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Over the previous 15 years, I’ve made 5 journeys to what’s arguably the best golf resort on the planet: Bandon Dunes in southern Oregon. My first go to to the unique “Dream Golf” vacation spot was in 2010, and I’ve since returned in 2011, 2014, 2017, and most just lately in 2022.
Over the course of these journeys, I’ve realized fairly a bit about how one can plan, tempo, and get essentially the most out of the Bandon expertise. For those who’re excited about making the pilgrimage, listed below are my finest suggestions for taking advantage of your go to.
Planning Your Bandon Dunes Golf Journey
If you wish to go to Bandon, it helps to plan early and keep affected person.
Up to now, reserving a visit was pretty simple in case you deliberate forward. You can set a reminder, name when the reservation window opened, and often safe one thing in case you had been organized. That course of has modified. Bandon now makes use of lodging reservation drawings for sure future dates, so getting a visit on the books can take extra persistence than it used to. As of now, the resort is taking commonplace lodging reservations by Could 2027, whereas November–December 2027 requests are being dealt with by the drawings course of.
For those who don’t get chosen instantly, the very best method is just to maintain coming into throughout every reservation window and stay versatile along with your dates.
That mentioned, smaller teams should have the ability to piece collectively a Bandon Dunes golf journey on shorter discover. On our final go to, there have been just a few open tee occasions scattered throughout the sheet. When you have a smaller group and are prepared to remain off property, there may be nonetheless an opportunity you can also make one thing work nearer to your journey date. Bandon additionally notes that non-hotel visitors could e-book tee occasions for April by mid-November greater than 21 days upfront at a premium price, which may be an alternative choice if lodging doesn’t come collectively.
Attending to Bandon Dunes
On my first 4 journeys, I flew into Portland and made the roughly five-hour drive south to the resort. On my most up-to-date journey, I flew into the close by regional airport—Southwest Oregon Regional Airport (OTH) in North Bend—for the primary time.
OTH presents connections by cities like San Francisco and Denver. Whereas it didn’t save quite a lot of time as soon as layovers had been factored in, I do suppose it saved cash total as a result of I didn’t have to lease a automotive.
And that is a vital level: when you’re on property, you actually don’t want a automotive. It is going to largely simply sit there, and with rental automobiles and fuel being what they’re, flying into OTH and taking a shuttle is usually a sensible choice. The shuttle trip is simple and makes for a straightforward arrival.
The Portland drive is actually manageable—particularly on the way in which down, when everybody is happy—however after a number of days of strolling and golf, that drive again can really feel rather a lot longer.
I additionally shipped my golf equipment through ShipSticks, which made the journey day a lot simpler. On a visit that covers a variety of miles and might embody a number of flight connections, it was good to not have to pull golf equipment by each airport and as an alternative have them ready for me once I arrived.
Climate at Bandon Dunes
Among the finest issues about Bandon Dunes is that it’s playable year-round. Nonetheless, in order for you your finest probability at splendid situations, summer season is the most secure guess.
Our most up-to-date journey was in early August, and the climate was glorious. My first journey, in March 2010, additionally introduced near-perfect climate: low 60s, little or no rain, and calm situations. My second March journey, in 2011, was the exact opposite—low 50s, regular rain, and even just a little hail combined in.
That’s the tradeoff. You may usually discover higher worth through the shoulder seasons, however the climate is much less predictable.
On my latest summer season journeys, I’ve discovered the situations to be extra constant, with firmer and quicker turf that creates the form of hyperlinks golf Bandon is thought for. When you have a number of first-timers in your group, I believe it’s value going throughout peak season to enhance your probabilities of good climate and splendid enjoying situations—particularly since Bandon shouldn’t be the best vacation spot to achieve.
Urged Bandon Dunes Golf Journey Itinerary
Under is a recommended itinerary that I’ve fine-tuned over years of touring to Bandon. It takes into consideration each course proximity and total playability.
Day 1
Journey DayLate afternoon: Par-3 contest at Bandon PreserveDinner at Path’s Finish
Day 2
Early morning: Bandon DunesEarly afternoon: Bandon TrailsDinner at McKee’s Pub
Day 3
Early morning: Sheep RanchAfternoon: Free time or Shorty’s (or Charlotte’s)Early night: Placing contest at PunchbowlDinner at Pacific Grill
Day 4
Early morning: Pacific DunesEarly afternoon: Previous MacdonaldDinner at Ghost Tree Grill
Day 5
Journey Day
Itinerary Notes
I like to start with a par-3 contest late on Day 1 as a result of it’s a journey day, and members of your group are seemingly coming in from everywhere in the nation. Flight delays occur, so if there may be one spherical folks would possibly miss, it’s higher for that to be the par-3 than one of many regulation programs.
Based mostly on previous expertise, the wind tends to select up within the afternoons. That’s the reason I like Bandon Trails within the afternoon on Day 2—it’s set within the woods and presents just a little extra shelter from the wind. I additionally like Previous Macdonald within the afternoon on Day 4 as a result of its large fairways and huge greens offer you a bit extra room for error if the situations get tougher.
