Time for debriefing-  Photos are below, but there are first several issues to address and report on.

First of all, let's review the forecast as of Friday afternoon for zip code 97411:

Weather.com

Sat - 47/40 - Rain
Sun - 44/38 - Rain
Mon - 42/36 - Rain
Tue - 43/37 - Showers
Wed - 43/39 - Showers

Let it further be known that the forecast grew even more grim as the week progressed.  Each day on the weather.com golf index as of the night before was given a "0" out of 10 rating for golf.

The reality is that Saturday was the worst of our days with rain on probably 15 of 36 holes and a steady wind throughout.

The REAL observed weather can be broken down as below:

Saturday - Cloudy, Windy, and Intermittent Rain/Hail
Sunday - Cloudy, Breezy, Occasional Showers/Hail
Monday - Partly Cloudy, Calm AM, Breezy PM, Periodic Showers breaking long bouts of glorious sunshine
Tuesday - Partly Cloudy, Breezy, Periodic Showers and Hail
Wednesday - Partly Cloudy, Windy, Occasional Rain/Hail

36 holes were offered to the group every single day we were there, and with the exception of the NorCal contingent who understandably left early Tuesday to get a head start on the snowy ride home, every single hole was played.  Chalk up 10 rounds at the resort and one 22 hole day at the Sheep Ranch for this guy.  Of those, only 2-3 holes were what we would call unplayable, and perhaps 20 other holes affected by strong squalls.

One thing about the weather - you could always see it gathering and could predict when you'd have a tough time and when it was smooth sailing.

Forecast-wise, the temperature was mostly accurate.  Before you all go put big red Xs through winter in Bandon, allow me to further share that the cold was NOT a problem once you dressed properly for it.  Sure, things got a bit hairy when it was cold+rain+wind, but to a man, the cold was the least of our worries.  Brian Noser and I even hit the range 3 mornings in 32 degrees.  With the right layers, it's a non-issue.

Some other musings on individual topics-

Rain Checks - They are very strict on this.  Your first round of the day is GUARANTEED.  That is, either you play it, or you get a voucher good for resort credit.  There are no refunds.  Additionally, once you hit your first tee shot, you've committed to the round.  There are no partial rain checks.  Afternoon replay rounds are not guaranteed and can be cancelled at any time without any charges.  Not a single person requested a voucher in our group, though many times seemed as though they were cancelled by less hardy guests.

Clientele- The theory goes that the winter clientele is the hardcore golfer while the Pebble Beach crowd takes over in summer.  I can't vouch for the latter, but I can say that comparing April 2006 to February 2007, I did not notice a difference in the guest demographic.  Perhaps the only oddity was the frequency of locals and Oregonians out for a day or weekend trip.  One mentioned that in the off-season, locals get a better rate than guests (this is not the case in high season where Oregonians pay the resort guest rate).

Golf Courses - Firm and Fast.  Let me say that again, Firm and Fast.  Not until the last 2 days did they really begin to show the effects of continious rain showers, and some standing water and soft spots developed, but this just made the courses play slower (but still faster/firmer than your local haunt unless you live in Scotland).

Food- The Trails clubhouse is not open for dinner in the off-season - make reservations if you've got 4 or more people.  The meatloaf is good, but not "to-die-for" as we might otherwise guess from the reviews.  Most of us had it, and not a rave (or a complaint) was heard.

Umbrellas- Last year I was told that Umbrellas are useless in Bandon.  I've even passed this "pearl" on to others.  Let me correct my mistake.  Umbrellas are VERY helpful...you just need to pick your moments.  The first day I left mine in the room and by the end of it, I was soaked through to the bone.  An umbrella, assuming it's a wind-beater type and you have patience to hang on for dear life, can keep some of the sronger showers off of you and probably save a lot of energy for a PM round (and prevents you from having soaking wet rain gear).  Just beware, close it between shots, and realize that it's the lesser of two evils.

Transportation- If anyone needs a ride from North Bend airport to the resort, I've got the company for you - without getting into too many details, let's just say I had an absolute disaster of a time both getting to Bandon and leaving North Bend.  I am greatly indebted to the owner of the transportation company we used for really saving the day...twice.  PM me for info (and it's the best priced service, as well - believe me, I called everywhere).

Sheep Ranch- Unbelieveable.  I hear for some it's Nirvana and for others it's not their cup of tea - Let me just say that for Mr's Brian Noser, Thomas Huckaby, and myself, it was the former.  Spending 3.5 hours out there in the sunshine was unforgettable.  There are 4 all-world par 4s along the cliffs and tons of other great holes inland.  Go to each of the cliffside point greens and the tee box on the ocean-side of them, and tee off in both directions from each, hugging the cliffs as closely as you dare.  Wow.  The conditions were EXCELLENT.  Fairways a little shaggy but I've seen worse at local municipal tracks, and the greens were practically as fast as, and rolled more purely than the 2 oceanside resort courses.  This was a pleasant surprise for winter.

