Our last day at Bandon Dunes. I think I’m going to cry. I don’t want to leave this place.
Playing 54 holes yesterday was great, but the only downside with that plan is getting up to play 36 the next day. We played Bandon Trails in the morning and there were three tired pups on that first tee. Unfortunately, my swing was in a serious funk on the front nine -- I just couldn’t get full use of my facilities and kept duck hooking it off the tee. The result was an extremely lackluster 43 on the front. The back nine got a little better as I managed to par the first 5 holes on the back, but again the beastly last 4 holes into an increasing wind got me again. I played the last four +4 to finish with a 43-39 82.
I did manage to get up and down three times out of the sand, which must be a personal best. Also, I parred the last hole from the clubhouse. My approach shot got caught up in the wind and bounced off the brick path and bonked the deck overlooking the green. Fortunately, I got a free drop from the path and managed to get up and down.
One downside with Trails was the greens. When we played them the first time, the greens were smooth and fast. This morning, they had been sanded over, which made them extremely slow (and sometimes not quite as slow...it was hard to judge what it was going to do). Jimbo, who’s generally a very good putter, had seven three putts in a round where he finally started to hit the ball a little better. I believe he had a 45-48 93. Ken struggled a little bit, but still managed to break 100...49-50 99.
All of us agreed that Bandon Trails was the hardest of the three courses...until we played Pacific Dunes that afternoon. The wind was howling and we all moved up a set of tees. Smart move, but it was still a beast. When the wind picks up there, you’re in big trouble. And Ken’s caddie Lisa said on the front nine that the wind was ‘just about average’ out there, a 4.5 or so on a 10-point scale. That’s crazy, because it was absolutely whipping out there, a 4 to 4 1/2 club wind. And it kept getting worse as the round went on (Lisa finally relented and said it was more like ‘a 6 or a 7’ by the time we reached the 14th tee). For example, No. 10 was playing about 178 yards and I absolutely scorched a 3-iron just over the flag. I can normally hit my 3-iron 230-240 yards! My best bet was to add 45 to the yardage and hit to that number.
This video shows how windy it was out there. This is the 11th hole, a short par three on the ocean. It was playing about 145 yards to the back pin, and I hit 5-iron. As you can probably tell from the video, I start the ball way out over the cliffs left. And the ball still ended up about 50 yards right of the flag. Unbelievable. On the 13th, my six foot putt was heading for the hole when the wind stopped it dead cold and actually blew it backwards!
Here's Jimbo on the same hole. He probably hit his best shot of the week, firing a 5-wood straight at the flag, but it ran just long off the back of the green.
I played pretty well on the front nine given the conditions. I had 39 on the front, including a birdie on the sixth hole. But the holes into the wind bit me again, doubling three holes in a row: 11, 12, 13. I couldn’t take advantage of the downwind holes and ended up with a disappointing double on 18. 39-45 84. Brutally tough conditions, but it was fun to play (or try to play) the course in that wind.
By the numbers:
Birdie Count - Jim 19, Jimbo 5, Ken 1
2 - Times Jim hit driver on a par 3 on this trip, hitting it again on the 12th at Bandon Trails.
"Changing the world one divot at a time..."
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The Pilgrimage: Oregon Golf Trip, Day Five (Bandon Trails / Pacific Dunes)
8/04/2006
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Hundred Hole Hike
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The Hundred Hole Hike (HHH) is a national-network of golf marathons where participants plan to walk 100 or more holes of golf in one day in order to raise money for various worthwhile charitable causes. Please go to http://www.hundredholehike.com/ for more details. |

Chicago Public Course Rankings

When it comes to Chicago-area golf, we have it covered. Because of this, we can publish the following Top 25 list and confidently call it the Definitive Guide to Chicago Area Public Golf Courses. Just a friendly service to visitors who want to experience the best public golf that this great city has to offer. New! Updated August 2011
1 May 2007 I Read the full story

