Bandon Trails

[Jim Franklin]

I had the great pleasure of playing Bandon/Pacific Dunes and also 7 holes at Bandon trail were open. From the look of 1-5 & 17-18, this course will be a winner. The first tee is on one of the highest points on the property and you get a nice view of Bandon Dunes and the ocean. It is a medium length par 4 with a more generous landing area than seen from the tee.

#2 is a downhill par 3 with a huge hill on the right kind of like the par 3 #7 at CPC with the hill to the left.

#3 is a par 5 that reminded me of Friar's Head. It shares part of the fairway on #4. Both holes had great looking bunkers and #4 has a huge ridge running away from the tee left to right. The better angle of attack is from the left as the green is tucked against trees on the left.

#5 would be my favorite hole as the green is 50-60 yards deep and is a biarritz green. I have played a few true biarritz holes and those greens were relatively flat front and back, but this green has a cool little shelf front right and some other swales in the green as well.

#17 is a long par three in the Coore/Crenshaw design. And #18 is an uphill par 4 about 450 or so. These two were played in near darkness so the descriptions will need to wait until I play it again.

All in all, Bandon has another spectacular 18 holes coming.

[THuckaby2]

Fantastic - thanks for the report, Jim.  Are they going to continue to open holes throughout the winter/spring?  And what did they tell you the official opening date is?

It's going to be very interesting how this course compares to the other two, and how it's received.  VERY interesting indeed.

TH

[Jim Franklin]

I am not sure if more holes are going to open, but they seem confident the course should be ready to play early. I understand the grand opening is set for June.

I loved Pac Dunes and Bandon was just a notch below it, but still in the truly outstanding range. From the 7 holes I saw and the rough outline of a few others, it will be a completely different feel. Sand Hills/Friar's Head meet Bandon Trails. I can't wait for the finished product.

I met Bill Coore that night as well and he is a really nice person even if his company stole my club's former super .

[THuckaby2]

You are very gracious to Mr. Coore, Jim.  

Official opening is supposed to be June '05.  I know, I have tee times June 2-4.  

As you can imagine, I can't wait to see it also.  I'm just figuring they will have a lot of play on the new course, in some form or another, prior to the official opening - like they did with Pacific Dunes.

TH

[ed_getka]

Jim,
  Thanks for the feedback. What do you mean by #17 being "in the Coore/Crenshaw design"? I haven't seen enough of their work to detect a pattern, if that is what you are implying.

Tom,
   What courses are you playing? We are playing day 1 BT x2, day2 PD x2, day 3 BT x1 and BD x1.

[Jim Franklin]

Ed -

That's a good question. The hole felt like a C&C hole. I certainly don't want to say that all C&C holes are alike, but it had a certain something (to me anyway) that said C&C. There wasn't a lot of dirt moved, it flowed with the land around it, and it was getting dark, but it had that feel.

I have played a few C&C courses and I look forward to adding this one to my list.

[THuckaby2]

Tom,
   What courses are you playing? We are playing day 1 BT x2, day2 PD x2, day 3 BT x1 and BD x1.

Ed:  my times go
6/2     Bandon Dunes   1:00pm, 1:10 and 1:20

6/3     Bandon Trails     7:00, 7:10, and 7:20am
6/3     Pacific Dunes     1:30pm, 1:40 and 1:50
 
6/4     Bandon Trails     7:30, 7:40 and 7:50am
6/4     Pacific Dunes     2:50, 3:00 and 3:10pm

6/5     Bandon Dunes    7:40, 7:50 and 8:00am

By the time this rolls around, I might get there earlier and/or stay later, and add accordingly.  But that's what's reserved for now - group of 12 Santa Clara knuckleheads.

TH

[TEPaul]

As most everyone knows I'm a huge fan of Coore and Crenshaw and I'm sure the golf course will be a winner--I've never seen it but I did talk with Coore about it a few times in the last few months and he seems very high on it. HOWEVER, although I'm sure Coore & Crenshaw had nothing to do with the name----Bandon Trails---I mean come on---couldn't they have done better than that one!

I don't care how good the course is, with a name like that every time I played the place the name alone would make me expect to see Roy Rogers and Dale Evans riding by singing "Happy (Bandon) Trails to you".

[Steve_Roths]

Jim,

In the early play of Bandon Trails do they have a full scorecard for you to use or a temporary one?

[Keith Williams]

Thomas of Huckaby,

Be forwarned that by virtue of your scheduling you will not be experiencing Bandon Trails on any afternoon nor Pacific on any morning.  As a result you are restricted by the Treaty of Mucci under code 6.2 entitled "understanding all playing conditions throughout a 24 hour cycle".  According to this code you are labelled as "unqualified for comment" as a result of your playing schedule.

