Which Bandon course would you leave out?

[Brock Lynch]

I have been to Bandon on three occasions and am returning in March. In discussing it with some friends it was asked if I was going to leave out one of the five 18-hole courses there, which would it be? That is a tough question as I intend on playing all of them at least once each time I visit. I don't recall this question being raised here before, so I ask you...If you had to leave out one, which course would you leave out?

[MLevesque]

I’ve played each course once.  While all the courses were fantastic, I would leave Trails off the list.  For me, it just didn’t have the “wow” factor of the other courses.

[Carl Rogers]

Leave out none.  It is a question of which courses  get how many re-plays.
If pressed, I would have the fewer re-plays on Bandon Dunes.  Trails is a tough walk for the second 18.

[Jeff Schley]

Leave out none.  It is a question of which courses  get how many re-plays.
If pressed, I would have the fewer re-plays on Bandon Dunes.  Trails is a tough walk for the second 18.

Trails is a tough walk for the first 18 as well.
Assuming you have played all but Sheep Ranch already, you know you aren't eliminating that one.Pacific is the best and highest ranked so you probably aren't going to Bandon and NOT playing Pacific.That leaves BD, BT or Old Mac.
I'd survey your group to get consensus.

[Scott Weersing]

It all depends on why you are going to Bandon. Is it for great golf or great views? If you want the best and most original golf, then leave out Bandon Dunes. I am not saying Bandon is not great golf but without the views, how would the course hold up? I think it would be like Trinity Forest.


 If you want the best views, then leave out Bandon Trails. But you would be leaving out one of the best C and C courses ever built.

[Tim_Weiman]

I’d leave out Bandon Dunes. Just didn’t find it to be that appealing.

[Michael Underwood]

I have been to Bandon Dunes seven times since 2005.  We usually play six rounds of golf in four days (arrive 18, 36, 36, 18 depart) with maybe the Preserve fit in somewhere.  Prior to Sheep Ranch our group liked two rounds on Pacific Dunes and Bandon Dunes and one round on Bandon Trails and Old Mac.  No right or wrong just what our group liked.  With Sheep Ranch now built and open I would lean towards the following in the same travel scenario.
 
Sheep Ranch - 2 - gets 2 plays because it is new.
Pacific Dunes - 1
Bandon Dunes - 1
Bandon Trails -1
Old Mac - 1


I think that everything at Bandon Dunes is worth playing at least once on every trip.  Sheep Ranch gets two plays next time we go because it is new, but this very likely could change for the following trip.

[Tim Passalacqua]

Sheep Ranch.  I do feel like you should play all of them. My favorite course at the resort has changed after every trip. I used to not care for Trails as much as the others, but after 36 holes on a beautiful, sunny day, it became my favorite course out there. It is absolutely fantastic!

[Mike Wagner]

You've been there 3 times ... SO, the real question is ... which one would YOU leave out? 

[Mark Pritchett]

I am not saying Bandon is not great golf but without the views, how would the course hold up? I think it would be like Trinity Forest.

Your comment is high praise for Bandon Dunes and Trinity Forest.  I love them both! 

[Kevin Pallier]

I haven't seen Sheep Ranch but if I ever get back to Bandon (coming from Australia) - I wont be contemplating playing the Dunes course.

[Don Mahaffey]

I’m playing PD and BT every time I go.  After that it’s just a matter of tee time availability and pace of play.  All the golf is good, but IMO those two are the stars.


I definitely want to see the SR on next visit.

[Jon Heise]

Oh my gosh, I hate to say it but I'd pass on Sheep Ranch.


I can't articulate why.  I've been trying to figure it out, but it's #5 for me here.


But lets get real, they're five absolutely near perfect golf experiences...

[Brock Lynch]

You've been there 3 times ... SO, the real question is ... which one would YOU leave out?

