As a Chicagoian I don't get out to Oregon much. When I heard there was going to be a family wedding there I immediately thought of Bandon Dunes. I didn't have really enough time to do it properly (only able to be there 22 hours) but since I get so few chances I knew I had to take what I could. My family couldn't come and it seemed like a perfect opportunity. The trip did not disappoint. My account that follows hopefully removes some of the intimidating unknowns of going to one of the great American golf resorts.
The Trip
Bandon Dunes is in the middle of nowhere. This is one of the things that makes it so unique and interesting except when you are planning on getting there. The first issue for me to deal with was the two hour time difference combined with the travel time of getting out there. In early April sunset is around 7:30pm PDT so you need to tee off by 2:30 or 3:00 to guarantee getting all 18 in if the round is really slow. The closest major airport is Portland which is about a 4 hour and 45 minute drive. There is an airport in North Bend, OR which is only about a 30 minute drive but the flights are aren't nearly as often as Portland. United announced they will be doing direct flights from Denver to North Bend on Wed and Sun from (DATE to DATE) which will make it a bit easier. The flight should land around 1:20pm PDT so you should be able to get an 18 in the same day. I decided to fly into Portand, stay over night and then fly to North Bend the next morning. I didn't have much desire to get up at 3am for a 5:45 flight to get to Portland in time for a drive or flight. I wanted to be rested and ready for my rounds even if it meant playing one less round. From North Bend I rented a car and drove the 30 minutes to Bandon. It's a beautiful drive and with windows down and music blaring it was one of the highlights of my trip. There really isn't a need for the car as you don't need to leave the property. Bandon itself maintains a page with decent information on ways to get there http://bandondunesgolf.com/resort/getting-here
The Facility
Bandon Dunes owns a LOT of land. The facility is huge. They have multiple different lodges on the property each have their own name / branding and I wasn't sure where to go first when I first got there. I was staying at The Inn but thought they would have one main clubhouse. After going into what I assumed was the main club house I was told just to go to The Inn and I would check in there. Each lodge and each course have their own check in desk / club house and almost seem independent from each other. They aren't independent though and every person with a computer was able to look me up tell me where I was supposed to go and even charge things back to my room making everything very convenient. The courses all have separate club houses with their own parking lots as well. You pay for your round at the time you play so it would be pretty easy to stay off site and drive up. That said, staying on site was so convenient and not too much more expensive than a hotel off site that I recommend staying on site. I arrived about 2 hours before my round. I collected my clubs from outside the main clubhouse (I shipped them out with shipsticks.com which I recommend) and headed over to the practice facility to warm up. The practice area is free to use. After golfing, I went back to my room took a shower then strolled over to the pub, had some of the best meatloaf I've ever had and closed up the place watching a basketball game talking to the bartender and some of the other guys at the bar. I walked back to my room and paged through a Bandon Dunes coffee table book before going to sleep a bit early (the 2 hour jet lag hit me a bit hard). It was really relaxed and just what I was looking for. There are lots of options for hanging out after dark in your hotel lounge, at the Punch Bowl putting course or at the restaurants if you aren't as much of a lightweight as I was.
The Golf
Bandon Dunes has 4 full 18 courses: Bandon Dunes Pacific Dunes Bandon Trails Old Macdonald ...a 13 hole par 3 course that is maintained to the same standards as the 18 hole courses and with ocean views: Bandon Preserve ...a par 3 course that is a part of the practice facility that is free (they ask for a donation for youth golf): Shortys ...and a putting course on a giant putting green called the Punch Bowl that has either 18 or 36 holes and turns into sort of a bar / social space where waitresses will come out on the green and serve you while you are putting around I booked pretty late but didn't have any issues getting an afternoon tee time on a Friday. I had intended to play a sea side course and since the place is called Bandon Dunes it seemed like the obvious choice. After speaking with the really helpful woman taking reservations but the woman taking reservations recommended Pacific Dunes given it's their most popular course and ranked #6 in Golf Digest's Top 100 courses. I also was going to play Saturday morning before leaving but didn't have the same freedom of choice there. The earliest tee time for a single was on Old MacDonald which was the only course I knew i really wanted to play. Arriving at the course about 2 1/2 hours early I checked in and went over and picked up my clubs out in front of the main clubhouse at The Inn. I shipped them with www.shipsticks.com and that worked flawlessly. I headed over to the practice facility and hit enough balls to get warmed up then went to the practice green to roll some putts for a bit. They have a great practice area that is free with balls stacked ready to just walk up and hit. There were balls on the putting green as well just waiting to be used. After stopping into the practice area clubhouse for a hot chocolate real fast I called a shuttle and headed over to Pacific Dunes. Once there I met up with my caddie Wyeth. I have never played with a caddie before but having played with someone once who had one at Erin Hills and spending the entire round talking to him about the origins of the course and the towns I knew my first time on a course and in a region I would benefit from having one. The course had high expectations to live up to and I can say it lived up to them. It was a beautiful course with more room than I expected. Pacific Dunes is the second course built and maximizes seaside views. This being only my second round of the year I was pretty wild off the tee and had something approaching a playable shot almost everywhere. I have to admit that I remember less about my golf game than any rounds I have played in recent memory. For me it really was about the walk, the experience and the afternoon instead of the shots or how straight I was hitting it. I went into the round really nervous about embarrassing myself at a "real" course. It really is a beautiful piece of land in a beautiful part of the country and golf seems a little bit like an excuse to hang out on it. Walking the course lets you experience it more fully than if you were speeding by it on a cart. I have a feeling if(when) I go back I will be a little more concerned in my game but this time it was about playing easily one of the most beautiful courses I have seen. After an evening playing around at Shorty's, the par 3 course at the practice area I had finished my golf for the day. The next morning I got up early to play Old MacDonald. The 2 hour time difference from Chicago to Oregon makes early tee times really easy. I was up before my alarm and wide awake on the first tee. I met up with my Wyeth again and we set out with 2 other guys to take on the morning. Weather was about ideal it was high 50s at the start of our round and more than comfortable without a lot of wind. Old Macdonald is what I imagine all the old Scottish / Irish courses to be with big greens and wide open fairways. I was told it would be challenging to lose a ball and I tested that theory on one really bad shot but it turned out to be true. Having to leave a little early to make my wedding in time (the reason in was in Oregon in the first place) I had to leave after 12 holes so I don't feel like I got the full Old Macdonald feel but a return trip will definitely include it. It was a really fun round with nice people.
The Experience
Bandon Dunes really is an experience. Except for not knowing where to go when I got there my entire time there was worry free and smooth. The facilities were great, the system they have set up to charge everything back to your room made transactions that much simpler, the food was good, the golf was the best I can imagine and the staff were all really friendly and helpful. I worry about place like this because I'm not real formal and sometimes really nice golf courses can feel stuffy and a bit unwelcoming. I think my caddie Wyteth put his finger on it when he told me why he liked being there and had decided to stay. Paraphrasing him, he said the people there are there to have a good time a generally in a good mood and that is what I found as well. Everyone seemed like they wanted to be there from the staff to the other guests. It wasn't overly upscale but it's very nice. It wasn't overly "bro". My one minus for the place is there weren't many families or women it was all guys. I think that is a reflection on golf in general though rather than Bandon. The place is all about golf and not much else. I would recommend going to anyone who asked and you could do it more cheaply than I did it. Caddies aren't required and even though April is cheaper than summer I have heard February is the not well kept secret where the weather is better than you would think and the rates are low. In short I'm already considering when I can go back. That is the highest praise I can think of.
