3. Sand Hills GC back nine, and overall comments--July 13, 2014

OK...now for the back nine:

#10--472 yard par 4...downhill and straight.  Tough hole to say the least.  Fairway lined with 3 well placed bunkers and the fairway pinches about 100 yards from the green.  Fairway rolls through a series of hollows to the green.  Green lies slightly below fairway level.  There is a fairly dramatic slope down to the green from the left side...and the smart player will use this slope to bounce the incoming shot toward the center of the green.  Right side of green protected by bunker.  Pics show from tee,  long approach shot (note slope on left of green), and down to green from top of slope.

#11--about 410 yards, par 4, downhill from an elevated tee, then back uphill to green...dogleg left.  Feels like you can see the entire hole from the tee...but watch out buddy...especially you long hitters...you could be fooled.  Here is (in a lousy photo) the view from the tee.  The green is just to the right of the three bunkers you can see on the far left.  The fairway starts out down the middle of the photo, then goes down the hill, and then turns left.  You can see clearly 2 fairway bunkers on the right side (the ones through the fairway, not the first two on the right)...they are 300 and 350 off the back tee.  Now you can also see a thin line of white sand over the corner of the dogleg...be back to that in a minute.  If you hit a big drive say 300-320...you better be right down the middle (just left of those two bunkers thru the fairway).

If you hit that perfect drive, you will be left with this uphill approach to the green...not easy but certainly doable.  But be careful...while you can see three bunkers left of the green from the tee, they are not visible from here...and they for sure protect the entire left side of the green.  Also, if you aim too far right, it will kick off the green and into a swale to the right.

 
OK...so you want to know why to avoid cutting the corner of the dogleg?  Just look below, at the fairway bunker on the left side, just past the dogleg, that is just a sliver when you look from the tee...these C&C guys are real devils...that is a BIG bunker that is not fun to visit:

 and here is a closeup of some of the smaller ones on the left side of the green.

#12--417 yard par 4 straight away and "basically" flat.  Flat that is, except for the fact that fairway is a "hog-back" with the hog's spine running from tee to green...so the wide wide fairway with no fairway bunkers (easily 75 yards wide) runs off to deep hollows on both sides from which the approach shot is totally blind.  So you better be straight off the tee.   If so, approach to green is fairly simple except for a monstrous bunker on the right (sorry no pic).  Green slopes mostly back to front.

#13--216 yd uphill par 3 to infinity crowned green and totally exposed to the wind (if it ever blew in NE!!).  Me thinks this is the best par 3 here.  Green is protected just a bit...large dune to left of green, large deep bunkers front right and front left, and small bunker right.  Green has false front, falls off in back, and otherwise goes left to right (coming off the large dune).  No problem at all...just a piece of cake (arsenic cake i think).  Oh, and by the way, if you happen to birdie it, don't tell anyone, since there is plenty of room for another back tee going back to about 240, and at a tougher angle from the left, bringing the dune more into play.  See these pics...in order, from back tee...btw do NOT be in that right bunker, from left side (and angle if they build another back tee to the left), and from back of green.

 #14--Having just played a par 3.5, it is time for a bit of a rest with a par 5 (perhaps 4.5 if you are careful) that bends left off tee and then right to green 508 yds and slightly uphill to green.  Two problems here.  First are fairways bunkers that pinch left side (see first bunker on left in first pic below) and one on the right, and require a carry of 260 to clear (because you do not want to visit them...as they convert hole to a par 5.5).  Second problem is the very small green (24 yds deep and only 17 yds wide at its widest point...and front 6 yards and back 10 yards are much narrower) very well protected by bunkers front right and back left.  Green slopes back to front and left to right (off dune where back left bunker is set).  That back left bunker is not a nice beach.  It slopes down the dune and stopping a shot out of it ain't an easy task

#15--Here is another par 4.5 (except the card says 4)...469 yards uphill plays L-->R off tee and R-->L to green.  And what a green...large (29 wide and 35 deep) but slopes to center from both sides but to edges front and back, with front being a severe false front.  Green also protected by large dune (with, of ours a large blow out bunker) to left and short of green.  Off tee it is vital to avoid the huge fairway bunker right (215 carry uphill) and smaller one right (285-300 off back tee)...and to see the green well for you approach, your drive should favor the right side.  Tightly mowed areas all around the green  make for a good test of your shot game nerves.  Pics below are from tee (note two fairway bunkers on right side, and one on top of dune to left of green), then from approach shot, then from right and short of green.

