4th at Bandon Trails--for discussion...

[Peter_Herreid]

I have just returned from my annual winter sojourn to Bandon, and, in contrast to most years, the weather was pretty brutal this time around—cold and windy, to be sure!

After having only been able to walk some of the interior “dune” holes at Bandon Trails on last year's visit, this year I was able to get in two rounds in very different conditions—the first not quite as rainy, but with a very strong, gusty, prevailing winter southwest wind; the second with less wind, but steady, cold rain throughout, making navigation a challenge all the way around.

This is one of the real treats at Bandon—the opportunity to have such varied conditions from one day to the next, or one round to the next…

As a brief aside, I did not find Trails to be very easily walkable, and certainly anyone doing 36+ and carrying their own bag is to be commended, especially when all the towels, headcovers, etc. are completely saturated, adding a lot of extra dead weight!

I thought I would comment on a hole that has not been discussed much here on GCA since Bandon Trails opened—I particularly enjoyed the 4th hole, even though I slopped it up both times.

Here is the view from the teeing ground (yardages herein are black/blue tee distances) of this 408/363 yd par-4.  The hole runs due north, into the teeth of the prevailing summer wind, and the prevailing winter wind will quarter from behind your back left…


I love the blind tee shot, and the ridge bisecting the fairway is the most pressing challenge off the tee.  Because it is angled from 8 o’clock to 1 o’clock, the distance to carry the ridge is shortest (253/209 yds) at the bottom left, and longest (285/240 yds) at the top right.  The bunker in the left-center of the fairway is actually well short of the ridge, and is 216/172 yds to carry off the tee…

As one might expect, the winter wind pushes many balls to the right side of the fairway, and the summer wind catches up many tee shots short of the ridge, and this is the view then from the short right side of the ridge:


There were, conservatively, hundreds of divot scrapes concentrated in this area, and I suspect that there is a fair amount of bitching about the subsequent blind approach shot from this right hand side.  The distance into the green can range from 175 yds down to 135 yds from this angle, and the ground is quite uneven, as well…The straight line of attack would be just to the left of the dead tree sticking up past the top of the right bunker complex...

Say you want to cut one around the left edge of the ridge, or draw one up and over the ridge?  Fair enough, but then you must deal with a nearly unbroken string of bunkers/sandy scrapes running down the left edge of the fairway from 240/200 yds off the tee to 330/290 yds off the tee, with the fairway on that side of the ridge sloping down to the left, as seen from this angle on the top of the ridge (bunkers not seen here, just barely visible from the tee)


The green itself is relatively flat, but does run off to the back.  This makes controlling the distance on approach quite challenging.  It is 35 yds long and about 25 yds wide, by no means the largest at BT, but one of the less severely sloping…There is an interesting extension of the fairway short and right of the green:


I spent some time trying to decide the circumstances that would lead one to get in this zone, either intentionally or accidentally.  If one pushed an airborne approach shot way right of the green, one might expect it to get caught up in the trees (visible in the 3rd photo) before it ever got to this area.  I suspect that into a strong summer wind, however, that favoring this area might indeed be the smart play, as all but the back right hole locations would be accessible for the up-and-down possibilities.

I think it is not so likely that a low trajectory (my specialty!) would get over there very often, as the ground before the green is still canted over to the left, and would require pretty strong left-right spin to skid over into this area.

All in all, I thought this was a very good mid-range par 4, with plenty of decision-making options for all levels of players—an aggressive big hitter could attempt to challenge the ridge with several different potential ball flights, but with consequences throughout—maybe not double or triple bogey consequences, but certainly an opportunity to let strokes slip away.  The shorter hitter can navigate the ridge by several different paths, as well.  Finally the prevailing conditions can greatly change the way this hole can or should be played, from round to round…

Not the showiest hole at Bandon Trails, but one I thought was full of interesting stuff…

If there is sufficient interest, I can post more of these holes at BT…

[Sean Leary]

Peter,

What I thought was interesting about the hole was that I couldn't tell there was a ridge there, even as I read it in the course guide.  I don't know if it was the sunlight or what, but I couldn't see that there was a ridge. I carried the ridge on the left center of the fairway, and it came a couple of yards within going in those left bunkers you mentioned. tough shot from there as well, with the ball well above your feet.

[mtp]

from the first pic, what is the ideal line off the tee ?

[Peter_Herreid]

It would be, for the most part, a combined equation of the wind direction and speed and your own preferred ball flight...

For example, if you hit a high cut, and you are down wind, you might need only to aim over the left-center fairway bunker and let your cut slide it into the center of the ridge and maybe gently down the backside of the ridge.

A high cut into a strong summer wind might have to start left of that same bunker, or risk being blown right of the ridge...

If you hit a hard, penetrating draw, you might need to start out over the tree line right, or risk your ball kicking down into the unseen bunkers left of the fairway...

If you were trying to go perfectly straight, with no accounting for the ridge, the line would be (more or less) the right side of the "saddle" formed by the distant dark green trees, as this is also (roughly) the high point of the ridge...

