Bandon Dunes Handicap Help....

« **on:** February 12, 2009, 04:41:58 PM »

Gents,

Who better to answer this question than my friends at GCA. I am taking a group of members to Bandon in March (cross your fingers on the weather for us) and I am trying to figure out which tees to play on the three courses. Below are their current handicap indexes:

5.0
6.9
7.8
9.8
12.3
15.0
15.4

Any help or suggestions are appreciated.

Seth

« **Reply #1 on:** February 12, 2009, 04:45:10 PM »

Seth:

It really ought to turn more on wind/weather than handicaps. If you have inclement weather or high winds (quite likely in March), it would be quite a chore to play back tees on any of the courses. If the weather is fair, the can't you separate, have each play what they want?

If all have to be on same tees, well... I'd suggest one up from the back no matter what. The tips at each course get pretty darn long.

TH

« **Reply #2 on:** February 12, 2009, 04:45:30 PM »

Seth,

The regular "Green" (not sure if this is the same on all three courses) men's tees should be fine for everyone on that list. It will be all you can handle if/when the wind picks up.

Have fun!!

« **Reply #3 on:** February 12, 2009, 04:54:48 PM »

I do not believe, even in calm weather, a group with those handicaps should play anything longer than the Green tees. The first hole at Pac Dunes would likely take 20 minutes per foursome from the black tees.

« **Reply #4 on:** February 12, 2009, 05:28:51 PM »

Seth,

This is not the place to push the length to the tips. I've played all three back sets and honestly, it's not that much fun. The wind can be brutal. Move up and enjoy the experience.

Greg

« **Reply #5 on:** February 12, 2009, 05:40:35 PM »

Seth,

You, of course, will be playing the back tees at all times...

As for the others, I think that if the conditions aren't too bad anyone under a 10 handicap could play the back tees at Pacific and Bandon Dunes after an initial round or two from the green tees on those courses. Though they would find it challenging, it's a fun challenge and not a penal one IMO. I particularly like playing Pacific from both the green and back tees for variety's sake. I can't speak to Bandon Trails as I've never played it.

« **Reply #6 on:** February 12, 2009, 05:52:12 PM »

Thanks for the responses guys. I have played all three courses from the back tees with a group of pro's and we had a blast. I have also played the green tees on all three with members and it was more than enough for most.

The one issue I will have to deal with is, coming from Colorado, everyone thinks that 6500 yards is short. They will quickly realize when their 5 iron flies 120 into a 25 mph wind that the back tees are not for them. Everyone playing the same tees will help with the betting and also allows for more fraternizing and playful needling.

Doug,
Thanks for your response. I would love nothing more than to tee it up from the back tees but ultimately this trip is way more about my members having a good time than for me to test my game.

Any more thoughts?

« **Reply #7 on:** February 12, 2009, 05:58:54 PM »

Let them play the first round from the blacks. All will shoot double their handicaps at best (unless the wind is down) and at that point you may politely suggest moving up one set so as to have a little more fun.

My last trip there was no handicap higher than 7 or 8 I believe, and most in the 3-5 range, and there was no objection from anyone on playing the green tees after day one.

« **Reply #8 on:** February 12, 2009, 06:10:55 PM »

Quote from: Seth Berliner on February 12, 2009, 05:52:12 PM

Doug,
Thanks for your response. I would love nothing more than to tee it up from the back tees but ultimately this trip is way more about my members having a good time than for me to test my game.

Ah, client golf is it? The green tees for sure!

« **Reply #9 on:** February 12, 2009, 06:15:07 PM »

Black tees in the morning when the wind is relatively down and green tees in the afternoon when the wind is up? That has worked well for us at Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes; I've never played Trails from the blacks. We've also done greens only at all 3 courses and that worked fine too.

« **Reply #10 on:** February 12, 2009, 06:31:38 PM »

My Dad has a 23 index, one brother 20, the other 18 and I have a 9 and we always play the green tees at the three, now four, courses and it seems to work out just fine. Note though that on Trails the green tees have a higher slope than the far back black tees. One of the few courses I have seen that.