#16--a whale of a par 5...612 yards..downhill and turns left.  Tee shot MUST avoid huge blow out bunker left 270 carry, and fairway narrows after that bunker...but on the other hand, it runs sharply downhill...here again risk/reward tradeoff at its best.  Lots of room right off the tee, but that means a true 3 shotter and a tough second shot over bunkers at the left corner.  These bunkers extend from 120-190 yds from center of green and are to be avoided..I can vouch for that, as these did me in in 2010.  Take your choice, but you better commit off the tee and play right if you lay up (as most metals will have to do).  No bunkers around green which can be approached on long 2nd (if you are long and gamble off tee) by playing off small dune to left of green.  But if you are hitting a short iron in,  an approach off the left side will probably stay left on the downhill leaving a very delicate pitch onto the green.  Narrow green slopes B-->F and L-->R.  Not many better par 5's anywhere.  Pics from tee (see huge blowout bunker left of fairway), then 2nd shot (note array of bunkers left), then green from  about 90 yds.

#17---par 3 150 yds.  This is the one you see in all the photos.  Tiny green on top of a dune...surrounded by bunkers in almost very direction.  Perfect short par three.  Another thing...ever notice how many bad uphill holes there are?  Seems that uphill homes are often not very good...but when they are great, they are very special.  Think about #11 at Shinnecock (actually makes 17 at SHGC almost easy) or great uphill par 4's with infinity greens (#2 and #10 at Fishers Island).  Well. the back nine at SHGC has two world class uphill par 3's (13 and 17).  Catch theses pics, and btw, i got it up and down from the oft back bunker...knew you wanted to know that.

#18--par 4, 467 from tips, uphill, turns left.  Two huge bunkers down the left side...the first with carry of 240, and the second expending from 145 yards from center of green to 20 yards to center.  Yes, those are the definition of huge...and they are as deep as they are large.  Approach shot feels way uphill to narrow, deep green that has a false front and slopes B-->F and inward from both sides.  Only phrase that would describe it appropriately is "a fitting finish."

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This report would not be accurate if i did not point out that the brutal winter of 2013-14 did impact SHGC's conditions.  A few areas were still recovering from winterkill and the greens have a little poa coming in.  And the fairways were a little long most likely to allow the recovery to complete in a short time.  Compared to other tracks I have seen in New England, the midwest and the upper plains this year, SHGC came out of the winter very very very well.  

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How does one sum up a course such as SHGC?  Think of the variety and stark contrasts...tiny and massive greens, gorgeous beauty in such a stark setting, massive fairways and massive bunkers, uphill and down hill holes combining for an easy 18 hole walk, fescue all over the place but thin enough to allow you to find and try to play your ball, a first tee about a mile from the clubhouse (and not visible from anywhere on the layout...to minimize "clutter" when you are playing, a totally natural linksy track with no ocean within 1500 miles, possibly the best course in the country (and certainly one of the top 10 in the world) built where no one (other that the genius Dick Youngscap) could have imagined a course 25 years ago, etc etc etc.  In fact, if one could eliminate history from consideration in evaluating layouts (much much easier said than done)...one could easily argue that SHGC is the best track in the USA if not the world

Other things about the club:

--Perfectly simple clubhouse...nothing even "close to the top" much less "over the top";

--Basic simple rooms available with furniture right out of a Motel 6;

--Best hamburgers in the world at Ben's Porch for lunch;

--Best steak you'll ever have in the clubhouse...and that includes Peter Luger's;

--A framed piece of paper in the clubhouse with C&C's 130 discovered holes in stick figures, criss crossing each other...and the actual 18 highlighted;

--A small highly appreciative membership of about 160 who have a deep love for the game, the club, its founder and its staff, and finally...

--As fine a staff as I have seen at any club...friendly to all (including each other), always helpful and never never fawning over members and guests...simply superb.