We have never had to leave any of courses out. When I was asked this question, it caught me off guard and I had a hard time answering. I reluctantly decide that if forced to leave one out, it would be Old Mac. Sheep Ranch is new, Pacific is great, Trails grows on us with each trip, and Bandon is the best test of golf. Old Mac has more ordinary holes than the other courses IMO. 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 17 don't really excite and the goofy green at 18 leaves a bad taste. There are good holes; 3 with its unique tee shot, 5 with its crazy green, 7 is as exciting as it gets when you arrive at the green and the view there is revealed. Awesome! 8, 10 & 11 are solid, 13 is a good short par 4, 14 is wild with uphill climb and green complex, 15 is a wonderful par 5, and the approach into the unknown on 16 are well worth the visit. But, there may be a few too many ordinary holes compared to the other courses at the resort. On our March visit we will be playing the following;


Bandon Dunes x 2 ... my son wanted to play this twice on this visit as we only played once on the previous trip
Sheep Ranch x 2 ... We've heard such wonderful things about the course that we wanted to play twice
Bandon Trails x 2 ... So many good holes here, gotta play twice!
Pacific Dunes x 1 ... My favorite, but there is only so much daylight in March.
Old Mac x 1 ... no one is broken up about not playing more, but we don't want to miss it either.


Can't wait to get there, hopefully the rain will stay away! 

[Daryl David]

I’d leave out the Sheep Ranch. I’d rather play the original.

[Garland Bayley]

I'd leave out Bandon Dunes.
Kidd just doesn't seem to produce the quality of the other architects at the resort. Of course, my other two Kidd plays have been probably his most criticized. Can you say Doak 0.

[Pete_Pittock]

I would probably leave out Old Macdonald. Bandon Dunes would be next. My dividing point is the strength of the par 3s.

[Ronald Montesano]

I don't understand these types of threads. It's the scene in Caddyshack all over again: Do you have any eights? DON'T YOU HAVE HOMES?

There's no reason to leave out any of the courses at Bandon, just as there is no reason to leave out any of the courses at Bethpage. You go to play the courses, to have the experience.


You play the five courses plus the par three, plus the other par three, plus the punch bowl and you eat meatloaf and other sumptuous offerings, and you hire a caddy and you push a trolley and on and on and on.

[John Kavanaugh]

I'm not a fan that so many tasty tendies results in FOMO anxiety.

[William_G]

leave out any you want, you'll be back regardless

[Peter Pallotta]

For an outsider, the way Brock phrased the question is what makes this thread so interesting.
There've been many many threads here over the years that have ranked/rated the courses at Bandon; and many many threads that have analyzed the individual courses in great detail.
But both those angles/approaches are different than the one that Brock takes, i.e. 'which course would you leave out'.
And that 'lens' really is an intriguing one, maybe the most intriguing, because it's what all of the rest -- the ratings and rankings and descriptions -- boils down to: If you had to leave out and not play one course, which would would it be?
I mentioned a few months ago a friend who went to Bandon and loved it and told me what he thought:
The most fun was Old Macdonald.
The one where he shot his lowest score was Bandon.
The best course overall was Pacific.
The hardest course (his worst score) was Trails.
And in the context of Brock's question, I find myself thinking that, if I had the same experience (with the courses) as my friend did, which one would I leave out the next time --
Would it be 'the most fun'? No, I don't think so.
Would it be the hardest/my highest score? Well, maybe.
Would it be the one I thought the best overall course? Gee, how could I go to Bandon and not play the best course there?
Would it be the 'easiest' one, where I shot my lowest score? I don't know -- I'd like to think that such a petty consideration wouldn't sway such an ardent loved of great golf, but it probably would! 

All of which is to say: Brock's question brings to mind the fundamental ones, i.e. what do we *most* want out of a golf course/a golf experience? And, if we had to, what could we live *without* in a golf course/experience?

[Paul Rudovsky]

Score to date by my count:


Trails--1.5 leave out
Dunes--5 full votes to leave out and two half votes...total of 6 in the old math
SR--three
OLd Mac--2.5
Pac Dunes...big fat ZERO leave out...DOAK wins in runaway!!


(about 6-7 chickens...including moi...did not vote by my reading of their posts)

[Alex Miller]

If forced, another vote for Old Mac here. But then again it's an entirely unique course and I'd hope you can make all of them work.

[David Ober]

I have been to Bandon on three occasions and am returning in March. In discussing it with some friends it was asked if I was going to leave out one of the five 18-hole courses there, which would it be? That is a tough question as I intend on playing all of them at least once each time I visit. I don't recall this question being raised here before, so I ask you...If you had to leave out one, which course would you leave out?

Impossible for me because both Old Mac and Sheep Ranch were gusting to 60 while Bandon and Trails were 15 to 20. Need to play each of them at least once more before giving an opinion.

[John Kavanaugh]

David,


I bet you kinda like Bandon Dunes. Do you even have the energy to play all 5 courses on one trip? At 61 years old I sure don't.