The 4th Holes at Bandon
Now...we've got some talking to do.
As noted, I’m doing a review of each hole at Bandon, by going through each numbered hole across the five 18-hole courses. If you want to start at the beginning, do so here:
I’ve been looking at each numbered hole at the Bandon Dunes resort, and until now it’s been PRETTY easy for me to choose my favorite hole, and I don’t think those choices have been too controversial.
But we’re now looking at the 4th hole on each of the five 18-hole courses, and … we’ve got some decisions to make. And I’m almost assuredly going to make some folks mad. Let’s go!
Best 4th Hole:
When you talk to people about Bandon Dunes Resort, they often mention the reveal on the 4th hole at the original course, Bandon Dunes. You tee off with dunes guarding the fairway. Your caddie may tell you that you don’t even need a driver, and you’ll wonder why, until you walk up to your ball and the fairway dog legs towards the ocean and you see… this:
It’s the first time you see the ocean and it’s simply stunning. And it’s a terrific hole!
It’s also not my choice here. My choice is the 4th on Pacific Dunes, which somehow manages to be even better. It runs straight down the coast, and depending on the wind you can blast the drive to within a half-wedge of the green, or find yourself needing a fairway wood to get there. The green is so contoured that you have to be really smart with your approach (a buddy of mine landed on the wrong side of the green and lost his ball over the side of the cliffs).
You’ve got an incredible tee shot - if the wind is blowing in hard, the aggressive line is to hit it almost right of the cliffs and allow the wind to blow it back onto the fairway - a delicate approach, and a fun green. And every step of the hole is a postcard.
“Worst” 4th Hole
Again, there really are no bad holes at Bandon Dunes, but the one that gives me the least good vibes is the 4th hole at Old Macdonald, called “Hogs Back.” That’s because that’s the template of the hole, which is oddly the same style of hole for the 4th at Trails (which, spoiler alert, we’ll get to later).
A Hogs Back is a hole with essentially a ridge or spine running near the center of the fairway, so the traditional “just hit it down the fairway” plan is not going to work. Here’s a story about how this template is a tough one, and I couldn’t agree more.
What this picture doesn’t really show is that the bunker in front is still well over 200 yards off the tee and a lot of tee shots slice to the right of it, well below this level. In the summer the wind is straight into your face and this long par-4 becomes one of the hardest pars on property. When I played it this last February, we had wind at our back … and my buddy landed his approach 25 yards short of the green and it rolled 50 feet off the back of the green. It’s a tough, tough hole. Coming off the glory of the 3rd hole, this hole breaks my heart every time I play it.
The 4th hole at Sheep Ranch goes inland, and it’s so hard to see the line you need to play that they station a marshal at the tee (because there’s another flag from a different hole that absolutely looks like your target). It’s a good hole, but it’s not a standout for me.
The Most Underrated 4th Hole
Another less traditional Hogs Back hole on property is the 4th on Bandon Trails. It differs as the ridge in the fairway acts to break the fairway in two pieces, with the farther part leading to the green up the right side. A good long drive will clear the ridge, leading to this delightful view in the image below.
Other drives will stay below that ridge, leaving a blind shot into a preposterously fun green. Sand surrounds the green for wayward approaches, so you have to be smart and not overly aggressive. It’s one of the holes I forget about each time I play Trails and then show up and play it with a huge grin on my face.
So, if we are counting, here’s where we are so far:
Best Holes: Sheep Ranch (1), Bandon Trails (1), Old Macdonald (1), Pacific Dunes (1)
Worst Holes: Bandon Dunes (2), Bandon Trails (1), Old Macdonald (1)
Most Underrated Holes: Sheep Ranch (1), Bandon Trails (2), Bandon Dunes (1)
What’s your favorite 4th hole on Bandon Dunes?