Not a bad place.  Brilliant and special in so many ways.  If you have the opportunity to get there...do not pass it up (unless it is in February).

2. Nebraska Golf--Start with Sand Hills front nine July 13, 2014

Before I get to Nebraska golf…let’s go back to Bandon.  As you may recall, I ended the last edition (and me first blog) with the following deeply intellectual question:

“Just think about it...two men have made a fortune building businesses and having fun doing it...fun that most men would love...and both are from Chicago.  One obviously is Mike Keiser who conceived of and developed Bandon Dunes.  Who is the other??”

To date, I have received only two responses.  First, that would indicate that many of you have not been reading these emails and this blog carefully.  As my 8^th grade English teacher used to say “how the mighty have fallen”.  The two responses were not correct…they cited Charles Blair Macdonald and Phil Friedman (dreamer of Sheep Ranch).  OK…I’ll give all of you a hint.  The hint is that the other guy (who, like Keiser is an entrepreneur) had nothing to do with golf.  Now come on...this is easy.

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OK…so after a few putts at The Punchbowl, I caught a shuttle back to my room, finished packing, and was off to the airport.  Was great doing Bandon Dunes without a car…their shuttle service is very very well run (like the rest of the place) and highly dependable.  Flights from North Bend to SFO and SFO to DEN were on time.  By 6:45pm or do, I was in my rental car and off to North Platte, NE which is about 60 miles south of Sand Hills Golf Club and where I was spending Saturday night.  Drive was about 255 miles or 3 hours 30 minutes…fairly straight shot, and arrived at hotel around 11:15pm Central time…and very tired.

The big complication for the next three days were times zones.  DEN is of course in the Mountain Zone.  I am flying out of Omaha on Tuesday evening back to Boston….and Omaha is of course in the Central Zone.  But, when you get to central Nebraska it gets complicated.  My hotel in North Platte is Central, Sand Hills GC, almost directly north in Mountain, as is Dismal River Club (which is 8 miles west of SHGC, and where I spent Sunday night).  But then, The Prairie Club, directly north another 60 miles (and where I spent Monday night) is Central.  Anyhow, I was able to keep it all straight...with intense concentration (and some hand written notes).

Up early Sunday morning, and after breakfast at hotel (of course, including my ever present Fiber One) left for the drive to SHGC at about 7am (Central) and arrived at SHGC at 7:15am (Mountain).  Was met there by my host, Dave (again…no last names to keep him form being inundated with requests).  Pat and I had the privilege of playing 36 holes at SHGC (yup…Pat decided to play 36 after about 12 holes in the morning round) in June 2010.  We both loved it and everything about it totally.  We were unaccompanied guests of SHGC’s visonary founder, Richard Youngscap.  Youngscap has a very simple rule regarding unaccompanied guests…you can be one only once in your lifetime.  No matter who your host is.  So having played SHGC in 2010, I could not be an unaccompanied guest again.  Does this rule seem arbitrary?  Perhaps, but then again, it does control the use of unaccompanied guests and give more folks the chance to play this magnificent course.  Fortunately, I had a guest at Brookline in mid-June (another Golf Digest rater) who had a client who is a member (and frequent visitor to SHGC)…and the connection was made…and I was getting another chance to play it July 13.

Youngscap was raised in NE and for years dreamed about creating a course in the NE Sand Hills…the largest contiguous area of sand dunes in the western hemisphere (15-20,000 square miles…or something like 130 miles x 130 miles), which sits on top of the Ogallala aquifer. 

The are a number of fascinating things about how the layout at SHGC was “discovered” and the entire Sand Hills region.  Here is the history and some of these interesting things (much of the following is courtesy of GolfClubAtlas.com (“GCA”), an outstanding website:

1.     ----Youngscap took an option on 8,000 acres in August 1990….the parcel had insufficient vegetation to economically raise cattle;

2.     ----Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw first visited the site in September 1990 and were retained as architects shortly thereafter;

3.     ----After numerous visits in the following 30 months, C&C had identified about 130 golf holes…which crisscrossed each other…and then picked the best ”routing” of 18 holes (picking the “best individual18 holes” does not work, as the holes could crisscross each other, be too far from other holes, etc etc etc.);

4.     ----During the above process, C&C were having issues with potential routings.  Then to quote GCA:

Ben Crenshaw stepped over the then boundary fence (roughly where 11 green and 16 tee are today) and reported back to Coore to come see this next door parcel of land. Shortly thereafter, Youngscap swapped the land owner some land for that parcel and holes 12 through 15 were allowed to be created.

