bandon in late october

[Mark Johnson]

All,


I have a conference in portland for a few days in late october and was thinking of doing a solo trip to bandon for  a couple days before or after.   Has anyone played bandon at this time of year?   Trying to understand if it is worth making the drive/ spending a couple extra vacation days.  (as a fyi, I have been to bandon multiple times but not since summer 2013)

[Jason Way]

My lone trip to Bandon was at that time of the year.  Not sure what you mean by "worth it", but I loved it.  In 4 days, we had every kind of weather imaginable - wind, calm, rain, sun, chilly, warm - the whole deal.  Generally, great weather for walking golf in my book, and the courses were all in fantastic condition.


If you are going to go then, bring layers.  You'll need them.

[Pete_Pittock]

Yes,
You can get in 72 in 3 days. Leave Portland by 6am and play that afternoon. 36 2nd day. 18 and the drive back on the 3rd.
You pretty much pack  the same for Bandon any day of the year. My ex-group goes around then.

[Stephen Northrup]

My one trip to Bandon was in early November. The rates were significantly lower then, and I assume that is still the case. As for the weather, it was in the 50s and 60s, but we experienced everything from brilliant sunshine to waves of small hail -- and that was just within one round!

[Mark Johnson]

Thanks guy.


My vague question was really getting at a few things.


1) What are the typical daylight (e.g. how much golf can you get in)?


2) weather... has the oregon rainy season started yet?  do winds typically get over 30-40 mph this time of year.   are the courses typically soaked this time of year


3) plus anything else i should know




i have no problems paying in cooler weather, in fact kind prefer it.   Just not crazy about playing if it will likely involve a soaked course or constant gale-force winds

[Stephen Davis]

Yes,
You can get in 72 in 3 days. Leave Portland by 6am and play that afternoon. 36 2nd day. 18 and the drive back on the 3rd.
You pretty much pack  the same for Bandon any day of the year. My ex-group goes around then.

The rain usually starts coming in full effect around Halloween, but that time of year can be absolutely perfect weather as well. You will have enough light for 36 holes each day, IF you get one of the first tee times. I would have that dictate the order that you play (ie whichever course can get you out earliest) and then fill the afternoon rounds to make sure you get everything covered. The courses never really get soaked. I have played in heavy rain and it was still quite firm.


Hope this helps

[Charles Lund]

I have been twice in April and it worked fine.  In the Pacific Northwest, October and April are comparable in terms of changeable weather. 

But in Bandon, even in summer, you run the risk of very strong winds and rain.

On one trip, I drove from Seattle to Portland and stayed overnight.  I was planning on playing in Portland Monday but weather was awful, so I drove to Bandon.  Upon my arrival, it was clear and moderately windy.  I got in 18 holes.  I ended up playing five rounds and played all four courses before I left on Thursday afternoon.

One thing I did as a single player was not to book any tee times until I got there.  It was a slow week and I was open to playing any courses in any sequence.  I would have holed up inside if weather was awful.  They don't do rain checks unless course is closed due to weather.  That doesn't happen often.   

The people on the phone did a good job of explaining to me the pros and cons of prebooking/not prebooking tee times.

I got lucky on the weather.

Charles Lund

[Sven Nilsen]

The rain usually starts coming in full effect around Halloween...

No, it doesn't.  You might get a very early season storm blow through, but the rain doesn't really start until december.

Some of the nicest days i can recall out here occurred right around halloween.

[Charles Lund]

Pen Air flies from Portland (PDX) to North Bend (OTH).

It takes 4.5 hours to drive to Bandon.  Car rental might cost less than flight but you are going to spend a lot of time driving.  Depending on days you are flying, your ticket might not cost that much.  First and second bag are $25 each, so $100 for luggage.  Bandon can pick you up at airport, at least theyvdid.

As the book says:

"What's the difference between Bandon and Ballybunion?"

"It's easier to get to Ballybunion."

Charles Lund

[William_G]

September and October are generally the optimum months of year to play in Bandon, yet it can be spectacular anytime of the year

you could play 36 or more easily as a single golfer, groups not so much

call the resort for details about weather, times, costs, etc...  888.345.6008  (smart phone weather also gives wind speed)

a good bet is long pants with a pullover with rain unlikely...shorts under non-insulated rain pants is always good as it can get warm...leave your umbrella at home....bring rain-gloves just so it doesn't rain and won't use them

inquire about Sheep Ranch as it may be open end of October depending on conditions

the beauty of Bandon is that the rain does not make it a slog to play...the conditions remain firm and fast

