A different take on Bandon

[Paul Gray]

Neither side is right or wrong.

That is wrong.

I think their wrong, but does that make me right?

Yep. 

But seriously, there's a difference between not liking something and not being capable of understanding it. I've never been to Bandon but am fairly sure that most of the naysayers, with exceptions such as the example given by Terry Lavin, fall into the latter category.

[David_Elvins]

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't part of the issue that some large population centres in the US have rather homogenous golf experiences? 

If you live in London or Melbourne, for example, you are likely to play a wide range of courses in a wide range of conditions throughout the various seasons. 

You might not get that in some US cities.  If you only have parkland courses that are kept soft all year, then playing bandon or scottish links are going to be very foreign and often unsuited to the way you play golf. 

[Jud_T]

Neither side is right or wrong.

That is wrong.

I think their wrong, but does that make me right?

Yes, but your grammar isn't... 

[Brent Hutto]

You might not get that in some US cities.  If you only have parkland courses that are kept soft all year, then playing bandon or scottish links are going to be very foreign and often unsuited to the way you play golf. 

Not just hackers, either. A young fellow I know made the trip over to England a few years back to play in the Amateur Championship. It was his first and only exposure to links turf. Although he was a very accomplished junior and collegiate player 100% of his experience was on softer, mostly warm-climate grasses. He got to the UK with time for just two practice rounds before the competition.

He did not play horribly but said he just could not make the ball react the way he expected off that unfamiliar turf. That made it particuarly difficult to control his ball flight in the wind but even chipping and putting was just "off" a bit all week. Missed making the match play by several strokes.

I don't when if ever he'll go back and I'm not sure he'd particularly relish Bandon. His entire life is focused on competing and preparing for competition in a certain type of conditions. He said if he ever were going to play another event on a links course he'd have to go over there at least 3-4 weeks ahead of time just to learn how to adapt his swing and his short game to the turf.

[Paul Gray]

And even Tom Watson was left confused after his first ever trip to these shores. Fortunately he was a humble enough man to recognise he might still have a lot to learn and the rest of course is history.

[Tim_Weiman]

David Elvins,

Having lived and worked in quite a few US cities, I would basically agree with you.

Not many Americans have seen a place like Bandon.

[Dan Smoot]

I played with an individual that was going to the Oregon Coast on his honeymoon and was looking to play golf.  I bragged about Bandon and recommended he consider it.  I saw him the next summer and asked him if he had stopped there.  His face gave a disappointing expression and proceeded to tell me how difficult it was for him "trying to stop a ball on a basketball court".  It is not everyone's cup of tea.  For many many people, the wind, rain, lower temperatures,  tight lies, difficult bunkering, firm and fast conditions, fescue grass, remote location and lack of carts are just too much from the pristine conditions that we tend to play on in the US.

My wife, a non-golfer who is very supportive of my trips to Bandon, had a similar reaction the first time she walked the courses with me.  The look of a links golf course is shocking to many the first time around.  Her perspective has changed somewhat as she has come to understand what I love about links golf.  She really enjoys walking the courses with me and she has been a real trouper in some conditions many avid golfers wouldn't leave the house in.

[Rick Shefchik]

I can recall a time in Minnesota when the vast majority of golfers really did get their clubs out of the closet around Memorial Day, and put them away after Labor Day. It's not that way anymore. There are still fair-weather golfers, of course, but those I know and play with love the game too much to let cold, wind or even rain keep them from playing. As overall participation in golf declines, the hard core seems to grow. The hard core took to Bandon instantly, but every now and then one of those Memorial Day to Labor Day types will give it a try and regret leaving their comfort zone.

The golf industry might be able to check its slide if resorts like Bandon can win over some of those fair-weather players.   

[Ben Malach]

These comments seam very familar for me. As you would be suprised how many people vist St.Andrews and complain about the wind or the lack of golf carts. I without fail on the weeks that I work The Old always ask why they can't have a golf cart. When they are more than capable of walking. I think it all comes down to two views of the game of golf. One is more tradtional with the heart and soul of the game held above all else. These players Mike Keiser calls retail golfers. People who will go out of their way and pay good money to have a great golf experiance and they understand what makes it special. In any other industry this cohort would be refered to as
connoisseurs. People who's experiances and knowlege guide them towards the more adventurous and nuanced experiances. The other is where the social aspect of the game is king. These are the individuals that are out to hang out with friends or family they could be playing on a dirt patch in the back of a field and still have a great time. They are not looking to be challenged all their looking for is the time to socialize and relax. These two categories are not mutually exclusive. But on the whole I belive they fit most of the rounds played on the golf courses that I have worked at or been to. Some resorts cater to both some are more focused on golf whichcan make them less attractive to the second group. But still leaving them in a more than valid postion in the market place. Some resorts like Disney have golf but from my play there and the images I have seen since is have pla fall more in the catagory suited to the second group.

