Which Bandon course would you leave out?

[David Ober]

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.

After my first play through:


T1) Bandon Trails and Bandon Dunes
T2) Old Mac and Pacific Dunes
3)  Sheep Ranch -- but only because the greens were 7. A bit faster -- even 9, and I would rank it T2.


The greens at Sheep were so slow when we played that it was tough to get a 50-foot, into the wind putt to the hole. I mean you had to HAMMER it.


And, yes, played all 5 and even walked 36 on two of the days.

[Brock Lynch]

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.

At some point I will be unable to walk 36 a day for each day of the trip. Will this be the year I cannot do so?

[John Kavanaugh]

Many years ago my wife would drag me to the mall on the weekends. I'll never forget her getting upset at the old people getting in our way and saying "Can't they just stay home on our days off". I respect the fact that my days at Bandon have passed. As darkness approaches on the second 18 of the day the last thing you need to see three holes ahead is some old dude pacing himself just to survive.

[David Wuthrich]

If I had to, I would leave out BT.

[JLahrman]

I love Trails though it beats the hell out of me every time I play it. But the only way I would leave a course out if I were going to Bandon would be if it were a short trip. And if it were a short trip I would be trying to squeeze in as much golf as I could. And if I were trying to squeeze in as much golf as I could I would leave off the course that's the toughest walk, and that is Trails.

[Kalen Braley]

Given the disparity of the responses, I've got to think this is a good thing.  Providing variety, without sacrificing on quality, is a high standard and it would seem the Resort has achieved it with its various offerings...

[Will Lozier]

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?

Brock...play every course while on property, very simply. Especially if you have anyone in your group that hasn't been before.

[Joe Zucker]

Given the disparity of the responses, I've got to think this is a good thing.  Providing variety, without sacrificing on quality, is a high standard and it would seem the Resort has achieved it with its various offerings...

I would agree.  When people say they would leave out Trails or Band Dunes (my two favorites), I think they are insane.  But I'm sure they think the same of me.


Asking this question another way, would anyone have a more extreme 10 round split between their favorite and least favorite course that is more than 7-3?  BD is my favorite and Old Mac is my least, but I would still only go to 7-3.  If I had to guess, there would be a lot of 6-4 and 7-3 between favorite and least favorite, which is a sign of an awesome set of courses.

[David Wuthrich]

I would go 3, 2, 2, 2, 1 from favorite to least favorite.  Means that they are ALL Good!

[Mike Treitler]

Bandon Trails remains my #1 favorite course alongside turnberry.


I ranked the courses at Bandon like this:


1.Bandon Trails - fantastic
2.Bandon Dunes- fantastic
3. Pacific Dunes - fantastic


4. Old Macdonald - still really awesome but not quite as good as the top 3.


So my answer would be old Mac as the course to leave out.  I haven’t played sheep ranch.

[Michael Dugger]

If the situation is one where you simply do not have enough time to play all the courses, indeed a conundrum has been created.


There is no correct answer here, only opinions.  Thus, I offer the following:


1. You play Bandon Dunes because it's the original.  If not for the success of Bandon Dunes, the rest of the resort probably is not what it is today.  You play Bandon Dunes because it offers some nice variety to the other courses.  Bunkers not the craggy, mean type.  It's a little bit easier walk.  And the 16th hole is my favorite place to be on the entire property.  Utterly beautiful.  You can't go to the Bandon Dunes golf resort and NOT get yourself out there on that point where the 16th green/17th tee resides.


2. You play Pacific Dunes because it's the highest rated, and for the most part the consensus best course there. 


3. And I think you play Bandon Trails because it's fantastic!  If golf is about the walk and about discovery, Bandon Trails is the most unique course on the property.  It might not occupy the storied coastline property, but nor does Pine Valley rest upon a coastline!  Trails has oodles of signature holes, can be extremely challenging.  I just can't imagine going all the way there are not playing it.


4. For me, Old Macdonald is the omission to make.  You'll see 75% of the course from various vantage points while playing Pacific Dunes.  You'll have the visual of what the land looks like, where it is located and the challenges presented.  I don't say play Trails and don't play Old Mac because one course is necessarily "better" than the other.  I say what I say to take in as much of the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort experience as possible WHILE LEAVING OUT one of the courses.


5. And you play Sheep Ranch, obviously.  It has more holes on the coast than any of the other courses.  It's the newest and who doesn't want to say they played the new course at BDGR.  It's BUNKERLESS, so you have some serious variety there.  Probably the absolute best vantage points of the entire facility.  I just can't imagine leaving it out.


So, there you have it, I'd omit Old Mac if forced to leave one course off the playlist.

[Rob Rigg]

Leave out rankings:
1) Sheep Ranch2) Old Mac3) Bandon Dunes4) Pac Dunes5) Trails
I've left all of them out on trips based on tee times avails to get in 36 holes. I'll always play Trails in the AM now (as many days as I'm there) PD or BD in the PM to max daylight. BD is a magical walk in at dusk.

If you want the boss views more than boss golf then Sheepster obviously wins but it's the weakest, least interesting golf experience IMO.

