Bandon or Kohler: Which is more "fun"?

[Tom_U]

I've got 4 days with my wife who plays a fair gaime. We've traveled far and wide in the past with rounds at Cruden Bay, Ireland (Ballybunion, Lahinch and Waterville--all in the rain sadly), and Pinehurst among others. If you've only got 4 days in July 2005 and are coming from the east coast, would you choose Bandon or Kohler? Let me also say that the premium here is on enjoying the rounds through a variety fun holes (not necessarily "challenging," though that's OK), good scenery, ambience, and good weather (hate having to pull out the Woodstock "no rain, no rain" chant on vacation).

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

A no brainer in my opinion, Bandon by a long shot.
Kohler is inferior in course design,course fun, atmosphere after the round..perhaps Kohler has superior food..at least that is wht the official guide says!!

I really do not think you can go wrong, the lilly pond chalets are even romantic after dark.......

Have a great time

[THuckaby2]

I'd agree with Michael, Bandon is the cat's meow, I am going there myself next June... EXCEPT... Tom U, you seem to put a premium on good weather.  Bandon being in Oregon, it's like Scotland - there is never a given time that it won't rain or be cold.  Of course the weather could be glorious and perfect... but it also bloody well could be cold and rainy, even in July.  And even in the best case scenario you better not hate wind.  

Now I have no idea what the weather would be like in Kohler in July, so maybe the case is moot... just be forewarned.

TH

[Tom_U]

Thanks, guys. Wind is fine (and fun)--it's the cold rain (and snow for Deadheads) that I can do without. I should point out that my wife's concern is the food and her perception of Bandon as a "guy's place" with no spa, but neither is a biggie for me. It's the on course fun factor and the off course away from it all feeling that I'm hoping to find.

[SL_Solow]

Its not that easy, I have been to both places several times.  Factors to consider; 1.  Transportation.  It sounds trivial but it starts and ends yout trip.  Bandon is twice as far and barring a private jet, once you arrive you have a drive of several hours.  Kohler fly to O'Hare and drive about 2 hrs all interstate or fly to Milwaukee and drive 1 hour.   2.  Hotel; both very good.  Kohler's American Club is a little bit fancier and unconventional but both are very comfortable.  3. Food  Both are quite good.  Kohler's Immigant Room is the "best" restaurant and the cottage in the nature preserve is very interesting.  The Bandon dining room is  better than the Kohler clubhouse or the hotel's main dining room. 4.  Other Attractions.  Neither town is much.  The Bandon area is gorgeous but Kohler is also scenic and has other activities associated with the hotel (exercise club, nature preserve, hunting and fishing, tennis).  5.  Weather.  I defer to Huck on the Oregon weather.  Wisconsin in the summer has the risk of thunderstorms but the days are usually high 70's to mid 80's with cool nights.  6.  Golf.  Both are great but Bandon is better.  Blackwolf River is a beautiful and challenging inland course.  Meadow/Valley also quite good.  You saw Whistling Straits on tv, the Irish course is not as good.  Bandon is simply the best.  Pacific Dunes is extra special and Bandon Dunes is not far behind imho.  I plan to visit to see the C&C course but early reports are great.  In short, both are outstanding places to visit.  For the golf experience, I think Bandon is unparalleled in the US as a resort although Pebble Beach can make a pretty good case.  But given the travel advantages and other nongolf factors a case can be made for you to choose Kohler.  Either way it should be a great trip.  Enjoy.

[THuckaby2]

Tom U:

Listen to the wise midwesterners Shel and Dave... if non-golf activities have ANYTHING to do with this at all, then the complete no-brainer here would have to be go to Kohler.  Of course Michael remains right about Bandon's positives, and it is one hell of a place... but if your wife wants spas and non-golf activities, well there is absolutely none of that in Bandon.  It is a guys - and golfing gals - place without a doubt.

It's like this:  my wife doesn't play.  I'd take her to Kohler in a heartbeat.  I'd take her to Bandon only at risk of losing the same.

TH

[Steve Lapper]

Bandon hands down!

Shivas does have some worthy arguments (#1,#3(especially the bathroom part),#5)

If you like hot steamy and humid, the weather at Kohler in July is for you. If not, the cool breezes, occasional rain and constant wind of Bandon easily surpass anything the muggy Midwest has to offer.

As for the Miller tour...Oregon microbrews are vastly better and certainly unique. On the other hand, if your wife is a Laverne & Shirley freak, maybe Milwaukee is for you. Of course, you can always plunk down the $10 spot and get a personal Jeffrey Dahmer tour of the lovely Milwaukee neighborhoods!

The course selection at BD,PD,BT et.al. blows Kohler away.

[THuckaby2]

Steve:

I'd agree with every word of that if this was purely about golf.