           

5.    ---- Early on in the process, a well was drilled and a sample of the water from the aquifer was sent to C&C’s lab…shortly thereafter, the lab called and asked if C&C was playing a joke…it seems that the water was not only the best water the lab had ever tested for a grass etc. on a course, but it was absolutely perfect and could not be improved;

6.     ----Next, samples of the sand granules were sent to a lab.  The tests came back saying virtually all the granules were spherical…so no compaction (think of a basket of golf balls…no matter how much you stomp on the basket, there are always “gaps” between the golf balls for water to drain through).  As a result, no drainage work was required at all…and the greens were built for about $300/green instead of $40,000/green…a savings of about $754,000  (19 greens including practice green).  Oh, and btw, the sand depth apparently averages 800 feet!  It was like building a golf course on a strainer;

7.     All of the bunkers on SHGC (and there are quite a few) were natural and located where they are now, except for two that were manmade (on holes 5 and 8).

8.   The course opened for play in 1995.  It plays a total of 7,073 yards, par 71.  In terms of ratings, how about these apples:

--in Golf Digest...currently #9 in USA, it's highest ever rating

--in Golf Week (merged list)...currently #5 in USA, reached high of #2 in '07 and '08

--in Golf Magazine...currently #9 in USA, reached high of #6 in '05

--in Golf Magazine...currently #12 worldwide, reached high of #8 worldwide in '08, 

--in all 3 magazines both worldwide and USA...for the last 10 years, it has been the highest rated course built since 1960, and, last but not least,

--in my mind..it is #3 in USA, behind Cypress Point and Shinnecock Hills.

Yes, there were a ton of lucky breaks in its development, but think about the vision of Dick Youngscap…remember this was before Bandon Dunes…and we are talking about building a great club and course in the middle of Nebraska.  And think about C&C discovery process…seemingly simple, but what patience to not just find a “good” routing of 18 holes and be done with the design.  And luck…got to believe that Columbus and Lewis & Clark were lucky as well.  And then there is the great Lee Trevino quote (after being asked about an apparently lucky break during a major tournament):  “Funny thing about this game, the more I practice, the luckier I get.”

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Dave and I played as a twosome and were the first ones off at 8am (Dave had to catch a flight from Omaha to home Sunday evening).  The day was perfect…bright blue sky with a few puffy clouds…and temps were cool in the morning (low 60’s) and would rise to mid 80’s by the mid-afternoon.  After the round I was able to take a cart and do another tour of the course, taking lots of pictures…so here goes…all 18:

#1—Par 5, 549 yards, turning gently to the left, downhill off tee and then uphill to the green.  Both sides of fairway protected by blowout bunkers on both sides from about 250-285 off back tee, a layup second influenced by a bunker about 70 yards short of the middle of the green, and a green protected by a sharp hill just before the green, a false front, a huge blowout bunker right, and surrounding dunes left and right.  This may be the “new” quintessential opening hole (Merion #1 being the “classic” opener)…gently greeting you and welcoming you to the new round…but with danger lurking in the deep deep bunkers and the false front and slope in front of the green. Pics in order are from tee (green on left near horizon), 2nd shot (note large bunker on left 70 yds short of green), 3rd shot from about 120 yards, and green from behind.

