A Case Study Exploring the Accuracy of Forecasting the Winter Weather in Bandon

[John_Cullum]

Jeff

I think we at least got above 55 each day, and we never broke out the rain gear.

I'm rethinking the Bandon idea.

[jeffwarne]

Face it John,
you're a weather pussy and if it hadn't been for the prospect of our easy Yankee carpetbagging money, you would've stayed by the fire.

Like I'm doing today with 5 inches of fresh slop on the ground.

I'd go to the UK in winter before I'd go to Bandon in the winter.
But that's true for me in the summer as well, which as great as Bandon appears to be is the reason I've yet to go.

[John_Cullum]

Face it John,
you're a weather pussy and if it hadn't been for the prospect of our easy Yankee carpetbagging money, you would've stayed by the fire.

Absolutely

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

I am proud of those who braved the elements and played 36 a day in that weather. I am thankful to be a weather pussy. It was a nice balmy 73 here yesterday and a great day for golf.

[John_Cullum]

Do they give any sort of refund when your entire stay basically goes to hell because of miserable weather?

[John_Cullum]

I'd go to the UK in winter before I'd go to Bandon in the winter.
But that's true for me in the summer as well, which as great as Bandon appears to be is the reason I've yet to go.

At least in most places you'll go in the UK, you can find other things to do.

[Brad Tufts]

I have been a victim of the policy as you may say, as I didn't know it at the time...but their policy is that if you never start a round, they give you a credit for either a round or the $$ amount that never expires.

However, if you start, you are out the $$ no matter if you play one shot, one hole, or more..

We learned this the hard way when we stopped a round after 7 holes (during 45, raining, and winds gusting to 50-60+).  They pulled us off b/c of lightning, and the day before, one of the caddies said he had seen lightning two or three times in Bandon in 6 years.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

ok I will promote this weather pussy thing, but Bandon and Oregon in July August and September is incredible. You can get bad days in BC and Jasper as well but we all know that is out of sight great in the summer months as well. I have been to Bandon several times during the high season and the worst that can happen is some rain and lots of wind. I stayed last July until they kicked me out. Great golf from 7:30AM till dark every day. The only reason for a late start at 7:30 is I am into this health kick and wanted a full breakfast before starting the golfing day.

[Andy Troeger]

I have to admit...this thread hasn't helped bump Bandon up in my priority list either. I really want to see it someday, but right now I'm admittedly not to the point where the combination of cost, travel, and weather would push it to #1 on the priority list for golf trips no matter how good the golf.

[Jeff Doerr]

Andy,

It is so worth the risk. I've gone every winter since they first opened (except last year!). The first year we paid $265 for 2 nights, 2 rounds, 2 breakfasts and 1 dinner. All those rounds were in Feb/Mar. My memory is that 75% of the time we had no rain or maybe only a hole or two. In those years, only one round was truly brutal (after a pretty nice am round) and one had a stretch of about 4 holes of squall. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I don't think so. The courses are super playable with tough weather and the dry sauna and whirlpool are perfect to get your core body temp back up!

For most of us who think a round under 80 is great, so is a round under 90 or even 100 on a world class course in super tough conditions. Beating my buddy Charles by shooting 98 at Bandon Dunes will always be one of my legendary days on the links!

For any of you NE Atlanta folks, Charles is that mild mannered guy who joined your group and shot an effortless 75 from the blue tees, all while talking about the Georgia Bulldogs new recruiting class.

*Charles, if you read this, I'm hitting the range hard the next few weeks in hopes of keeping "The Burke" in Oregon!

[Andy Troeger]

Jeff,
I'm sure I'll do it, but you have to understand that I made the ultimate weather-wimp move by coming to Albuquerque where a real windy day is an annoyance and the sun always shines. After 25 years in the clouds of South Bend I don't want to rush back to it

I'm going to explore the Colorado mountains this year and probably work my way west from there, but Bandon's west too after all

[Mike Benham]

Well, they can spin it anyway they want, but over the weekend they had over 2   1/2 inches of rain, the highest temp was 49 degrees, and the winds were from 9 to 26 mph.  

I hope they brought some good books.                                                                              

Yes, you're right, the weather sucks, don't come, ever ...

