In our Bandon Series of course reviews, part III is Bandon Trails.Trails is the course

that is perhaps the most overlooked and least known by golfers planning their trip to

the resort.Bandon Trails is by far the toughest walk at Bandon, weaving in and out of

dunes and the forest just beyond the shoreline(it is the only course at Bandon that

does not come into direct contact with the Pacific).The land at Trails rolls up and

down and cambers side to side, part parkland/part links, the Coore/Crenshaw design

is a must play, to overlook this beauty would be a major violation of links law.

B.T starts out looking very much like the other courses at Bandon, but the variety

that Coore/Crenshaw present to the golfer is unmatched.Although there are no

coastal holes on B.T, the shot values might be better than any at the resort.Stay

right center on the tee shot here on the first, I was not so fortunate finding the left

bunker set into the ridge on the left.

The 214 yard par 3 second, take a moment to enjoy the surroundings before

re-engaging in the round.

par 5 third

The first few holes holes at Bandon Trails appear and play links like, as the round

goes on it feels very parkland like, but still allows the golfer to play the ball along the

ground.Since Trails is somewhat protected from the shoreline, the wind is not the

major force that it is on Bandon's other layouts, but Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw's

routing at B.T is the genius on this amazing Championship layout that hosted

the USGA Pub Links in 2011 (along with Old MacDonald).

The landing area on the par 4 -Fourth is semi blind

The short Par 3 - 5th hole is 133 yards over a gorge(check the natural branch railing

bordering the front of the tee)

The uphill par 4 - seventh plays tough at 440 yards.The fairway snakes its way

between the bunkers, avoid the large fairway bunker on the left.

The drivable eighth (299 from the green tees) requires precision, as the hole plays

downhill and everything cambers right to left.

At 567 yards the Ninth is the longest hole at B.T

The approach into the tenth, avoid the large waste bunker right of the green . . . I

wasn't able to, probably not many par saves from there(no clue as to the blue object

in the treeline).

The long 242 yard par 3 - twelfth

Bandon Trails 13th green, note the fall off on each side.After holing out, you hike up

the steep hill through the woods to catch a ride from Bandon staff to the 14th tee

which is down the road apiece.

The downhill par 4 - 14th is reachable (306 from the green tees), but be aware of

the false front on the green.

The surroundings at the fifteenth felt like a hole on the Monterey peninsula

The uphill par 5 -16th is the best 3 shotter on the property.

The downhill -17th fits right in with the great par 3's at Trails

The approach into the home hole, sun on the horizon and rain that thankfully waited till my 36th hole

(of the day) to shower down.

The Clubhouse at Bandon Trails

Bandon Trails is the toughest of the four championship layouts to walk because of the length

between tees and the rugged terrain.Knowing your fitness level is essential at Bandon, (I walked

36 holes at Bandon Dunes and Trails in 6 hours, and needed 2 hours in the hot tub afterward).

If you decide to do as I did, do yourself a favor and get a caddy for your second round.

Although not on the Ocean like Bandon's other courses, Bandon Trails takes no back

seat at Mike Keiser's epicenter of world golf.

For more info:

http://www.bandondunesgolf.com/

Old MacDonald is Tom Doak and Jim Urbina's ode to the great golf course designer of

yesteryear:C.B MacDonald.Old Mac was the fourth course built at Bandon Dunes

Resort, and is perhaps the most authentic links of the courses at Bandon Resort.The

6944 yard layout is less challenging off the tee than Pacific Dunes or Bandon Trails,

but the accuracy of your approach shots is paramount.The size and shapes of the

greens are the teeth of Old Mac, if it's a windy day . . . Old Mac will have it's way

with you.

The short 341 yard first -  is called "double plateau"

The 181 yard par 3 - second (beware of the small pot bunker short right of the green)

The 375 yard - third at Old Mac presents one of the more interesting tee shots on the

property, draw it around the wicked looking tree or fade it around the tree (I hit it right

through the tree, between two of the twisted branches).A good tee shot over the hill will

fall right on the severely sloped downhill left to right fairway.

The long 504 yard par 4 - fourth

The short par 3 - fifth with the Pacific in the backdrop.If you look closely you can see

the many undulations on the putting surface.

The green at the 555 yard par 5 sixth, is perhaps the most extreme example of a large

well undulated links style green at Old Mac.I was fortunate to get down in three from this

position.The green and fairway/collar blend seamlessly into the putting surfaces at Old

Mac, very reminiscent of many links courses across the pond.

The short par 4 - seventh which features a severe uphill approach, is called "Ocean" for

it's spectacular views, this was my favorite hole on the front side.This green was also

amongst the largest and trickiest at Old Mac.