#2--par 4 458 yards--uphill and fairly straight...plays longer than its yardage.  No bunkers in play until 75 yards short of green.  Incredible green complex with a huge false front (which claimed me as a victim) and a couple of mounds on the right above the false front...leaving a difficult to get to ledge on the back and a green that falls off at the back left corner.  If memory serves me right, the pin was back left both in June 2010 and two weeks ago.  Like #1, and all the par 4's and 5's at SHGC, the fairways are very very wide...but pin placement, wind direction (which apparently can be in any direction), and a players preferred shot flight dictate which side of the fairway one needs to come in from...and these false fronts dictate very different strategies with and against the wind.  1st pic shows approach from about 150 yards (see bunker right which is 75 yds short of green...and note false front.  2nd pic shows false front and swales from up close

#3--par 3 216 yards.  slightly downhill to green that is angles and slopes sharply from front left to back right.  Wind direction critical here...hole will play totally differently in different winds.  Dune to left of green critical in tee shot direction.  Pics are from tee and then from just off right side of green:

#4--485 yard par 4...down hill and turning slightly left.  Probably toughest par 4 out here.  Dangerous bunker on right side of fairway 325-345 yds off tee (remember...wind can blow here, my yardages are from tips, course is firm and fast, and hole is downhill).  Real problems start when you get near the oval shaped green (deep but narrow).  It is protected by a mammoth blowout bunker short and left...the bottom of which now sits about 15 feet below the green surface (more later on this), and large mound left of the green, and a sharp fall off to the right of the green.  You very definitely do not want to visit this bunker...you could end up living there...see pics and videos below (from tee, approach shot...see blowout bunker left, from right side of green, and then two videos of the bunker)

OK, believe it or not, in 2010 the bunker was a good 5' deeper.  I know, because I got up and down from it in 2010...Pat is my witness.  

#5--412 yard par 4, slightly uphill and turns right from back tee...and home of one of the two manmade bunkers...right smack in the center of the fairway 235-245 yards from the tips...and this one swallows up a lot of drives.  And, if you decide to blow it over this bunker, a real bad one lies at the right corner of the dogleg 280-300 yards from the tips.  Picture below is from back 5th tee...drive is actually over the 4th green...you can spot the bunker in the middle of the fairway just left and above the narrow path in the middle left of the photo...and the real bad bunker is visible right over the center of the 4th green:

the following pic is of your approach shot assuming you have cleared the middle bunker:

 #6--198 yd slightly downhill par 3, front left corner of green hidden by large dune (capped by big bunker) creating a mini-Dell effect.  Green is marvelous...false front, slopes from back to front on its front half...and has a very large mound that dominates the left half of the green.  Many many interesting pin positions.  Like #3, a great par 3.  But, have to say that as good as 3 and 6 are, they pale in comparison to their par 3 brethren on the back...13 and 17.  Me thinks SHGC has the best collection of par 3's I have ever played.  They even are about 90 degrees apart in terms of compass direction...and btw, the there par 5's are about 120 degrees apart.  Four par 3's in terms of distance:

• #3 216 yds slight downhill; 
• #6 198 yds slightly downhill; 
• #13 216 yds uphill; 
• #17 150 yds uphill (with no run up possibility). 

See pics below from tee on 6 and from 50 yards off free...see mound to left and false front in middle of green front.

#7---283 yard par 4...the first of two straight drivable par 4's...sooo, you say...horrors, what is a supposedly great course doing with two straight drivable par 4's?  Think #8/9 at Cypress Point (and for that matter, at Cypress there are 2 consecutive par 5's and par 3's (5/6 and 15/16 respectively).  And 283 yards with a wide open fairway...how tough can that be??  Slightly down off tee then up to green, and believe it or not, over 283 yards, actually bends a little L to R off tee and R to L for approach (if you don't try to drive it).  Green is perched just right of a large sand dune...oh, almost forgot to mention a small bunker (45 yards long, and almost 10' deep) that sits up on the dune and protects the entire left side of the green.  Triangular green is all of 20 yds wide at its widest (33 deep, but because of green's shape, front and back of green..on its left side...and much much narrower than 20 yds...trust me, pin positions at the pints of the triangle...back left, front left, and middle right...are harrowing to say the least.  Oh, and the green slopes sharply back to front and left to right, and there is a sharp drop off front right.  So yes, there is a bail out zone to the right...but that leaves a very very testy pitch up to the raised green.   Obviously, best angle into green if you lay up is from the right, but the right side of the fairway is protected by two bunkers about 80-115 yards from the green.  The hole simply screams to longer hitters "come at me if you dare".  #7 here is a real beauty...just the perfect combination of risk and reward.  See two pictures below, first from tee, and second if you happened to lay up along left side, 60 yds short of green:

#8...367 yd par 4 (293 from regular tees).  Another great one.  Flat and turning L to R.  Wide fairway protected by two bunkers on the right (about 245-275 off back tee).  Green is horseshoe shaped with "top" of U facing the fairway, and SHGC's second man made bunker inside the U...again perfectly placed.  Slope of the green is strongly back to front and R to L...and these slopes can be a good player's friend if the approach is played smartly to take advantage of these slopes...but not without real risks.  Green is surrounded by 4 other bunkers and sand dunes on the left, right and in back.  An approach (or tee shot for the big hitter) that goes too long or wide and ends up in one of these bunkers will surely test the player on their next shot.  Following three pics from tee, approach shot distance and 50 yards short of green

#9--402 yd par 4, uphill on tee shot and doglegs right.  Both sides of wide fairway (again...all the fairways are wide) protected by bunkers...on right 215-260 off back tee, and on left 260-275 off back.    Circular green has one small bunker in back (not a place to visit) and sits just below Ben's Porch, the starter's hut (which sits about a mile from the clubhouse...more about that later).  The juxtaposition of Ben's Porch, the 9th green, and the 18th green (which is just below the 9th green) reminds me so much of the juxtaposition of the clubhouse, 9th green and 18th green at Shinnecock Hills.  Fairway offers all sorts of lies, which on average are flat, but individually are anything but flat.  While you liberal arts types figure that out, see the following pics (from 9th tee and approach shot distance):

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So, that is the front side of SHGC....and yes, Virginia, there is a back nine.  Time for me to proof read the above, and get ready for the back nine (which may even be better than the front), as well as some details regarding other wonderful things about SHGC, that make it so very very outstanding.  And time for you to guess the answer to my question at the front end of this post!!  Get cracking!!

1. Bandon Dunes--Old Macdonald & Bandon Preserve 7/11-12/2014

When I planned this trip, my first objective was to complete two buckets lists.  Long time readers of these emails may recall that back in April, I had three outstanding bucket lists:

1.  Current (2013) Golf Magazine Worldwide Top 100: At that point I had completed 93 of 100.

2.  Current (2013 for GD and GM, 2014 for GW) USA Top 100: There are 144 that are in one or more of the three top 100's.  I had played 136.

Again, please note that I do not think that I should include all 200 of Golf Week's Modern and Classic Top 100's...so I merge these lists each year (based on the numerical score given for each course) and my Golf Week Top 100 is the top 100 from this merged list.

3.  Every course that has EVER been rated among the top 50 by any of these three magazines since these ratings started.  There have been 164 courses in this category, and I had played 157.  One track no longer exists (Sutton Bay, SD, which reached #37 in GW in 2005, but unfortunately, subsequently slid into the Missouri River...its replacement has not reached these ratings heights).  Hence, I had 6 more to play to finish this bucket list (tough to play a track that no longer exists).  

After my trip in May and my trip to MI and ON in late June, Bucket list #1 had been finished, BL 2 had 6 left, and BL3 had 4 left (note that because of overlap, I only needed 7 courses to complete BL 2 and 3).

With my play at Rock Creek Cattle Co (MT) on 7/9...see my email of 7/15...BL3 was completed, and with my playing Shooting Star (WY) and Huntsman Springs (ID) on 7/10 (see another email dated 7/15), I was left with only the new Doak course at Dismal River (NE) to complete BL2.

The morning of 7/11, I was booked on a flight from Salt Lake City to North Bend, OR (about 35 minutes north of Bandon Dunes...if you do not know what Bandon Dunes is, this email should not have ended up in your mailbox), switching planes at San Francisco...scheduled to leave SLC at 6am and arrive North Bend about 11:45am.  However, just before going to sleep the night of 7/10, I rec'd an email from United Airlines advising that my SFO-North Bend flight was cancelled...and that I was switched to a flight arriving North Bend at about 2:45pm.  This meant that my round at Old Macdonald was in jeopardy if the new flight was late.  