Sunset - Sunset was listed at 6:06pm for the last day of our trip. Brian and I finished our 54th hole on Pacific at 6:30, though it was a challenge.  Consider your outer limits of playable time at about 20 minutes past sunset if you've got good eyes...10 if you don't.

Photos will follow in my next post, but in conclusion let me say this-

1- Bandon in winter is eminently doable, and in fact I do not think I would ever go in summer unless my economic status changes drastically.

2- The staff said that this was by FAR the most severe February weather they'd ever seen, both in terms of the freqency of hail (which was actually preferred to rain) and the fact that it was 10 degrees colder than normal.

3- Even with conditions lesser than those we encountered, I would have had a blast - thanks to everyone who joined the group, we shall have to do it again....

Photos on my next post

Note that Ryan is excited by his trip to the point where he is posting at length at 7:05 AM PST, on a day that his work e-mail message says he has off.

Simper is not to be messed with in terms of intensity.

Thus, it should come as no surprise that he was once able to subsist for 6-8 weeks on nothing but frozen hot dogs and Polar Orange Dry.

I have also witnessed his downing of 2 liters of Mello Yellow in one sitting, admittedly not of his own accord.  I don't believe he has had a drop of the stuff since.

WOW.

Excellent documentary, my friend.  But you shorted me on my height - I'm 9' 9" and proud of it.  

Here's the thing about Sheep Ranch - those pics are excellent for sure.  They do as good a job of anything I've ever seen of capturing the feel of the place.  Still, one does have to see it to believe it.  And I would certainly encourage one and all to do so if you can, and soon, before it changes to a real golf course or ceases to exist.  I am damn glad I got the chance.

As for the courses proper, they've been discussed to death of course.  But what Ryan's pics show so perfectly is the ever-changing weather, which is what would seem to make winter doable.  Don't like the rain?  Wait 10 minutes, it'll stop.  Don't like high winds?  Bust through them for awhile, they'll die down.  And then man when it all clears out and you get the sun.... it really is magic.

I firmly believe there are a few golf heavens on this planet; Bandon is one for sure.

One other comment about the clientele and feel of the place - Ryan captured that well also.  In winter it did seem to be more die-hard golfers, less belt-notchers.  Less people on the courses was a good thing also.

TH

Huck, I was thinking the same thing as I looked at those pictures. You guys were there during the worst of times weather wise and it is still one of the great places on the planet. Bandon dunes is a special place. Did they have a hillbilly discount?

Well let's sure as hell hope so.  Hillbillies do deserve such things.

 

Ryan:

Superb pictures and insightful analysis.

I've been to Bandon and have played all of the courses there on several visits. I have to say that the weather conditions one encounters there rate among the most challenging one can face here in the USA.

The Oregon coast is ALWAYS unpredictable -- even during the height of summer.

My take is that you guys got unlucky (probably beacuse one of you has bad karma) and got about as bad of a weather pattern as you're likely to see; yet it was still enough playable weather that it was not a wasted trip.

This was $205.00/day. Ryan, how much was the cost in April last year? And how much difference in the weather?

Did they have a hillbilly discount?

No, but thanks to yours truly a cup of chowder followed by the meatloaf is known as the Hillbilly Surf N Turf.

Mike

At first (quick) glance, I thought Huck was doing something different in this pic.

Praying ?

Thanks for the great pix Ryan. I wish I had the resources to join you this time around. Anybody who wants to do this next winter let me know.
    How deep are the patchs of rough these days at Sheep Ranch?

Bogey,
   Hillbilly surf and turf. I love it.

Those are Scottish Highlands...

JC:  Ouch.  I have a lot of guilt so you did hit me where I live.  But if I was the cause of the bad weather, was I also the cause of the good?  Because we got quite a bit of fine playable weather also.  

No, you don't get credit for the good weather-that was graciously granted because of your comrades' innocence.

Don't question your guilt. It was instilled into you by those carmalites at a very early age. It is who you are, there is nothing you can do about it.

... during the FIRST week of Lent no less ...

We even had fish on the drive up on Friday ... and I am sure Huck would point that we were in the Sistine Chapel of Golf (West Coast Branch) for 4-days ...

Indeed yes, the eating requirements for Catholics in lent were recognized and followed on the drive up, at a Burger King no less.  Their fish sandwich was actually not horrible.

But wait a second... two of us followed the rules... one didn't.... might we have just identified the REAL culprit for the bad karma?  I mean my guilt is one thing but flaunting the rules of Catholicism so blatantly is another...

The guilty party shall go nameless, but he now knows the true nature of his crime.