[Norbert P]

 (Disclaimer : I have Walked It but Not Played It*.)

  Mike Keiser's philosophy is to offer different courses with varied personalities, and with Bandon Trails, I think he has succeeded . . . again.

  BT was very peaceful yet haunting when I was there. The winds were howling in the treetops, the rain was cold and forbidding, but in my solitude I found serenity and appreciation for what now is presented within those lush forests.  

  I can only imagine intimate times throughout those cathedralesque boulevards of fescue.  

  * Perhaps a new acronym here - WINPI  

   (Yes! I've been called a WINPI golfer before. Now I understand! )  

   



 

[THuckaby2]

Mike, you are wise as always.

 

David - we have way too much in common.  OK, this is going to call for drastic measures.  Send me an IM with more details as to when and other realities and we shall make this happen as painlessly as possible.  I admit to being an OK golfer, but I am a plus handicap at getting a wife to agree to a trip and living to tell the tale.

 

But most importantly.....

WELCOME BACK SLAG!  Where have you been?  Great thoughts about BT.  Now what did Mike say about rabid anticipation?

[Norbert P]

 (Aw shucks)  (Royalty check in the mail)

  Somebody said it was cool to go to school so I jumped off the cliff into the wide blue sky of unknowns.

   I'll be driving through Monterey this weekend. Golf if I can but just have to see Pacific Grove before I die.  Hmmm, perhaps buy a dog leash so I can get on Cypress Point, as well.

  'til further on . . .

[ed_getka]

Tom,
  The Sheep Ranch fits in perfectly as an end to the day that you spend traveling up there (assuming you start early enough). So I wouldn't say a full day is called for, but having darkness force you to leave makes it easier to call it a day.

[ed_getka]

Tom Paul,
  Regarding the green openings, I just found it to be a little repetitive, and since it happens 3 times on the front nine, I think a little angling would have worked a little better.

Johnathan,
   Regarding golfing in the wind you describe, all three courses would have holes that become unplayable. I don't think that is a flaw of the design of #14.

[ed_getka]

#3 Par 5. Hole plays straightaway all the way to the green. There are a couple of centerline bunkers in play one for longish drivers of the ball, and one about 40 yards short of the green to give you something to think about if you are trying to get home in 2. The green is broad and open in front, with a nice shoulder on the left that will take balls down into a chipping area below the green or a bunker. Many balls into the right half of the green seem to want to slide out the back, and it leaves you options from putting to pitching the ball up high. The bunkering in the fairway isn't very deep so there isn't much to worry about in terms of bashing the ball as far as you can in two shots. I like the right side of the green (the only side we played), but overall felt the hole was one of the weaker ones (this being a relative term, as the course is quite good overall).

#4 Par 4   One of my favorite holes at BT (along with #15) that is defined by the BRILLIANT use of a diagonal ridge that runs from left to right towards the green. Bail out left so you can get a look at the green and you can become bunkered, miss the tee shot right and you are blind into the green. Then the green fools you, because if you look at Mike's pix of that green you would think that approaches would curl left, when in fact they go the other way (at least in the front of the green). An outstanding hole IMO.

#5 Par 3  An absolutely wild green with a short to midiron depending on pin placement. Unfortunately we didn't get any back pin postions. The front shelf is probably 20-25 feet, then drops down into a shallow biarritz type trough about 5-8 feet wide, and then the green climbs up to a big top shelf that is probably 4-5 feet higher than the front shelf. The back shelf has some movement too, so you are not home free just because you made it to the right level. The carry across the rough isn't really a concern unless you are trying to get close to a front shelf pin, and even then you have fronting bunkers and mown rough that gives you a little buffer before ending up in unplayable land. A nice little hole.

#6 Par 4 A nice par 4 with the exception of the ho-hum green. Off the tee there is a central bunker in reach for avg hitters like me from the green tees. Play right and you will probably end up 2-3 clubs further from the green, but by looking at what the land is doing you would swear that right of the bunker is the shortcut. Go left of the bunker and the rolling/heaving ground will roll your ball closer to the green, although you might end up with a sidehill lie. But given the flattish wide open green there isn't much cause for concern.

[Tim Bert]

I'm headed back to Bandon in a week and a half (amazing that it is already here given that we booked it nine months in advance.)