Under this restriction you are hereby required to do one of the following:  A)  Ammend your playing schedule so that you can account for all playing conditions throughout all daylight hours on the summer solstice.  B)  Refrain from making any comment on the play, design or strategy of either course from here unto eternity or C)  Mark all comments regarding not only these courses but all other golf courses with a disclaimer describing yourself as a "Mucci Violater" and stating that in no way should your comments be takens a truthful, honest, responsible or reflective of the game of golf in general.

Punishment for violating these restrictions is an 8 day, 7 night trip to Oregon with lodging at the Bandon Dunes resort but golf only at Sandpines (36 holes a day minimum).

 

Seriously, though, why BT only in the AM and PD only in the PM?

Keith.

[THuckaby2]

Keith:

If I governed my golf life but what I was able to say, or not say, in here, well... a limited life I would have.  But your warnings are noted.  

 

Why is it like that?  Because that's what was available, for a group of 12, on that weekend.  It is pretty much prime-time, the day after the new course opens.

But rest assured I doubt I'll just arrive for round 1 and leave immediately after round 6.  Oh I MIGHT do that, there are family realities.  But methinks that time might get utilized.

TH

[Jim Franklin]

Steve -

I did not use a scorecard and did not see one available either.

TEP -

I tend to agree with you on the name too and for that matter the logo. I love the Bandon and Pacific logos, but Trails is a butterfly. Although I could live with the name if there was a better logo to go with it.

[Steve_Roths]

Can you already buy Bandon Trails merchandise?  I assumed that they would hold that till the opening.  Is the clubhouse finished as well?  Sorry for all the questions.

[Jim Franklin]

I saw hats for sale and the clubhouse was being worked on while I was there. I did not notice any shirts.

[Scott_Burroughs]

Forest Dunes?  Taken, so wouldn't be original.

Pine Dunes?  Taken, too.

Oregon Dunes?  The name of the nearby National Recreation Area.

Since only some of the course is in dunes, then how about Partly Dunes?  Sometimes Dunes?  Occasionally Dunes?  

The original name of one of the additional courses at Bandon from their Master Plan was Randolph Dunes (really), but was changed at some point.  I think Mr. Morrissett wanted a piece of the action for naming it after him....


How about Keiser Dunes?


I'm partial to Slagban Dunes or Brigga Dunes.....

[Jim Franklin]

How about Forest Trails? Didn't they consider Bally Bandon? That would have been cool. How about Sheep Ranch II?

[Patrick_Mucci]

Keith Williams,

Have you read "Scotland's Gift" ?

[Matthew Schulte]

Jim:

Were the holes at Bandon Trails more protected from the wind than the inland holes at Pacific?

If so, Tom Huckaby's schedule is all the more flawed!    If it is more protected I would think an afternoon tee time on Bandon Trails would be quite coveted.

[THuckaby2]

Jim:

Were the holes at Bandon Trails more protected from the wind than the inland holes at Pacific?

If so, Tom Huckaby's schedule is all the more flawed!    If it is more protected I would think an afternoon tee time on Bandon Trails would be quite coveted.

Oh crap.  Might as well bag the whole thing now.

 

If Bandon Trails is as good as it looks, rest assured I will find a way to play some PM golf there.  There is a LOT of light in the day in June....

[Matthew Schulte]

Tom:

Fear not, I violated the Mucci rules as well by having only 3 rounds at Pacific to 2 rounds on Bandon.  

[JakaB]

Huck,

How much does a trip like you are going on cost a common guy like your buddies....not including travel....Can you share a room, play all that golf with either caddies or carts for under $1,500...

[ed_getka]

John,
  There aren't any carts for the medically able at Bandon. 3 days of 36 a day and room will be about $1,000. Food and caddies would be on top of that.

[THuckaby2]

Huck,

How much does a trip like you are going on cost a common guy like your buddies....not including travel....Can you share a room, play all that golf with either caddies or carts for under $1,500...

John:

The friends going on this trip are college buds, and are a lot less "common" than my normal golf partners.  They live all over the country, we tend to meet for something like this once every few years, and it's a splurge for us all.  I have to scrimp and save to make it happen - for many of these guys (FAR more well off than me) it's just a simple use of pocket money.

But since you asked, the costs will be around $1200 for room and all that golf.  Airfare is on top of that.  It's depressing for me to think about, thanks.  

BUT... a wise man once told me one can't put a price tag on a good time.  So every once in awhile, I save and splurge.

TH

[JakaB]

Huck,

I think $1,200 is a great deal for that much fun...it just proves how much more bang for the buck you get when you leave the wife and kids at home.....

[THuckaby2]

Huck,

I think $1,200 is a great deal for that much fun...it just proves how much more bang for the buck you get when you leave the wife and kids at home.....

Those words are my mantra, the reason I do as many golf trips as I do.  Just do remember that the $1200 doesn't include airfare or food and drink.  The airfare isn't that big of a deal as I do it... with these guys, the food and drink tab can get HUGE.  We don't exactly scrimp on that end.  Thankfully as trip organizer I tend to get a few free drinks.