A few months ago, I was invited to go play golf for a few days Dunat Bandon. I almost declined the invitation. I was on the verge of breaking one of my own rules of golf.
“If someone invites you to play golf on a nice course, you say yes.”
I love Bandon Dunes. I’ve been lucky enough to play there a few times over the past decade. Each time, the journey has been amazing.
Does the conversation go 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 have been sunny and pleasant.
Oregon’s coastal weather can be amazing, but it can also be punishing; sometimes both, on the same day. Winter weather seemed much less reliable than spring.
Surviving 90 holes of golf in three days is challenging. If the winter weather turned angry, I didn’t know if I would be up to the challenge.
Ultimately, excitement overcame 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 around Bandon Dunes in winter.
No. 1: Plan for the cold
I started checking weather forecasts about a month before the trip. While the rain was my main concern, I quickly determined that the first few hours of the morning would be very cold (aka around 40°F).
No matter what time of year, layering is important at Bandon Dunes. The weather fluctuates and you’ll likely be putting on and taking 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 layered clothing, I also bought a box Hot Hands chemical hand warmers. I know that using them when playing golf is not a revolutionary discovery. However, having these in your pockets changes the round.
For reference, I went with two in my jacket pockets and two more in my front pants pockets.
You may be able to buy these on the course, but you’ll save a ton of money if you buy them ahead of time.
No. 2: Surplus preparedness for rain
As I braced myself for the cold, I knew the rain was the real potential villain. Rain plus cold and wind equals misery.
As such, I packed two sets of rain gear.
My reasoning was that if I got soaked during Monday’s 36 holes, I would need new rain gear for Tuesday. Following the same line or reasoning, I packed a pair of waterproof golf shoes.
High quality rain gear is a must. My first round waterproof script consisted of Sun Mountain Stratus Jacket AND Stratus Pants. The alternate wearing of rain gear was a combination of ia Galway Bay Rain Jacket AND Galvin Green Waterproof Golf Pants.
I completed my waterproof kit with a few GORE-TEX bucket hat (that fit over the beans) and a waterproof one Sun Mountain H2NO Bag.
At that point, only Poseidon would care less about getting wet.
No. 3: “Hey, big boy, the sun’s going down a lot.”
The days are short at Bandon Dunes in the winter. In May, it seems like the sun lasts forever.
Our typical daily May travel schedule looks like this:
- breakfast burritos and coffee at practice range
- play the morning round
- have lunch at one of the best restaurants
- play the afternoon round
- head to Punch Bowl for a few hours
- dinner at another restaurant
- fancy bourbon and liars roll the dice at the Bunker Bar
In winter, the days are too short for that schedule. You’re getting about eight hours and 45 minutes a day. If you hope to play 36 in a day, you need to play fast (obviously), but you also need to plan for quick transitions between rounds.
The daily plan becomes much simpler:
- When the sun comes up, take it off as soon as possible.
- After the first round, race the next course.
- Complete as many holes as possible before it gets dark.
In winter, free lunch and playing 36 or more holes in a day are not compatible activities. You might still be able to score a breakfast burrito on the way to the first tee, but I found it essential to pack a lunch to eat between rounds.
For me, the sweet spot was a combination of protein bars, apples, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and Current Fuel Electrolyte Solutions for the water bottle. Eating too many calories isn’t really a concern when you’re getting well over 20,000 steps a day.
Rooms at the resort all have refrigerators, so perishables can be easily stored. Scrambled eggs and cans of iced coffee from Costco were great for breakfast. Each course also has free coffee early in the day.
If you’re playing 36 holes, you’re walking well over 10 miles a day. You need fuel. There are snack huts on the courses, but it’s easier to keep a fast pace of play and save money if you pack your own food.
No. 4: Make a recovery plan
On my first few trips to Bandon Dunes, I really only focused on the golf equipment I needed to pack. How I miss the good old days when I could hit my body with a hammer one day and it would still be ready to go in the morning.
These days, multiple days of physical exertion involve more careful planning. Yes, I mean stretch. 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 found some recovery gear to fill the gap.
Last summer, I bought one Hyperice Venom 2 Heated Massage Belt for my wife who had back problems. It was pricey, but my friend who had back surgery swore by it to warm up before rounds and recover after.
That awesome belt made it into my Bandon bag.
As I mentioned a few months ago, I got it too Hyperice Elite Hips Pneumatic Massage Unit together too (full review here). The combination of the two was spectacular.
I put the belt on for a few cycles in the morning to loosen up my lower back, and then ran a 30-minute cycle on the Hips unit at the end of the day. I also reluctantly performed a stretching routine before and after the round.
The recovery plan was a monumental success. Not only did I complete all the rounds, but I never felt what I could classify as pain. Fatigue, yes, but no pain.
No. 5: Become one with the flow of the universe
Of course, packing for the trip to Bandon Dunes involved a host of other decisions. How many balls to pack? (Less.) How many pairs of socks? (More and wear a new pair between rounds.)
The last lesson I learned from my winter trip was to be flexible.
Upon arrival, my group hit the driving range and played the short nine-hole course there. The 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 competition while enjoying some adult beverages. Punch Bowl is my favorite part of the resort.
Then it started to rain.
We cut short the rants and retreated to our rooms to get ready for the next 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 entire trip. Outside of the first few holes each morning, it wasn’t that cold. My carefully selected 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 of the sheep farm. I was really grateful for that as it was my first time playing that course. Had I packed a pair of shorts in my bag, they would have been in that afternoon.
The reason I wanted to share my experience is so you can avoid the stress I experienced planning for my trip. Obviously, you need to have a plan, but understand that it can go out the window.
During a round at Pacific Dunes in May, 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 posture is perhaps the most important determinant when it comes to enjoying your ride.
don’t forget If someone asks you to go with them to Dunat Bandonyou say yes
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