Not much changes when you are here at Bandon Dunes…….it is all about playing golf, and then playing golf again, and playing golf again…….taking some time between rounds for a bite to eat……nice dinner…..hit the sack……..repeat. Very much our program today although we have a later start and only one round left to play, finishing off all the 5 full courses here at the resort. There is a 13 hole par 3 course, “The Preserve”, which we have decided to leave for next time, and only Jutta gave the putting course, “The Punchbowl”, a run yesterday. It has been an absolute treat to play these golf courses, and while many might think its all about the coast, the views, the ocean……..we just finished playing Old Macdonald……..fantastic……..and played Bandon Trails yesterday……..fantastic…….and both are essentially inland, totally different from the big view Pacific/Bandon Dunes and Sheep Ranch courses. Something for everyone here. The weather we have been expecting since arriving has never shown up……some wind, but nothing crazy……..some rain sprinkles, but no downpours. I think our weather luck held up once again, but the caddies and friends who have played here before tell us it can change quickly and be absolutely brutal at Bandon.
Old Macdonald………inspired by the designs of Charles Blair Macdonald (a household name in my book!?!?), Tom Doak and Jim Urbina created what I think is a true masterpiece. Having played in Scotland, you cannot for a second think you are not there while playing this course………apparently many of the holes were designed copying classics from the old country…….they admit to The Road Hole from St.Andrews, but I swear I was in both Turnberry, and Western Gailes playing holes I remember, at least once, while playing Old Mac. There were a couple of holes when my score was laughingly referred to as the BIG MAC………but what goes around comes around, and while the others in the group were enjoying their own BIG MAC’s, Huge was chomping on a little McChicken of the birdie variety of course. Loved Old Macdonald and a great way to wrap it up.
Our caddie today was Russell……get this…….born and raised in Bandon…….he’s like a unicorn around here……..practically everyone you talk to is from somewhere else. He told us the best dirt bike riding in the area used to be where Pacific Dunes is right now, and they have a picture of him and his Dad with their motorcycles circa 1978 hanging in the Caddie Shack. Great guy with lots of local (and golf course) knowledge……..we talked about the gorse fiasco……..introduced here years ago by an Irish gent and was left to run wild forever. Gorse has an oily texture, so when in the 1930’s it caught fire, it spread rapidly, and burned down almost the entire town of Bandon. I think the town exists because of the logging/lumber industry so at least they had the wood close-by to rebuild.
We went out for dinner tonight to Edgewaters restaurant……….guess what…….it is downtown on the waters edge. Nice place and very good food………all the locals warned us that it was “pricey”………actually not bad at all……..beautiful piece of pan seared/grilled fresh halibut……..Jutta had the same………bottle of wine, outta here…….can’t wait to hit the sack.
We have an 8:30 tee time booked on Sheep Ranch tomorrow morning, because we just loved that place, and think we can sneak in just one more round………will be a game time decision as the weather forecast is not good……….I think everyone who goes to Bandon tells everyone else the weather is total shit……..wind……rain…….so when they decide to go back there will be tons of tee times……….if we don’t play we will tour Bandon, so expect even a shorter blog than this………..hope you are all playing at recently opened courses wherever you are, and loving this game we love so much……cheers
HUGEBLOGSITE 
Leave a comment