Dr. Teeth
Well-known member
As many of you know I recently played all 4 Bandon Courses in one day. I wanted to do a review of the Bandon courses, but I decided to do it a little differently. Instead of reviewing each course individually I am reviewing them as a collective (which is how you end up remembering them when you play them all in one day). I am doing this by picking my favorite hole of a specific number (ie my favorite first hole on each course, my favorite 2nd hole, etc), so what I will essentially have is an All Star Bandon routing. This was very hard because many of the holes are so great at Bandon and so many of the really great holes are of the same number (ie they all have great hole #4s). I am including pictures, the majority of which I took myself, but I did borrow some from the Bandon website as well as from the Renaissance Design Group (they designed and brought to life Pacific Dunes and Old MacDonald). Credit will be given to the pictures that have been borrowed.
#1 Old Mac, Par 4. I think this is a great opening hole that is just long enough to make you hit a good drive or 3 wood, but it is short enough to allow for a recovery if a good tee shot is not made or to give a short pitch into a great green if a good shot is hit. The fairway is very large, but the green will give you a great taste of what is to come at Old Mac.
The 1st green at Old Mac protected by bunkers
http://dev.brightbridge.net/RGD/userfiles/image579_lg.jpg?rand=649356209 (Renaissance Design Group)
#2 Bandon Trails, Par 3. Standing on the elevated tee box, you are staring down at a green that has trees on one side and a long bunker guarding the other. The green is fairly thin, but what it lacks in width it makes up in length. If you happen to end up on the front of the green (not a hard task as it seems to require more club than you think to get there) and the pin is in the back, good luck. A par is always a good score on this hole and it sets the tone of what is to come at Bandon Trails.
View from the tees of the Par 3 2nd at Bandon Trails
http://www.bandondunesgolf.com/filebin/images/course/bandontrails/photos/2.jpg (Bandon Dunes Website)
#3 Old Mac, Par 4. I am so torn on which course has the better 3rd hole. Pacific Dunes, Bandon Dunes and Bandon Trails all have really great par 5s that are all the standout 5s on those courses. However, Old Mac has one of the best blind tee shots I have ever seen. That being said, the thing that makes this hole stand out is what you see once you climb the huge dune that you just hit over. Before you is the entire course, along with part of Pacific Dunes, backdropped by the Pacific Ocean. It is a site that few who have seen it will soon forget.
The large dune at Old Mac #3. Aim right over the man and draw it.
The view as you come over the large dune on Old Mac #3
#4 Pacific Dunes, Par 4. While I really love the 4th hole at Bandon Dunes and the LONG par 4 at Old Mac, they only receive an honorable mention when compared to the 4th at Pacific Dunes, which in my opinion is easily one of the best par 4s I have ever played. It has everything, a challenging tee shot that is a true gut check. You have to place your drive in between a bunker on the left and a drop off cliff on the right. Then you are required to hit a great shot into a green that is protected and full of undulations. A par feels like a birdie on this hole.
Tee shot at Pacific Dunes #4
View of the green on Pac Dunes #4
Green on Bandon Dunes #4
#5 Bandon Dunes, Par 4. Man this is hard! The other three courses all have par 3s as their 5th hole and I think that the 5th holes on Old Mac and Bandon Trails are two of the best par 3s that I have ever played. Of course, I am slightly biased because the 5th hole at Old MacDonald was the site of my first hole in one. But despite my bias and despite it being the shortest hole at Old MacDonald, it has one of the toughest, most undulating greens on the entire property and the 5th hole at Bandon has an incredible Biarritz green that is just too much fun to play. However, the nod goes to the 5th hole at Bandon Dunes. It is the second in a fantastic three hole stretch at Bandon Dunes. It runs along the ocean, but the ocean never really comes into play. It is strategically placed mounds and a green site that constricts before it opens again where the green is located. Make sure to look back, because this is one of the best views on the property.
Looking back on Bandon Dunes #5
The Par 3 5th at Old Mac (the site of my first hole-in-one)
Gives you a good idea of the contours of the greens
Bandon Trails’ par 3 5th
#6 Pacific Dunes, Par 4. WOW! I think the architects were playing a game to see who could out do each others holes. The par 3 6th at Bandon Dunes is a stunning hole and the par 5 6th at Old MacDonald has one of the meanest looking bunkers (aptly named Hell Bunker) you are likely to ever see, but the #6 at Pacific Dunes is one of the greatest strategic holes I have ever had the privilege to play. It is short at 316 yards, but you are just as likely to double bogey this hole as you are to birdie it. The trick is to bite off just as much as you can chew and to make sure you stay far away from the left side. It requires a precisely hit tee shot and an even more precisely hit second. Anything left will end up in a bunker as deep as most houses are tall and anything right will end up in a collection area forcing your next shot to me made uphill and more than one person has been seen praying that they don’t blade the shot, because anything hit with too much pace will fall straight into said bunker.