[Mike Treitler]

If the situation is one where you simply do not have enough time to play all the courses, indeed a conundrum has been created.


There is no correct answer here, only opinions.  Thus, I offer the following:


1. You play Bandon Dunes because it's the original.  If not for the success of Bandon Dunes, the rest of the resort probably is not what it is today.  You play Bandon Dunes because it offers some nice variety to the other courses.  Bunkers not the craggy, mean type.  It's a little bit easier walk.  And the 16th hole is my favorite place to be on the entire property.  Utterly beautiful.  You can't go to the Bandon Dunes golf resort and NOT get yourself out there on that point where the 16th green/17th tee resides.


2. You play Pacific Dunes because it's the highest rated, and for the most part the consensus best course there. 


3. And I think you play Bandon Trails because it's fantastic!  If golf is about the walk and about discovery, Bandon Trails is the most unique course on the property.  It might not occupy the storied coastline property, but nor does Pine Valley rest upon a coastline!  Trails has oodles of signature holes, can be extremely challenging.  I just can't imagine going all the way there are not playing it.


4. For me, Old Macdonald is the omission to make.  You'll see 75% of the course from various vantage points while playing Pacific Dunes.  You'll have the visual of what the land looks like, where it is located and the challenges presented.  I don't say play Trails and don't play Old Mac because one course is necessarily "better" than the other.  I say what I say to take in as much of the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort experience as possible WHILE LEAVING OUT one of the courses.


5. And you play Sheep Ranch, obviously.  It has more holes on the coast than any of the other courses.  It's the newest and who doesn't want to say they played the new course at BDGR.  It's BUNKERLESS, so you have some serious variety there.  Probably the absolute best vantage points of the entire facility.  I just can't imagine leaving it out.


So, there you have it, I'd omit Old Mac if forced to leave one course off the playlist.

This sums it up incredibly well.  I just can’t imagine someone going to Bandon Dunes Resort and NOT playing #16 at BD.  Arguably my favorite hole ever and just incredibly beautiful.  I made double on it to screw up my round and it’s still likely my #1 favorite hole.

[Tom_Doak]

When we started Old Macdonald, my standard for success was simply whether it would get 25% of the overall rounds at the resort.  At that point, Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes were each doing 35,000 rounds per year (and maybe a little more, because the resort doesn't keep track of third rounds / partial evening rounds), while Bandon Trails was at 25,000.


I know that Old Mac was keeping its head up for the first 3-4 years after it opened ; I haven't asked again lately.


The staff always told me Trails did fewer rounds because it has less ocean exposure and people just want to be near the coast as the sun gets low.

[Mike Treitler]

When we started Old Macdonald, my standard for success was simply whether it would get 25% of the overall rounds at the resort.  At that point, Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes were each doing 35,000 rounds per year (and maybe a little more, because the resort doesn't keep track of third rounds / partial evening rounds), while Bandon Trails was at 25,000.


I know that Old Mac was keeping its head up for the first 3-4 years after it opened ; I haven't asked again lately.


The staff always told me Trails did fewer rounds because it has less ocean exposure and people just want to be near the coast as the sun gets low.

Bandon is just heaven on earth... after I played Old Mac I was freaking out about how amazing it was.   Then I played the other 3 and somehow they just blew me away slightly more.  It speaks to how genius a property it is.  Four amazing courses that I played, and although I haven’t played sheep ranch I’m guessing it’s awesome as well. 


My opinion is:


Best 9: back nine at PD


Best Full 18: BT


Best hole: #16 BD

[Sven Nilsen]

For those posting that Trails is the toughest walk out here, I'd have to disagree.  Like Bandon, almost all of the elevation changes at Trails are pretty gradual.  Even 16 in the summer into the wind isn't that tough a climb.


Pac might be a shorter course, but the uphills are steeper and get your legs more.  And most of them come late in the round when you're already tired.


The toughest climbs at the resort are:


2 at Bandon
From 12 green to 13 tee at Bandon
Up to 14 tee at Pac
From 16 green to 17 tee at Pac (short, but a leg killer)
Up to 18 tee at Pac
Over the Hill on 3 at Old Mac
Up to 7 green at Old Mac
Up to 11 green at Sheep Ranch
Up to 7 at Trails
Up to 16 at Trails


And if you hit it into the sand pit at 1, left of the upper green, up the dune on 13 (all at Pac) or into the Sarlacc off the right of 14 at Old Mac, expect your legs to be dead for the rest of the round

[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.

After playing the Sheep Ranch, it is now my course to leave out.

[Jeff Schley]

For those posting that Trails is the toughest walk out here, I'd have to disagree.  Like Bandon, almost all of the elevation changes at Trails are pretty gradual.  Even 16 in the summer into the wind isn't that tough a climb.

I have a hypothesis on which course is a tougher walk and caddies I think are best positioned for this as they are out there much more often than one person playing all 5 courses once. Take your step/calorie counting watch and track how many calories you expend for each course over a month or whatever to include multiple plays. To me this would be a true measure. Elevation and heart rate increase when climbing is significant. Thoughts?