2020 Junior Golf Schedule

May 15, 2020 by Bandon Dunes

Our efforts to "Grow the Game" continue this summer as our Junior Golf Schedule kicks into high gear!

JUNIOR BANDONISTA PROGRAM (Juniors Under 22 Play Free!)

From Mother's Day Weekend through July 31

We are excited to share the Bandon experience with junior golfers. A parent can treat their young golfer, 22 years of age and younger, to a free round on any of Bandon Dunes’ golf courses after 10 a.m., so long as that parent is playing along with the Junior Bandonista. Limitations and restrictions apply, see more details here!

COMPLIMENTARY JUNIOR CLINIC FOR K – 2ND GRADERS

Monday 7/13 & 7/27 (Grades K-2)
Wednesday 7/15 & 7/29 (Grade 6-9)

These clinics will be held from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm on the dates listed above. Each class will be limited to 12 students and then further split into two groups of 6, one group will start on full swing and the other on their short game over on holes 1, 2, 9. Unfortunately, having limited class sizes we have to limit each student to one class this year. In order to abide by social distancing measures, the students will have to stay inside their designated hula hoop which will be spaced 6ft from one another.

JUNIOR IMPROVEMENT

June 17-Aug 5

Join us every Monday & Wednesday, June - August for our Junior Improvement Program. JIP lessons are geared toward the junior golfer that currently or want to play tournament golf. This offering is for boys and girls ages 13-17 that will receive individualized attention to their golf game. The improvement program will cost $125 and will be limited to 16 participants. The clinics are offered from 4:00-5:30pm and will consist of video analysis, playing lessons, and short game theory. Returning students cost $75

Short Par-4s at Bandon Dunes ft. Grant Rogers

January 26, 2016 by Bandon Dunes

We asked you a few weeks back via our social channels which short Par-4 on-property gives you the most trouble and three different holes led the charge. Pacific Dunes No. 6, Pacific Dunes No. 16 & Bandon Trails No. 14.

In this day and age, when hitting the ball longer seems to get everyone excited, it is small but sneaky holes such as these that will test your mental toughness and often leave you wondering how an obvious "birdie hole" turned into a bogey or worse. To get the inside scoop on how to navigate these architectural gems we sat down with Grant Rogers, Director of Instruction at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. Check out his thoughts below!

Q: Grant, what is your favorite aspect of the short Par-4's around Bandon Dunes Golf Resort?

A: The short Par-4’s at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort are great because you can substitute skill and strategy for power and distance. The architects didn’t make any of the short Par-4’s easy, they made them challenging! Everyone has a chance to play the short Par-4’s well at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, but you will still have to hit some great golf shots or be lucky!

Q: Our followers mentioned Pacific Dunes No. 6 and No. 16 specifically as two troublesome holes. Care to share your secrets for successfully playing these two holes on Pacific Dunes?

A: You should be thinking about the 6th and 16th holes at Pacific Dunes when you are heading to the first tee from the parking lot! You should have the feeling that these holes will be waiting for you! The tee shots are really critical on both of these holes.

You have to hit your tee shot to the right side of the 6th fairway to have the best chance of getting on the green with your second shot. On the 16th hole, you have to hit your ball to the left side of the fairway, which gives you a much better angle for your second shot.

On the 6th hole, I usually putt the ball up the hill to the green. Rolling the ball always seems easier to me than hitting a perfect wedge shot from a tight lie. On the 16th hole, you need to take a little bit more time on your second shot. I usually have good luck taking an easy swing with a light grip using a lofted club. Try to remember that when you reach the green it is not over! Unless I am really close I try to lag my first putt on both of these greens. Downhill putts on both of these greens can be fast.

Q: There were also multiple mentions of Bandon Trails No. 14 being the toughest short Par-4 on property. How would you mentally approach No. 14?

A: The 14th hole at Bandon Trails is a classic golf adventure. It is not the toughest short Par-4 on property unless you think it is. The tee shot is actually pretty easy, if you hit your ball somewhere you can find it. Mentally you should try to convince yourself that you can hit the green with your second shot. If you do, you should be happy, if you don’t, don’t worry, you still might be able to make a miraculous par or birdie!

Q: We love your tales of adventure while on the links. Which story comes to mind when thinking about one of these holes?

A: The night before I was playing a golf tournament at Bandon Trails a golf professional asked me how I was planning to play the 14th hole. I told him that I was planning to hit a drive down the center of the fairway, hit a wedge shot into the bunker on the right side of the green and then get up and down for a par. The next day the same golf professional asked me how I had actually played the 14th hole at Bandon Trails during the golf tournament and I told him that I hit my drive down the center of the fairway, hit a wedge shot into the bunker on the right side of the green and got up and down for a par!

Q: Classic! Any closing thoughts for our readers?

A: Developing a strategy for playing classic golf holes like the short par-4’s at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort will help but ultimately your golf ball will have to take some pretty good bounces for you to play them well. Remember really great golf holes are always challenging!

Thanks, Grant!

If you've been to Bandon and struggled with the links golf conditions, try traveling in a bit early and spend an afternoon or more with Grant. Check out the instruction page on our website to find out how to contact him or this Golf Digest article for more stories from Grant!

VIDEO: Pacific Dunes No. 11 with Grant Rogers

January 28, 2014 by Bandon Dunes

The phrase, "The safest place is on the green," should be etched in stone somewhere. At Bandon Dunes, this notion is best illustrated at Pacific Dunes' par-3 11th hole. From the tee to the slightest edge of the green, there is no escape.

On the left are windy cliffs with hungry gorse bushes willing to swallow golf balls whole, given half a chance and a slight breeze. Farther out beyond the cliffs, the Pacific Ocean yawns at your praises of its beauty. The front of the green is guarded by two gnarly bunker faces, that if you saw them walking down the street you would cross, enter the nearest door, find a place to hide and call your mother. Thinking of bailing right? You might as well just stomp your ball into the turf right now.

Luckily we have Grant Rogers, director of instruction at Bandon Dunes to take us on a journey from tee to green.

VIDEO: Classic Bunker Shot with Grant Rogers

November 19, 2013 by Bandon Dunes

"On the beach..." "Fried egg..." "Trapped in the bunker..." We've all been there. The ball leaps off the club face, tracing a perfect arc across a crisp blue sky. It sails pleasingly over a sea of green, glides back to Earth toward the intended target and then lands with a flump against the lip of a deep and ratty bunker. No need to worry. Sand, especially in a links setting, can be your friend. The following is another video in an ongoing series with Grant Rogers, director of instruction at Bandon Dunes. The videos are designed to give you quick tips to help you become a better golfer. In this video Grant suggests three tips for successfully escaping a greenside bunker. With a few simple techniques and a little confidence, you'll be hitting out with ease and maybe – just maybe! – incorporating a bunker or two into your overall strategy.

VIDEO: Mastering the Long Putt with Grant Rogers

October 29, 2013 by Bandon Dunes

Grant Rogers, Director of Instruction at Bandon Dunes

It's an adage as old as the game -- the modern game, at least: "Drive for show, putt for dough." It means a round of golf is won or lost while the putter is in your hands.

The short game is arguably the toughest to master. Especially in a links setting, the short game is paramount. It can feel strange at first to approach a green from fifty-plus yards with a putter.

In a continuing series of short videos, Grant Rogers, Director of Instruction at Bandon Dunes demonstrates techniques associated with links golf. Most importantly, he'll help you become a better golfer.

This video is titled, "Mastering the long putt."

Don't be afraid to putt it from off the green. Read the break. Keep trying. You'll get better.