« **Reply #11 on:** February 12, 2009, 06:38:31 PM »

How long off the tee are the higher handicaps? At 200 they should play greens, at 225-230 they should go back one. Bandon does a fairly good job at managning the tee blocks with the expected winds. This website is a good one to check a day or so before you leave. It is their wind vector fx map.
http://www.iwindsurf.com/windandwhere.iws?regionID=122&regionProductID=2&timeoffset=1

« **Reply #12 on:** February 12, 2009, 07:07:44 PM »

Seth,

I did this same trip with a group of similar HDCP'ed guys last March. We hd great weather, mostly calm or light breezes and from the green tees had a load of fun. Remember your group will be playing on hard, fast, and firm surfaces even in March, and unless your used to it, it adds a lot of difficulty for most, especially if the idea of landing the ball 10-40yards short of the green is inconceivable. All of the courses place an emphasis on positioning in their own ways, and even as a +2 I can just belt driver off every tee if a I really want to score well, infact because the courses are often far narrower the closer you get to the greens thus very mentally challening for the longer more skilled players, and yet the higher handicappers cann't belt it, and have a reasonble chance at gettingin somewhere near the greens without too much trouble.

Play the green tees you'll all have a blast

« **Reply #13 on:** February 12, 2009, 09:15:19 PM »

Seth,

In my experience (5 seasons), the biggest mistake that guests make is basing their tee selection on
yardage only. Guests look at the reasonably short yardages for the back tees and think there is no way I want to play from the green tees. The courses are already difficult, especially for those that have little/no experience with links golf. I would say that 90%+ of guests WILL NOT break net par the first couple times playing the courses even if there is little or no wind.

If the wind is forecast for 15+, I would not recommend anything but the green tees for your group. However, if your group really wants to play the blacks...
The easiest in wind is Bandon Dunes (more crosswind holes)
followed by Trails (the trees provide some shelter unless it is blowing 20+)
Pacific is the toughest (more holes into and downwind)

Have a great time and enjoy the experience.

« **Reply #14 on:** February 12, 2009, 11:28:15 PM »

The UK gets this right.
Yellow tees and occasionally white tees.
Very rarely are the blue tees unveiled, and the courses over there are typically shorter(due to their age) even from their back tees

Seriously, why would a 15 index (16-18 hdcp) even consider playing the back tees on a modern golf course, much less in one of the windiest locales in the world?
Maybe the single digits(hdcp not index) and the pro slip back there for one or two of the rounds. 4 up-4 back.
Of course you could always play a mix for the single digits too

« **Reply #15 on:** February 13, 2009, 03:01:38 AM »

Quote from: Damon Groves on February 12, 2009, 06:31:38 PM

Note though that on Trails the green tees have a higher slope than the far back black tees. One of the few courses I have seen that.

That seems real strange to me. Is the CR a whole lot higher from the backs? Would like to see the exact numbers on both sets of tees.

« **Reply #16 on:** February 13, 2009, 03:47:25 AM »

Looking at the yardages (6100ish to 6300ish from the greens) and the handicaps (5ish to 15ish) I would say the most important consideration has to be the high cappers. It seems to me that there are no serious guns in this group (the hosting pro doesn't count I assume) so why would folks want to back up to the rear tees? More than half the group has no business considering the back tees and the other half should probably only consider it briefly! I have always been a fan of forward tees and have in the past used a few tricks to get my point across to bitchers about short courses. More than once I have offered the choice of the following days' tees to the guy who breaks 80. Conversely, I have also made the same offer to the guy who shoots over 100. Many more times than not, the 100 shooter makes the decision and they never want to step back. Usually, the bitchers in the group stop whinging once they get a dose of links reality. Nowadays, there is never a debate about the tees. Assuming we have a choice, we always move up and if the weather is dicey on many holes we often move up another set (often ladies or seniors). The goal is have fun and part of having fun is to finish in less than 4 hours. Its a consideration folks don't pay enough attention to.

Ciao

« **Reply #17 on:** February 13, 2009, 05:02:07 AM »

We talked about Bandon last night, 12 of us planning a trip, one brought up that there was nothing to do on the evening, he wants to go to Myrtle beach, the price came up, three others seemed in favour of Myrtle Beach. Also very hard to get too from the UK with a long treck from the airport.

