I played my first round of golf at Bandon Dunes when Pacific Dunes opened in 2001. Eleven years ago our group started our annual buddies trip to Bandon Dunes Golf Resort to take advantage of their winter specials. What started with 24 local guys has since grown to 48 from Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona and Texas. Having now played Sheep Ranch it is disappointing we never took advantage of the opportunity we had over all those years to play the original Sheep Ranch.
In February of this year some of our group had an opportunity to preview Sheep Ranch. As we walked the course it was a beautiful evening and I remember thinking how amazing the property is and Sheep Ranch would soon become the most popular course at Bandon Dunes. It is an amazing property and course, but having played Sheep Ranch twice, Pacific Dunes is still my favorite course at the resort. I have a feeling as Sheep Ranch continues to evolve that may change. Golfers either love or hate Old MacDonald and Bandon Trails, but I believe everyone will really enjoy what Sheep Ranch has to offer.
Having previewed the course in February I was anxious to play Sheep Ranch and didn’t want to wait until our buddies trip next February. I saw a stretch of nice weather and booked a last minute trip the end of June to play a couple rounds at Sheep Ranch. I decided to book an afternoon round (1:30pm) and a morning round (7:30am) to play the course in different conditions. With the property location you can pretty much guarantee your round in the afternoon is going to be windy.
Whether you decide to take the shuttle or drive to Sheep Ranch you do need to factor in some extra time as the course is a distance even from Old MacDonald. There is a nice, but small club house to check in, buy merchandise and food. They do have a nice patio to sit with your group and enjoy a drink, food and great views.
If you like to or in my case need to warm up, skip the main practice center and head directly to Sheep Ranch. They have a nice practice center to the right of the first hole that I don’t think most people are aware of. I was the only one on the range and enjoy a quiet warm up session before my first round at Sheep Ranch.
Sheep Ranch Practice Enter
My first round at Sheep Ranch was a perfect afternoon with blue skies and no clouds. However, that also meant it was going to be windy, which it was. I would highly recommend getting a caddie at Sheep Ranch. The course is right out in front of you and the greens aren’t crazy like Old MacDonald, but getting advice on club and shot selection with the windy conditions will make for a more enjoyable round and lower scores. My second round the next morning was also a beautiful day with little to no wind. You should probably expect calmer conditions in the mornings and winder conditions in the afternoon.
The first hole is a nice par 5 with a wide fairway that plays down to the ocean. It is very similar to the opening hole at Spyglass Hill at Pebble Beach Resort. I still think my favorite par 3’s at Bandon are on Bandon Trails, but the par 3’s are solid at Sheep Ranch. They all play towards or on the ocean and require some creativity depending on the conditions. Hole #3 and #16 are the large shared green with the amazing views and really play as traditional links style. During both rounds I played low flighted shots to keep the ball out of the wind. Hole #7 is a great par 3 when the tee is in the back corner of the green.
The par 3, hole #7 with a back pin.
Similar to Old MacDonald, the finishing holes at Sheep Ranch are great holes. I was surprised hole 18 was a par 5 as it is a short hole and plays down wind so even with a ok drive you should have an iron into the green. You have the option of playing down the right side or play down the left which is tighter and will leave you with a shorter shot into the green. There is something about finishing your round with an eagle or birdie so must have been the logic on the design.
My only criticism of Sheep Ranch was how slow the greens where. The greens look fast and when the wind is blowing it’s hard to get your mind around hitting it hard enough so had a number of putts that came up short. Because the course is exposed to the elements I’m sure they will figure this out and don’t want to let the greens get out of control.
Sheep Ranch is another Bandon Dunes gem with a nice layout, amazing views and gives you lots of options off the tee and around the greens. Even with the wind if you play smart it is a course you can score on.