Doodling imaginary golf holes in the late 1970s, to me golf architecture was about the placement of hazards. I spent hours trying to out Seminole the Seminole bunkering in terms of creating interesting playing angles.
 
Back then, the study of golf course architecture boiled down to The World Atlas of Golf. As the years went by, more and more books came out but none did much to further an appreciation of the full breadth of challenges that golf course architects face on a project by project basis. What I thought was their primary job (placing hazards and building neat greens) is really the more detail side of their job.
 
Potentially the harder part - and this is what largely separates the good from the great architects – is in the routing of the course and in capturing the best natural features of a site within the golf holes. No course that I have ever played better highlights this than Bandon Trails.
 
The course now known as Bandon Trails could easily have been a fine inland course through spruce, cedar and fir trees. With a very good architect, it might have been the equal of some of the finest inland courses around Portland and Seattle. However, courtesy of the right owner, right green keeper and great architect, what has emerged is a course far more unique and compelling.
 
Not a single architect (including Bill Coore) would opt for the Trails site over the PacDunes site. Yet, the final sequencing of holes at Bandon Trails is so good, the holes so well done and so varied, that the golfer is left wondering if the course might not occupy the best property of the three courses at the Bandon Resort. The fact that such a notion even creeps into the golfer’s head is a sure sign that something very special occurred here during the routing and construction of this course.
 
The course profile outlines how the routing and course evolved so I won’t repeat it here. Suffice to say, Coore & Crenshaw’s fabulously slow work process coupled with an owner that showed great flexibility throughout highlights what it takes for a course to go from good to world class.
 
Scattered across the country and indeed the world, there are so many fine pieces of property that don’t quite yield the course that it could have. This is such a shame. Would it be interesting to do a course profile on such a course? Perhaps (and it would be easy to pick one living in North Carolina), but who wants to read about a bungled routing, the lack of thought that went into holes, or the lack of detail work?  
 
Despite the day to day spitting wars   within the Discussion Group, GolfClubAtlas.com is meant to be a positive site, intended to capture and highlight the finest virtues found within golf course architecture. And there is no better example of doing it the right way than Bandon Trails. This wasn’t a Sand Hills type site that started as a 9 or 10 out of 10. Bottom line to me:  Bandon Trails never should have been as great as it is. A month after playing it, I remain in awe of what was accomplished and it really makes for a fascinating study.
 
Best of all, it is open to all us to go see and play. Whenever The World Atlas of Golf is next re-done, this course and the story behind it need to be included as an example of the way forward for others to emulate. I asked Coore last night at dinner what he would have done differently if it was a private course. His response after he went through the holes, “Nothing, I can’t tell you how proud of it we are exactly as it is.”
 
Cheers,
 
PS My playing partner, painter Josh Smith www.joshuacfsmith.com (the painting of the 3rd at RCD is one I commissioned from him), deserves credit for the idea of taking the photos in black & white. As we were leaving the 1st tee, I was grumbling because it was noon on a gray day with flat light – there was no hope of good photos. Josh suggested taking the photos in b&w. I explained to him that wasn’t an option as ‘the chip in my digital camera must be a color one as the photos are always in color.’   With pity etched across his face, he snatched my camera from me, hit three buttons, and viola, I was set for the day. See what you think…..

Another fantastic review - great work, Ran.  I believe it's rather topically posted too, given 8 regulars just returned from playing this course at least twice each.

There is so much to comment on, jeez where does one begin?  I guess for now I'll just stick to basics.

1.  I'm not sure I like the black and white.  Oh, it's artsy, and it's neat, but I found myself wishing to see the real colors I just left.  Maybe that's because I played the course two days ago... but for me a little black and white goes a long way.

2. Did you really play nothing but black tees, as your distances on each hole list?  My experience is that those are played pretty infrequently... green would be more common.  Especially in winter wind, jeez playing #2 at 210 would be suicidal.  I guess it would get too wordy and complex to list each appropriate distance to be played in summer and winter, but on the other hand you give a very strange impression listing #2 at 210.  Just a thought.

As for overall impressions of the course itself, young Ryan Simper said as we played "I've come to like it more and more each playing."  And I concur with that.  I too find it aptly named - the best "journey" to be found at the resort.  I love it.  

TH

Dr. V:  I'm not sure it's correct - hell I haven't played any of the ones you just listed so I don't know what holes at Trails were picked from them - but let's say C&C do have a certain formulaic style.  It's easy to see a similarity in the brutal greensite on a short par 4 thing at each of Trails and Cuscowilla, for example, so I get the point. Then again, there's not one iota of similarity at Kapalua Plantation and either Trails or Cuscowilla, not that I see... but let's say they are formulaic.

Why would this matter?  Isn't the universe of people who would notice this very very small, simply because very few people play multiple C&C courses?

Or is it just because we want them to push their art further at future courses?

I could see that.  But if the worry is a consumer will tire of playing any current C&C course because he's seen some concepts too much, well... that I don't buy.

Bill,
What holes do you think were picked from OS, HC and FH?


I was in Bandon last week and had high expectations for Bandon Trails after Ran's glowing report. It is an amazing golf course and it did not surprise me that it is a number of people's favourite course at the resort. It is a wonderful journey, with some truly amazing holes and a superb set of greens.

Despite the day to day spitting wars   within the Discussion Group, GolfClubAtlas.com is meant to be a positive site, intended to capture and highlight the finest virtues found within golf course architecture.

 

Bill:

Check this map, which shows the prevailing wind.  #16 is pretty much purely helping in the prevailing winter wind, which we had for the most part - although we did get shifts.

http://www.bandondunesgolf.com/h_course.cfm

I'm with you on the overall assessment - and have the same question.  I doubt Trails will ever get the acclaim of the other two just because it has fewer dunesy holes and leaves the view of the ocean for all except a few.  But that doesn't make it any less great... man it's a tough call in my mind as to where it stands vis-a-vis the other two.  Call me a happy camper to play it any time.

