Bandon Dunes

This was my 2nd round on the trip and had read about how it was so highly thought of. The routing, the greens and the sight lines off the tees make this a truly unique course. Doak gives you room off the tee but there are humps in the fairway that can shoot the ball sideways making the fairways narrower. The back 9 routing starts with back to back par 3s. The fact they both play near the ocean takes advantage of the land they were working with. Overall the back nine has 4 par 3s, 3 par 5s and only 2 par 4s. (13 is a visually great par 4). The green complexes are tricky but not unfair, it’s a great defence on some holes (1&2 come to mind). Bandon Dunes is a more fun, less penalizing course but Pacific Dunes is more of a test with lots of unique holes and views thrown in.

Decided to try Old MAC as a replay round. Had great weather (can only imagine playing when it’s rainy/windy). Took me a few holes to figure out that the greens since they have bigger slopes were a bit slower speed wise than the other courses. The front 9 had some interesting holes - #3 is an interesting hole tee to green. #5 has a massive green and the best spot on the course is the 7th green/8th tee. Great views of the ocean. Back 9 was bear, almost every hole played uphill it felt. Played on its own it’s not a bad course but in comparison to the other courses it falls short. I’m glad I played it but it’s not at the top of the list to play again.

Father/son trip started at Bandon Dunes and we found this to be the most fun of the 4 courses. The greens were in amazing shape and you could spray it without getting into too much trouble. Holes along the ocean were great (especially 16). Playing late in the day the finish is great for views/photos etc.
A word about the facility is it’s truly first class without seeming pretentious. Food is great, portions are generous and it rarely takes more than 10 minutes after ordering. The prices are reasonable (you can get a steak or fancier dishes but there was enough variety that we didn’t have to go).
Shuttles were great, everyone goes out of their way to get you where you need to go quickly.

Played the Preserve the day we arrived. Took the flight from SF to North Bend and was warned it rarely ran on time. Checked in and wandered over for some practice swings. It was $100 for the round which was a bit pricey but proceeds go to wildlife preservation. Great course to warm up on. The views are fantastic we stood and looked at the ocean between shots. Making a couple of birdies helped too. This course is great to play as a replay late in the day. (If you play 36 already if you have the energy it’s free to play the same day). Don’t overlook this course some people like it more than some of the full length courses.

Maybe the best golf destination in the country! Bandon Dunes was everything I read about it - and more. If you're an avid golfer, you must go.

Superb golf experience
One complaint: the Resort never told us we had to bring carry bags with stands.
I took our 2 cart bags and emptied them out so they were light. As soon as we got there, they brought out their own carry bags. So at each course we had to empty out our bag into their bag and reverse the process at round's end. Golf balls, gloves, tees, etc, outerwear, wallet, phone, ,etc. Forgot my sunglasses for round one. Very annoying and starter and staff agreed we should have been told on website and when we called and booked.I had 2 carry bags at home we could have used!
That aside, the golf was superb, as were the caddies and staff.
We played Bandon and Pacific. I preferred Bandon ;definitely more playable, less tiricked up and less hilly (but both courses are hilly). I thought Bandon more resembled a Scottish llinks, as epitomized by the Old Course.
Pacific is more visually spectacular and each hole looks different. But there are giant, deep bunkers everywhere you look, frequently in the middle of fairways. I had a couple of my best tee shots dribble into them and then you are 6 feet deep and can only explode out. Like Scotland on steroids
In sum, it's definitely a bucket list type of experience for all lovers of the game.

Jast another of the wonderful, wonderful Bandon courses on this marvelous rota. This one has blind shots where the caddy's knowledge pays off on aim points over dunes to shielded greens. Reminded me of New South Wales in Australia.

We played all four of the courses, as well as the wonderful par three. A Bucket List Experience, for sure!

This course is a must for any avid golfer who wants the challenge of a true links style course. Weather was great but the wind added to the challenge. Not cheap but worth it. Staff go out of there way to please you.

So similar that I have trouble recalling differences...yet I loved both and would play either in a minute! The magnificent views of the Pacific, the wonderful blending of the sand dunes, and the marvelous links grooming of the greens and surrounds is mesmerizing. But oh, the gorse! If you haven't seen gorse before, you have no idea what it is. It is the Hades of flora!

Really tough to pick the better course, original Bandon or Pacific. Pacific is a fun walk and a bit quirky with 4xpar 3 and 3x par 5s on the back. The views are spectacular. It was almost disappointing to play with virtually no wind the second time we played it. But heck I'll take one good score while there.

Don't forget to grab breakfast -- terrific breakfast sandwiches in the restaurant or to go. Don't forget a double order of peppered bacon!

