Sorry it's taken me so long to reply. Some of us actually feel the obligation to stay productive during the work day though
I'm quite surprised at some of the comments on Bandon Trails as well. I thought it was excellent. Very much a Pine Valley feel, as others have commented. I've wondered for some time if it would suffer in some people's mind because it lacks the ocean views, or the dramatic topography of the dunes on the other two courses. Part of the charm is the distinct environments that you play through...starting in the dunes, moving into the meadow, through the forest, and culminating back in the dunes.
So Mike E - how do you place Trails overall? Do the 10 round question for me, my friend... how many go to each of the three courses?
Tom, that's a good question, and I'm not sure I can give you a decent answer right now. I've played 30+ rounds at BD, and 20+ rounds at PD. Having only one full round now at Bandon Trails, I want to play it many more times to better appreciate it. But, answering your question, I think I'd settle into a 5 Pacific Dunes, 4 Bandon Trails, 1 Bandon Dunes rota. And yes, you really do need to work in a round at the Sheep Ranch! When I went down last week, I went with three buddies who could care less about architecture (they insisted on stopping at Sandpines on the way) and they absolutely loved the Sheep Ranch.
How far is the carry to the fairway on #16 from
the tees the pic was taken? Also, how much farther to the
bunker on the far side of the fairway?
It appears that any drive on the left half of the fairway (or
one on right side with a draw given the slope), your drive
would go through the fairway.
Scott, we played the back tees, and from there it's about 200+ yards to the fairway on 16, and nearly 320 to the far bunker on the left side of the fairway. I think there's plenty of fairway on the left side to keep a ball from going through. Don't ask me where I hit my drive though. Let's just say I didn't get a chance to see if it ran through the fairway.
If anyone else built this course what would be said of the tree inside the fairway bunker line on #9? 
Mike, the photo of #16 reminds me of # 14 at Quintero, is it similar in feel?
Bill, that's a fair comment about the tree on #9, but the photo is somewhat misleading in making it appear that the tree blocks shots from that bunker. At most, it might interfere with a shot from the far left edge of the bunker. I was actually thinking about the tree management issue the other day, and I can't think of another course anywhere that plays through a forest with less tree intrusion than Bandon Trails.
Does 16 have the same feel as 14 at Quintero? Not really, other than the fact that they're both uphill par 5's with a bunker left some 300 yards plus or minus off the tee. BT has much more width due to the prevailing headwind and plenty of fairway sideslope and undulation, while Quintero is pretty flat laterally as it slopes up the hill. At Quintero you just have to keep it straight and avoid the bunkers left and right, while at BT the challenge is dealing with the slopes and the wind.
Haven't played Sherwood, so can't make the comparison.