But Tom seems to have made it clear that non-golf activities are important... and to that end, my question is ARE THERE ANY at Bandon?

If the wife wants a spa and is worried about food quality, well... my worry is you take her to Bandon at pain of death.

It is heaven on earth for the golf addict, for sure.  And it's not like the food is bad - I love it.  But if that's a priority, well....

[Steve Lapper]

Steve:

I'd agree with every word of that if this was purely about golf.

But Tom seems to have made it clear that non-golf activities are important... and to that end, my question is ARE THERE ANY at Bandon?

If the wife wants a spa and is worried about food quality, well... my worry is you take her to Bandon at pain of death.

It is heaven on earth for the golf addict, for sure.  And it's not like the food is bad - I love it.  But if that's a priority, well....

Tom:

   Golf is all we are probably, or even remotely, qualified to speak of!

    Sounded to me like he wanted fun and spa's, though nice, weren't the focus for his sweet-swinging spouse.

    Of course, I would never think of bringing my wife along on any trip that didn't have fine faucets and life-transforming toliets!

[THuckaby2]

Steve:

But the spouse seems to be concerned that Bandon is a guy's place (and she's dead right about that), that the food isn't good, that there is no spa.  These are all extremely valid concerns.  Yes, I'd have to say the golf is superior at Bandon, as it is to ANY resort in the United States not named Pebble Beach.  But given there is absolutely nothing there besides the golf... and Kohler has all these advantages the midwesterns tout... well... I'd just hate to convince the wife of this and then have her looking around for what else there is, you know?

Perhaps full disclosure might solve this.  Just convince her that the golf is so great at Bandon the other things don't matter.  Tell her the food and drinks suck and she'll then be pleasantly surprised at how good they actually are there.  Same thing for the rooms.  

But if these are dealbreakers, well.... seems to me that with absolutely no downsides, Kohler carries the day here.

I think about these things a lot.  Can you tell?

 

[THuckaby2]

Holy shit... PETER FRAMPTON?  If that doesn't seal the deal nothing does.

DO, OOH YOU
FEEL LIKE I DO?

 

[THuckaby2]

OH MAN!!!!!

OK, you've now sold me.  I simply MUST get to this summerfest.  You want skeletons in the closet?  I was HUGE HUGE HUGE Styx fan up until about age 15.  More confessions?  I just went and bought Grand Illusion CD a dfew months ago...

My issue would be picking which stage to watch.  I mean Styx is a must, but Kool & The Gang, Pat Benatar and the Gin Blossoms are playing at the same time.... damn....

All right, that's it.  Kohler it is.  One can play great golf any time.  One can see shows like this only in Milwaukee.

 

[THuckaby2]

FWIW, this is the greatest music festival in the history of mankind for me personally.  Cheap freakin' Trick?  Unbelievable.  It's like they created the Tom Huckaby retro music that I still listen to today festival.

So OK, I had great love and respect for Milwaukee already, as the home of the wife of one of my best friends, the fact that Dick Daley lives not too far away, and it just has always seemed to me like a great place.  Shit, any city so focused on beer just wins in my book.

But now this?

It has become my personal mecca.

[Joel_Stewart]

I've been to both twice.  

Golf - Bandon
Food- Kohler
Access - Kohler
Weather - Kohler
Side trips- Kohler
Accomidations- Kohler (American Club)

My choice- Bandon

[THuckaby2]

Joel:

I get all that.  The golf is that great at Bandon.  But once again, if this is just golf addicts, then hell it is a no brainer.  I just don't see the great golf overcoming the other advantages for Kohler, when someone more into those things is involved.

So I'm gonna stick with Kohler here, the personal great music festival not even being a consideration.

I continue to just shudder to think about bringing someone to Bandon for whom golf is not the be all and end all.  

TH

[Michael Plunkett]

So much talk of side trips.     Bandon is a hallmark and Kohler is a toilet.    I jest.  

[Mike Erdmann]

I haven't been to Kohler, so can't make a direct comparison, but the question's been asked if there are any other "non-golf" activities in and around Bandon.  It really just depends on what your spouse wants for other activities.  If it's classy shopping and spas, then the Oregon coast isn't the place.  But don't lose sight of the fact that tourism is huge on the Oregon coast, especially in summer time.  The south Oregon coast is one of the most scenic spots in the entire country.  Those of you who have flown in to North Bend/Coos Bay and driven down to Bandon haven't seen it, nor have those who drive down I-5 from Portland and cut over the coastal mountains.  But drive south of Bandon along Hwy 101, or north of Reedsport up the coast towards Newport, and the scenery is absolutely spectacular.  Plenty of quaint little coastal towns that thrive on tourism.  If the wife is into sightseeing and the like, get her a rental car and she'd have plenty to do keeping her busy.

