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Weathering Bandon Dunes

Golf notes

I think, no, I know, that my wife thought I was crazy. My alarm was set for 1:30 a.m., I climbed into bed around 8 p.m. the night before, and excited that I knew I was making my annual pilgrimage to Bandon Dunes.

This year was different, as there were four others traveling with me; a large van was rented and I had the responsibility to pick everyone up in the wee hours of the morning. We had it down to military precision, picking the guys up in five-minute increments. Ahead was an eight-hour drive to arguably the finest pure golf resort in the country. 

Sure, Pebble has the Lodge, Spanish Bay, the Tap Room, but it also has shopping centers, spas, and tennis courts. Bandon has golf, and lots of it, with four courses – Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails and Old MacDonald – along with a fifth, Bandon Preserve, a 13-hole par-3 course, opening soon. 

Leaving at 2 a.m. has its benefits, as there was no traffic on the road and fog was our only foe. The conversation on the ride up was mainly centered around golf; which course was the toughest, easiest, best?

If excitement could be measured, this van of guys was off the charts. Everyone couldn’t wait to get there, get on the course for the practice round and start learning the nuances of the links-style golf that is played 90-miles north of the California/Oregon border, on the edge of the Pacific Ocean.

Our practice round was on Old MacDonald, which is the newest of the resort’s current line-up. Modeled after the architectural style of CB MacDonald, known as the father of United States golf architecture, Old MacDonald is a sprawling golf course that from a distance would make you feel like you are in Scotland.

With some of the largest, and most undulating, greens in the country, this course is a challenge for a golfer of any skill level.

Leading up to the trip, I had been checking the webcam on the resort’s website, and it had been spectacular for weeks; sunny, warm, no wind – in a word, perfect. 

As we pulled up to that first tee, some large dark clouds rolled in, and the rain followed two holes later. I tried to take it in stride, telling my playing companions that it was part of the “Bandon Experience.”

If the weather had been good, there would have been something missing; a true chamber of commerce line. I was lying of course, as I would have preferred not having to carry an umbrella and about 30 pounds of extra clothes in my golf bag. There was no sense battling Mother Nature, though, as she was going to win.

That practice round gave everyone the chance to get their teeth wet on links golf, when instead of hitting a 60-degree lob wedge from 70-yards, you might chip it with a 6-iron, or even putt it.

Despite the dismal weather, it was still a treat to be on the course, as Bandon has a special feel, and really does remind me of the golf courses in my native Northern Ireland.

A check of the weather forecast was not promising; it looked like Sunday would be bad, Monday worse, Tuesday even tougher, and Wednesday a complete disaster.

It was rain, followed by snow showers, followed by rain. The people at the Weather Channel were not making me happy. Still, Sunday opened with sunny skies and a promising outlook. It lasted almost the whole round; that is until we had snow on the 14th tee.

It was a first. I don’t remember ever having played golf in the snow before, and to be honest, it’s much better than playing in rain. My new hierarchy of playing conditions would now see snow ranked much higher than rain or wind. Luckily, it really only lasted one hole and passed by, followed by some more sun and a very pleasant day. 

The featured course of the day, Bandon Trails, was in excellent shape and proved to be the most underrated course of the four.

One of the great things about the resort is not just the golf, but the fact that the food and accommodations are geared towards golfers, seemingly including everyone’s favorite dishes at the various restaurants onsite. A nice lunch after the round was the perfect end to the day.

As good as the weather turned out to be on Sunday, Monday arrived and dealt us a wild-card; frost. My 9:30 a.m. tee time became noon, along with everyone else. We were back at Old MacDonald, but this time we wouldn’t have a downpour, at least not right away.  The rain stayed away for much of the day, but with six holes to go, it came in with a fury.

A bone chilling wind greeted me as I tried to make a few pars and get into the clubhouse without making any big numbers. With the rain, however, came the most vivid rainbow I have ever seen. It looked like I could have reached out and touched it; perhaps this was the pot of gold at the end of it. 

The frost had been an inconvenience, but at least it was dry, which is not how Tuesday could be described. When I walked outside to go to breakfast, it was raining sideways and the wind was blowing a gale; this should be fun.

Tuesday’s round would be played at the course that started it all, the original Bandon Dunes course. Four holes border the bluffs above the Pacific, and there is nowhere to hide from the wind and rain. I had so many layers on, I felt like an onion. The rain was coming so hard, it felt like someone was throwing darts at your face. It was a mighty struggle – par-3s played like par-4s, par-4s were par-5s, and par-5s were just plain long. 

On one tee, we wondered what the weather would be like in Arizona that day, probably sunny, warm, perfect golf weather, the complete opposite to what we were dealing with, I mean, even the seagulls were walking.

Still, it was what we came for, the challenge, the experience, the comradery of everyone else having to play the same holes in the same conditions. Stories about birdies were replaced by discussions about a par-3 that required a driver, or a 5-iron that was punched under the wind from barely over 100-yards.

But one thing will definitely be discussed. Next year, because we’ll all be back again, searching for that perfect weather that might just show up one of these years. Did I mention my wife thinks I’m crazy?