(July 7, 2020: This post has been updated to include information on the fifth 18-hole course on Bandon property, the Sheep Ranch, with details and information that will help in planning a trip with a new course to play!)
Bandon Dunes is the perfect golf destination. It’s perfect for everything it has, everything it offers and even some of the stuff it decided to leave on the cutting room floor. It’s been a place that has weaved in and out of my life for years, dating back to my first visit as part of a media trip years ago. Since landing in North Bend back in April of 2012, I’ve been observing and noting things that make an experience at Bandon Dunes the best and things that maybe you should avoid when trekking to the west coast of Oregon. So here we go, my extensive Bandon Dunes guide. Enjoy!
The Boring Stuff: Transportation
In my opinion, there are two options to getting to Bandon Dunes that doesn’t involve a private airplane; flying to Eugene or taking the knuckleball flight directly to North Bend. I’ve done both a number of times and frankly, I prefer the flight to Eugene.
The pros of the North Bend option are simple and obvious; when you land, you’re 40 minutes from the Bandon Dunes gate. You get your bags, your clubs and boom, you’re off. The cons can be delays with a small aircraft and small airport. High winds can be an issue at certain times of the year and if the flight can’t go, you’re basically stuck in a very small airport hoping you eventually get to your connection.
The Eugene option is my preferred way because I feel I can rely on it. The drive to Bandon Dunes from the airport is somewhere in the 2.5-hour range, but it’s one of the most scenic drives you’ll ever take and with a direct option into Eugene, ends up being about the same time as connecting in San Francisco or Portland for your North Bend prop.
If you need transportation to/from any of the airports, I suggest using Aviation Transportation. The drivers are friendly and understanding, the drinks are included in the price and it’s roomy enough for however many guests you are bringing with you to Bandon.
Now to the GolfÂ
The first thing I’ll say seems simple enough, but I hear from a lot of people on social media something different so I wanted to get this point out first; play all the golf courses. I don’t care how you do it or how many holes you have to play in a day, but going to Bandon Dunes and skipping a golf course is like going to a five-star restaurant and only have apps and ‘zerts (shoutout Tom Haverford). You better have the main course or you’re wasting time and money.
The best rotations for golf courses should go like this; morning rounds on Old Macdonald and Pacific Dunes, afternoon rounds on Bandon Trails and Bandon Dunes. With Sheep Ranch, I am urging people to play Sheep as their first course of the trip or their last. The reason being, I think it’s the most picturesque course on property and will either smack you in the face when you first arrive (make sure that iPhone is charged up because you’ll be snapping photos all morning long as you take on the newest of the C/C masterpieces) or will leave you checking dates for a Bandon return as you depart the property.
Sheep Ranch is much like Old Mac in terms of when best to play; the earlier the better. The winds tend to pick up in the afternoon so it’s best to play the windier of the courses (Old Mac & Sheep) and the tougher of the courses (Pacific) when winds are down. Personally, I like to do Old Mac/Trails the first day and then Pac/Bandon the next. I think Sheep is a good course to couple with one of the tougher of the courses because Sheep is the easiest course on property (that is, if the winds aren’t howling 30-40 MPH), so it’s nice to get in a good score before taking on Pacific of Trails.
(An important Sheep Ranch note; it’s the longest of the shuttle rides because it’s the furthest from the lodge and centralized activity so plan for that, but just know, there is a Sheep Ranch driving range (it’s LOVELY) just to the north of the first tee. If you want to get out there early and grab a breakfast sandwich and/or a coffee, just know you can warm up for the round right there, which is a huge bonus.)
One of the things I find frustrating is when people downplay the fun of Old Macdonald and the absolute perfection of Bandon Trails. If there is any negativity from golfers that visit Bandon, it’s usually about those two golf courses, which is shortsighted and flat out wrong. Old Mac is a perfect links golf courses in the United States, forcing players of all skill levels to hit different shots and take on unique challenges. It has some of the most fun holes on the property (the green on No. 5 is WILD) and being in that central area (holes 3-16) makes you feel like you’re out in a park with a bunch of your pals.
Now, if you meet someone that hates on Bandon Trails, walk away, delete that person from your phone and vow to never speak to him/her again. Trails, in my opinion, is the best 18 holes on the property. It’s as peaceful a golf experience as you will find in this country, and that stretch of holes from Nos. 9-13 is as serene a walk as I’ve ever experienced in all my years playing this goofy game. When I think of my favorite holes at the resort, I gravitate towards Trails more than I realize (I really do think the par-5 9th is the hole I’d pick if I was given one last hole to play on this Earth).
The most fun experience at Bandon Dunes? Well, that is probably fairly universal in terms of opinion. That’s Bandon Preserve, the flawless par-3 course designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw that puts every other par-3 course in the world to shame. I can honestly say this about the Preserve; I’ve never played a round out there that I would consider anything but a 10 out of 10. Get a margarita at the little halfway house, carry your bag, bring a Bluetooth speaker and remember, the only rule at the Preserve is everyone has to hit putter off the tee of the final hole, the 13th. I’ve seen near aces with putters off the tee, have made a birdie myself by doing so (“nice two-putt!”) and it’s always entertaining to watch everyone give it a good smack and watch it roll down the runway to the green.