[Joe Hancock]

Also,

If one were to chose Kohler, they would be positioned about an hour from Lawsonia...not a bad day trip if I do say so myself.

Joe

[blasbe1]

Bandon, without hesitation, even with what equals an extra day travelling, it's worth it.

My wife and I visited both, Bandon for 4 days and Kohler for 4 days, while Kohler was great, Bandon is another world.  My wife who also plays a fair game considers it her favorite golf trip by a great margin, I agree with her.  Although the food was definitely a notch or two better at Kohler.

Plus, then Bandon Trails will be open, triple bonus

 

[blasbe1]

I should point out that my wife's concern is the food and her perception of Bandon as a "guy's place" with no spa, but neither is a biggie for me. It's the on course fun factor and the off course away from it all feeling that I'm hoping to find.

Food at Bandon is 3 - 3.5 out of a possible 5 (IMO but I'm a foodie) but there's a nice selection of Oregon Pinots to wash it all down with.

Food at Kohler, a solid 4.0 -4.5 out of 5 and could breach and it has great variety, one night I had wild boar that was delicious!

Spa smah, play 36 a day and they'll be no time for the Spa.  

Bandon is not a guys place, it's a golf place.  It's simple but refined, not overly rugged or otherwise masculine.  The Lodge is very comfortable and the bars and main restaurant are great.  

For on course fun factor I can't imagine topping Bandon and that's not considering Bandon Trails either, you certainly can't top or equal it at Kohler (IMO).

 

[Tom_U]

Thanks for all the advice. With no appearances by Starship or the Violent Femmes we've ruled out a side trip to Summerfest, though the riddims of Dread Zepplin doing their drop-step over-the-top version of "Kashmir" almost made the cut. (Of note, we caught Merlefest (www.merlefest.org) in 1999 prior to playing Pinehurst--you haven't lived until you've combined Bela Fleck and Donald Ross on the same trip).  As the occasion of the trip is my turning 40, I'm likely to spend the few brownie points I've earned in the last decade to go Bandon, but having made the mistake of letting my wife know I've started this thread, I may be s--- out of luck. One last point worth noting is that I may be going to Kohler with work friends prior to a meeting in Chicago in May, though it's by know means set in stone.
Keep the humorous (and the serious) opinions coming if you've got them!

[RJ_Daley]

I almost missed this thread.  Dave knows best...

Your caveat that the wife has to get something out of it too in the way of food and song and dance ices the decision.  You need to head to Kohler and area for a fine variety of golf, and if you can't get to Summerfest, not to worry.  On various weeks in June to August they have German Fest, Polish Fest, Festa Italiana, Irish Fest, and Afro Fest, all with first class ethnic entertainment.  Particularly if you like German food, Milwaukee has some of the really great restaurants in the country.

Besides Kohler, many within an hour are Lawsonia, and if you can wrangle a recipricol or invite, Blue Mound and Milwaukee CC.  There are many other top courses too.  I haven't seen Nicklaus's new "The Bull", but it is getting good reviews.  I can think of several budget saver courses that are darn good too, which includes Lawsonia twilight.

BUT, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence phenomenon.  So, I would pick the Bandon-Pac-Trails complex...  go figure....

[Jim Franklin]

Shiv and Huck -

Summerfest sounds like a blast. I am going to schedule a business/golf trip around that next summer. I will keep you posted.

I didn't think the bathrooms at Bandon were that bad. The transportation to Bandon wasn't as difficult as I was led to believe either. Puddle jumper to North Bend and then a 30 minute limo ride to Bandon with "Caddyshack" on the VCR made the trip pretty easy. The one weather issue I had at Kohler was fog. I couldn't see the first 7 1/2 holes when I played there in July.

[THuckaby2]

Well, it seems one can't go wrong with either of these really.  Tom U, just consider yourself forewarned re how this goes... your wife better be REALLY REALLY REALLY into golf or you are in big trouble taking her to Bandon.  If golf is what it's all about, then hell yes Bandon is the call.  But I continue to be troubled about your focus on other things (or hers)... to say there is literally nothing else but golf there is rather an understatement.  There is nothing else but golf there.  And I also think Jason B. described it perfectly... but I'd still not want to take anyone there for whom 36 holes a day is too FEW, you know?

But I love it, have mortgaged my marital future to go there once, am doing so again next year.

And Summerfest in Milwaukee has now become a personal quest.  Some time, some day.....

 

[A_Clay_Man]

I just tried to go to Bandon for one of last few days of OCTOBER. The logisitcs were imposingly frustrating. In the end, they had one slot, in one tee time, for me. So I didn't go.    Maybe Oct. is their busiest month? I'd check July.

I assume Kohler is a bit different, with all Pete, all the time.

The Kohler design center is something the wife will love. Especially if there's a bathroom or kitchen re-do, or a new house, in the not too distant picture.