The eighth at Old Mac, the tee box shares the same view as the green on the seventh . .

. then you turnaround and face the green for your tee shot on the downhill 181 yarder

called "Biarritz". (which is a trademark of all MacDonald/Raynor courses).

Stay left of the bunkers and gorse at the 416 yard ninth.

The 465 yard tenth requires two solid shots, note the the serious fall off in front of the

green . . . a pin high approach is pivotal, miss the green and getting up and down will be

a tough task.

The eleventh is called "road", think that greenside bunker has anything to do with that

name?

346 yard Thirteenth at Old Mac, a drive down the left gives the best angle.

From a tee up, the 14th can be had (at 297 yards) with a ripped tee ball up the hill.This

was amongst the best designed holes at Old Mac.The heavily sloped green defends the

easy birdie.

The fifteenth called "Westward Ho" is a 535 yard par 5, the green is up the hill between

the two dunes on the right.

The approach into the par 4 sixteenth (called "Alps" because of the large mounds that

block your view of the green), check the nasty wood planked bunker just short of the

green.The post in the background has a bell to alert the group behind that the green is

clear.

The seventeenth at Old Mac is your last good chance at glory, a left to right 546 yard - par 5.

18th green known as "Punchbowl", is another C.B MacDonald staple.

If you've ever played a C.B MacDonald or Seth Raynor design, like Greenbrier "Old White",

Mountain Lake, Yale, Chicago Golf Club or National Golf Links Of America, then you know

the influence that Charles Blair had on American Golf architecture.If one of those exclusive

clubs is out of your reach, be sure to visit a modern day links that no doubt would make

Charles Blair MacDonald proud to have his namesake on the marque.

For More info: http://www.bandondunesgolf.com

Bandon Preserve - The 134 yard ninth is a prime example of the views on the 13 hole gem . . . in fact,

the ocean is within view on every hole at B.P

The much anticipated opening of the new par 3 course at Bandon Resort is set to

open on May 1st, 2012 (two weeks away).B.R Koehnemann - the Public Relations

Director for Bandon Dunes was my escort/playing companion at Bandon Preserve

(designed by the team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw).The 13 hole short course

layout was originally slated to be 12, but when Coore walked behind the fifth

green, he said to Mike Keiser, (founder/owner of Bandon Dunes Resort) “there’s

another golf hole here", that’s all it took for Keiser to agree to make it a 13-hole

course. The hole that turned B.P into a "bakers dozen" is now the sixth, located on

the bottom shelf up against the native vegetation.

The 138 yard - 1st at BP, the start of the most beautiful par 3 course in America

Keiser's two favorites are hole #5, and #9, both have pacific ocean backdrops.The

concept of having the short course at Bandon is brilliant for many reasons:

1)If your group arrives late in the afternoon, Preserve is the perfect place to get

the trip started.

2)Or the opposite (as in my case), after I walked Old Mac early in the a.m and was

flying out the next morning, I didn't have the time or energy to walk another 18

hole round.

3)For players who aren't big on beating balls for lengthy periods of time, the Preserve

would be the perfect warm up to prepare you for the types of short game shots

you'll need to score on Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails, Bandon Dunes or Old MacDonald.

Keiser has stated that he'll stagger the tee times in 15 minute intervals, so no matter

how popular the short course gets, slow play shouldn't become a factor . . . with a

max of only 16 players per hour.

Every hole at Preserve has great variety, but none is brutally tough.The wind coming

straight off the ocean will make some of the holes play much more challenging than

the yardage suggests, but Preserve is more about great design, creativity, and

magnificent sights.One of the unique things about Bandon Preserve is the fact that

the proceeds from the course will go to the Wild Rivers Coast Alliance, which

protects the land and waters of the south coast.Bandon Preserve will also protect

and preserve the Silvery Phacelia, an endangered plant species whose habitat is

threatened by non-native plants.The Silvery Phacelia plant is part of the logo for

Bandon Preserve.

One of the most picturesque one shotters anywhere, the 142 yard -2nd at BP

I was completely enamored (loved them all) with hole #2, It plays downhill, has

a deep gorge running along the right side of the hole, plays into the wind, and the

deep bunker carved out the hillside on the left doesn't allow you to bail out.Also the

magnificent railing made from native tree branches just frames the hole beautifully.

