Sunday morning we woke up with the excitement and anticipation of a 36-hole day. Sheep Ranch followed by Bandon Dunes. The weather was perfect. It was cool in the morning, and there wasn’t too much wind.
We drove to the Sheep Ranch clubhouse, which is a good ways away from Lily Pond. On the way, you pass the main Bandon Lodge, Pacific Dunes, the Practice Center, and Old Macdonald.
There is a lot of commentary online about the order in which Bandon’s courses should be played. I’m not sure we had much of a choice, but Sheep Ranch was a wonderful start to the trip. It is wide open and very playable–you can get away with some loose shots here and there and still not make blowup-type numbers. I loved Sheep Ranch. The drone footage of Sheep Ranch on the Bandon website is incredible. It is the newest course at Bandon, and it has a mythological origin story. Mike Keiser and Phil Friedmann originally built it seemingly almost as a hobby or side project, then Coore and Crenshaw refined it, and it opened in 2020. One of the caddies said that it was called Sheep Ranch because someone told Mike Keiser that if he built a golf course on this property, it would become nothing but a sheep ranch. I haven’t read that anywhere else, but it sounds good.
The picture below is from the 17th green at Sheep Ranch. Without a doubt, the coolest–and closest–greenside tree that I’ve witnessed on a course. The tree’s proximity to the green with its overhanging large branch is so unique in golf, I was smitten, I loved it. What a cool feature.
I managed to par the last 5 holes on Sheep Ranch and left with a good feeling. We headed to the main lodge for another meal at the Tufted Puffin (Cobb salad–solid). Bandon Dunes was next.
The round on Bandon Dunes–the original–is a blur. I know I enjoyed it. I know there were wonderful views of the Pacific. But as I go through the round hole by hole in my mind with the assistance of the website course preview and my scorecard, I struggle to remember architectural details or overall feelings with any precision.
If you are reading this, you’re probably like me, and you want to play well on your trip, you want to focus and give it your all on each shot. So you get to the tee, you think about where you need to hit it, you think about your swing, you think about your pace of play and all sorts of other things. Where’s the next water station? Next bathroom? Who am I paired with–don’t forget to watch their tee shots! You’re taking in incredible views. You’re trying to get photos. You’re trying to talk to your friends. How’s the job, how’s the family. Oh, wait, and you’re supposed to think about the architecture of the course, too. Yeesh.
This is impossible. You could spend an entire day going through one course, walking only, not hitting any shots, and still only scratch the surface. To expect that you’re going to pick up on all the finer details and challenges in one playing (of any course) is crazy. This is probably obvious to most people, but I’m going to share some strategies on how to deal with a one-off round at a famous place in a future post.
Ultimately, this leads me to the inescapable conclusion that to truly judge a course, how many times do you need to play it? Ten? Twenty? Is playing it once even worth it? Yes, that’s a no-brainer. Are you ever going to say no to playing a world-class course? No. You can say to yourself and others, I’ve played Bandon, I’ve played Sheep Ranch. You’ll remember things, even if you can’t quickly recall what No. 8 green looked like. But I do feel some disappointment at not grasping or remembering more.
Don’t get me wrong. Golf trips are one of the top highlights of my year. I love the preparation, the packing, the planning and thinking about where you are going. The meals and beers with friends. And I love the competition. Of course you play this course even if you can only play it once, but from now on, I will go into each round at an architecturally acclaimed course with a serious amount of pre-trip research. This will at least allow me to be thinking, pay close attention on No. 7 and No. 10, etc.
So, what is my memory of playing the original Bandon Dunes? On one hole, my ball was inside a sprinkler head cutout. I measured a club length and dropped some tees. I took a drop, the ball rolled back in. I took another drop with another roll in, and then I placed the ball. My friend was watching me do this from afar. He said that I made him laugh because I was taking things so seriously. I’ll remember that. I remember the starter. He was a nice man; I asked for water, and he pointed me to the main clubhouse. I pulled my towel off my bag and headed that way. He said, “Oh, towel water, it’s right here.” He pointed to a bucket and said, “Should be nice and warm for you.” It was sudsy, warm, clear water. Not some bucket of stale dirty water for cleaning clubs. Warm and inviting. Merely for your towel. I’ve never experienced this, and I loved it. I do remember the short par-4 No. 16. I love short par 4’s, and I was happy to learn after playing that No. 16 is a signature hole. The Pacific borders the entire length of the right side. There is a deep gorge and then a waste area over which you must drive if you risk going for it. You can favor the left side if you don’t think you can make the green, which sits slightly elevated like a beacon at the end of of the earth. I’m not near long enough to go for the green, but I drove it nicely down the left side before blowing it on my 70-yard second shot and making bogey. I’ll remember the three protein balls at the turn. These peanut butter concoctions that are the same size of a golf ball and come in a sleeve are better than a protein bar by a long shot. I’ll remember that my partner and I lost several bets as we were talked into giving the other side a stroke a hole. I’ll remember that I had a blast and would go back in a second.