TH

George:  oh I get Ran's explanation as well - given the grey days he faced these wouldn't have been Aidan Bradley masterpieces - but I still would prefer imperfect color photos to those black and whites.  Again maybe it's me.  But I also saw lots of the photos Benham and Simper took while there last week, and in imperfect light they looked pretty damn good.

BTW, forget sea level concerns - get there before standard costs get to 4 figures per day - and that doesn't seem to be all that far off.

TH

I also am thankful for the quality review of Bandon Trails.  As one who has gone on record that BT may be the best of the 3 tracks, I am now trying to look at BD and PD through Mucci colored lenses.  Ran hit the nail on the head noting the thoughtfullness of Coore's routing.  That has always been what has really excited me about BT.  Now I can't help but think that maybe the ocean could be a limiting factor in both GCA and my own analysis of BD and PD.  Don't get me wrong, I can't get on my horse and say anything truly negative about either PD or BD, but maybe I have myself been overcome by the WOW factor in BD and PD.

Any justification of Mucci's theories are purely coincidental and unintentional.  I am putting a self imposed ban of 48 hours on myself for punishment.

Just a general comment re: a few of the posts here. I think the term "one-trick pony (OTP)" gets a bad rap. I think that not only is it OK to be a OTP, but that it's almost an essential part of being a great and original talent.  I think that most of the great artists, in any field, could be described as OTPs; it's just that usually we call it their "style". On other recent threads, the question of whether C&C are OTPs has come up. I don't know the answer to that, but if they are I think it's a compliment.

What I mean is: if you like jazz, you can tell in half a chorus that you're listening to Armstrong or Coltrane or Monk (or Lester Young or Charlie Parker etc, etc). Why is that? Because for all their creativity, they actually repeat themselves all the time (note choices, favourite riffs/keys). And that doesn't take away from their creativity; in fact, it is a crucial part of their creativity. Why that's true for the great jazz men while not true for their lessers (e.g. those who copy them, or those with a lot of technique but nothing to say) is part of the mystery of talent.

The same goes for painting: with only one square inch of canvas you could tell a Van Gogh from a Matisse from a Vermeer. Their technique and approach and style was so set, and familiar, and yet they used it in the service of many different subjects, and so their whole bodies of work stand the test of time.  

I guess what I'm saying is that great and original artists embrace the idea of being an OTP, and they embrace it wholly and boldly, because they're embracing themselves, and who they are.  It's the mediocre ones who are always searching for something different, who always feel they have to prove or demonstrate something new, and who never realize or embrace that it's their unique (and unchanging) individuality which leads to (a variety) of great work.

Peter

Michael:

Well, I'd just say there's really no reason to feel like you have to tone down your personal wow factor.  If the wow factor exists, then why tone it down?  Architecture is fine, but playing the game and enjoying one's self is what it's all about.

BUT... the greater point is likely what's making your brain hurt, as it does mine:  when you find yourself playing a course without the same obvious wow factor and you're still marveling at what a freakin' great course it is, then that really is something.  And that happens at Trails without a doubt... at least more compared to it's neighbors.  But then again Trails has a LOT of obvious wow factor compared to my local Santa Teresa, that's for sure... the firm and fast conditions and cool bunkering and tall trees and ocean views in the distance are pretty big wows in and of themselves.

TH

One of the perplexing things I found myself pondering is, after playing any of the courses at Bandon, how do you go back to the local muni track and get excited for that? Is there like a 2 week settling period there?  

The same issue exists upon return from Scotland or Ireland, or after playing any group of great courses.  It is tough to get excited about one's local fare.

BUT... for me, it remains all about playing the game.  If someone told me I could play Santa Teresa this weekend rather than complete a long list of honey-dos for a very pissed off wife with debt retribution on her mind, hell yes I'd get excited.  It does remain all about playing the game for me, and the venues are important, but secondary.

One other funny thing that does happen after playing these firm and fast courses is you find yourself still trying to run everything in... it does take awhile to readjust to the aerial game.

TH

Cary - interesting take.  I'd have no problem with anyone who ranked the three courses there in any particular order - to me they're all damn great and which course one favors just might come down to personal preference.

I've gone three times up there now, and well... I can't agree that the greens at BT are more resistant to scoring.  How do you mean that - just re putting?  I found them no more difficult than the other two courses.  Then if you count surrounds, well... there seems to be exactly one at BT where score-killing disasters can occur - 14.  Other than that the surrounds are interesting as hell for sure, but nothing close to comparable to the disasters that can occur at so many holes at each of BD and PD.  Thus I am not getting you there.

Interestingly too, each time I've gone my best scores have come at BT.  Worst are always at PD.  Perhaps we'd need to dissect each of our games to find why this is... I tend to drive the ball well but suck from 150 to the green, while somehow still putting pretty well.  Maybe that explains it, maybe not.

TH

Cary - interesting take.

  Perhaps we'd need to dissect each of our games to find why this is... I tend to drive the ball well but suck from 150 to the green, while somehow still putting pretty well.  Maybe that explains it, maybe not.

TH

I hit the ball pretty straight, but clearly the best part of my game is my wedges and I have found the C & C greens more difficult re: chipping, pitching, flopping, etc, all the finer shots where I get up and down.

I think it is the irregular green surfaces that resist scoring, if your chips hit the up slope v a flat spot or down slope can make a 6' to 10' difference in what you have left.

On long chips, I find it more difficult to calculate all the nuiances they incorporate into their greens and some of their greens fall away and are not pitched up and they sort of camaflogue that.

I think you need more local knowledge to score better on their greens.

Cary