I immediately went to the Ethiopian Airlines website, to see what flights they had from Salt Lake City to North Bend, OR, since they had saved the day on my round the world jaunt.  However, their flights on this route were fully booked, and while they offered to bump another passenger given my frequent flyer status with them, I decided that would not be "fair"...so I called United and was able to switch to an 8:30am SLC departure (allowing me to sleep later) and also called Bandon Dunes and advised them of my new travel plans and switched my play to approx 4:30pm (sunset was at 9pm).  

However, due to runway repairs/construction at SFO, both of my flights on Friday were delayed, and I ended up landing at North Bend at about 3:45 and arriving at Bandon Dunes around 4:45.  Called Bandon and again rescheduled my tee time to 5:10...and finished the round (after joining a twosome and then getting held up by a foursome) at 8:50pm, just before sunset.  BTW, if you are planning a trip to or thru SFO this summer, be prepared for delays due to this runway work.

Old Macdonald

OM opened in 2010...it was designed by Tom Doak, along with Jim Orbina and with consulting help from George Bahto (who sadly passed earlier this year).  6,944 yards..par 71.  Sits just east and north of Pacific Dunes.  I remember playing Playing Pacific Dunes prior to OM's construction, and looking down at the raw land just east of holes 14 and 15...and remarking at how many great holes one could see laid out in the dunes.  Doak and company certainly found them. 

Ratings history:

--USA--Golf Digest.  Debuted at 49th in 2013.

--USA--Golf Week.  Currently #21 (merged list) having drifted down after debut at #10 in 2011

--USA--Golf Magazine.  Currently #45 after debut at #43 in 2011

--Worldwide--GM.  Currently #88 after debut at #74 in 2011.

Talking to other raters and "certifiables", it seems that there is either a deep love for OM of a strong hate for it.  Haven't met too many who are in-between.  Put simply, put me in the strong love category.  As you have probably gathered, Macdonald and Raynor are my favorite architects.  I love their use of angles (especially Raynor's) and the simplicity of their designs...which always included adaptations of many of the great holes of Great Britain, such as The Road Hole, Redan, Alps, Sahara, Cape (which some claim originated w the National's 14th and others say originated with North Berwick's #2), Eden, Long, Short, Biarritz (originally from France...highly unusual source of such a notable contribution), Punchbowl, etc.  Some of have said that the holes are not good copies...but they were never intended to be copies...but rather adaptions (as were CBM's and Raynor's).  So yes, some of the great Biarritz's are uphill (Fisher's Island, Mid-Ocean, Sleepy Hollow, and Yale with a raised green) but many are flat (The Creek, Old White, Yeamans Hall) and how about Fox Chapel (downhill).  And yes, #7 is not an adaptation of anything, but what a hole (and remember...CBM and Raynor created some great holes such as #4 at Lido).  Finally, it is 100% true that you get a good quantity of "bad bounces" at OM.  Get over it...golf is a simulation of life and one gets lots of bad bounces in life...part of dealing with life is dealing w bad bounces (or course, "progressives" seek to build huge governments to protect us all from bad bounces...with the net result of creating bad bounces for everyone on almost every shot).  And funny, how we always seem to recall the bad bounces but never the good ones.  That said, let me tell you what happened to me on #7...

The greens at OM are huge, hide most of the remaining dinosaur skeletons on the earth, and are very very difficult to play.  But, me thinks that they are playable and fair, once they are "learned".  Perhaps the issue is that OM is a resort course.  At a club, the members play the layout regularly and slowly learn its nuances.  That is certainly more difficult at a resort...especially Bandon with 4 great courses to play, but as we used to say in Jamaica, Queens, "tough darts in the big league arena"  or "TD in the BLA".   file:///Users/apple/Desktop/Thailand%20053.jpg

OM's condition was perfect...all fescue and very very firm and fast...just perfect especially for its design.