Maybe the most "divisive" course at Bandon Dunes Resort. When people rank 1-4 the courses at the resort, I'd say this is usually either #1 or #4 with a few exceptions.

One reason for that is the shear variety of golf holes on this course and it's lack of coastal vistas. What this C&C track lacks in ocean views it makes up for in elevation changes and variety.

Bandon Trails is aptly named as it begins close enough to the water where you can smell it and as it goes along you go deeper and deeper into the woods on a golfing journey that lands you back where you started.

Whatever your opinion, it's sure to be an enjoyable walk in the woods.

So many words have been written and read about Bandon Dunes that it's hard to pile on. However, everything you've read is true. There's no resort like it in the world let alone the USA. The original course by DMK might be the best on the property and is the perfect introduction to the ideals of the resort.

Highly recommend this being the first course you play if it's your first trip. Sets the stage for the others perfectly. Inland holes, coastal holes, beautiful par 3s, short par 4s, et al.

First, get to the course early and try the breakfast sandwiches -- I ordered a chicken and rice breakfast wrap that was unbeatable. The next day a different breakfast sandwich but just as winning. And they make them to go! Just what you need before walking 18 on Bandon's hilliest walk. Loved the core-Crenshaw layout, particularly the picturesque par 3s. If it's a windy day at Bandon, your best bet is sheltered Trails. You'll run into caddies playing Trails-- it's many of their favorites, too.

Yeah, the 11th hole is funky and unfair in that no matter where you drive the ball it is near impossible to hold the green but it's a fun conversation except when you walk off with an unwelcome 5 or 6. Take a mental snapshot at 14.... looks like a lakeside hole in the mountains.

I finally got to Bandon. My husband had been telling me it's mystical and magical. And it is. The question is whether Bandon Dunes is the best course of 4 18-hole layouts. You have to play the original and if you get a late afternoon tee time and see 16 around sunset...it makes it even though you'll battle the winds. Don't forget to check for the irrigation box underneath the tree near 10 tee. Open it up, sign the book, leave a memento and take a slug of whiskey. Little traditions like this make Bandon Dunes as a resort unbeatable for the golf purist. If you can play each course twice plus Punchbowl plus par - 3 preserve you will have an animated conversations among guests and caddies about their favorite course. I'm going with the original.

Everything you think it would be including the views .For great golf on the ocean it rivals the Monteray , Cabo Kiawah and puerto Penasco courses.

It's hard for me to say publicly that this is my third favorite course at the resort, because it's just so darn good.
It's the most fair of the three linksy courses (except for the bunker on the par-3 15th hole) and arguably the most fun. There's great variety and character in the holes and on the site itself. Several of the fairways look like moonscapes with endless humps and bumps. The wall of six bunkers in the eighth fairway is a cruel but amusing trick. The coastal holes (4-6 and 16) all have unique characteristics that make them memorable.
It's a course I could play every day and never tire of its challenges.

Anybody who doesn't give Pacific Dunes five stars on GA is a lunatic. It is the class of the resort and a true thrill to walk. I played it on an overcast day in 40 mph winds where balls were blowing around on the greens and sand was flying out of bunkers. We still had a great time. I can't wait to see it in its full glory in the sunshine.
There are a couple severe green complexes I could quibble about, but the way it plays like a pure links on the coastal cliffs is the reason the hashtag #whyIlovethisgame was created in the first place. It's every bit the bucket-list experience at one-third off the price of a round at Pebble Beach or Shadow Creek.

My Bandon Preserve experience was a wet one, playing the first several holes in a steady mist. That rain clouded over the ocean views, but even then, this was a wonderful, relaxing way to play golf, even if you've already played 18 holes. It's a nice way to unwind after battling the tougher, bigger courses at the resort.
The longest shot is an uphill 160-yard par 3 that might require a 175- to 180-yard poke, depending upon the wind. The shortest is a wee 80-yard flip over a dune to a punch bowl green. Grab a couple clubs, a couple brews and play a skins game with your buddies for a really good time.

Bandon Trails doesn't have the ocean that Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes offer, but boy is it a stellar routing from Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. I had the most fun playing this course of any at the resort. It's not as hard as the others, and it's scenic in its own right. The first two holes romp through the dunes like you're at Enniscrone in Ireland. From there, until the last hole back through the dunes to the clubhouse, the forest setting is pure Pacific Northwest.
The collection of par 3s rule the day - the 166-yard (green tees) second hole in the dunes, the biarritz green at no. 5, the driver/wood tee shot at the 235-yard 12th and the downhill 17th.
Be sure to stop at the plaque behind the elevated 14th tee, a demanding but short par 4. This is the view that prompted Mike Keiser to buy the land and eventually develop the resort. It's ground zero for all things Bandon Dunes.