Bandon Dunes

The few days leading up to our trip to Bandon Dunes consisted of checking the weather every moment we could. All of the forecasts told us we would be in for a wet weekend of golf. Flying into North Bend Airport confirmed all of our worries as we were welcomed by a constant drizzle.

Luckily enough, the rain let up a bit that afternoon. A few of us were able to fit in The Preserve, which is a 13 hole par 3 course with spectacular views. Our first experience on the course did not disappoint. Even for a par 3 course, the holes were designed beautifully and greens kept up perfectly.

We weren’t so lucky the next day. Fifty to sixty mile per hour winds pounded the coast with intermittent rain sliding through. We decided to cancel our morning tee time to watch the Longhorns lose to K-State. The weather didn’t get much better in the afternoon but we decided to go out anyways. In full rain gear, we trudged out to the first tee. The rain, mixed with the winds, made for a tough round of golf. At times, we were aiming 50 yards to the right or left of our target. Other times we were clubbing up at least 3-4 clubs to reach the green. When we were finally with the wind, we would grip it and rip it.

Mother Nature rewarded our perseverance the next day with some amazing weather. We fit in 36 holes at two of the most scenic courses you’ll find in the United States.

When we reached the 16th hole, we were all smiles. The par 4 along the coast was straight out of a travel magazine. We happened to reach it during golden hour as well which made for some epic photos and videos. When you golf at a place like this with 3 photographers, the round may take a bit longer. Luckily for us, we were the only ones out on the course.

Before the trip, I ran across this post on The Verge which showed the impressive stabilizing features of the Instagram Hyperlapse App. I knew I wanted to try it out on this trip and the results were fantastic. Even while carrying a 30 pound golf bag and bouncing up and down the trails, the app was able to create smooth stabile shots through out the trip.

I’ve been using a stat tracking system called Game Golf to keep track of my rounds. It’s been a really great tool to visualize all your shots and to really analyze your game by diving into all the stats. My two best rounds were on Bandon Dunes and Bandon Trails. Click on the links respectively to go to an interactive map of my round.

On the final morning, we played a quick 18 holes at Bandon Trails. This course winds through the inland forest which was a nice change from the other 3 courses we played. After we finished, we quickly packed up and headed out to the airport. If you’re a golfer and have a chance to get out here to the Oregon coast, the views are spectacular and the golf is great.