The 18th Holes at Bandon Dunes
We're finishing up in style.
I’ve been going through the holes at Bandon Dunes Resort, finding the best 1st hole, the best 2nd hole, etc. We’re on the home stretch now, but if you want to start at the beginning, here’s where to do it. Also, just go here to see any and all posts about Bandon Dunes, The Happiest Place On Earth.
Today, we wrap up our hole-by-hole analysis and look at the finishing hole on each course.
The Best 18th Hole
Oddly, this isn’t even that controversial as for some reason despite being world-class golf all over, the 18th holes on most of the courses aren’t very special. But that’s not the case for the final hole on Old Macdonald. It’s a par-4 that is named “Punchbowl” which tells you a lot about the green and that if you hit a decent shot, you might end up closer to the flag than you even hoped.
You’ve returned from the coast and those trees help shield some wind (though I believe they are building a new restaurant and perhaps lodging back there shortly) but it’s a nice way to finish what can often be a tough round. Here’s how my man AC finished:
Some people don’t get Old Mac, and I feel for them. It’s such a fun course, and the fact that it’s ending hole is incredibly fun just puts a bow on it for me.
The Worst 18th Hole
On the other hand, Pacific Dunes ends with a hole that is just … weird. From the back tees, there’s enough hazards involved that many bigger hitters will put driver away, which is just weird on a par-5. From the tees us mortals play, it’s fine to hit driver but again, the hole twists in ways that often makes it so it’s hard to know what is really happening on the hole. Deception is great, but the reality of the hole is that unless you’ve hit a great tee shot there’s not that many ways to play it. It’s not a bad hole like many say, but it’s not terribly fun, and even though I won my weeklong match on the 18th green I still wasn’t in love with the hole itself. Mostly, on the 18th green at Pacific Dunes I’m thinking more about playing the Punchbowl than the hole itself.
The Most Underrated 18th Hole
I think most folks think the final hole on Bandon Dunes doesn’t do enough with the cliff that runs down the right side, and that it’s a bit too simple of a finishing hole to present a real challenge at the end of a round or a match. The same is doubly true for Sheep Ranch, which somehow makes a 436 yard hole a par-5, which is essentially the same (or shorter) distance from three par-4’s on the same course. It’s an easy return to the clubhouse with an elevated green, but it’s not particularly special aside from the benefit to your scorecard. For me, the most underrated finishing hole is at Bandon Trails. You are finally back in the dunes, where you started, and the tee shot needs to go towards those dunes as the green is hidden off the tee.
If you hit a good shot, you’re in the fairway with a great look up at the green which sits just below Trails End.
It’s likely going to be very windy, so face control of your club is paramount and the green is very sloped so it’s a real challenge but a fun one. If you look at the above photo, the first time I played here I got lost in that bunker on the left side and wasted what had turned into a decent round. There be dragons here, everywhere, but it’s a great way to finish up what should have been a tremendous walk.
Before we go back through each routing, let’s sum things up:
Best Holes: Sheep Ranch (3), Bandon Trails (3), Old Macdonald (5), Pacific Dunes (3), Bandon Dunes (4)
Worst Holes: Bandon Dunes (4), Bandon Trails (3), Old Macdonald (5), Sheep Ranch (5), Pacific Dunes (1.5*)
Most Underrated Holes: Sheep Ranch (4.5), Bandon Trails (5), Bandon Dunes (2), Pacific Dunes (4), Old Macdonald (2.5)
So, Old Macdonald has the largest amount of both best and worst holes (!) which shocks me, and Bandon Trails has the most underrated holes, just nudging out Sheep Ranch. It will take a bit of time for me to wrap this up and figure out what it means. That post … comes next week.