that causes deception.
- The weather will play a huge roll in what you shoot.
- For a par 3 course, it demands physical, emotional, and mental stability, and requires imagination, a great short game and putting, and it requires feel.
- You could go low or shoot a larger number than anybody ever thought possible on par 3 course.

-#1 = Birdie hole.
-#2 = Par is good, but there may be some birdies, or scores much worse than par.
-#3 = Par is o.k., but there will be quite a few birdies. It depends on the weather and hole location.
-#4 = Scores will range from birdie to double bogey. I do no think there will be many scores outside of the ends of that range.
-#5 = Birdie hole if the pin is right or in middle and weather is great. Par is really good if the weather is bad or the hole is on the left.
-#6 = Par is a good score with a green that is so slender.
-#7 = PAR hole. If I made a par every time I played that hole, I would be extremely happy with myself.
-#8 = Birdie hole.
-#9 = Par is o.k., but there will be quite a few birdies. It depends on the weather and hole location.
-#10 = Scores will range from birdie to double bogey. I do no think there will be many scores outside of the ends of that range.
-#11 = PAR hole. If I made a par every time I played that hole, I would be extremely happy with myself.
-#12 = Par is o.k., but there will be quite a few birdies. It depends on the weather and hole location.
-#13 = Scores will range from birdie to double bogey. I do no think there will be many scores outside of the ends of that range.

So the easiest holes are #1 and #8; followed by #3, #5 (with center or right hole locations), #9, #12; followed by #4, #10, #13; followed by #2, #5 (with left hole location), #6; with #7 and #11 being the hardest.

[Matthew Essig]

THE END



***Sorry for the blurry scorecard photos***





***Sorry for the blurry scorecard photos***

[Matthew Essig]

I am finally done!!!    

I wish there was a sleeping emoticon.

[Jim Tang]

Matthew -

Thanks for the photo tour.  It seems many of the greens fall off to chipping areas and swales, leading to a variety of recovery options.  True?  Also, on average, how large are the greens?  They seem pretty big.  The course seems to really require precision, both off the tee and around the greens.

[Michael George]

Matthew:

Thanks so much for posting the pictures.  Place looks fantastic.  I can never get tired of looking at pictures of Bandon.

[Matthew Essig]

Matthew -

Thanks for the photo tour.  It seems many of the greens fall off to chipping areas and swales, leading to a variety of recovery options.  True?  Also, on average, how large are the greens?  They seem pretty big.  The course seems to really require precision, both off the tee and around the greens.

True. I don't know the average size but there are some that are huge and don't necessarily need a precise shot and there are some that a precise shot is the only type of shot that will hit the green. And if it is windy, it makes things much much harder. Yes, the course definitely requires touch around and on the green; even on some tee shots.

[Jeff Taylor]

I found that photographing the course to be great fun.
Your photo tour brings back fond memories.
Thanks.

[Stephen Davis]

That was fantastic! I was there in Feb and was drooling over just what I could see from the other courses. I didn't know I could have walked it and wish now that I had. Thanks for the tour.

[William_G]

Matthew, Awesome job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Needless to say the course is very exposed and when windy it will be a challenge!

[Matthew Essig]

Thank you, everybody. Thank you. You don't have to say thank you anymore. I felt like I had to contribute somehow.    

I am willing to answer any more questions that anybody has about the course.

Have fun to anybody playing it and good luck, especially if is windy!!!

[George Freeman]

 

Just when you thought that place couldn't get any better...

Thanks for the tour Matthew!

[Jeff Taylor]

Managing those tee boxes will be a challenge. The grass grows slowly already. Too many divots will spoil the look.