Ireland? Scotland? Nope, it's the South Coast of Oregon  . . . 3rd at BP - 106 yds

The 5th just moments before hail dropped from the heavens

As we approached the jaw dropping 152 yard fifth tee, it was pretty obvious to us

(B.R & Ken Nice - Director of Agronomy) that we were about to get nailed by a storm

rolling in from the ocean.What we didn't know was that the storm was packing hail, a

harmless 3 minute onslaught of ice pellets, followed by benign conditions . . .

anything and everything are in play at Bandon when it comes to the conditions.

The piece of property Bill Coore found to create a "bakers dozen" was the 6th hole pictured here,

don't over do the draw as I did, anything left of the putting surface is bogey at best.

The 78 yard - 8th is a punch bowl green

The fescue greens weren't cut down to speed yet, but Ken said the green speeds

would be kept close to 10 on a regular basis.Since we played just weeks before

the Grand Opening on May 1st, the tee boxes were preserved from divots by using

lie boards.

The 152 yard eleventh

The twelfth at Preserve - 148 yards

The Bandon Trails clubhouse and 1st tee are just a few dozen yards from the 13th

green at Bandon Preserve . . . so with the proper scheduling, the transition to your

next round could be seamless.

The severely downhill 110 yard - 13th runs along side the 18th on Bandon Dunes.

This large brass coin commemorates the opening day on May 1st, 2012

When you arrive at the golf mecca that is Bandon Dunes Resort, be sure to

experience the 13 holes of par 3 splendor that is Bandon Preserve.

"It was fun working with such beautiful ground in order to bring the Bandon Preserve to

life. We hope these golf holes, presented on a smaller scale, are enjoyable for everyone to

play."

—Ben Crenshaw

Green fees are $100 (replay rate $50).

http://www.bandondunesgolf.com/pages/bandon_preserve/117.php

Forest Creek Golf Club in North Carolina is the only golf community in the country

with two golf courses ranked in the top 100 of Golfweek Magazine's "Best Modern

Courses".

Crape Myrtles were blooming brilliantly at the entry when we arrived at Forest Creek Club.

Just 3 miles from the village of Pinehurst, Forest Creek is a club that's "under the

radar" in golf mecca USA, (as an exclusive private club, that's how they prefer it)

but in terms of design it's as quality as any of its famous local brethren (like No.2

& Pine Needles) . . . so much so in fact, the USGA has announced that the United

States Mid Amateur Championship will be played there in October, 2013.

Anytime a national championship is awarded to a venue, it brings a rare measure of

stature to that particular club, and Forest Creek is no exception.Both courses are

designed by Tom Fazio, the South course in 1996 and the North in 2005.

On a recent journey to the Pinehurst area, LinksNation.com teed it up on the South

course, which is slightly more finished in it's style as opposed to the North, which is

more edgy and rustic (very Pine Valley esque).The parkland style South plays just

under 7100 yards from where we played it (back tees).

The first at Forest Creek south, a left to right 397 yard par 4 . . . don't try to cut the corner.

Have your fade ready when you tee off at Forest Creek, the first two holes demand it.

Pictured above:  190 yd par 3 -second.

The 3rd hole is the shortest par 5 on the course at 514 yards

The short 372 yard par 4 - fifth

Par 3 - sixth 181 yards

The par 5 - seventh, at 572 yards it's beauty & brawn

The approach on the 429 yard outward finisher is magnificent. This hole reminded me of

a downhill version of Bay Hill's famous eighteenth, (dare I say it . . . I thought this rendition

was superior).

At 224 yards, the slightly uphill par 3 tenth requires an extra bat to reach this well undulated

green.

The tee shot on the short par 4 eleventh requires the player to work a smooth right to

left drive.

The 525 yard par 5 - fourteenth is a birdie hole

The sixteenth is a prime example of Tom Fazio's genius, a perfect blend of rolling terrain

combined with great use of the native North Carolina Pines.Stay out of the fairway bunker

on the left ridge, it will require a Houdini like escape to make par (as I can attest to).

The 195 yard - par 3 seventeenth

The 430 yard - par 4 eighteenth at Forest Creek requires two precise strikes to finish strong.

Although the South Course at Forest Creek does not boast extreme elevation

changes, it is amongst Fazio's finest . . . the rolling terrain, and North Carolina

Pines were used beautifully.It's almost as if the routing lie in wait for the master

to bring it to life, the sign of a great designer at his best.The south is more than

a beauty queen however, work the ball in both directions as Tom Fazio requires

or be doomed to the consequences, certainly a complete test of golf.In October,

2013 - the games best Mid Amateurs will experience it for themselves.

For more info on Forest Creek Club:

http://forestcreekgolfclub.com/sites/courses/forestcreek.asp?id=632&page=34339