Best Match Play Course At Bandon

[Will Lozier]

With the US Am going to Bandon, which course is best suited to matchplay? Which two will be used for stroke play?

[Ben Jarvis]

With the US Am going to Bandon, which course is best suited to matchplay? Which two will be used for stroke play?

Sheep Ranch for the Match Play? 

On a serious note, I am going to say Pacific Dunes or Old Macdonald for the Match Play. Trails and Bandon Dunes for the Strokeplay.

[Tom_Doak]

I've got to believe Bandon Dunes and Old Macdonald are the two most likely courses for the U.S. Am, because they're the two longest [in that order].  Even those are 200-400 yards shorter than the set-ups for the most recent Amateurs, so some new tees would likely be necessary, although for Bandon Dunes they can just bring back a lot of the tees that were abandoned years ago.

There's no way they are going to play different courses for the match play; it will be one of the two they used for qualifying.

When we were building Pacific Dunes and I was endeavoring to keep it short, I used to tell Mr. Keiser, "If you do ever get the U.S. Amateur here, they'll play it on Bandon Dunes."  I would trade twenty years of fun golf for hosting a U.S. Amateur, anytime.  I did also promise that if they ever talked seriously about a U.S. Open, I would find some more tees for Pacific Dunes, but I do not expect that bluff to be called.

[Kevin_D]

If recent history is any guide, doesn't this mean that a US Open at Bandon is now a real possibility? Or possibly a Walker Cup? Either way, it would be great - as long as they don't mess up the courses.

[Tom_Doak]

The Walker Cup is the ultimate prestige event on the USGA Calendar.  Even the clubs which shun other tournaments offer to host it, because it requires so little disruption to the normal member usage of the course.  So, it is the toughest event to "get" to start with, and on top of that, it's only in the U.S. once every four years.

That said, I would think Bandon could be in the running down the road, having hosted many other less-than-marquee USGA championships without ever getting one that really makes money.

[Greg Tallman]

I did also promise that if they ever talked seriously about a U.S. Open, I would find some more tees for Pacific Dunes, but I do not expect that bluff to be called.

Interesting comment TD. While I believe you would do a "slightly" better job than Rees Jones  I am surprised that you would welcome the opportunity to bastardize your crown jewel just to host a US Open.

[Tom_Doak]

Interesting comment TD. While I believe you would do a "slightly" better job than Rees Jones  I am surprised that you would welcome the opportunity to bastardize your crown jewel just to host a US Open.

Better me than letting any of the other Open doctors out there touch it.

But, as I say, I was bluffing.  As fun as it would be to watch all the great players tackle Pacific Dunes, I am happy to wager anyone here as much money as they care to wager that it will not happen.

[Greg Tallman]

Interesting comment TD. While I believe you would do a "slightly" better job than Rees Jones  I am surprised that you would welcome the opportunity to bastardize your crown jewel just to host a US Open.

Better me than letting any of the other Open doctors out there touch it.

But, as I say, I was bluffing.  As fun as it would be to watch all the great players tackle Pacific Dunes, I am happy to wager anyone here as much money as they care to wager that it will not happen.

Come on... I would love to see how Rees could "improve" PD. LOL

I recently met with the owner of a new project here in Baja for a consulting deal. They had Rees doing their course, I asked why they chose him. Answer was along the lines of "how could you go wrong with 'the open doctor'..."

I did not get the consulting deal 

[PCCraig]

I think Pacific Dunes would be the "best" course for the match play portion of the event, primarily due to the number of half par holes and the extra par-3's and the three par-5's on the back nine.

Plus, unlike the other courses these days hosting the US Am, Bandon is probably not auditioning for a US Open. So, I don't know if anyone at the USGA or Bandon would really care how low (or high) the scoring is and therefore the yardage of the course probably shouldn't matter as much. So why not play it on a "shorter" course and see how the young guys do?

[Brett Hochstein]

Old MacDonald was a lot of fun for match play for the 2.5 rounds I played it.  With the width there was admittedly rarely a big number to be had to add variance.  It was instead the awesome fast turf and contouring that provided the variables.  There were a lot of wins and losses vs halves, but almost every time it was by a single stroke at the end--drama until the last putt.

