Any tips from the trip? Favorite courses? I am headed up there November 2026 and can't wait. The only downside of our trip is that we are currently only booked for one round per day because of the lack of sunlight. Might try and squeeze a replay in on one of the days.

We were able to knock out 36 while there in November.

Fav courses - all of them. Some for the views and some for the challenge. If I was ranking, I'd go Pacific, Sheep Ranch, BDunes, BTrails, Old Mac. But they're all amazing. Don't skip the Preserve either.

I haven't played Shorty's, but I'm sure it's great.

Good to know - thanks!

1. Bandon
2. Trails
3. Pac
4. Old Mac
5. Sheep

Haven't played sheep.

1. Trails
2. Bandon
3. Pacific
4. Old Mac

amazing photos

curious - lets say im randomly in the area, how difficult is it, as a single, to just walk on and play

What was the weather like in November? I'm assuming its cheaper to play that time of year too?

Depending on the day, you could convince me to have:

1. Bandon, Trails, Pacific, or Old Max



5. Sheep

Pretty easy to walk on for afternoon rounds in the summer. Lot's of golfers think they are physically up for walking 36 holes for 3 days straight, but reality kicks in and there are ususally afternoon tee times available for walk ups


1 Pacific - visually stunning, tough
2 Old Mac - on a 20-30 mph windy day, so much fun.
3 Bandon - was higher on my list until they cut out too much gorse
4.Trails - contrast between the others is nice
5.Sheep ranch - great views, no bunkers

We've played sheep Bandon trails and shortys thus far.

Pacific and old Mac tomorrow

I've liked them for different reasons. Favorite, and hardest thus far, IMO, is Trails.

Greens on sheep are very slow because if they were rolling a 10+, you'd be 4 putting all day.

Ive never had to take wind into account on putting before. It is REAL on sheep. We teed off at 2 and it was ripping. Like 50-60 yard difference on some holes. We had guys hitting 5 iron onto 16… 110 yards out.

Shortys is fun. There's 8 of us and we all played together today just doing money games (closest to the pin, knockout, etc)

Get reservations for dinner. Make sure to eat at Ghost Tree.

This place is incredible.

When I played Sheep my caddie gave me an actual yardage of 135 playing 185 with the wind on 16

He said "it's 108, playing 160"

Other caddy giggled and told one of my buddies to hit driver here. lol

We loved our guys. Too bad we won't have them tomorrow.

Proper way to answer the favorite course question is "how would you allocate 10 rounds" rather than a ranking.

Haven't played Sheep but based on what I've heard I think I'd go:

3x Bandon
3x Trails
2x Pacific
1x Old Mac
1x Sheep

My opinion has shifted each trip out there.

It doesn't take luck, patience, and booking two years out because its just okay . . .

We know and are jealous

Bandon
Sheep
Mac
Trails
Pac

I think... for me these rankings were about the overall experience. We had a group of 28 so shuffled caddies throughout the trip. Had a Scottish dude for Sheep that i gelled w. We were 100ish out playing 135 or whatever, hands me a 9; asked if I could pinch an 8 to bump it up there, he says "you've got that shot?" Replied, "I think so". Banged it to 6'. He grinned and in some sort of Scottish declared we were going to tear the place . I think he had a bet w the other caddy, he was the best coach, psychiatrist, and cheerleader for the next 4hrs I could have dialed up.

We had the infamous Panther for 2 days in our 4some. Guy is an absolute character. The stories he had.

Guy I had on my bag was great. By the second round he was just handing me clubs, giving me lines, "XX distance playing as YY" and we were grooving. He knew the greens very well.

I putted from up the side hill on 14 Trails and holed out. Just trusted his line and bang.

Old Mac was a ton of fun. Not sure I'd play it twice while on property but I'd play it again if we went back.

It helps my lag putting was on fire. Probably made 100' of putts that round. Awesome lines from the caddy.

I also like how big, massive, and natural it feels. Random sand bunkers that are 15' deep everywhere. That huge one to the left on 14. There were some where you couldn't get out of it (physically) if you went down in it.

Wind was calm for our Pac Dunes round. I shot 2 over on the back. Tough track and a hard walk. Up and down the entire time. Launched a drive into the ocean on #11. What a cool tee box. Outside a few ocean view holes, it was the most forgettable course for me. Still awesome though.

Food was awesome everywhere. And I spent way too much on merch.
Gambling at the punchbowl is a ton of fun.

Such an incredible experience. Went last November, and yes, 2 rounds is tough but not impossible. We finished the last three holes in total darkness....at like 5:00. Overall, the weather wasn't all that bad. Temps were in the mid-50s and we had a least some rain every day, but not complete rainouts. The one "clear" day on Pacific Dunes we had a really strong north wind. Definitely an "it's 110, playing 150" type of day. Obviously, rain gear is a requirement. The caddies are one of the biggest reasons it's golf heaven. They were so great not only in course knowledge, but storytelling. I feel like your doing it wrong if you don't do caddies.

Food is incredible. Ate at a different restaurant each night, with final night at Ghost Tree. Never left the resort except for a plunge in the Pacific which is still technically on property I think. Played Sheep, Bandon, Trails, and Pacific Dunes in that order. Did not play Old Mac.

Going back in June 2026. One of our group of 8 got selected in the lottery. Can't wait to experience the course in summer conditions and several hours more of daylight!

Make sure to play Old Mac. It was my third favorite. Last 6 or so holes out there are very fun.

Ranking them all depends on the time of year and time of day.

In the summer... Sheep can play much different in the morning (low wind) compared to afternoon (ridiculous wind). Same goes for all of them except Trails, I guess.

Pac gets my vote for #1 simply because I played there with my 88 year old grandfather and was the first time I ever broke 80. It absolutely will beat you up in the summer time on a windy day though.

The turnstand on Old Mac is the best and has one of the best views. Which is awesome in the winter time when it's not as crowded and you can take your time, but doesn't matter a whole lot in the summer when you feel like you gotta rush the round.

It is like Disneyland for golfers though and should be experienced at least once in your life! I've still never stayed on property though. We normally go cheap and camp nearby.

We stayed at the Lilly Pond cottages (really just Double Queen hotel rooms) and I thought they were nice. Nothing fancy but was well laid out - 2 sinks with the toilet and shower in separate rooms. For double occupancy (I know some people are above that), it was $250/night.

That's a drop in the bucket compared to the $1k in golf + caddy fees that you spend daily. Now, if you're doing it in winter... it's a completely different price point.

I can't wait to go back but will have to... lottery system and popularity have made this place a tough ticket (we booked 18 months ago).

We're going to a Big trip / not-so-big trip rotation now. Next year will be back to the Section8 apartments at Pine Dunes.

Then we're thinking Big Cedar Lodge or French Lick the following.

Big Cedar or French Lick ?
Hello friend……..