We are playing 54 the first day full day (PD and BD), 36 the second day (BT), and 54 our third day (BD and PD.)  First tee time of the day 2 out of the 3 days!

We would really like to get on the Sheep Ranch the afternoon that we arrive in town (probably around 5PM.)  There has been much talk of it here, so I thought I'd tried to get a sense for the best way to get on.  Mr Doak mentioned that I should contact the pro shop at Pacific Dunes.  They told me that they couldn't help arrange visits to the Sheep Ranch, but that Bandon Golf Supply might be able to help (they gave me a phone number.)  I haven't tried the number yet, but I will this weekend.  Any other suggestions to help us ensure an afternoon at the Ranch?

[ed_getka]

Tim,
   Call Bandon Golf Supply and you'll probably get Jon on the phone and he will contact Denny Olsen who will arrange to open the gate for you. He generally wants you there by 3pm so if someone is getting there early you'll want them to get over there to meet Denny. It is well worth your time to check it out. Tom and company did some wonderful greens. Plan on losing some balls now that they are letting some grass grow to define "fairways" and until you figure out what some of the carries are some of your balls will be hard to find. We got there at 5pm and and golfed until dusk and had an absolute blast.
     There is no official connection between Bandon Dunes resort and Sheep Ranch.

[Tim Bert]

Thanks.  Is after 3:00 a definite "no go?"  The four of us are all arrving together, and there is no way for us to get there by 3:00.

[ed_getka]

Tim,
  Denny makes the call on that one, so you'll just have to ask. Have a great trip. Would love to hear what you think.

[ed_getka]

#7 Par 4  Straightaway hole. Waste area down the right, big bunker way up on the left that a big drive could get into. Uphill approach that Pat Mucci would love, and some interesting contour in a green that is guarded along the right by some deepish bunkering. A solid hole.

#8 par 4. Shortish par 4, driveable by big hitters. My best from the green tees was still 50 yards short. A big deep fairway bunker down the left side that makes driver a risky option, and the fairway is narrowing as you get closer to the green. Laying up is pretty straightforward. I like this green a lot, although it will have to mature more to get a better sense of how it will play. It does have some interesting internal contour, and the green is guarded right by a relatively shallow bunker. There are some cool "fingers" that break up the front of the green, and will make bump and run shots tricky to get where you want.

#9 Par 5  Straightaway hole (most interesting tee shot is from the yellow tees). The second fairway bunker on the left is some nice visual deception. It looks easy to carry but is farther out than you think and the ground feeds balls that flirt with the bunker into the sand. Otherwise this is a fairly nondescript hole with little to worry about and you pretty much just hit away as far as you can. Longish hitters can reach the big cross bunker off the tee. There is tons of room up around the green so there isn't too much to worry about. Green is guarded on the right by bunkering, but the other 3 sides are open and getting up and down isn't much of a problem (unless you have my short game )

[Mike Erdmann]

As for the Sheep Ranch, they're not going to have any play at all out there for the summer beginning on July 1st.  With no real irrigation system on the golf course, grass won't grow back in the divots so the course will be closed.

[ed_getka]

#10 Par 4   A really fun hole and one of my favorites at BT. From the tee you could almost go straight at the green. However, this is complicated by a bunker that is L-shaped, with the short leg presenting a cross hazard, and the long leg going well up the left side of the fairway. So the prudent play off the tee is to go out to the right, but now you have given yourself a longer approach, that is complicated by a poor angle into the green, with a large, deep bunker to carry or flirt with. The front right of the green has a bit of a false front which gives you an additional factor to consider. The green raises up about 5 feet above fairway height and is a really fun hole to play.

#11Par 4  The controversial hole with the lake. Hole slides a little right and downhill on the second shot. Tee shot has a huge bunker on the right to keep you out of the retention pond further right. The bunker is quite interesting as the surface isn't the usual smooth concave surface you would expect. The sand is actually maintained like moguls (snowski reference), with the tops of many moguls planted with some sort of tall grass. I really like the look of the bunker. The downhill approach is complicated by the lake all down the right side of the green, and a bunker complex short and left of the green for those who bail out left to avoid the water. There is a downslope from the bunker and left rough that makes trying to get up and down more interesting.

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