Pacific Dunes is in "FFF" form

[Peter_Herreid]

I was able to play Pacific Dunes each of the past two Saturdays, and the conditions out there are magnificent--truly a "firm, fast, February" track right now...


Looking west back across the 5th green

Brown is the color of choice, which is just fine by me.  It has been, even for them (the "dirty secret" of winter golf at Bandon), a very dry winter, certainly reflective of the shift of the precipitation to the far south left coast.  The ball was rolling forever, bringing all the peripheral challenges into play...


10th green from the front of the upper tee

Not much wind these two days, but everthing else was in top form...


17th green, without the crosswinds, bouncing it in from the right was do-able...

I'm not sure I have seen the gorse this much is bloom ever, and the caddies say it seems denser in color this winter...


3rd tee--yes, this is February!


sneaking a peek down the 13th...

While I did not get the full tour of Bandon Trails, even the not-previously played holes seem just about ready for the June opening.  The caddies are taking regular non-playing tours around the course now, so that they're more than just vaguely familiar with the layout...

We saw one group get in an unconventional 20 hole round in at Bandon Dunes, as they went from the 7th green at BD to tee off on #8 at PD.  We caught up to them up by the 8th green, and they speedily raced back down the 9th at PD to get back to Bandon Dunes.  Ah, the joys of first time play at Bandon without a caddie!

Cheers!

Peter

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

I cannot think of a better few rounds than youi had. I am envious. It has been 2 years since I was last there.

[T_MacWood]

It looks fabulous...when is the best time of year to play Pacific Dunes, et al? What are the temps like in the winter?

[Peter_Herreid]

At the risk of encouraging even more folks to show up December-February, I will say that I have played all but three or four out of 25 or so rounds at BD/PD in those months, and have only had one round during which the conditions were miserable the entire round.  There have been 2-4 holes during which there were cloudbursts, or occasionally the overcast conditions trun drizzly coming down 17 and 18 toward the end of the afternoon.

One of the weather web-sites would have more reliable data, but daytime highs during those months range from 48-55 degrees generally...

One thing I like about winter at BD/PD, compared to summer, is that there seems to be a greater chance of shifting winds during the winter, meaning that the 36/day player can sometimes get 2-3 different types of wind throughout the day.  My more limited experience during the summers has been for a stronger, and more uni-directional, wind.  Perhaps others can support or refute this...

Still, there are inherent risks to planning a long-distance trip there in the winter, as there are still the flights, drives across the Coast Range, etc. to deal with, and then the possibility of cold, drippy weather once you're there....

Ironically, there were many Southern California residents up there those two Saturdays, seeking relief from the miserable golfing conditions at some of their home clubs, etc.---quite the unexpected switch!

Peter

[TEPaul]

I just can't imagine a golf course of that type and style looking or playing better than that one does. The architecture, the maintenance, the golf course and everything about it to me is just a grand-slam home-run. I'd have to consider that one to be one of the truly great golf courses ever done! No question in my mind. But who the hell knows---some are beginning to say that Bandon Trails is beginning to look really special too!

[peter_p]

The Reserve Vineyards near Portland is also first and fast, primo conditions except for GUR tire marks. Unfortunately, they'll soon remember we have a watering system. Portland set a record, 20 dry days in February, the old record was 17. 1.18" of rain. For the year we are drier than Phoenix or Las Vegas. Cherry trees are blossoming.

[Bill_McBride]

The golden gorse makes me very nostalgic about my Scotland experience last May!