A few months back, I was invited to go play a few days of golf at Bandon Dunes. I almost declined the invitation. I was on the verge of violating one of my standing rules of golf.
“If someone invites you to play golf at a cool course, you say yes.”
I love Bandon Dunes. I’ve been fortunate enough to have played there a handful of times during the past decade. Every time, the trip has been amazing.
The conversation going home? “When are we coming back?”
My concern this time was the winter weather. My other trips to Bandon have been in May. While we have had rain and strong winds in May, most days were sunny and delightful.
Coastal Oregon weather can be amazing but it also can be punishing; sometimes both, on the same day. Winter weather seemed far less trustworthy than springtime.
Surviving 90 holes of golf in three days is challenging. If the winter weather turned angry, I didn’t know if I’d be up to the challenge.
Ultimately, excitement overruled anxiety and I accepted the invitation.
Since you are reading this, I must have survived the trip. I credit my survival, and enjoyment, to five key discoveries I made about Bandon Dunes in winter.
No.1: Plan for the cold
I started checking the weather forecasts about a month before the trip. While rain was my primary concern, I quickly determined that some of the morning tee times would be very cold (aka about 40°F).
No matter what time of the year, layering is important at Bandon Dunes. Weather fluctuates and you will probably put on and take off multiple layers throughout the day. My cold-weather plan was to have a base layer, a mid-layer or two and a waterproof top layer.
Any more layers than that and I couldn’t swing a club.
In addition to packing layerable clothing, I also bought a case of Hot Hands chemical hand warmers. I know that using these when playing golf is not a revolutionary discovery. Even so, having these in your pockets changes the round.
For reference, I went with two in the jacket pockets and another two in the front pants pockets.
You may be able to buy these at the course but you will save a bunch of money if you buy them ahead of time.
No. 2: Rain readiness redundancy
While I prepared for the cold, I knew rain was the true real potential villain. Rain plus cold and wind equal misery.
As such, I packed two sets of rain gear.
My rationale was that if I got soaked during Monday’s 36 holes, I would need fresh rain gear for Tuesday. Following the same line or reasoning, I packed a second pair of waterproof golf shoes.
High-quality rain gear is a necessity. My first-round waterproof scripting consisted of the Sun Mountain Stratus jacket and Stratus pants. The alternate rain gear outfit was a combination of a Galway Bay rain jacket and Galvin Green waterproof golf pants.
I completed my waterproof kit with a couple of GORE-TEX bucket hats (that fit over beanies) and a waterproof Sun Mountain H2NO bag.
At that point, only Poseidon would be less concerned with getting wet.
No. 3: “Hey, big guy, sun’s getting real low.”
The days are short at Bandon Dunes in winter. In May, it seems like the sun lasts forever.
Our typical May trip daily schedule looks like this:
- breakfast burrito and coffee on the practice range
- play the morning round
- have lunch at one of the great restaurants
- play the afternoon round
- head to the Punch Bowl for a few hours
- dinner at another restaurant
- fancy bourbon and liars dice at the Bunker Bar
In winter, the days are way too short for that schedule. You are getting about eight hours and 45 minutes of daylight. If you are hoping to play 36 a day, you need to play fast (obviously) but you also need to plan for the quick transition between rounds.
The daily plan becomes much simpler:
- When the sun comes up, tee off as soon as possible.
- After the first round, race to the next course.
- Finish as many holes as possible before dark.
In winter, leisurely lunches and playing 36 or more holes a day are not compatible activities. You may still be able to score a breakfast burrito on the way to the first tee but I found that packing a lunch to eat between rounds was essential.
For me, the sweet spot was a combination of protein bars, apples, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and Momentous Fuel electrolyte solutions for the water bottle. Eating too many calories is not really a concern when you are well beyond 20,000 steps a day.
The rooms at the resort all have refrigerators so perishable items are easily stored. Hardboiled eggs and cans of cold-brew coffee from Costco were great for breakfast. Each course also has free coffee early in the day.
If you are playing 36 holes, you are walking well more than 10 miles a day. You need fuel. There are snack shacks on the courses but it’s easier to keep a quick pace of play, and save money, if you pack food with you.
No. 4: Have a recovery plan
On my first trips to Bandon Dunes, I really only focused on what golf gear I needed to pack. How I miss the good old days when I could just hammer my body one day and it would still be ready to go the next morning.
These days, multiple days of physical exertion involves more careful planning. Yes, I am talking about stretching. Unfortunately, Advil and alcohol are no longer enough. Stretching is not my favorite activity. It’s annoying and painful, but it works wonders.
Thankfully, I’ve found some recovery gear to supplement the stretching.
Last summer, I purchased a Hyperice Venom 2 heated massage belt for my wife who was having back issues. It was pricey but my friend who had back surgery swore by it for warming up before rounds and recovering after.
That amazing belt went in my bag for Bandon.
As I mentioned a few months back, I also took the Hyperice Elite Hips pneumatic massage unit along as well (full review HERE). The combination of the two was spectacular.
I wore the belt for a couple of cycles in the morning to loosen up the lower back and then ran a 30-minute cycle in the Hips unit at the end of the day. I also reluctantly performed a stretching routine pre- and post-round.
The recovery plan was a monumental success. Not only did I finish all of the rounds but I never felt what I could classify as pain. Fatigue, yes, but not pain.
No. 5: Be one with the flow of the universe
Naturally, packing for the trip to Bandon Dunes involved a bunch of other decisions. How many balls to pack? (Fewer.) How many pairs of socks? (More and put on a new pair between rounds.)
The final lesson I learned from my winter trip was to be flexible.
Upon arrival, my group hit the range and played the short nine-hole course there. Skies were ominous but the air was dry.
From there, we walked to the Punch Bowl putting course below the Pacific Dunes clubhouse and fired up a 12-man putting competition while enjoying some adult beverages. The Punch Bowl is my favorite part of the resort.
Then it started to rain.
We cut short the putting shenanigans and retired to our rooms to prep for the following day. At that point, I was very focused on creating a plan to stay dry.
As it turned out, that early evening rain was the only rain we saw the whole trip. Outside of the first few holes each morning, it wasn’t even that cold. My carefully selected layers of clothing spent more time in the pockets of my golf bag than on my body.
The sun came out for a long time during our afternoon round on Sheep Ranch. I was truly grateful for this since it was my first time playing that course. Had I packed a pair of shorts in my bag, they would have been on that afternoon.
The reason I wanted to share my experience is so you could hopefully bypass the stress I experienced planning for my trip. Obviously, you need to have a plan but understand that it could go out the window.
During a round on Pacific Dunes in May, the winds were sustained at 35 mph, gusting to more than 50. You can’t plan for that. You just deal with it as best you can. Spring weather is not guaranteed to be good any more than winter weather is guaranteed to be bad.
Your attitude is probably the most important determinate when it comes to enjoying your trip.
Don’t forget. If someone asks you to go with them to Bandon Dunes, you say yes.
The post 5 Tips For A Winter Trip To Bandon Dunes appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
