I was fortunate enough to spend five nights and play 10 rounds at Bandon Dunes resort in late May this year and, for a golf fanatic like myself, it was a religious experience. It was also expensive. Roughly $6,000 all in. And that’s after my college buddies and I tried to figure out every way to save money beforehand.
Some of those tricks paid off big time. Others I didn’t realize until I was there and will implement on my next trip.
Before diving in here, it’s important to note these tips will not make the trip affordable for everyone. Going to the mecca of American links golf—in one of the more remote areas of the country—is costly. There’s no getting around it.
But for those who can afford the basics, this will help keep costs to a minimum.
B.Y.O.B. ... and snacks
At most golf courses, there’s a sign prohibiting you from bringing in outside food and alcohol. That’s not the case at Bandon. Or at least I didn't have any issues bringing my own booze and snacks on the course, which was a real money saver for us.
We did a Costco run when we arrived in Oregon and got everything we needed for both the course and in the room: alcohol, mixers, uncrustables, mixed nut bags, beef sticks, chips, fruit and more. This allowed us to avoid paying for some breakfasts, lunches, and, most importantly, most of the drinks on the course. We still get a few of those, but we didn’t necessarily need to.
More on how to avoid paying big on food below.
Fly into EUG Or PDX and enjoy the ride
Getting to Bandon Dunes is a logistical challenge. Southwest Oregon Regional Airport, in North Bend, is the closest and 25 miles away. It’s also wildly expensive and you’ll need a connector unless you’re flying from San Francisco or Denver.
Instead, fly into Eugene or Portland for roughly 60% less and enjoy the drive down to Bandon. You’ll either need to rent a car or get a car service—we used Bandon Transportation and Greg was tremendous. That does cost money, but if you’re splitting it with a couple of people, it’s still a lot cheaper. Plus you get to enjoy amazing views and make a few stops along the way. It was certainly an add for us.
Skip the caddies
As a former caddie, this one was tough. We wanted caddies, but the cost is high ($100 per round plus tip for someone carrying your bag or $40 per player plus tip for a group forecaddie). Ultimately, we decided against it and it saved us hundreds of dollars and didn’t inhibit our experience.
There are some holes where a caddie can be important: No. 3 at Old Mac where you want to hit left of the ghost tree and No. 9 at Pacific Dunes where there’s a split fairway come to mind. But if you do the virtual course tours, which we did, you’ll know that ahead of time. After playing the courses once, you’re good.
The caddie program is important at Bandon Dunes and if you have the money you should absolutely get one. But if you want to save hundreds and possibly over a thousand dollars, this is a place to do it.
Be strategic with merch
Every course at Bandon has a shop with its own logos and merch. It’s all amazing. It’s also expensive.
Before buying anything, we went to the various courses and scoped out all the goods before making decisions. This proved wise.
If I bought everything I wanted when I first went into the various shops, it would have been much more expensive. I saw a person on their first day drop over $500 on a handful of items. Good for him for having that disposable income. We did not.
Instead, we were tactical with our purchases and it was financially prudent.
Play 54 (or more) if you can
I played three rounds on three days at Bandon and paid for only six of the nine rounds. That’s because your third round of the day there is free. The first was $325, the second was $165 and the third was $0. If we played a fourth, which would have killed me, Bandon would have given us $100.
Obviously this is taxing. By the end of each day, I was pretty crushed, and I worked out for months in preparation. But it was fun and rewarding, and the people at Bandon know you're on your third round are openly rooting for you to get in all 54 holes, which a nice moment for us.
Play 36 your final day
One of the things I wish I had done was play more on the last day. I was taking a red-eye flight home and could have absolutely gotten in 36 holes. If I had known, I would have saved a full night of lodging, which I’ll certainly do next time.
The main resort has a locker and shower in the basement you can use your last day after you’ve left your room, which is great. They’ll also hold all your luggage. In this scenario, I would have gotten a full day of golf in, taken a shower (I did this anyway after playing 18), made my flight and saved several hundred dollars on boarding. I’ll be taking advantage in the future.
Pass on fine dining
We had dinner at both Pacific Grill and Ghost Tree Grill when we were there. Both were fine. I could have skipped both and saved roughly $300.
This isn’t an indictment on the restaurants. We enjoyed our meals, the service was tremendous and settings were spectacular.
Honestly, I enjoyed the meals at McKee’s Pub, Trails End and The Gallery & Puffin Bar just as much, and they were less than half the cost of the first two.
Choose saunas and hot tubs over massages
You can get massages at Bandon Dunes, running between $85 and $260 a pop, depending on how long it lasts. Or you can use the hot tub and sauna to soothe away the aches and pains for free.
Massages are obviously luxury services. If you’re considering them, you likely have the disposable income. But the sauna and hot tub will do the trick for free. They’re located in the basement of the main clubhouse.
Play Charlotte’s par-3
You have to pay to play every course at Bandon Dunes—except Charlotte’s par-3 course. Complementary to all resort guests, Charlotte’s par-3 course is located right next to the practice center and is a fun way to spend an hour with friends and family.
It’s not nearly as nice as the other two par-3 courses at Bandon—Shorty’s and The Preserve. But it’s certainly the nicest free par-3 course you’ll ever play.
Visit during off-peak season
Room rates and greens fees are both more expensive if you visit Bandon Dunes from June through September. Instead, visit outside those months and save a ton.
We were there the week of Memorial Day and the weather was perfect. Obviously, that’s always a bit of a crapshoot in Bandon. But I was also told October is a great time to visit and, similar to May, you will save a few hundred on lodging and golf.
If you want to save even more, you can go November through April. The weather is generally much more sketchy those months and you could wind up playing in some wild conditions—or risk having full days when you can’t play at all. The choice is yours, but May was spectacular for us.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ten Tricks to Save Money on Your Bandon Dunes Golf Trip.