How much is true and what are the figures?

« **Reply #18 on:** February 13, 2009, 06:07:37 AM »

Quote from: Adrian_Stiff on February 13, 2009, 05:02:07 AM

We talked about Bandon last night, 12 of us planning a trip, one brought up that there was nothing to do on the evening, he wants to go to Myrtle beach, the price came up, three others seemed in favour of Myrtle Beach. Also very hard to get too from the UK with a long treck from the airport.

How much is true and what are the figures?

Adrian

There is no question getting to Bandon is a pain in the ass, the cost of getting there is high for most people and the cost of golf will be comparably high.

My question would be what do guys want to do at night? Usually golfers are too knackered to do anything but have a meal and a few relaxing drinks then hit the hay. OK, there may be a night or two of rather mild revelry, but that is about it.

If they are thinking Myrtle Beach is some sort of night life haven they will be sadly disappointed. In fact, for those coming from the UK, its dreadful. Restaurants close early, bars shut down and there is virtually no place to walk. What is mainly there is mediocre golf courses - can you tell I am not a fan and couldn't fathom why someone would cross an ocean to visit there? MB may be fairly cheap, but it comes at a price if you know what I mean. If you are with a group of guys that want some nightlife and aren't too picky about the golf you are far better off heading for a city type destination such as Charleston, Phoenix or whatever, but these sorts of places will generally run much more expensive than MB.

Ciao

« **Reply #19 on:** February 13, 2009, 06:51:48 AM »

Sean- They go to Myrtle lots and love the quality of golf. I said the only place I was interested in going was Bandon because of the quality of golf. The next problem will be buggies! Still what are the costs? How far from Portland? Lodging costs? Green fees?

« **Reply #20 on:** February 13, 2009, 07:04:09 AM »

How far from Portland?
http://www.bandondunesgolf.com/documents/PortlandtoBandon_000.pdf

Green fees?
http://www.bandondunesgolf.com/green_fees.cfm

Lodging costs?
http://www.bandondunesgolf.com/rates.cfm

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

FYI
http://www.bandondunesgolf.com/life_after.cfm

All in all, I think it looks a great place to spend 3 or 4 days. I guarantee you I would take this over Myrtle Beach.

Ciao

« **Reply #21 on:** February 13, 2009, 07:14:09 AM »

Muchos Gracias Senor Arble.

« **Reply #22 on:** February 13, 2009, 09:52:33 AM »

Some great thoughts here gents and truly appreciated!

« **Reply #23 on:** February 13, 2009, 01:08:42 PM »

Quote from: Adrian_Stiff on February 13, 2009, 05:02:07 AM

We talked about Bandon last night, 12 of us planning a trip, one brought up that there was nothing to do on the evening, he wants to go to Myrtle beach, the price came up, three others seemed in favour of Myrtle Beach. Also very hard to get too from the UK with a long treck from the airport.

Not that Bandon isn't worth the trip but would a group from the UK want to travel all that way to have a somewhat UK-like golf experience (seaside links style, cold, windy, rainy... ) ?

They might be forgiven for wanting something at least _warmer_

« **Reply #24 on:** February 13, 2009, 01:26:18 PM »

Quote from: Tom Yost on February 13, 2009, 01:08:42 PM

Quote from: Adrian_Stiff on February 13, 2009, 05:02:07 AM
We talked about Bandon last night, 12 of us planning a trip, one brought up that there was nothing to do on the evening, he wants to go to Myrtle beach, the price came up, three others seemed in favour of Myrtle Beach. Also very hard to get too from the UK with a long treck from the airport.

Not that Bandon isn't worth the trip but would a group from the UK want to travel all that way to have a somewhat UK-like golf experience (seaside links style, cold, windy, rainy... ) ?

They might be forgiven for wanting something at least _warmer_

Tom Y - us Toms think alike - that was my thought also reading this - why in God's name would any group from the UK travel that far, and that painfully, to get a faux experience of what they likely have right outside their back door? The courses are great, for sure... but man that's a long way to go....

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