I just got back from Bandon Dunes on the Southern coast of Oregon. I wanted to post about it because a lot of golfers dream of Pebble Beach as their Holy Grail. I've played both and Bandon Dunes is the much more enjoyable experience. The scenery is about equal but there are two great courses at Bandon. Bandon is real links golf like you would find in the best courses in Ireland and Scotland, the price is roughly half of Pebble and the atmosphere is like your friendly local golf club instead of the pretentious 'your lucky to be playing at all' at Pebble. Oh also, if no one has evertold you, the greens at Pebble Beach absolutely suck. They roll them everday for the tour events but not for the $300 paying general Public. The 100 different poa annua strains all grow at a different rate making the greens as bumpy as an orange skin. Anyway here are some pics: This is one of the best spots on Earth, note the mountains in the background This is a driveable par 4, you just need to take it out over the water with a little draw. (It must be an illusion of the northern sun angle that gives both me and Colin Montgomerie man t*tties) The green stuff is gorse, Bandon is the only place outside of Scotland that it grows..thank God! It is sharper than barbwire and thicker than...well I don't know , but if you hit your ball in it , just drop another one, you aren't finding it. And it was a downhill lie
Wow, thanks for the pics Gene. That gorse would be a pretty awesome sight in the spring (doesn't it grow in Australia too, or is that a different gorse?) I really miss living close to Palm Springs...my favorite courses are there (mountains too).
Thanks for the pics - do they let you walk there? I heard there are some other links-style courses that are nice along the coast in Oregon - have you played any of them?
Nice pics, looks like a great course! I've always thought of St. Andrews as the golfer's Holy Grail though... never had the chance to play there myself. PS Don't fancy that downhill lie much
St. Andrews is really only a great course because of its history. The Scottish charm is nice but it is a rough course. And yes, Bandon is a far superior course to Pebble Beach, which again is really only considered a great course because of history, exclusivity, and its scenic views. I have a funny story about Pebble Beach. My dad has a friend who lives on the course and I was in there back yard playing with their dog and I was chasing the dog in the general direction of the course when I hear all of a sudden all these guys in suits yelling at me to get on the ground or they would shoot me. So I get on the ground and three guys walk up with guns and frisk me and ask me what I was doing. President Clinton was playing that hole at the time.
OK here's the Bandon sccop but remeber for a golfer this is like a trip to Mecca so get ready for some sticker shock: Air -617 Rooms at the Lodge - 275 But we didn't stay there , we rented a great beachouse for $275 that sleeps 6. there were two couples. Golf - 160 lodgeguest 190 - anybody else (me) Caddy - 35 + 35 tip = 70 I pulled my own pull cart because I had a terrible caddy experience at Pebble that cost me 200 ( hey I thought that was mecca for golf then) Pullcart - free ;I think, I just grabbed one both rounds and nobody acted like there was a seperate charge. By the way they were the best pull carts I have ever seen, 20" wheels that rolled with one finger. We also played Pumkin Ridge outside of Portland which was also a top 100 course...gorgeous farmland course for 95.