My advice for your Preserve round; either day in or morning out. If that doesn’t work with your schedule, make a Preserve/Trails day your easy day during the middle of the trip. You can sleep in a little, go a little harder the night before and be all set at Preserve to play a round, have a late lunch right there at Bandon Trails and then go out on Trails in the afternoon.
Food, You Ask?
One of the best things about Bandon Dunes, something Mike Keiser made a bullet point when bringing this dream to life, is how understated everything is around the golf.
The rooms are exactly as they should be, no fluff or excess needed. The beds are comfortable and the showers do their jobs and you’ll spend less time in your rooms at Bandon than any other place you visit. It’s for cleaning up and sleeping and that’s it.
But, how about the food? Is it understated like the rooms? Absolutely not. The food at Bandon is GREAT.
You’ll hear plenty of people tell you to get the Grandma’s Meatloaf at McKee’s Pub and I don’t disagree, but telling people what to order and eat seems like a wasted practice since all of that is what the person likes and what the person feels.
This is the advice I’ll give about food; just have a plan. Bandon Dunes is great because you get to turn your adult brain off for a few days. You never have to worry about driving anywhere or making phone calls. You are almost in a golfing daze for a few days, walking from pro shop to pro shop, first tee to first tee knowing that everything of importance to your day is already set. Your caddie is there and the times are secured and as long as you have golf balls in the bag and a couple of tees in your pocket, you are good to go (how much are things set for the golfer? The first tee shacks even have waterproof scorecards called Drycards that were invented by a Bandon Dunes caddie named Todd Petrey).
But for food, I urge you to have a plan. It can be a loose plan, but a plan nonetheless. Make dinner reservations before you get there for each night so you don’t have to stress about where you’re eating when you get there. Sprinkle in a dinner at The Pacific Grill and Trails End (at Pacific Dunes and Bandon Trails clubhouses, respectively). You’ll want to spend most of your time at McKee’s which is what my friends and I do, but the menus elsewhere are so different it’s worth venturing out.
I won’t sit here and give you ordering advice except for this; get the grilled cheese for lunch one day at Pacific Dunes. And get a side of spicy ranch dressing. The spicy ranch is so good there I’m convinced if Bandon bottled it and sold it in grocery stores they would diversify their ever-growing business four-fold.
With Bandon Dunes getting busier and busier by the year, the restaurants can be packed by 7 PM, so having those reservations, especially for a big group, is massively helpful. If you’re the alpha golf group guy (the one in charge), make the calls and get the reservations set, that way you’ll never have to stress again.
The Other Stuff
- I get asked about dates a lot. When is the best time to go to Bandon? The easy and obvious answer is anytime in the summer, but I’ve been in September, October, and November and had great days and mediocre weather days each time. If you avoid peak season at Bandon, you’ll find a better rate and a little fewer people, so it’s really what you’re looking for. A friend of mine that works at Bandon and has lived there for a number of years points people to mid-late April as a great time to go. Says the prices are still down and the conditions are usually fantastic.
- To take a caddie or not to take a caddie, that is the golf trip question. I’ll answer it easily here; take one. Each round. If you can afford it, take a damn caddie. It makes the Bandon Dunes experience a LOT better, plus, you’re playing 36 holes a lot so not having to worry about the bag makes those walks a lot better.
- When you play Old Mac, take a minute or two and check out the halfway house after the seventh green. It’s one of the best halfway houses on the planet, so much so that on sunny days when the course isn’t packed, I’ve sat on one of those benches with a buddy and had a couple of beers and just let a group or two go ahead of me.
- You’ll hear people mention the Labyrinth (my good pal Mitch Laurance walks you through it right here). It’s worth 45 minutes of your time to go check it out, especially as the sun is setting. Follow the signs, enjoy your time in the woods and if you get lost, just flag down the nearest Bandon shuttle (three buddies and I may have run into this issue a few years ago).
- There is no real reason to leave the property once you get there, but if you must, a couple of places to go; Tony’s Crab Shack is the best place to grab a bite in the city of Bandon, but it’s only open for lunch (10:30 AM – 6 PM). Across the street from Tony’s is the Arcade (known locally as the caddie bar), which is open until 2 AM and has pool tables, darts, and some great shirts/sweatshirts to toss in with all the stuff you buy from the resort. Foley’s is the Irish Pub and a great place to grab dinner and watch a game.
Last thing … I recorded a podcast with my good buddy and the lead college football analyst for Fox Sports, Joel Klatt (also a silly good golfer) about our latest trip to Bandon Dunes. We answered a ton of questions, gave tips and must-dos when planning and arriving at one of my favorite places in the world. You can listen to that full episode right here if you’re an Apple Podcasts person (Spotify link here).