The strategic Par 4 6th at Pacific Dunes
http://www.bandondunesgolf.com/filebin/images/course/pacificdunes/photos/6.jpg
Hell Bunker on Old Mac #6
#7 Pacific Dunes, Par 4. Here again I am a bit torn and think this one is essentially a tie. I love the 7th hole at Old MacDonald with its straight uphill second shot. Although, I think the 7th at Old Mac is more memorable and has a phenomenal view from the green, I think that the 7th at Pacific is one of the best par 4s on any of the courses. It requires a precise drive, preferably as far left as you dare. The next shot is a long one into a green guarded with natural bunkers on the left and on the right are hummocks and a candy cane shaped bunker awaiting shots hit a little short. It is one of the toughest holes on the course, but it is a blast to play.
Approach shot on #7 at Pacific Dunes
The green on #7 at Old Mac
The view from on top of the green at Old Mac #7
Looking from the 9th fairway to the green on #7 at Old Mac
#8 Old MacDonald, Par 3. There is some stiff competition from the 8th hole on Bandon Trails, which is a drivable (if you dare) par 4. It is another among many really great short par 4s on the property. My prefered play is to layup with a wedge shot into the highly contoured green. This being said the nod for me goes to the long par 3 on Old Mac. After you are done climbing the giant hill on the 7th hole, stop off at the snack shack and then get ready to tee up. This shot is straight downhill and into a Biarritz green that in my opinion is one of the most fun greens on the property. This hole is completely different depending on where the flag is located. If it is in the bag, the play is to hit the ball into the valley of the Biarritz and watch as the ball will release uphill and toward the flag. If the pin is up from the play is to land it just short of the green and pray that it does go down into the valley. Either way, it will like your ball is in the air forever, but it isn’t until it hits the green that the fun starts.
A great view of the Biarritz green on the 8th at Old Mac
http://www.renaissancegolf.com/userfiles/image251_lg.jpg (Renaissance Design Group)
#9 Pacific Dunes, Par 4. This is a tough one, not because all of the courses have great 9th holes (it is clearly between Pacific Dunes and Old Mac), but because there are actually two 9th holes on Pacific Dunes and one of them is by far superior to the other. The 9th hole at Pacific has an alternate green. There is the upper green and the lower green. The lower green is fantastic and makes for an incredible hole. The upper is good, but not in the same league as the lower green. So here is how I would rank them. PD Lower> Old Mac 9th > PD Upper.
Tee shot at Pacific Dunes #9
The weaker green site (Upper) on Pacific Dunes #9
#1 Old Mac, Par 4. I think this is a great opening hole that is just long enough to make you hit a good drive or 3 wood, but it is short enough to allow for a recovery if a good tee shot is not made or to give a short pitch into a great green if a good shot is hit. The fairway is very large, but the green will give you a great taste of what is to come at Old Mac.
The 1st green at Old Mac protected by bunkers
http://dev.brightbridge.net/RGD/userfiles/image579_lg.jpg?rand=649356209 (Renaissance Design Group)
#2 Bandon Trails, Par 3. Standing on the elevated tee box, you are staring down at a green that has trees on one side and a long bunker guarding the other. The green is fairly thin, but what it lacks in width it makes up in length. If you happen to end up on the front of the green (not a hard task as it seems to require more club than you think to get there) and the pin is in the back, good luck. A par is always a good score on this hole and it sets the tone of what is to come at Bandon Trails.
View from the tees of the Par 3 2nd at Bandon Trails
http://www.bandondunesgolf.com/filebin/images/course/bandontrails/photos/2.jpg (Bandon Dunes Website)
#3 Old Mac, Par 4. I am so torn on which course has the better 3rd hole. Pacific Dunes, Bandon Dunes and Bandon Trails all have really great par 5s that are all the standout 5s on those courses. However, Old Mac has one of the best blind tee shots I have ever seen. That being said, the thing that makes this hole stand out is what you see once you climb the huge dune that you just hit over. Before you is the entire course, along with part of Pacific Dunes, backdropped by the Pacific Ocean. It is a site that few who have seen it will soon forget.
The large dune at Old Mac #3. Aim right over the man and draw it.
The view as you come over the large dune on Old Mac #3
#4 Pacific Dunes, Par 4. While I really love the 4th hole at Bandon Dunes and the LONG par 4 at Old Mac, they only receive an honorable mention when compared to the 4th at Pacific Dunes, which in my opinion is easily one of the best par 4s I have ever played. It has everything, a challenging tee shot that is a true gut check. You have to place your drive in between a bunker on the left and a drop off cliff on the right. Then you are required to hit a great shot into a green that is protected and full of undulations. A par feels like a birdie on this hole.