Now we have performed 36 holes per day on earlier journeys, and whereas that’s actually doable, it might begin to really feel like a grind. I’ve discovered that the journey is extra satisfying once you construct in a extra informal day within the center—one the place folks can sleep in, loosen up, and benefit from the property a bit extra.
I additionally tried to think about course proximity when constructing the schedule. Bandon Dunes and Bandon Trails are shut to at least one one other, as are Pacific Dunes and Previous Macdonald. Sheep Ranch sits extra by itself, which made it the pure standalone spherical on Day 3. We additionally tried to align dinners with the place we completed enjoying every day—for instance, Path’s Finish after Bandon Protect and Pacific Grill after Punchbowl.
Meals at Bandon Dunes
When you have a bigger group, I like to recommend reserving dinner reservations as early as potential. Not less than for a few of the primary dinner venues, the resort now recommends reserving effectively upfront, and Ghost Tree Grill notes that reservations may be made as much as six months earlier than your go to.
Usually, right here is how I take into consideration the eating choices:
Ghost Tree Grill and The Gallery are the extra upscale selections. The resort describes Ghost Tree Grill as a Pacific Northwest-inspired steakhouse and uncooked bar, whereas The Gallery & Puffin Bar has a extra elevated really feel within the Essential Lodge.
Path’s Finish and Pacific Grill really feel a bit extra informal.
McKee’s Pub is essentially the most laid-back and is a superb choice for a relaxed dinner or post-round drink.
For lunch, I extremely suggest stopping by Charlotte’s close to the follow space. The pulled pork could have been the very best factor I ate on my final journey.
McKee’s Pub can be a terrific spot for post-round beers, whereas the Bunker Bar on the primary Lodge is the place to go if you wish to hold the evening going just a little longer. There’s a pool desk, cigars, and a terrific late-night environment there.
For breakfast, the primary Lodge has a wonderful buffet, and Pacific Grill can be a powerful choice. If you would like a extra substantial breakfast earlier than your spherical, I might lean towards a kind of.
Different Bandon Dunes Golf Journey Suggestions
Spend Time at Punchbowl
From late afternoon till dinner, Punchbowl is among the finest scenes on property. There may be music, a bar, and loads of banter. It’s a enjoyable, energetic environment on daily basis. Simply remember that there aren’t any lights, so it closes at nightfall.
It’s also free, which makes it among the finest values anyplace on the resort.
On-Property Transportation Is Glorious
It actually doesn’t matter a lot the place you keep on property as a result of the shuttle system is extremely environment friendly. We stayed within the Grove Cottages, that are farther from the primary Lodge, and the shuttle would nonetheless choose us up inside about 5 minutes.
Bandon runs an exceptionally easy operation.
Verify Out Charlotte’s Par-3
Don’t overlook Charlotte’s, the 9-hole par-3 course (FKA Shorty’s) close to the follow space. It’s a terrific additional choice in case your group needs extra golf with out the total dedication of one other regulation spherical.
It’s a enjoyable course with artistic greens and might simply be performed in below two hours. The conditioning shouldn’t be the identical as the primary programs, however it’s nonetheless a good time—particularly with a bigger group. On one journey, we performed a two-man scramble as a tensome, and it ended up being probably the most memorable elements of the whole journey.
Get a Caddie
The caddies at Bandon are world-class, and I might extremely suggest utilizing one—if not for each spherical, then at the least as soon as a day.
You’ll save your legs and get a lot better perception into the course, particularly if it’s your first journey. A number of gamers in our group used pushcarts within the morning and took caddies within the afternoon, which labored out effectively.
One useful word: you possibly can take out “Caddie Money” on the professional retailers and cost it to your room in case you want money for suggestions.
Take a Hike
When you have some additional time—and a few additional power—make the most of the climbing trails across the property. Path maps can be found on the concierge, and many of the walks are brief and manageable.
I walked the Seashore Path one morning, and it was a good way to lastly get right down to the seaside you spend a lot time taking a look at from Bandon Dunes and Bandon Protect.
If you’re brief on time, the stroll to the Labyrinth takes solely about 10 minutes. It’s a peaceable spot devoted to Howard McKee, one of many resort’s founders, and effectively definitely worth the go to.
Do Not Rush the Expertise
Sure, you possibly can condense this journey into three days and nonetheless play all 5 regulation programs—18 on the afternoon of Day 1, 36 on Day 2, and 36 on Day 3.
However doing meaning skipping Bandon Protect, Punchbowl, and a variety of what makes the resort particular past the golf.
Bandon takes some effort to get to. Due to that, I strongly suggest staying onsite and constructing in sufficient time to benefit from the full expertise quite than speeding by it.
Last Ideas
I hope this information is useful as you intend your individual Bandon Dunes golf journey. It is among the most particular locations in golf, and with the fitting planning, it might change into an unforgettable expertise to your group.
And in case you are planning future golf journeys past locations like Bandon—particularly journeys constructed round a metropolis or area quite than a self-contained resort—make sure to take a look at Birdie, an AI-powered golf journey planner. Give Birdie just a few key items of knowledge, and it might enable you to construct an itinerary in minutes, together with flight and lodging suggestions. It’s a straightforward approach to save time and simplify the planning course of to your subsequent journey.
