Jonathan -
That is all grass. There may be a couple old sand bunkers lingering on the site, but you'll be hard pressed to find them.
13 is very reminiscent of 13 at Augusta National.
Pat -
Come out and play it and see if you have the same opinion. The grass bunkers serve their purpose well, and the shaping gives a bit of definition to a course that would be pretty bland to the eye without them. Like any bunker, then can be anything from no to a full shot penalty depending on exactly where your ball comes to rest.
Everyone -
Whenever we discuss the courses at Bandon, it always seems to be with the summer wind in mind. This course played very different last fall and this winter with the south wind. For example, #10 in the summer is a beast of a 380 yard hole. In six months it is going to be driver wedge, with the hard right side trouble being much more of a factor with the southwest wind. Even playing shorter there's enough interest in the green to provide a stout test.
Here's my quick take on the holes -
1 - Bandon's version of #1 at Spyglass. Already the best opener on property. The entrance out of the trees on to the course is epic, with the hole immediately taking you to the top of the cliff at the green.
2 - Not as smitten as others. A nice little par 4, but kind of boring. It'll be a tougher drive in the winter with an uphill approach to the perched green. If any hole out here feels gimmicky, its this one.
3 - Can't wait to see an extreme left pin tucked behind the berm. Otherwise, a pretty easy little par 3. Green is big enough to hold knock down approaches in the summer, and to give some room when its going to be into the wind.
4 - A dogleg hogsback with a big reward for clearing the ridge. Cool left to right features on the green are going to allow for creative approach shots. As Grey said, a birdie hole. But that's in the summer. Its going to be a beast in the winter.
5 - Tough with either wind, the best par 3 on the site (7 and 16 beat it for eye candy, however).
6 - Definite risk reward on the drive, with a plateaued green that is going to take some judgment to hold when everything firms up. Good luck here when the wind switches.
7 - Short par 3 with a big green. The back pin in the summer is going to be very cool. I could see people hitting everything from gap to hybrid here depending on the weather.
8 - Just a cool par 4 for some of the least interesting land on the site. Tough in the summer as its hard to get to a spot where you have a look at the green. Lines off the tee are very important.
9 - In the summer, it calls for a tumbling drive flirting with the gorse on the right, followed by a well-judged shot to a green that runs away. Another beast in the winter wind.
10 - Discussed above. Great green contours.
11 - Unlike any other hole at Bandon. Three good shots in the summer, gettable in the winter, with a green setting that is simply awesome.
12 - A fairly boring crosswind longer par 4. The tiered tee boxes below the clubhouse are really cool, but there are better crosswind par 4's on property.
13 - A bit of risk reward for long hitters off the tee, with the best approach angle from the left side. A great green site and contours that allow you to feed the ball from short left to back right. Just feels like an ode to 13 at ANGC.
14 - Panned by another reviewer. The big hitters can knock it up by the green in the summer, taking on the carry over the hill on the left. There's an alley for short knockers up the right. A much different hole and play in the winter when everyone is going to be taking the dogleg line.
15 - On calm days this one feels a little cramped. A very cool three section green with a great center line ridge. Calls for a precise wedge in to the proper section. Have been surprised how many people are missing right with the summer wind coming from that side, perhaps due to the cliff edge lurking as a short porch on the left.
16 - Personally, this feels like a missed opportunity. Perhaps the third best green site on the west coast, and the shot in is pretty benign. Take enough club and stay right in the summer. In the winter you might be able to hang something out over the ocean and watch it blow back.
17 - I really hope they incorporate the back tees here on the back edge of 16 green. Just a beast of a hole from back there. From the regular tee boxes, a nice little par 4.
18 - This one has and will be discussed in depth. We'll see if the par 5 status holds up. Most players right now are ending up with around 130 to 150 in for their second, and I've seen a couple guys get into the 100 - 110 range. The green site is its strength, with a myriad of great pin locations and contours to have some fun with.
Much like Old Mac, the hardest holes here show up in the second 3rd of the course. Pacing wise, we've been flying through the front 9, with the turn back into the wind at 10 presenting the first true test (5 and 6 aside). There's never more than 2 holes in a row running the same direction, so it doesn't feel like the same kind of relentless test that you get on the 10 - 13 run at Pac or 15 -18 at Trails.
The wind has been blowing a good bit over the last three days, yet the course is completely playable. Personally, I don't think its much windier than OM, PD and BD. If its blowing, you'll feel it at all four of these courses.
There's a nice contrast in the C&C work between Trails and Sheep Ranch. While every hole at Trails feels like its own little universe, at the SR you pretty much always have other holes in site. There are a number of crossovers (4/5 and 14/15, 7/8 and 9/10) and another of other places with tees in close proximity (4 and 13, 2 and 18). The big worry was that certain spots might make a hard hat a good idea, but it seems that there's enough spacing where this isn't a problem for the side by side holes. We'll see.
The Sheep Ranch isn't the toughest course on property, and other than the constant ocean views it isn't the prettiest. I'm not sure if it is the most fun either, although everyone has been having a blast so far. The best way to describe it may be as the coolest, and that's enough for it to be the perfect complement to the other four.
Sven
PS - Here's my ranking of favorite holes at the resort right now.
1 - SR
2 - PD
3 - OM
4 - BD
5 - BD
6 - SR
7 - OM
8 - PD/SR tie
9 - BT
10 - BT
11 - PD/BT/SR tie
12 - PD
13 - PD/BT/SR tie
14 - BD
15 - BT
16 - BD
17 - BT
18 - OM