The Punchbowl - opens Friday the 13th of September

[Tom_Doak]

I spent 11 hours on Monday on the new putting green at Bandon, working with Ken Nice and Marcus Lakey and the pro shop staff to try and sort out how to set it up day to day and how to run the operation.  It was the perfect antidote to jet lag after flying in from Shanghai the day before, and it was the most fun I've had in a while.

We've cut 31 holes on the green for now, so they can go 3-4 days before changing cups.  [We were going for 30, five each in six different sections of the green, but we missed putting a cup in one hole originally so we wound up with the same number as the Gourmet's Choice -- serendipity in action!]  They will move the holes from one day to the next, and alternate between clockwise and counter-clockwise routings from two different starting points, so it will be a different experience every day of your trip.  

We may add a few more holes after the results of our play-testing on Monday, because it took ten rounds of the course by a bunch of professionals and assistant pros, before anyone made an ace!  [At least I made the first one, finally.]  Most of the putts will be set up between 15 feet and 50, but I'm thinking we need to include a few more on the short end of the scale to give people a chance.   The green is still on the slow side, probably around 7 on the Stimpmeter, but we expect it to speed up a bit as it gets more mowings and as the traffic firms it up a bit.  It is still plenty of fun at this speed.

The total square footage of the green turned out to be right around 100,000 square feet.  I still haven't measured the elevation change from top to bottom, but I will put it conservatively at 15 feet.

I look forward to hearing feedback from people as they play it.  I wish I could just retire out there and set it up every day.  Enjoy!

[Mike Schott]

Thanks Tom. Can you post any pictures? I'd love to see what this looks like.

[Ryan Kelly]

Haven't been to Bandon in a couple years, but I have a trip planned for next summer with my Dad and 2 teenage sons.  Tom, or anyone else, where is The Punchbowl located?  Sounds like a ton of fun.

[Eric Smith]

Very cool, indeed.

Here is a (rather large) panorama from the Bandon Dunes website:

[Jim Franklin]

That green looks like a ton of fun to play. 31 holes? Love it.

[Howard Riefs]

Previous related thread:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php?topic=54944.0

and GolfChannel.com article:
http://www.golfchannel.com/news/travel-insider/bandon-dunes-resort-putting-course-construction/#

[Jon Wiggett]

Looks really good. Bet it takes a while to mow though especially with a hand mower.

Jon

[Pete_Pittock]

Just needs a couple of stadium light standards.

[John Handley]

Looks great. I am at Bandon Sept. 21-23 and will be sure to check it out before I head up to Pumpkin Ridge for a couple of days.

[David Davis]

Looks awesome, I was just out there last year and can't even visualize what was there in that space. That's 1st tee of Pacific right? Somehow I thought that clubhouse was closer to the tee, at least in my clearly failing memory.

All that needs is floodlights indeed, good call Pete. Then I'd suggest an indoor outdoor bar so that after we play 36 holes and have dinner we can head out for an evening round at the punchbowl with a few adult beverages. How would you fit in 34 holes on that gigantic putting green otherwise.

[Will MacEwen]

Just needs a couple of stadium light standards.

... and a bar.

[Terry Lavin]

Just needs a couple of stadium light standards.

... and a bar.

Now, this is a man that I understand!

[Mike Nuzzo]

Wow

Tom,
How much did you plan vs. create?

Cheers

P.S.
Were you able to putt from one end to the other?

[Tom_Doak]

Wow

Tom,
How much did you plan vs. create?

Cheers

P.S.
Were you able to putt from one end to the other?

Mike,

We just went and built it, like a green.   Certainly we visualized many different areas as hole locations, and had some ideas we intended to find a home for, but there was no intended routing, it is very free form.

Have not considered trying to putt the full length of it.  Downhill, maybe, once it gets up to speed.

[Tom_Doak]

That green looks like a ton of fun to play. 31 holes? Love it.

It will only use 18 holes on any given day

[Matt Albanese]

It was exciting watching them work on this when I was there in April. I guess I'll have to go back!

