Bandon dunes

Well hello blog readers. It is my turn to add a little to this trip memoir. The following post documents my experience this morning at Bandon Dunes Golf resort. Bandon dunes ranks on many lists as the #1 golf resort in the US. It has five courses on the property, 4 courses with 18 holes and one 13 hole par 3 course. I chose to go with the original course which shares the name of the resort. Luckily I had not yet adjusted to west coast time yet, and was wide awake at 5:00 am. This gave me plenty of time to sit down and eat an omelette filled with smoked king salmon at the gallery restaurant at the lodge. I picked up an excellent set of rental clubs (Titleist AP2 irons, 3 wood and 3 hybrid, along with a Taylormade R1 driver and ghost blade putter). The rental clubs included a 6 pack of balls and ended up being significantly cheaper than bring my clubs with me on the trip. After a little time at the practice range I was ready for my 7:50 tee time. I met my caddie, Dave, at the tee and was set to be playing with a father and son from England. After having booked this round of golf 6 months prior to playing I was a little jittery when I stepped up to the ball as it was finally here. I was able to calm down enough to hit a straight first drive and get a good start in front of a small crowd of people who had stationed themselves out in front of the lodge. I would like to be able to tell you that I went on to play the rest of the hole spectacularly, but unfortunately I can't do that. I hit my approach shot just short and watched it run a good 20 yards from the green. Now what ended up being the most unique and fun part of playing this course was that you could put from anywhere. On this shot I ended up putting 30 yards or so up a 12 foot hill to the green. After failing to make it up the hill multiple times, I finally got the hang of it and carded my first score of the day, a double par (8). I recovered nicely on the second hole with a par (3) and went on to have the best golf experience that I have had thus far. I will not bore you any more with details, but will just say that the course lived up to the hype. Everything from the setting along cliffs overlooking the pacific ocean, having a knowledgeable caddy to help me select the proper club and direction to hit the ball, and the course only being able to be walked made it a unique and unforgettable experience. I will post some pictures when I get a chance to download them from the camera. Emily and I will add the rest of the events from today in the morning. Thanks for reading. As I believe Ron Burgundy would say if he had a blog, you stay classy, planet earth.