Sheep Ranch

First trip to Bandon Dunes and started off the trip playing Sheep Ranch. Oh boy what a treat! I think Sheep Ranch is a great course to start the Bandon trip with because it is very forgiving off the tee. The views of the ocean are absolutely unreal! I highly recommend checking this out and playing it first or last on your next Bandon trip!

Playing Sheep Ranch feels like shades of what the pick-your-own-routing course used to be like, or at least as I imagine it. The front nine intertwines with the back throughout the routing sending you back and forth across the property... I loved it.

On paper, I feel like this is a very gettable course; however, the winds out there are real... when I played it was 2-3 clubs (my 175 club was a good 20 yards short on the 150 yard 16th hole... dead into the wind). I rated it "somewhat challenging" trying to anticipate the average day... but when I played it was quite the challenge (especially to a high ball hitter like myself).

People will talk about the fact that Sheep Ranch has no bunkers, I've even heard it criticized, but honestly I barely noticed. The course really relies on the elements to protect itself and my guess is that more often that not that's plenty.

I didn't use a caddy (none of my group did), if I had it to do over again, I probably would have... our group spent a good five minutes standing on the 14th tee debating which way to hit the ball, it's simply not obvious (at least from the back tees). There are other tidbits that would be helpful too.. like don't be long on three or you could wind up on the 16th green (actually a shared green between the two holes), I was about 5 feet from rolling all the way down.

The views out here simply don't quit... with every hole having an ocean view it's a very different look and feel than Pacific Dunes which I played in the morning. I've heard people say the routing is not really special and without the ocean views (i.e. if the course was somewhere else) it would not be nearly as great. To that I have two points... 1. there are some very special holes on this track and 2. it *is* by the ocean and absolutely should take advantage of that.

If you're playing other Bandon courses during your time there, you will notice the greens at Sheep Ranch are significantly slower then the other courses (even true of the recently punched Pacific Dunes course). As much as I like fast greens, it can be a welcome reprieve as well. Other than pace the relative new greens roll pure and should be terrific when they've matured a bit and pick up a little pace.

My favorite hole was probably either 6 or 16... both bring the ocean into play on your drive in very different ways. 6 is a choose your own adventure, all you can eat tee shot where the dogleg right lets you decide how much of the beach and cliff you want to take on (spoiler... I took on way to much on my firsts shot and had to reload.. oops). 16 is a par three firing straight into the prevailing winds (and the ocean left and behind)... the view is terrific and the whole is as well.

We played the afternoon at Sheep Ranch and this time of year you will finish a 1:30ish tee time right around sunset... my wife and I walked off the 18th tee directly over to the 12th tee box bench and took in the sunset from there. It was the perfect end to a perfect day.

I cannot recommend strongly enough getting out to Sheep Ranch. I don't often start making plans to return to courses that run $300 ($150 for re-rounds) right way... but I've got Bandon on my short list for a golf getaway next year as well.

Without a doubt this course is the most fun course I've played on. I played 2 rounds on back to back days - one with wind and one without - and the course plays completely different.
Greens are hard and landing it short and letting it roll is the way to go. Putter is ALWAYS an option and make sure you practice your low punch shot before you go out and play there.

Invest in a yardage book if you dont have a caddy. Trust me ... you'll need it. I am going to try and play this course once a year if I can.

Adding a fifth great course to the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort seems like a monumental task. But they may have done everything right to be the perfect compliment to the other four phenomenal courses.

The Sheep Ranch is a fabled piece of property that has existed North of Old Mac for years. The cliff line and views have always been utterly fantastic. So now to see it finally come to life with a full 18 holes golf course was amazing. Nearly 9 greens on the water and views of the ocean on almost every single hole including the clubhouse.

The course itself is still very young, the greens were slow but showing tons of promise. The routing and lack of sand bunkers make for a very fun round as this could end up being the easiest course at the resort. But there is a secret weapon for the Sheep Ranch, the wind can turn this course into the most difficult as there is zero protection and almost always wind of some kind.

You won't find too many courses that are more fun and and a course that compliments a resort that is already the best in the world.

Go play it. Just do it.