I have played many rounds of golf in the rain and it does not deter the quests there from playing nor their enjoyment so long as you have the proper gear "golf as it was meant to be"...if you wear glasses, then get your Lasix done before coming Bandon

if the wind gets up to 30 mph that can be tough and no fun...20 is usually the max I would play in if deciding about going out or not

let me know if there is anything specific you need to know

have fun

PS. some of the best weather is in winter and rates do go down starting in November...January and February 2017 are already sold out...Thanksgiving and Christmas can be awesome and the resort is a ghost town around family holidays

and Bandon is better for golf than Ballybunion just a lot younger

[Derek Holland]

I went for the first time over New Years last year and was blessed with great weather. Managed to do 36 holes on the 1st despite a slight frost delay (played Trails 18 in the near dark). Somehow managed 3 days with no rain. I imagine there is no bad time to be playing at Bandon!

[William_G]

I imagine there is no bad time to be playing at Bandon!

no doubt

[Ronald Montesano]

Kevin Lynch and I played for four days last October 26-29. We were given uncommonly-good weather and experienced no rain. We got 36 in each day with ease. If you don't want to play a second 18 one day, play the Preserve and the Punch Bowl and you'll have two uncommon experiences. Only tip is, don't rush the first few holes on the Preserve. Assuming no one is behind you, hit bumpers and punch shots and bounder. Enjoy the hell out of it.


If you've not gone before, the one course you have to play is Trails, because it is so different from the other three.

[Mark Johnson]

Kevin Lynch and I played for four days last October 26-29. We were given uncommonly-good weather and experienced no rain. We got 36 in each day with ease. If you don't want to play a second 18 one day, play the Preserve and the Punch Bowl and you'll have two uncommon experiences. Only tip is, don't rush the first few holes on the Preserve. Assuming no one is behind you, hit bumpers and punch shots and bounder. Enjoy the hell out of it.


If you've not gone before, the one course you have to play is Trails, because it is so different from the other three.

Thanks so much; you guys have sold me.


And yes.  I will play trails.  Its my favorite on the property and top 5 or 6 anywhere.   If I had 4 rounds at Bandon  2 of them would be trails.

[Charles Lund]

Have a great time.

Charles Lund

[William_G]

LOVE Trails 

much has been modified since 2013

one the most noticeable is the width and smoothing to the left of 14  green despite the bigger bunker



drive safe and have fun

[Jason Kang]

I agree with everyone telling you to go for it.  I spent the month of October in Portland one year...the locals told me that this is typically an Indian Summer month, and it certainly was that year- 75 and sunny in Portland for pretty much the entire month. 

With this in mind, we did Bandon last October.  It was 65-70 and very benign for the entire trip.  Only occasionally slightly raw, great walking weather, truly delightful.

I recommend Seaport Airlines out of PDX as an alternative to flying through SFO or even if you don't want to drive down from Portland.  I got into OTH on a day when my buddies' United flights were all delayed or diverted due to fog at the OTH airport.  Impressive flight.  And for another trip, if you've shipped your clubs, you can get to their gates at PDX from any domestic legacy carrier gates without having to clear security again in PDX.

Thanks guy.


My vague question was really getting at a few things.


1) What are the typical daylight (e.g. how much golf can you get in)?


2) weather... has the oregon rainy season started yet?  do winds typically get over 30-40 mph this time of year.   are the courses typically soaked this time of year


3) plus anything else i should know




i have no problems paying in cooler weather, in fact kind prefer it.   Just not crazy about playing if it will likely involve a soaked course or constant gale-force winds

[Niall C]

Apologies in advance for side-tracking Mark's thread but I'm also interested in possibly doing a Bandon trip at some point. The first question is how do I get there from Scotland ? I note that a 4.5 hour drive is an option but I reckon having paid the airfare to cross the Atlantic, and not wanting to spend a significant chunk of the holiday driving, that I'd likely take the internal flight option.

I'm also not wanting to pay top dollar (I'm Scottish, what do you expect) so happy to play off season as long as good chance of reasonable weather (wind is good, some rain showers acceptable, not worried about temperature as long as it's not freezing) and the courses are in decent shape, so what are my options outwith the high season ?

Pro's/cons of resort accommodation to accommodation outwith the resort ?

Do they do a "links ticket" or do you just pay the set greenfee for each course ?

Niall

[Scott Weersing]

Another great time to go to Bandon is in February because of the great weather and longer days and lower prices. People ask, why are you going to Oregon in February? I say it is warmer than Virginia in February.


But February 2017 is already all booked up so you can consider February of 2018. Call in January of 2017 and you may get tee times.


I am looking forward to my trip in February where we will play 5 rounds in three days and putt one afternoon at the Punch Bowl.


