Background
There comes a time in every man's life where he develops a golf addiction. For some it starts early, playing as a child thanks to a supportive family. For others they find it in their retirement years as a way to pass the time and be social. For me, and many others like me, it came in my 20s.
As a golf addict, I appreciate every time I get to be on the course. Even though this sport can be incredibly frustrating at times, I love getting to go out there and unplug from day to day life. This upcoming weekend I'll be going on a trip to Bandon Dunes in Oregon. For those unaware, Bandon Dunes is a complex of five links and two par-3 courses and is considered to be one of the best golf trip destinations in the world.
The trip consists of a 7 hour drive south to the Oregon coast and 4 days straight of golf. Most days have 1.5 - 2 full rounds on the schedule. That's a lot of golf and a lot of money (hopefully my fiancee doesn't read this post).
Preparation
Those who are familiar with my game know that I play in the golf simulator multiple times per week. This is great as I am able to get some swings in before work even though I live in downtown Seattle and don't have a car readily available. The Trackman stats are helpful for seeing why a shot ended up where it did. You can see your swing from multiple video angles and where exactly on the face you made contact.
However, there are a few unfortunate side effects that arise when you play a bunch of sim golf. I tend to struggle with hitting down on my irons unless I am actively thinking about it. This is something that you can get away with in the sim on a perfect lie but absolutely kills you in real golf. I also don't tend to practice short game nearly as much as I need to. When I went out on the course this weekend (rainy and muddy day at a muni) I shot about a 110. That's not gonna get it done.
To prepare for this trip, I've played every available Bandon course on the simulator, some multiple times. I'm trying to be more mindful when doing this so I'm taking manual notes like a caddy. I don't think this will actually help me out but it's kinda funny and a good memory to keep.
The early forecast for next weekend calls for rain, and apparently it rains sideways at Bandon. To prepare for this I've purchased a rain suit and rain gloves as well.
The Gauntlet
Below I am sharing the schedule for the trip and the most recent round I had at that course on Trackman. I am by no means expecting to shoot even close to these numbers in real life, but I did enjoy scoping out some of the holes before the trip.
Day 1
Bandon Trails - The third course added in 2005, a par 71. For some reason, this one always gives me the most trouble on the sim. Looking at my stats, hole #8 is a problem for me. Hopefully we are able to put up a decent round to start off the weekend and get the confidence up.
Old Macdonald - The fourth course which opened in 2010, also a par 71. I played this one a few times on the sim before I even knew that it was at Bandon. I like this course a lot, it looks straight out of Scotland and I have scored well in my sim rounds here.
Day 2
Shorty's - The seventh and newest course on the property is a 19 holes par 3 course. It opened in 2024. Unfortunately this course is not yet available on Trackman so I don't have any intel yet. It'll be nice to start with a par 3 course this day as that means much less walking.
Pacific Dunes - The second course to open in 2001, another par 71. Ranked the number one resort golf course in 2005 by Golfweek magazine and the 8th best links course by Golf Magazine in 2014. There are some stunning holes here that play along the coast. I am probably the most excited about this one, though apparently it is the hardest on property.
Day 3
Bandon Preserve - A short par 3 course with 13 holes, opened in 2012. Got to play this with my lovely fiancee in the sim last weekend. I particularly like the holes on this one where you hit towards the water.
Bandon Dunes - The original course which opened in 1999. Like Pacific Dunes, there are some absolutely gorgeous holes here. This is one course where I need to remind myself to take this all in.
Day 4
Sheep Ranch - The sixth course and final one for us to play, a shorter par 72. I am very intrigued by this one, as it is also not present in the sim. At this point I plan to be absolutely exhausted and sad I have to go back to work the next day.
Goals
The main goal I have for this trip is for my body to hold up. After tearing my ACL 11 months ago and rehabbing ever since, I am just glad that I can get out there again. I am hoping that I will be able to walk and play all the courses on the schedule without injury. Walking up to 36 holes in one day is actually a ridiculous workout, especially considering the hills and the fact that I'll be carrying or pushing my clubs. To do this over a few days in a row will be brutal, so above all I just want to finish every round.
The other more obvious goal is to play well. I don't get as angry golfing as some of the friends I play with, but I do get frustrated. I need to remind myself that I'm not good enough to get mad when I hit a bad shot. Obviously there will be misses this weekend. I don't expect to be in the 90s every round, but breaking 100 at least once or twice would be awesome.
That about sums it up, as you can see I'm pretty excited. I'll be back with an update post trip where I break down some rounds and any highs and lows. Thanks for reading, you guys are the best.