#69 - Bandon Trails - Mixing It Up On The Trails

Sometimes in a Quest there are obstacles in the way that heroes of the story must overcome.  Frodo’s path to destroy the ring was filled with armies of orcs across middle earth. Shrek had to get past the dragon to save Fiona. Harry and Lloyd had to buy a scooter after travelling hundreds of miles in the wrong direction. As for The Quest, we signed up to walk 90 holes of golf in 2 days at a luxury golf resort. However, when you are on a quest, there are times where the boys have to get gritty and bare down to complete the task.

Waking up in the Lodge with our deck overlooking a top 100 golf course (Taylor claimed it overlooked 3 courses but our eyes told us otherwise), and touching our feet to the ground we knew that day 2 in Bandon was going to require some determination.  We loaded up the car and took the short drive over to Bandon Trails and started off the morning with a few Bloody Marys and breakfast wraps.  On the first tee, the starter proceeded to talk to me about how bad the refs in the NBA were (I thought I was on vacation!!).  Luckily we did not let the criticism get into our heads as we striped a couple of balls down the middle.

To me, Bandon Trails is the course that is least like any of the other courses on the property as it feels tucked into the forest which provides a whole new challenge.  The course was a little moist after some overnight rain, but that allowed us to go flag hunting with some darts.  After a disappointing double bogey for Joe on the par 3 second hole he joined the exclusive "drive a par 4 club" (Founded by Taylor at Giants Ridge in 2020 and joined by Adam the day before en-route to a birdie-eagle finish at Sheep Ranch) and converted the birdie putt.  The front nine ended with a 37, 41, and 47 and it was onto the turn with a few more transfusions in hand.

---

Hole #1 - Par 4 - 356 Yards

The first hole is a slight dogleg left that does not require a driver off the tee. The approach shot to the elevated green leads the way into the woods.

Joe putting for birdie on the first hole. He would miss but tap in for par.

Hole #2 - Par 3 - 166 Yards

A bit of a deceptive par 3 as the green has a severe back to front slope and danger surrounding the green.

Hole #3 - Par 5 - 532 Yards

A beautifully picturesque par 5. There are multiple routes to take on the second shot that will leave you with different looks at the approach. Joe and Adam made pars while Taylor had a bogey.

Hole #4 - Par 4 - 365 Yards

This unique hole has a massive ridge running diagonally left to right down the fairway. If you fail to carry the ridge, your approach to the green is blind.

Hole #5 - Par 3 - 124 Yards

The difficulty on the shortest par 3 on the course lies in the large slope in the middle of the green. The small green plays even smaller in reality.

Hole #6 - Par 4 - 359 Yards

A real first shot hole, avoid the bunker in the middle at all cost or you will be assured a bogey at best. Sure enough, Adam found the bunker and made a double bogey.

Hole #7 - Par 4 - 406 Yards

The uphill par 4 is wonderfully situated to the right of a small pond that does not factor into play but is nice to see. It is one of the only pieces of property for miles not owned by Mike Keiser and the Bandon Resort.

Hole #8 - Par 4 - 299 Yards

One of Joe’s career best drives had us thinking albatross for a moment as his ball rolled onto the green in line with the hole. However, danger abounds when you go for it and are not as precise as Joe. Adam and Taylor both found the sand to the left, although Adam got up and down to match Joe’s eventual birdie.

Joe with an eagle putt. He could not convert the first ever Quest eagle but he did extend his lead on overall birdies over Adam and Taylor.

Hole #9 - Par 5 - 522 Yards

A relatively flat par 5 with bunkers coming into play on every shot that can take you out of the hole. An opportunity to make a birdie than none of us took.

Hole #10 - Par 4 - 393 Yards

The back nine starts with a relatively easy par 4 that we all managed to bogey or worse. The subtle contours throughout keep the hole interesting.

Hole #11 - Par 4 - 429 Yards

Aim for the “hockey stick” shaped tree on this long par 4 that starts with a semi-blind tee shot up and over a hill that leads to a hole descending down and to the right. A pond comes into play on the approach right of the green. The back pin placement made this hole especially long on the day we played and all of us ended up with long lag putts.

Hole #12 - Par 3 - 235 Yards

After Taylor hit a sweeping cut that had us on the edge of our seats as it faded back toward the hole but settled 20 feet long, Joe stepped up to the tee and hit a smooth hybrid to 18 inches for a tap in birdie!

Hole #13 - Par 4 - 374 Yards

This par 4 falls away into the woods on the right side and a fairway bunker protects the left. Everyone made a bogey.

The back nine at Trails opens up a bit from the forest and the steady play continued for the gritty boys as we loaded onto the cart shuttle that takes you up to the highest point on the property at hole #14.  When Mike Keiser set out to create a world-famous golf oasis in the early 1990’s he knew there would be some challenges. The rugged coastline, the unfathomable amount of land that would need to be moved, the proximity to any major city, the ever-changing Oregon weather, and having a relatively new golf architect (David McLay-Kidd) on his team all could have deterred Keiser from undertaking this golf architectural feat. However, it was the highpoint on the 14th tee box at Bandon Trails that eased his worries. It was there he knew this project would be successful. As he stood overlooking the property, he envisioned what could be. A world class set of courses navigating along the pacific coastline, around vast dunes, over spectacular cliffs, and through densely wooded areas. The property at Bandon Dunes had it all. Keiser was convinced he struck gold. As we stood on this same plateau, now marked by a convenient bench/plaque, we felt that same almost mesmerizing realization. We truly were at the holy grail of golf and what I consider to be the best collection of golf courses on one property in the world.   

We all took our shot at driving the green on the short par 4 (306 yards) but came up just short.  No worries as Joe and Adam still made par and we cruised into the finish of our 4th round played in less than 24 hours!  Final scores, Joe -74, Adam -82, Taylor-94. 

Hole #14 - Par 4 - 306 Yards

Adam’s favorite hole on the course (shoutout elevated tee boxes) has just a sliver of level fairway to target down the left side with everything else falling away to the right. The drive truly sets up the difficulty of the approach to this narrow green.

Hole #15 - Par 4 - 367 Yards

Hole #16 - Par 5 - 494 Yards

A fun uphill par 5 that doesn’t play too long. Avoid the bunkers along the way and there is an opportunity to score. The approach to the green is slightly blind as the hole climbs and the green has plenty of slope.

Hole #16 - Par 3 - 159 Yards

The false front of this green is so severe that anything short is rolling back to the collection area. A back pin placement took that out of play but the bunkers still gave Taylor fits on his way to a double bogey.

Hole #18 - Par 4 - 363 Yards

With the snake bet (last person with a 3-putt pays out) on the line, Adam put his approach 30 feet past the hole with a slippery downhill putt ahead. He cozied one up to the hole for a tap in to stick Taylor with an expensive loss. In the excitement of Joe making his 5-footer for a two putt, Adam shook hands with his hat on, a major faux pas that cost him a few drinks on Bandon Preserve later that day.