[JC Urbina]

The Punchbowl was a lot of fun, creating the landform without a single drawing just a simple concept.  I started on one side, Tom on the other.

The hardest part was doing the final float of the putting surface.  Marcus Lakey helped me, the surface was to big to do it with one sand pro.

I have thank the Pacific Dunes maintenance crew, they worked on the project while still taking care of Pac Dunes.

I laid out a few routings with the help of Ken Nice for Mike to preview this past spring.  I will be curious what routing people will embrace the most.  I prefer the routings that work in a counter clockwise  rotation.

Grant will be working the magic putter.

[Peter Pallotta]

I've never had the pleasure of playing one of Tom's courses, but if this is indicative of the greens he and JC build, I don't think I could make a putt if my life depended on it. And I mean, ever i.e. I'd never make even a single putt, I would never be able to hole out!!  

I love it when places (like Bandon) evolve over time, with new elements added as the need and the ideas arise, sort of like those great old British houses that have a side room added here and a back room (years later) added there and a library added after two or three  generations have lived there and accumulated enough books etc. Then a place becomes a living thing.

Peter

[Chris Mavros]

Yet another reason why I need to get out to Bandon for an extended amount of time.  Soon.  Putting courses are too few and far between in my opinion and this looks like a great one. 

[Mark Chaplin]

Tom how quick do you think it can reasonably get and be good fun to play, 9-10?

[Tom_Doak]

Tom how quick do you think it can reasonably get and be good fun to play, 9-10?

It will be a blast at 9.  At 10 I think some of the most fun hole locations, such as the violcano in the upper middle section, will become too difficult to use, though you could certainly still do a fun setup.

[Tom_Doak]

I've never had the pleasure of playing one of Tom's courses, but if this is indicative of the greens he and JC build, I don't think I could make a putt if my life depended on it. And I mean, ever i.e. I'd never make even a single putt, I would never be able to hole out!!  

I love it when places (like Bandon) evolve over time, with new elements added as the need and the ideas arise, sort of like those great old British houses that have a side room added here and a back room (years later) added there and a library added after two or three  generations have lived there and accumulated enough books etc. Then a place becomes a living thing.

Peter

Peter,

This green is wilder than anything we have ever built (although the 13th at Barnbougle is close).  It was fun to build something wild again after a few years on the tamer side.  

I had the pleasure of taking my wife to St Andrews this summer, and we played the Himalayas green there.  The Punchbowl is not as severe as that one but it does have the same spirit.

[Tom_Doak]

I laid out a few routings with the help of Ken Nice for Mike to preview this past spring.  I will be curious what routing people will embrace the most.  I prefer the routings that work in a counter clockwise  rotation.

Jim, I'm hoping they do not dumb it down to a few approved routings.  There is so much variety to it that it would be a shame to simplify it too much.

I actually thought the upper section was more interesting counterclockwise and the lower section clockwise, which is cool because you can't really do both at the same time.

[Thomas Dai]

That's a terrific panorama photo posted by Eric.

I reckon this is a great facility. Well done to all those who came up with the idea and also to those who then made it happen. BTW, given it's size, wouldn't a mobile beverage cart be more appropriate than just a bar?

There used to be many very large, although not quite monster-large like this amazing one, putting greens in public parks all over the UK. I imagine other countries had them too. Cheap and good fun they were. You'd see Grannie & Grandpa and Mum & Dad and Uncles and Aunts and loads of kids playing on them and having fun. Alas, such facilities seem to be largely no more. A great shame.

Decent putting greens, in fact decent short game practice facilities in general, are too often missing at Clubs. I wish more Clubs had an area similar to this one at Bandon, even one just a fraction of the size would be nice.  

All the best.

[Adam Clayman]

Peter, Any stadium lighting would be too intrusive on the whole complex. Either some innovative low key alternative, or, blacklight, might work.  All those colored balls are fluorescent, anyway. If they want to try, I know where to get the only outdoor blacklight long throw fixtures.