Bandon Trails #14-16 (pictures)

[CHrisB]

Toured Bandon Trails 3-1-2005 in the fading light and took the following pics of holes 14-16. This marks the stretch where the course emerges from the woods, on high meadow/dune ground. With these holes and the super 17th and 18th, it may be the best finish of the three courses at Bandon, and into the prevailing summer wind, definitely the toughest.

#14 tee (par 4, 320 yards), high above the left-to-right sloping fairway; the easier approach is from the higher left side


#14; walking to the fairway you can see a hidden bunker left


#14 fairway from the lower right side; very hard to hit the small, elevated green from here, even with a wedge


#14; the approach opens up from the left side


#14 green from front left; very narrow opening


#14 dropoff left of green


#14 below bunkers right of green


#14 big dropoff behind the green


#14 looking back at hidden bunkers long right of green


#15 tee (par 4, 400 yards)


#15 approach


#15; going down the left side (ton of room there) lengthens the hole, but offers a more direct approach


#15; going down the right side is shorter, but the approach must come over the intruding bunker short right


#16 tee (par 5, 535 yards); right-to-left sloping fairway


#16 walking to the fairway


#16 from center of fairway


#16 from left side of fairway (closer)


#16 approach


#16 approach from left walking up


#16 short right bunker


#16 from right of green looking toward the ocean


#17 back tee


#5 from #17 back tee


Pictures of #6-9 can be found on another thread:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=17058

Pictures of #10-13 can be found on another thread:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=17059

Pictures of #1-5 and #17-18 can be found on a thread from last fall:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=15244

[TEPaul]

To me, with-all the things we talk about on here, the look of that golf course is as good as it gets in every one of all those things we talk about!

The "LINES"!!! WOW! Look at how everything flows like Nature. Coore & Crenshaw---they're the best!

Honestly, don't you think some of the greatest architecture ever done is coming from these handful of architects we often talk about on here?

I do!

[Sam Sikes]

Unbelievable.  could this be a new #1.  14 is my favorite hole ever and I haven't even seen the place yet.  Rarely do pictures fire me up as much as those.  I cant wait to get out there.

[Buck Wolter]

You sure these aren't colorized versions of the Frair's Head write-up?

[Mark_Guiniven]

14 would appear to solve the paradox between challenge and playabilty quite nicely. Width as a defence. Short grass as a hazard. Isn't that what we talk about here? What a neat green.

[TEPaul]

Ever notice how Coore and Crenshaw courses particularly this one have sort of a Pine Valleyesque look to them in that their holes are often these big wide meandering things but at the edges they just meld right into a rugged bunker or just immediately into "stuff" like the edges at PVGC do?

[Jeff_Mingay]

I've seen a bunch of preview photos of Bandon Trails, but none until now of the 14th. In the pics above, that hole is absolutely fascinating. Apparently brilliant.

[Michael Dugger]

I believe someone mentioned that the 17th at BT reminds them of the 5th at Melbourne.

I see a lot of the short par 4 at Crystal Downs, 16th or 17th, I believe, in that great Bandon Trails #14.

 

All of the pictures look great, can't want to play it.

[Michael Dugger]

Having viewed this first "wave" of images of the new course, I still think Pacific is going to prove to be better.

[Brian_Gracely]

#14 is the hole that Crenshaw says occasionally wakes him up at night thinking about how interesting it is.  The lay of the land and the greensite almost seem like they would have been just as challenging without the greenside bunkers, but I suppose they do provide a level of definition from the tee.  

That picture of #5 green really shows alot of detail/contour and how many interesting flags could be on that short hole.  

[CHrisB]

We really thought that the finishing stretch at Bandon Trails would be the best of the three courses. #12-13, still in the woods, are excellent holes on their own, and every hole after that is strong as well.

It will probably be the toughest finish of the three as well, at least in the summer. The prevailing summer wind is going to be with the player on #14, which really makes the hole harder (unless you can drive it into one of the greenside bunkers...), and then the wind will hurt the player on the last four holes.

It's hard to know exactly how the course will be received, but the majority of the predictions I've heard were that Bandon Trails will fall in between Pacific Dunes and Bandon Dunes. If this is true, then I'm pretty sure that would make Bandon the only golf resort/club in the world with three top-100 courses.

[Sam Sikes]

What about pinehurst.  surely #5 &#6 will slide into the top 100 soon.  And if not those, certainly #8

[Dan Herrmann]

Pray for sunshine in early August.  I'm going after seeing those pics - bank account be damned!

[Michael Dugger]

Bandon Trails look fantastic and if it ranks between BD and PD, that is no insult!!

[Matt_Ward]

Chris:

Couple of questions ...

How much of an elevation drop is there when playing the 14th hole ?

I'm assuming this hole plays into the prevailing wind ?

On the 15th and 16th holes -- do they both go in the same direction ?

Do #15 and #16 play with the prevailing summer wind ?

Thanks ...

mw

[CHrisB]

Chris:

Couple of questions ...

How much of an elevation drop is there when playing the 14th hole ?

I'm assuming this hole plays into the prevailing wind ?

On the 15th and 16th holes -- do they both go in the same direction ?

Do #15 and #16 play with the prevailing summer wind ?

Thanks ...

mw

Matt,

Hard to say about the elevation drop, but it is substantial and there is quite a hike from the tee down to the fairway.

Just the opposite with the wind... #14 will play with the prevailing summer wind, which I think will make it play much harder. The prevailing winter wind will be into and from the right I'm pretty sure.

#15 and #16 are in the same general direction, going generally to the north against the prevailing summer wind. #17 and #18 then cut diagonally to the left, a little more toward the ocean, with the prevailing summer wind against and from the right.

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