[Jeff Doerr]

I believe 6 of 8 have smiles on their faces! Maybe 7, not quite sure about player #3.

Also, it looks like the weather was good enough for the Coast Guard to take a scenic flight over 13.  

[Peter Galea]

Thanks Mike, et al, for "taking one for the team".  I'll be there in a week and a half, for the first time. Hopefully you used up all the hail, a little rain and wind I can handle.  I'm looking forward to it.  Weather or not.

[Pete Lavallee]

Is the left handed golfer cold, or just calling in sick this week?

[JNagle]

Mike -

Your photos look alot like the ones I took of BT yesterday.  And the hail in your other photos look an awful lot like the hail we played in today.  We just finished our dinner at McKees Pub and it is 8:00 p.m.  We played in what some would consider the worst of weahter - cold, rain, hail and wind and you know what - who cares, it was awesome!  Afterall the weather by the end of today was incredible.

Sheep Ranch tommorrow, then Cypress.

Jim Nagle

[rjsimper]

Afterall the weather by the end of today was incredible.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh  

[Jack_Marr]

My SoCal buddies went on Super Bowl weekend and faced a similar forcast. They played 6 rounds in 4 days with I think only one really wet 18!

I'm trusting on better weather in mid-march. My struggle is what Irish whiskeys to bring for St. Patrick's Day!  

If you can get your hands on Redbreast 15, it is well worth it. Redbreast 12 is good too. Jameson 18 is great.

[Jeff Doerr]

Thanks Jack! Maybe I should have the whiskey as an OT thread...

Ryan, what's the final verdict on forcasting?

[rjsimper]

Jeff -

One day left, but so far for this guy (the group has come and gone at various points) the tally is 4 days of golf and 150 holes played

Full report after tomorrow (and I am sure some of the Santa Clara crew will chime in as they return late this evening)

[ed_getka]

Golfer #3 is David Kelly. He never smiles.

[Tom Huckaby]

I have returned.

Brief summary:

That picture is accurate as to the required dress for winter golf in Bandon.  That being said, well... I have a feeling more pictures will be posted at some point that will show the entire story.   But until that time, the bottom line is this:  I have zero regrets and would definitely return to Bandon in winter.  Married men are not supposed to have that much fun in life.  Whatever the weather gives, it comes and goes quickly and it sure as hell as very little long-term effect on the firm, fast turf conditions.  The courses are there for you to play, it's up to your own comfort level as to whether the golf will be your cup of tea.  It was certainly mine.

Oh yeah - Sheep Ranch is all that and more.  Good freakin' lord.  Ryan's pictures will tell our story.

TH

[Tim Pitner]

Alright Tom, Ryan and others,

I'm sure it was a good time (barring tragedy, any guys' golf trip will be), but I want some details.  How cold?  How wet?  How windy?

[Tom Huckaby]

The weather readings for the times we were playing the game would be lows of high 30s in the morning, highs of high 40s or maybe low 50s during the very best afternoon we had; intermittent rain and hail, times of glorious sun.  It never rained for all that long and the hail always came and went quickly.  That's one of the things that made it doable - the worst of the weather always passed through quickly.  We had periods of ungodly wind -5club wind - but never for all that long... that too passed quickly.  Suffice to say the weather was ever-changing.   Bottom line was once I dressed appropriately and with the proper jacket (as in that picture) I never felt either cold or wet once, even with the severe weather.  But severe it was.

As I say I can easily understand that this type of golf would not be everyone's cup of tea.  I can see not wanting to seek it out.  BUT... the cool thing remains that the golf courses are pretty unaffected.  The courses are there for you to play, and turf conditions were damn well the exact same as the summer.  It's just up to you what you can take.

Given it's less than half price as the summer... and the fact that even in summer you tend to get rain anyway... well, call me a Bandon winter convert.  I doubt I'll ever go back in summer - can't afford it. I'm glad I know how winter is.

TH

[Tim Leahy]

Tom and other weather stallworths, did they charge you for replays in that type of weather? Were there any other groups on the courses during the real bad weather? I don't see how they could charge anyone over a $100 a round in that type of weather with a conscience and then also charge you for a replay. Granted I am a weather wussy, I just couldn't see paying that kind of money in that kind of weather. Also please expound on the Sheep Ranch, did you layout your own holes at all.