Bandon Dunes - Omni Photo Tour (Old Mac, Pacific, Trails, Preserve & Punchbowl)

[Will Lozier]

Isn't anyone doing a photo tour of The Punchbowl?! 

[Garland Bayley]

Isn't anyone doing a photo tour of The Punchbowl?! 

Ummmmmmmmmmmm, see
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,60754.msg1440100.html#msg1440100

[JLahrman]

Isn't anyone doing a photo tour of The Punchbowl?! 

Looks like it's coming.

I got myself a Punch Bowl hat because I love the concept, and because I think it's hilarious that a putting green has its own logo.

Our group probably laughed more hitting crazy putts on the Punch Bowl than we did playing the full courses.

Why more urban areas/parks/central areas of towns don't have their own version of the Punch Bowl is a mystery. Yes there is some maintenance involved but it's a ton of fun and a good way to get people interested in the game.

[William_G]

Jon this a great thread, thank you, the pics are fantastic. The blooming of the course in late winter/early spring makes a huge difference. Plus the angle of the light captured was great. No golfers in any pics, fantastic!

Just absolutely great pics, with succinct comments as the poics speak for themselves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Eric Hammerbacher]

When Jon told me he just got back from Bandon I thought "Well, here it comes, we're about to see one amazing photo tour soon".  I was waiting for this, and as usual, he didn't disappoint. 

[Jon Cavalier]

Old Macdonald is up.

[Peter Pallotta]

Well, Jon, whatever shred of dignity I have left around here would be lost if I yet again heaped lavish praise upon you and your work, and so I won't. But my sincere thanks. 

Peter

[Benjamin Litman]

Many thanks again for another late-afternoon treat, Jon.

Old Macdonald seems more "found" to me than Pacific Dunes. Is that the impression one gets while on site, too?

[RJ_Daley]

Well I see one other ball in some of those photos; so were you and your playing companion the only two humans at Bandon?  Yes, the squirrel looks happy.  The pics are so good, one can't hardly digest this thread in one gulp! 

[Ryan Hillenbrand]

Like most photos, even ones as good as these, they can't capture the size and elevation of the dunes - especially number 6 and 13.  They are truly massive in person.

I love number 13 even though I had my worst score there. After a piped drive I shanked it into the giant dune on the right and took 4 shots to get out.

Have you a course in mind that the dunes are comparable too, say a Royal County Down or a Royal Birkdale?

Unfortunately Sam I've never made it across the Atlantic.  The closest thing I've seen to Bandon is Streamsong.

[Josh Bills]

Jon, Amazing photos.  I haven't been back since July 2005, but your photos make me want to return and experience Old Mac.  Here is a photo similar to yours from behind 14 looking back at 13 green on Pacific.  Looks like some gorse has been removed on the left on 13, but not much else is different.  Amazing place for sure.  Thank you for sharing.

[Will Lozier]

The 14th green above is for me the toughest green to hit and hold on property...even more difficult than the 16th two holes later.

[Stephen Davis]

The 14th green above is for me the toughest green to hit and hold on property...even more difficult than the 16th two holes later.

When the pin is back, it is definitely the toughest to get close on. Most shots I have seen end up significantly short of the back location.

[Jim Nugent]

Here's a question about the courses.  Probably asked and answered before, but I don't recall seeing it.  Will the bunkers at the resort keep their wild shape and look over the years, or will they wear down and become more regular, more round, more 'civilized' looking? 

[Jon Cavalier]

Punchbowl "tour" is up.

[JLahrman]

The Punch Bowl rocks. The 18-hole course that they lay out is fun. If it's not too crowded, hitting 200-foot putts across the green is even more fun. Plus it helps you during your rounds on the courses. We generally don't practice hitting 50-yard putts too often, but it can easily be done on the Punch Bowl. Plus all the extreme slopes on the Punch Bowl will expand your thinking about how you can approach your shots on the full courses.

The protrusions and bumps allow for putts to get airborne; there are ramps all over the place.

I could easily spend a few hours out there. I did, actually.

[Jon Cavalier]

Those Punchbowl photos are for you, Joel. Enjoy.

[Josh Tarble]

I need to stop looking at the photos.  It just makes me sad I haven't been yet 

Great work, these are fantastic.  One of the finest, most concise tours I've seen of the first two courses.  Looking forward to the next 3.

[Jon Cavalier]

Many thanks again for another late-afternoon treat, Jon.

Old Macdonald seems more "found" to me than Pacific Dunes. Is that the impression one gets while on site, too?

Very true, though both Old Macdonald and Pacific Dunes have that feel to them more than the other courses at Bandon.  But you're right - Old Macdonald feels like it was simply laid down on the ground.  I know dirt was moved, but it is difficult to see exactly where that happened.

One aspect of Old Macdonald that gets overlooked sometime is the brilliant routing of the golf course.  Parts of the property are pretty flat, and the way Doak configured the holes keeps things interesting at all times.

[JLahrman]

Personally, I love Old Mac but the land and shots lend itself to more of a continuous flow than do the other courses. It's harder for me to pick out individual shots and holes that I like more than others at Old Mac. I accept the course more as a whole, and it seems like it was just dropped into the valley it occupies. The other three courses have more specific, in-your-face shots that really stand out from each other.

[JLahrman]

Those Punchbowl photos are for you, Joel. Enjoy.

I just couldn't get away from the Punch Bowl.

Trivia: How many players have bladed a shot from a greenside bunker on the 7th at Pacific Dunes and had the ball wind up on the Punch Bowl?
Answer: At least one.

[Benjamin Litman]

Jon and Joel: Thanks for the insight on Old Macdonald. From what you're saying, I imagine it's the course one would choose to play over and over again. True? Courses that cohere better, as to having the better individual holes, tend to be the ones that inspire repeat play.

[jeffwarne]

Good God, Jon. You've outdone yourself, which I didn't think was possible. I've never been to Bandon, but for a few minutes this afternoon, you made me feel like I was there. Thank you, as always.

In fact overstimulating.......amazing pictures

[JLahrman]

Jon and Joel: Thanks for the insight on Old Macdonald. From what you're saying, I imagine it's the course one would choose to play over and over again. True? Courses that cohere better, as to having the better individual holes, tend to be the ones that inspire repeat play.

Ehhh...not really. I have tried to rank the courses from 1-4, can't really do it. I have tried to think about which course I would choose if I had to play it over and over. Not really sure on that either.

The routings of the other three courses provide natural transitions - dunes to forest and back on Trails, inland to ocean and back on PD and BD. There are more unmistakable shots on those courses as well - the tee shot on #6 at PD isn't going to be confused for any other shot on the course, for instance. For me OM was the one that took a little more time to sort through each hole after the first play. And I don't mean that in a bad way. But I wouldn't personally say that I would prefer to play OM over and over any more than the others, though I can't speak for anyone else.

[Jeff Taylor]

One would need a  wide angle lens just for the Punchbowl. Nothing else does it justice.