I prefer the drive down from Portland rather than North Bend because of the strange arrival times at North Bend.

[Thomas Dai]

Apologies in advance for side-tracking Mark's thread but I'm also interested in possibly doing a Bandon trip at some point. The first question is how do I get there from Scotland ? I note that a 4.5 hour drive is an option but I reckon having paid the airfare to cross the Atlantic, and not wanting to spend a significant chunk of the holiday driving, that I'd likely take the internal flight option.

I'm also not wanting to pay top dollar (I'm Scottish, what do you expect) so happy to play off season as long as good chance of reasonable weather (wind is good, some rain showers acceptable, not worried about temperature as long as it's not freezing) and the courses are in decent shape, so what are my options outwith the high season ?

Pro's/cons of resort accommodation to accommodation outwith the resort ?

Do they do a "links ticket" or do you just pay the set greenfee for each course ?

Niall

+1 on this.


I'd like to know as well


Atb

[Jim Adkisson]

Mark, I don't know your dates in late October but be aware that the Oregon Men's Team Championship will be played on Old Mac on 10/28 and Trails on 10/29 this year.  I will  be on-site for those days working the tournament rules committee, and will probably try to be there at least a day or 2 before to play whatever courses I can get in.

If you get an early first tee time 36+ is easily accomplished at this time of year (I have reservations for later in November and February that we always get 36/day, but we have the first tee times of the day)  Weather can be amazing...over the last 2 years, I have played 28 rounds over 16 days in November/February and worn rain gear for an hour at most...and spent the mid-afternoons in shorts and short sleeves.

Bring all layers of clothing...will be chilly in AM and late PM...might have rain, sleet, hail and sunshine...but Fun will be had!

Viva Los Bandonistas!

[Charles Lund]

I live in Seattle part of the time.  Bandon is 8 to 9 hours from here.

Niall asked about getting to Bandon.

From Scotland, someone could fly Icelandair to Seattle or Portland from Glasgow or Aberdeen. There is a stop in Reykjavik.  The time including stopover is fairly short.  If you fly into Seattle, you can get a flight into Eugene on Alaska Air on Horizon.  Eugene is 2.5 hours from Bandon.

If you fly to San Francisco, you can fly directly to North Bend (OTH).   Someone posted information about good fares on Norwegian  Air from London Gatwick to San Francisco.   The flight chart shows very good fares. 

Both Norwegian and Icelandair have decent baggage rules and allowances.

I posted earlier about PenAir which flies from Seattle or Portland to OTH.  $25 each bag.  United might kill you on luggage from SFO.

I think United might fly from Glasgow.  You can see if they can route you to OTH on one itinerary.

If you stay at the resort in Bandon,  you get lower golf rates, enough to offset lodging costs.

April had intermediate rates between winter and summer.

Charles Lund

[David_Tepper]

"PS. some of the best weather is in winter and rates do go down starting in November...January and February 2017 are already sold out...Thanksgiving and Christmas can be awesome and the resort is a ghost town around family holidays"

Niall & Thomas -

It sounds like Thanksgiving week in the U.S. would be a good time to visit Bandon. The weather in late November in Bandon is not likely to be any worse than you might find in GB&I at that time of year, plus green fees are much lower than in the high season. Thanksgiving in the U.S. is always the 4th Thursday of November.

One drawback in late November is that the daylight hours are starting to shrink, but Bandon is not as far north as GB&I.

My sense is staying on resort is the way to go.

DT

[Ronald Montesano]

For the Europeans, here's the green fee link:  http://www.bandondunesgolf.com/green-fees2016


As you read, they charge anywhere from $25 to $45 more for folks who stay off-site. I've stayed in town and driven to the resort, and I've also stayed at the resort. The former is more economical, I suspect, while the latter is more "vibe."


If you like to see a bit of the area, stay off site. It's really hard to drag yourself away from the resort when you are staying there. It's so easy to say "just bill it to room 123." If you like to visit lobster shacks and other local diners for meals, off site is the way to go. There are nice to truly economical accommodations in town. Town is a 10-15 minute drive from the resort. It's also home to Bandon Golf Supply, where you might be able to work in a Sheep Ranch day if you're there from November 1 to May 31.


The food at Bandon is first class, so if money conservation is not the main object, stay at the resort, feast at different locales, and have the pure Bandon resort experience. They have push carts available, and you can also carry, or take a caddie. No motorized carts unless truly disabled (with MD note to prove it.)


I'm sure that there is also a Pokemon GO gym on site, as well as a PokeSpot or two, along with some Pokemon to capture.

[Sven Nilsen]

Ron:

Bandon golf supply has gone out of business.

Sven