My Course Rankings
1. Pine Valley
2. National Golf Links of America
3. St. Andrews (Old)
4. Cypress Point
5. Ballyneal
6. Shinnecock Hills
7. Royal Dornoch
8. Oakmont
9. Merion (East)
10. Pacific Dunes
11. Friars Head
12. Sand Hills
13. Tara Iti
14. Pinehurst No 2
15. Royal Melbourne (West)
16. Pebble Beach
17. Chicago Golf Club
18. Riviera
19. Los Angeles CC (North)
20. North Berwick
2. National Golf Links of America
3. St. Andrews (Old)
4. Cypress Point
5. Ballyneal
6. Shinnecock Hills
7. Royal Dornoch
8. Oakmont
9. Merion (East)
10. Pacific Dunes
11. Friars Head
12. Sand Hills
13. Tara Iti
14. Pinehurst No 2
15. Royal Melbourne (West)
16. Pebble Beach
17. Chicago Golf Club
18. Riviera
19. Los Angeles CC (North)
20. North Berwick
27 June 2011 - Click here for full rankings

One Divot at a Time...

My book of golf adventures, "One Divot at a Time...:Diary of a Full-Fledged Golf Addict, Volume 1" is now available on amazon.com for $12.95 $8.06 in paperback or only $1.99 on Kindle. All proceeds go to Ben Cox and his family. Check it out!
10 December 2009 I Click for more details

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Golf Blog 100

Wegoblogger31 is a proud contributor to the Golf Blog 100, a Top 100 golf course rating that is a collaborative view of the top golf bloggers.
Latest Profiles:
18 Sept 2009 I Click here for more

The Ben Cox 108-Hole Golf Marathon

What: A 108-golf marathon to raise money for Ben Cox, a Ballyneal caddie who was paralyzed from a severe skiing accident in March.
When: June 22, 2011 (update)
Where: Ballyneal Golf & Hunt Club - Holyoke, CO
Total Raised to Date: $109,825
Required Reading:
How to Give:
Send a check payable to: Prairie Home Baptist Church (memo: Ballyneal fundraiser)
Prairie Home Baptist Church
P.O. Box 271
Haxtun, CO 80731
P.O. Box 271
Haxtun, CO 80731
In the News:
- Colorado Golf Association website: "Going the Distance for a Good Cause: Ballyneal member gears up for 108-hole marathon to benefit partially-paralyzed former caddie"
- Holyoke Enterprise: "Ballyneal member aims to help Cox family"
- Cybergolf: "Ballyneal Member Invites Others to Join 108-Hole Fundraiser"
- Omaha World Herald: Golf Notes (5/31)
- Denver Post: "Ballyneal golf club brings two together after accident" (6/12)- Holyoke Enterprise: "Ballyneal member aims to help Cox family"
- Cybergolf: "Ballyneal Member Invites Others to Join 108-Hole Fundraiser"
- Omaha World Herald: Golf Notes (5/31)
- Radio interview on 104.3 The Fan in Denver (6/18)
- Colorado Avid Golfer: "Golfer's Charitable Marathon Could Get You on Riviera" (6/24)
- Radio interview on 104.3 The Fan in Denver (6/25)
- Golf Channel: "W18: Patience and Perspective" (6/27)
- Golf World Monday: "Marathon Man" (6/27)
- Holyoke Enterprise: "The Ben Cox 108 (give or take 47) climbs beyond $77,000" (6/30)
- Chicago Tribune: "All-day golf event raises more than $100,000 for paralyzed caddie" (7/8)
- Golf Channel: "W18: Patience and Perspective" (6/27)
- Golf World Monday: "Marathon Man" (6/27)
- Holyoke Enterprise: "The Ben Cox 108 (give or take 47) climbs beyond $77,000" (6/30)
- Chicago Tribune: "All-day golf event raises more than $100,000 for paralyzed caddie" (7/8)

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