The 7th Holes at Bandon
Lucky number seven yields some interesting choices
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 there have been some tough ones. The 7th holes at Bandon are in general fantastic, so this will be a good challenge.
The Best 7th Hole
As noted, there are some gems that are the 7th hole in each course. Without much thinking about it, I could have gone with Bandon Dunes - indeed, a photo I use for this blog is from the somewhat secret tee box on this hole:
But that’s not my favorite 7th hole on the property. My favorite 7th hole is “Ocean,” the 7th hole on Old Macdonald. From the tee box you can see that for your second shot, you’ll be hitting up to an extremely elevated green.
What is not at all clear is that when you get to that green, you’re looking at the namesake of the hole. And it’s so serene, so blissful up there that you can’t help but appreciate it for what it is. (Even if you’ve butchered your way there.)
There aren’t a lot of perfect golf holes in the world (OK, maybe there are) but this is one of them.
Worst 7th Hole
This one isn’t that tough, though I will say I gained a bigger appreciation for the hole my last visit, and it’s the 7th at Sheep Ranch. Sheep had a very limited space for golf, but you can’t tell that on most holes. On 7, you can - it feels very jammed in and while it’s technically on the coast, the bluffs and dunes block that view. Coming off the tremendous 6th hole, the 135-yard par-3 is just sort of … there. I will say that the green is WAY trickier than it appears so you can’t just wing it, and that I’ve played a gap wedge to this hole with the wind, and a 6-iron into a gale force wind and that’s sort of fun. But overall, meh.
Most Underrated 7th Hole
This is fairly easy since I’ve already mentioned Bandon Dunes - it’s the 7th at Pacific Dunes. It rarely shows up on many photo essays about the property and it’s not on the water so it’s not one folks immediately think of. But I love how it fits into the routing - somehow after a few holes along the water, a crazy short par-4 that still is very much in touch with that links-esque vibe … the 7th hole feels not just like a parkland hole, but that it’s in the forest. The fairway is lumpy as hell and any drive can go a number of ways. The bunkering means you need to be smart on your approach, but it’s quite reachable and just so different than what you’ve played on the course before, with trees running down both sides of the fairway. I know it’s a lot of the caddies favorite on Pacific Dunes, and I can see why.
Rounding up what we’ve gotten so far, here’s the count:
Best Holes: Sheep Ranch (2), Bandon Trails (1), Old Macdonald (2), Pacific Dunes (1), Bandon Dunes (1)
Worst Holes: Bandon Dunes (3), Bandon Trails (1), Old Macdonald (1), Sheep Ranch (2)
Most Underrated Holes: Sheep Ranch (1), Bandon Trails (3), Bandon Dunes (1), Pacific Dunes (2)
What’s your favorite seventh hole at Bandon Dunes Resort?