Favorite holes and others worth commenting about:

#1---perfect starting hole (pic) 341 yards with a Principal's Nose bunker just in front of the green and a green that reminded me of the #1 green at Yeamans

#3--"Sahara"---375 yards...drivable for long hitters.  Blind drive up and over huge bunker to top of hill...then straight downhill to fairway sloping down and to the right and a green sloping every way in every direction...note fall off to front right section of green in pic

#5--"Short" 160 yards downhill off elevated tee to wild wild green (part of double green)...very easy to 3 putt...and possibly 4 putt.  very different than most CBM/Raynor short designs...see pic

#7--363 yard uphill par 4 to infinity green with slope off in back to horrific bunker (I can testify to that) and Pacific Ocean below cliff beyond that bunker.  overwhelming and exhilarating hole...very difficult with any wind (rarely is not wind)...a site that screamed for a hole such as this

#8--downhill 181 yard par 3 Biarritz...with front "ledge" being part of green (many Biarritz's have the front ledge and hollow in front of the green)...fun hole especially after 7

#9--dogleg right 401 yard par 4 with bunkers extending down right side of fairway...forcing drive to left side of fairway to have proper angle to green

#10--slightly uphill 465 yard version of Road Hole (17th at St Andrews)...very tough but wonderful wonderful adaptation that i reach in 2 and parred (from 440 yards and with the wind)

#12--downhill 237 yard adaptation of Redan Hole (most copied hole in world...originating at North Berwick's glorious 15th.  less of an angle to green than at N Berwick and certainly longer (237 vs 190 at N Berwick).  what fools you here is how the front left of green angles away from you making for a longer carry

#15---uphill short par 5 (535 yards)..heading to northwesternmost corner of layout...just north of 7th green and 8th tee...huge huge blowout bunker sits about 80 yards short of green ready to gobble up any misplaced (or even slightly misplaced..since fairway slopes to right toward this monster) layup...see pics of tee shot (below) and 2nd shot (on top)

I am attaching a picture 6 (par 5...picture is of pot bunker just over the green...fun fun fun to photograph, not to be in).

As I said, I love this track.  It is simply glorious.  Did not score very well, but was hitting the ball pretty well...oh, those bad bounces and impossible greens...

Bandon Preserve

Early Saturday morning 7/12 I was up for breakfast and set for a 7am tee time on Bandon Preserve...the real reason for this diversion to Oregon on this trip.  Designed by Coore & Crenshaw, completed in 2013, Preserve is a 13 hole par 3.  For those of you who have been to Bandon but not in the past year, it sits in the former gorge to the right (or just south) of Bandon Dunes' 17th hole, or behind and to the right (or just north and west) of Bandon Trails' 1st tee.  The land slopes down toward the ocean and the 9th hole faces directly toward the ocean and must afford spectacular views...except on this morning the fog made the ocean view barely visible (see picture of 9th hole and look carefully at background).  Being a 13 hole par 3 layout, Preserve has never been rated, but do not kid yourself, this track is great fun, a real challenge, and a wonderful way to hone one's short game.  I could see spending a day there playing it 3-4 times.  Holes range from 63 yards to 150 yards from the back (40 to 119 from front tees).  A must play.  And I am proud to report that I beat my age..,despite a horrendous lie in a bunker on 6 (see pic).

As I was playing it, I could see a hole along the southern edge of Bandon Dunes that went uphill doglegging right with a sharp cliff on its left and a green sitting on top of a ledge.  I thought to myself, "what a wonderful hole" and then tried to figure out what hole it was.  In fact, the green was the 16th at Bandon Dunes, and the fairway was #17, which is downhill and doglegs left.  Just another example of how special the land is at Bandon...great holes waiting to be "discovered" all over the property.

After Preserve, made a mad dash over to the newly opened Punchbowl, a massive (100,000 sq ft or 2.3 acre) 18 hole putting course near the first tee of Pacific Dunes designed by Tom Doak and Jim Urbina.  Similar in nature to The Himilayas putting course at St. Andrews, this is another wonderful addition to Bandon.  As I had to catch a plane, I was only able to quickly take a few putts to get a feel, but again very special.

Bandon in General

This was my 5th visit, and I never tire of the place.  Four world class 18 hole courses, the par 3 Preserve, The Punchbowl, and one of the finest practice ranges in the world.   But for all the spectacular golf, what makes Bandon the best are its staff and the ambiance of the whole place.  Excellent food and accommodations, but nothing over the top...their motto says it best "Golf as it was meant to be...".  

Just think about it...two men have made a fortune building businesses and having fun doing it...fun that most men would love...and both are from Chicago.  One obviously is Mike Keiser who conceived of and developed Bandon Dunes.  Who is the other??