Tee shot at Pacific Dunes #4
View of the green on Pac Dunes #4
Green on Bandon Dunes #4
#5 Bandon Dunes, Par 4. Man this is hard! The other three courses all have par 3s as their 5th hole and I think that the 5th holes on Old Mac and Bandon Trails are two of the best par 3s that I have ever played. Of course, I am slightly biased because the 5th hole at Old MacDonald was the site of my first hole in one. But despite my bias and despite it being the shortest hole at Old MacDonald, it has one of the toughest, most undulating greens on the entire property and the 5th hole at Bandon has an incredible Biarritz green that is just too much fun to play. However, the nod goes to the 5th hole at Bandon Dunes. It is the second in a fantastic three hole stretch at Bandon Dunes. It runs along the ocean, but the ocean never really comes into play. It is strategically placed mounds and a green site that constricts before it opens again where the green is located. Make sure to look back, because this is one of the best views on the property.
Looking back on Bandon Dunes #5
The Par 3 5th at Old Mac (the site of my first hole-in-one)
Gives you a good idea of the contours of the greens
Bandon Trails’ par 3 5th
#6 Pacific Dunes, Par 4. WOW! I think the architects were playing a game to see who could out do each others holes. The par 3 6th at Bandon Dunes is a stunning hole and the par 5 6th at Old MacDonald has one of the meanest looking bunkers (aptly named Hell Bunker) you are likely to ever see, but the #6 at Pacific Dunes is one of the greatest strategic holes I have ever had the privilege to play. It is short at 316 yards, but you are just as likely to double bogey this hole as you are to birdie it. The trick is to bite off just as much as you can chew and to make sure you stay far away from the left side. It requires a precisely hit tee shot and an even more precisely hit second. Anything left will end up in a bunker as deep as most houses are tall and anything right will end up in a collection area forcing your next shot to me made uphill and more than one person has been seen praying that they don’t blade the shot, because anything hit with too much pace will fall straight into said bunker.
The strategic Par 4 6th at Pacific Dunes
http://www.bandondunesgolf.com/filebin/images/course/pacificdunes/photos/6.jpg
Hell Bunker on Old Mac #6
#7 Pacific Dunes, Par 4. Here again I am a bit torn and think this one is essentially a tie. I love the 7th hole at Old MacDonald with its straight uphill second shot. Although, I think the 7th at Old Mac is more memorable and has a phenomenal view from the green, I think that the 7th at Pacific is one of the best par 4s on any of the courses. It requires a precise drive, preferably as far left as you dare. The next shot is a long one into a green guarded with natural bunkers on the left and on the right are hummocks and a candy cane shaped bunker awaiting shots hit a little short. It is one of the toughest holes on the course, but it is a blast to play.
Approach shot on #7 at Pacific Dunes
The green on #7 at Old Mac
The view from on top of the green at Old Mac #7
Looking from the 9th fairway to the green on #7 at Old Mac
#8 Old MacDonald, Par 3. There is some stiff competition from the 8th hole on Bandon Trails, which is a drivable (if you dare) par 4. It is another among many really great short par 4s on the property. My prefered play is to layup with a wedge shot into the highly contoured green. This being said the nod for me goes to the long par 3 on Old Mac. After you are done climbing the giant hill on the 7th hole, stop off at the snack shack and then get ready to tee up. This shot is straight downhill and into a Biarritz green that in my opinion is one of the most fun greens on the property. This hole is completely different depending on where the flag is located. If it is in the bag, the play is to hit the ball into the valley of the Biarritz and watch as the ball will release uphill and toward the flag. If the pin is up from the play is to land it just short of the green and pray that it does go down into the valley. Either way, it will like your ball is in the air forever, but it isn’t until it hits the green that the fun starts.
A great view of the Biarritz green on the 8th at Old Mac
http://www.renaissancegolf.com/userfiles/image251_lg.jpg (Renaissance Design Group)
#9 Pacific Dunes, Par 4. This is a tough one, not because all of the courses have great 9th holes (it is clearly between Pacific Dunes and Old Mac), but because there are actually two 9th holes on Pacific Dunes and one of them is by far superior to the other. The 9th hole at Pacific has an alternate green. There is the upper green and the lower green. The lower green is fantastic and makes for an incredible hole. The upper is good, but not in the same league as the lower green. So here is how I would rank them. PD Lower> Old Mac 9th > PD Upper.
Tee shot at Pacific Dunes #9
The weaker green site (Upper) on Pacific Dunes #9
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