[William_G]

Old Mac or Trails would be the best for match play

[Sven Nilsen]

Old Mac or Trails would be the best for match play

Agreed

[Tom_Doak]

Old Mac or Trails would be the best for match play

Agreed

Just curious if you have reasons for your statement(s).

[Benjamin Litman]

William G: You were clearly onto something as, per my other post just now, the USGA has announced that Old Macdonald and Bandon Trails will be the two courses used for the 2020 U.S. Amateur. Bandon Trails will host the match-play portion of the event.

[William_G]

Old Mac or Trails would be the best for match play

Agreed

Just curious if you have reasons for your statement(s).

both are difficult for medal play

[Mac Plumart]

Old Mac is one of the best match play courses I've ever played.

[William_G]

Old Mac has the largest greens with such overall course width!

[Benjamin Litman]

So, Will and Mac, are you disappointed in the USGA's choice to use Bandon Trails for the match-play component of the Amateur?

[William_G]

I love Trails

fantastic routing and great greens

[Will Lozier]

I love Trails too...but, I am shocked.

I think PD, BT, OM, then BD, in order, are the best match play courses, with the first three almost equally good.

I figured Bandon Dunes would have been one of the stroke play course. But, I thought for sure it would be Pac Dunes hosting the match play. Watching a little of the Four Ball today, the course looked so good!

[Mac Plumart]

So, Will and Mac, are you disappointed in the USGA's choice to use Bandon Trails for the match-play component of the Amateur?

Benjamin...

Certainly not disappointed the US Am will be out at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.  All those courses are world class, regardless of the style of game being played.  I just think Trails would be perfect for stroke play and Old Mac perfect for match play.  But, regardless, it will be awesome to see those guys playing at Bandon.

[Michael George]

In my opinion, what makes the best match play course is options.  Unlike stroke play, where the player will often take the safe route, match play allows the golfer to take more risk as he/she only compromises 1 hole of the match.  As a result, I looked at each hole of each course at Bandon for material risk/reward options.

As a result, I would rank the match play courses at Bandon as follows:

(1) Old Macdonald - options galore on this course.  How much of the Sahara on #3 do you take off?  Do you go for #6 in two?  Do you challenge the pin on #7 if it is in front or back?  Do you risk the bottle on #10?  Do you go for #15 in 2?  Do you challenge the alp on #16?  Do you use the punchbowl on #18 or fly it over the humps?

(2) Pacific Dunes - I think Pacific Dunes is very close to Old Mac as a match play course.  Holes #6 and #16 would provide great interest off the tee in a match play and the par 5s on the back 9 would give room for players to make up ground or lose it.

(3) Bandon Dunes - I think Bandon Dunes and Bandon Trails are close.  I give Bandon Dunes the edge because I think #16 is one of the great match play holes in golf.   There are so many ways to play that hole - it would be great at the end of a match.  

(4) Bandon Trails - While #14 gets the discussion, I actually think it would be played the same by every player in the field.  I just don't see many other options other than driver to the left of the green.  I actually think #8 would be the best match play hole on Bandon Trails.

[Chris DeToro]

First of all, I'm really excited that Bandon will host the US Am.  It will surely look great on TV as it does this week with the Four-Ball.  I would have to agree that Old Macdonald is the best match play course--there's so much width and the greens are so big which is the ultimate equalizer to me but in stroke play may make it less interesting. 

A little surprised they went with Trails simply for potential added viewership, but I love the course and think it will be a great test

[Tom_Doak]

A little surprised they went with Trails simply for potential added viewership, but I love the course and think it will be a great test

I'm sure that had zero to do with it.

My guess is they chose Bandon Trails as the anchor course because it's the course out of the four that scratch players like the best.  There are lots of scratch players who hate Old Macdonald because it's so wide open by their standards.  You don't want the field complaining about the course when the whole point of hosting the event is to provide positive p.r.

[Jim Nugent]

According to Terry Lavin, the USGA has not yet decided which course will host the matches.