[Duncan Cheslett]

I am very unlikely ever to have the opportunitty to visit Bandon, but these attitudes are very familiar to me.

Within an hour I can drive to Hoylake, Birkdale, Royal Lytham, Formby, Wallasey, and a couple of dozen other top class links courses. Almost anywhere in Scotland is less than four hours away. Yet where do most of my golfing friends choose for their trips?

Spain, Portugal or Turkey!

The allure of lush greens and fairways, manicured surroundings, and guaranteed sun is greater for many than that of classic f & f golf. 40 guys from our club have just paid over a thousand pounds a head for four rounds of golf in Turkey interspersed with 3 days getting completely rat-arsed.

I'm the one left feeling somewhat perverse for preferring the idea of several trips to Southport...

[Brent Hutto]

Ben,

With respect, I think your conflation of walking the "heart and soul of the game" is dodgy. Hopefully this comment won't make me a pariah around here but I feel no affinity whatsoever for "the game" in terms of the touchy-feely stuff like "heart and soul". I always walk to play golf purely because I enjoy walking when I play and do not enjoy playing the game from a cart. No mystical or sentimental element to it at all. Just a preference like enjoying a steak but saying no to a tofu burger.

I personally think an able-bodied golfer who chooses to play all of their golf from a golf cart is missing out on a real treat. Likewise I think anyone who'd rather play a lush, overwatered course with waterfalls and flowerbeds instead of going to Bandon is REALLY missing out on a treat. But it doesn't mean they lack some quasi-religious connection with "the game". It just means they prefer looking at flowers to hitting a 5-iron off crisp links turf (and then watching it bound over the green, never to be seen again).

[John McCarthy]

Over the last few weeks the weather turned here and I have gotten out a few times.  The first time out after four and a half months off (except for nine in January) left me struggling to hit good shots on the back nine because I did not have my legs under me yet.  But after playing four times I'm back in shape and ready to go 27 tomorrow. 

However, if one is a cart baller then one must make a concerted effort to get in shape to enjoy walking three days in a row.  And if one is spending a good dollar to walk and one is physically unprepared to do so then I could see feeling ripped off by not having a cart. 

[Kevin Lynch]

For a few years, I've been planning a trip to Bandon to celebrate some of my buddies' life milestones (50th / 60th birthdays).  We are going forward in 2014.

Earlier this year, one of my other friends came up to me out-of-the-blue and said "we have got to get out to this place call Bandon Resort.  I saw an article in Golf Digest and it's the best place in the US."  So I told him about the planned trip and he said "add me to the list."  Now this guy's a decent golfer and went to Pinehurst with me, so he gets my "architecture obsession," but I was surprised that he even knew about Bandon.

Inspired (or warned) by the messages on this thread, I decided to have "the conversation" yesterday during post-round drinks.

Me:  "You are aware what you're getting into when we go to Bandon, right?"

Him:  "What do you mean?"

Me:  "It's a different type of golf.  Wind and firm conditions.  You hit a 6-iron next to the pin, it's bouncing off."

Him:  "OK..."

Me:  "...and it's walking only.."

Him:  "WHAT!!??"

Me:  "You looked at the pictures, but didn't actually read the article, did you?"

Him:  "Wait, walking 18-36 a day for 4 straight days?"

Me:  "Well, you can get a caddy for the week. Plus, these courses are routed well, so you don't have ridiculous walks between greens & tees."  (These assurances did not seem to help).


I think my trip just got a little smaller. 

But I'm not sure he's the exception to the rule.  I think some guys see a great rating for a course (or collection of courses) and really don't look deeper than the rating and the gorgeous pics.  You set up that level of expectation with the Bandon price tag, and I think you can expect some of the reviews like we saw at the beginning of this thread.

[Jud_T]

I can certainly understand Bandon not being everyone's cup of tea;  but anyone who goes there who doesn't know that it's walking only, links golf/turf, wind, rain, etc. deserves what they get IMO.  That's like saying "I innocently ordered the ghost pepper hot wings and I spent the next 24 hours on the toilet".  Duh...

[Will Lozier]

I can certainly understand Bandon not being everyone's cup of tea;  but anyone who goes there who doesn't know that it's walking only, links golf/turf, wind, rain, etc. deserves what they get IMO.  That's like saying "I innocently ordered the ghost pepper hot wings and I spent the next 24 hours on the toilet".  Duh...

Amen!  Speaking of the toilet...be sure to bring some Golden Bond for chap-ass!

In my 5 months of caddying, I never, I repeat never, had a client who was disappointed with the pure golfing experience.  I like to think I am a good caddie who, over the course of a few rounds, can actually teach my player(s) a bit about how to play certain shots in said f&f windy links conditions if they need it (having been a PGA Apprentice for many years prior helps).  But, I give much more credit to the quality of the course and resort and, to the golfers themselves for their self-enjoyment.  I remain a bit shocked by the poor reviews but guarantee they represent the VAST minority of golfers who make the journey.

Cheers