[Tom_Doak]

Three of my favorite holes at Bandon Trails are three that no one talks much about -- the fourth, sixth, and fifteenth holes, all of them medium-length par-4's played into the prevailing summer wind.

The fourth and fifteenth are made by their end-of-the-valley green sites -- one of Bill Coore's favorite settings, and one which I have seldom managed to find on any of my own courses.  

The diagonal ridge in the fourth fairway is another wonderful feature.  Peter, it's important to note that the hole is not downwind often as you played it; and when it is into the wind the strategic choice is between a difficult line and longer approach from the left, or a shorter and more open, but blinder approach from the right.  I've had good results from the right side when I played the hole.

[mtp]

that wonderful bunker to the right of the green looks quite intimidating in retospect, when seeing the rear pic of the green site, regardless of where the pin is positioned. Will shots that appear to be ok filter dow into that

[ed_getka]

Peter,
  I posted on this hole after my trip there in June. I think that ridge on #4 is one of the most brilliant features on the course. I love how it runs on an angle from about 8 o'clock to 2 o'clock. When the hole plays into the wind the bunker at the beginning of the ridge is in play, at least for the likes of me. The green is a little more interesting than you give it credit for. I can't remember now which way balls break on the front half, but I do remember it is the opposite of what it appears. More pix and commentary please, I'm more than happy to discuss all the holes there.
   I agree with Tom about #15 which is another outstanding par 4. I love #13-17 as a matter of fact. You had better be on your game to get through that stretch of holes.
    I would disagree about #6 overall. Off the tee I really like the options of flirting with the bunker, or going left where the ground has a ton of movement, making the likelihood of an awkward stance/approach shot high. However, the green is probably the most non-descript on the course, being virtually flat.
 

[peter_p]

This wasn't a water hole when I was there in late November.
As far as line to playI'd go over the whitish dots at the beginning of the fairway.  

[Joel_Stewart]

The first time I played here I took it up over the trees on the right since I thought it was a dogleg right.  Wrong.   The next time I hit a draw and it was just about perfect and think I had an 8 iron in.  

I told Bill Coore I thought the green should be moved back with the back edge of the green next to the lake which sits behind the green.   Bill told me that the major power line for the resort sits behind the green and they couldn't touch it.

Its a solid hole but my least favorite of the first 5.

[Tom_Doak]

Ed:  Re: number 6, it's okay to have a flat green every once in a while.  And the approach from the left is also semi-blind and very difficult to judge, which makes the positioning more important.

[Peter_Herreid]

Yes, Tom--

I have always been told that the "summer prevailing" wind is more frequent than the "winter prevailing" wind, without necessarily following those seasons, and that the "summer prevailing" is typically stronger in intensity, on average, than the "winter prevailing"  (although you wouldn't believe that on Sunday!)..

Anyway, as I mentioned the wind on #4 in the "winter prevailing" is not as much behind, as it is quartering from the southwest, which helps steer floating tee shots to the right on that hole...

There was a major water main break at Bandon Trails on Saturday, I believe, somewhere up above the 15th tee/14th green, as the gushing water carved out a large trench through those teeing grounds and over #4 and across the 3rd fairway, with sand floating out of the bunkers in that area.  The old entrance road had been flooded over as well, to the right of the 3rd tee--quite a sight, but hopefully short-lived.

Perhaps Tom Jefferson has an update in that regard.

Sounds like I should put up a post on #6 tomorrow!

[ed_getka]

Tom,
   I would agree that it is okay to appear to have a flat green if it affects your depth perception. I played my approach from the left side twice (not where I was aiming for) and didn't find it to be much of an issue, except the lie due to the movement of the ground over there.
   Some greens that at first glance seem flat and not much to worry about would include yours at PD #4, the 10th at Rustic Canyon, 17th at Pasatiempo, etc.. However, then you find you never seem to be able to get your approach as close as you think you should, and it seems harder to two putt then it should. I just don't find that happening at BT #6.
    I do like the back right corner of the green with that bunker back there to keep you honest, but otherwise I don't find much going on on that green.

Peter,
   What did you think of #9?

[ForkaB]

There were, conservatively, hundreds of divot scrapes concentrated in this area,

Peter

This is god's way of telling GCAs that they should have done better shaping, or put a bunker in the area.....

Great post.  Thanks.

[Tom Jefferson]

Mostly true about the water issue............There was an irrigation system mainline failure on the service road above the 16th tee, and the resulting debris and water settled in front of the tee complex on #4, as one of the photos show.
..........Those sorts of catastrophies seem to happen on weekends, in the middle of the night!!

The diagonal ridge that so strongly defines #4 is a completely natural feature that was simply smoothed and finished off; next time you play, stand on that ridge and look back down it towards the third fairway....you can see the remainder of that ridge as it continues to move in that direction.

The water on the entrance road west of #3 is the result of a Very wet winter and resulting high water table.  There is simply no place for that surface water to go.

Tom