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…

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

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.

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.
 

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.

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!

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.