Golf's New Mecca

TRIP PLANNER

GREEN FEES (May–October 2013)

Dunes/Pacific/Trails/Old Mac: US$235 (first round) / US$120 (second round); third and subsequent rounds on the same day are free. Preserve: US$100

WHERE TO STAY

There are a number of choices available ranging from private individual rooms to 4-bedroom cottages:

The Lodge/The Inn/The Lily Pond. The preferred choice. All facilities available within a short stroll of the accommodation. Single rooms from US$245, up to US$1,800 for a four bedroom suite.

The Grove/Chrome Lake. Try to avoid. Staying in these units leaves one at the mercy of the resort shuttle buses, which are unfortunately unreliable. There is a shuttle call phone in the room, but all too often it didn’t trigger a timely response and hanging around outside the unit was a common occurrence. Double rooms from US$400, up to US$1800 for a four bedroom cottage.

We stayed in the Chrome Lake Lofts, which have a shared living room and two bedrooms . The theme at Bandon is “back to basics”, and this is reflected in the somewhat spartan lodgings. Nothing terribly wrong, just poor value for money.

DINING

Let’s face it, no one comes here for fine dining, and the food offerings range from what might be described as “Half-way Hut Plus” to decent Pacific Northwest fare.

The Gallery Restaurant in the Lodge is the most salubrious venue, with a good wine list, particularly in terms of local pinot noirs. Ask Phil Sabol, resident sommelier (and Tony Orlando lookalike) for advice: his knowledge of Oregon wines is outstanding. In terms of dishes, the Braised Short Ribs and the Wild Chinook Salmon were superb.

Next door is the Tufted Puffin Lounge which sounds like a very rude anagram, but is in fact the classic 19th hole overlooking the course. Standard bar fare and a good spot to grab a soup and sandwich between rounds.

Below ground in the Lodge is the Bunker Bar, serving a fine range of single malts and boasting an extraction system allowing cigars to be smoked. Pool, card table, sports TV and a good atmosphere. Just what the doctor ordered!

Named after Keiser’s sadly departed old partner, McKee’s Pub has a dining room upstairs with great visual course views, and a lounge bar downstairs with great verbal course views. With a wide range of local brews, this is the spot to discuss one’s game, give one’s opinion and collect one’s winnings. The food is good too, with the legendary “Grandma’s Meatloaf” living up to its reputation.

Away from the Lodge and surrounds, the Pacific Grill sits atop the pro shop at Pacific Dunes, has stunning 360-degree views and offers a separate menu strong on local seafood. The halibut was outstanding.

Finally, Trails End sits alongside the 18th of Bandon Trails (and the first of Bandon Preserve) and has its own unique style of comfort food. The wagyu meat balls and lamb burgers were great.

Overall, the food was well priced with enough variety in terms of dishes and venues to avoid going stir crazy whilst staying here.

CADDIES

Caddies are essential first time around. A good caddie will save countless strokes and Bandon's are the best I’ve ever experienced – ours was called “Famous Amos” – and I spoke to a few who had worked on the PGA Tour.

Caddies, however, are expensive, at a recommended US$80 per bag, plus tip – all paid in cash. Watch out for my least favourite practice, “double bagging”. A “looper” takes both bags and then expects to be paid a full rate for each. It’s a way for the resort to reward its best people. The downside is that you are forced to wait while he shuttles between both players on the course.

With such a need for large amounts of cash it’s good to know there is an ATM on the property, but it’s unreliable and often out of order. Instead, get “caddie cash” from the pro shop. There are no additional fees and the amount is simply charged to your room bill.

GETTING THERE

SkyWest (aka United Express) run two unreliable flights a day from San Francisco (SFO) to Southwest Oregon Regional Airport (OTH) and the flight time is two hours on an Embraer 120 Brasilia. These are miserably small planes, and it’s best to try to get a seat by the emergency exit with more legroom. Cancellations and delays are routine, and the flight can cost over US$500. The biggest issue is with the “packers”, the people who load the luggage in SFO. They appear to leave luggage behind on every flight, both clubs and suitcases. We decided to travel in our first day’s golf gear, taking our shoes in our carry on luggage. This was a good move, as my friend’s suitcase took two days to arrive. On the same flight another passenger lost his golf bag and another discovered a broken driver on arrival. Our flights were delayed by an hour going and by eight hours returning, which is apparently not unusual.