Well, what a trip!
Saturday, 01DEC2007:My flights were *fudge*ed -- United had fiddled with my itinerary, and none of the flights I'd booked in August remained intact. I flew into Eugene OR via Denver instead, arriving a little later but still OK. I then bickered with United about my return schedule, which was unworkable. Got it sorted, Uisce and Mark pulled up. Couldn't find my luggage, which had disappeared while I was dealing with United. Found it, loaded things. Nice drive to Bandon Dunes, including a stop for an excellent sandwich at the Safeway in Florence OR. Yum. Checked in, noticed it was a bit windy, then caught sight of the printed forecast at the front desk: 50*, rain (not showers or drizzle, mind you), winds of
52-55mph. OK. Got settled, enjoyed some not-on-the-menu-but-custom-made-for-us bangers and mash. Oh, and some Guinness.
Sunday, 02DEC2007:Bandon was enduring a couple of merged storms bringing a lot of warm air and moisture up from the South Pacific, along with high winds. After looking at the weather, feeling the very strong winds and even stronger gusts, the pelting rain, and vacillating, Uisce, his brother Mark and I played
Pacific Dunes on Sunday. Mark peeled off in the middle of the fourth hole with a medical issue. Uisce and I plodded on, savoring the challenge of trying to play in winds of 50-55 mph with gusts of over 80mph. Of course, that doesn't even factor in the rain, which occasionally turned to small hailstones. I actually carded two pars, both on par-3s (the fewer times I have to hit the ball before putting, the better). Otherwise, it was as brutal as you'd imagine, except worse.
Actually, I have to admit that this round was a blast. Uisce and I never lost our good humo(u)r throughout, and the severe winds made every shot a mental and physical adventure. Lots of great shots; lots of goods shots that were just barely on the wrong side of the wind ... and ended in tears; and with a few scabby shots thrown in. I lost seven balls overall; to compare, I lost more than twice that many in perfect conditions during a round in May.
Home, hot showers all around (done separately, I'll have you know), then meet at the pub and lay into dinner and a few pints. Uisce and his brother have slightly less an Irish accent than David Feherty but the same inflection. Also, neither is anywhere as funny, wealthy, or accomplished on the course. They can drink, though, and are pleasant enough company. We made it through dinner, perhaps 2-3 pints, and about seven minutes of the Steelers-Cincinnati game when the power went out. Sat in darkness for a little longer than we expected, then the generator kicked on ... but the pub remained without power. We broke and went our separate ways, I to my lodge room and they to their swank cottage accommodations. Their
un-powered swank cottage accommodations. No lights, no heat, no nothing -- just two men trying to keep warm in the Oregon wilderness.
Monday, 03DEC2007:Oregon was closed on Monday.
The power was still out. In an unheard-of move, Bandon Dunes closed all three courses for inclement weather. The forecast was for winds topping 90mph; the closure was in the interest of golfer safety, not course condition. And so we went down into the bowels of the lodge that morning to The Bunker and began drinking. Well, Uisce and Mark did -- with no Guinness on draft, I had one beer and waited for something to interest me. That something manifested itself as the
generator dying. We sat in the little subterranean bar, a few candles scrounged up and lit, and waited. And waited. Finally, we were kicked out to the upstairs Tufted Puffin (hey, I didn't name it!). The Bunker waived our beer tab, which bummed me out that I hadn't drunk more.
A "break" between storms Monday evening. Just light pelting rain, steady wind, and gusts that knocked me a step sideways.
After a few more beers, we wrangled some sandwiches. Eventually, the power came back, so we got some hot food. I got pretty tired by this point and called it an evening, while Uisce and Mark closed the joint. Our waitress scored herself a fat tip by calling Uisce a wanker, although not in so many words.
Tuesday, 04DEC2007:Up early (0445 PT), I packed, cleaned up, and made ready for the day's golf. We played
Bandon Dunes in the nicest weather of the trip: 50s, winds of perhaps only 30-35mph, and a prevailing fog that rose and fell like PaunchyBald's manboobs when running back to the tee to re-load.
A few random other pictures from the round:
The picturesque 5th hole at Bandon Dunes, according to their pretty pictures and what we got:
Uisce readies for his second shot on the par-3 fifteenth.
A few deer, just off the fifteenth green. As in just a few feet from us.
Bandon Dunes' 16th hole, according to their pretty pictures and what we got:
And the players (L-R): Clive, Mark, Uisce. Note the gentle wind.
