I love Bandon as much as the next guy.
But to me, the prices have made this heaven on earth beyond the reach of people that work for a living like me.
If you want to see how much prices have risen, check out the 1999 prices listed here: http://web.archive.org/web/19991005102031/http://bandondunesgolf.com/teeoff-time.htm
Or - to make it easier:
1999 Green Fees:
May through October...................$100
November through April.................$75
Oregon Residents Nov-April............$35
Second Round Season....................$50
Second Round Off-season..............$35
2002:
June - Sept
Hotel Guest $160
Other $200
Replay $80
2007:
May-October
Hotel Guest $195
Oregonian $250
Others $250
Replay $100
Today:
May-October
Hotel Guest $230
Oregonian Special rate discontinued
Others $275
Replay $85
Obviously, the folks at Bandon are there to make a profit. I fully support that.
But are these increases "good for the game"? Selfishly (because I really want to go back) the answer is 'No' for me.
While these increases may not be good for the game, the prices reflect the quality of golf. The courses are Bandon are the lowest priced, public courses on Golfweeks' top 100 modern:
1. Sand Hills Golf Club 9.27
(1, p) Mullen, Neb.
1995, Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw
2. Pacific Dunes 9.10
(2, r) Bandon, Ore.
2001, Tom Doak
3. Old Macdonald 8.66
(3, r) Bandon, Ore.
2010, Tom Doak, Jim Urbina
4. Whistling Straits (Straits) 8.61
(4, r) Kohler, Wis.
1997, Pete Dye
5. Friar’s Head 8.47
(5, p) Baiting Hollow, N.Y.
2003, Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw
6. Ballyneal 8.39
(6, p) Holyoke, Colo.
2006, Tom Doak
7. Bandon Dunes 8.31
(7, r) Bandon, Ore.
1999, David McLay Kidd
8. Sebonack Golf Club 8.26
(8, p) Southampton, N.Y.
2006, Tom Doak, Jack Nicklaus
9. Pete Dye Golf Club 8.21
(10, p) Bridgeport, W.Va.
1994, Pete Dye
10. Shadow Creek Golf Club 8.12
(11, r) North Las Vegas, Nev.
1990, Tom Fazio
So when you compare the green fees of Bandon to the greens fees of Whistling Straits and Shadow Creek (The Ocean Course at Kiawah. no. 19), Bandon is lower. Another reason the green fees have gone up since 1999 is that they priced the course low when it opened. Who would have gone to play one course, Bandon Dunes, for $200?
I still think Bandon is great in the off season. A friend of mine played last week at Bandon and he said the weather in May is the same as the weather in February as it was cloudy, cold and rainy. I went to Bandon back in 2000 in August and then have returned only in February.