No Laying Up - Golf Podcast - NLU Podcast, Episode 362: Oregon Trip Recap, Part I

Episode Date: October 5, 2020

Tourist Sauce, Season Six: Oregon premieres this Tuesday on our YouTube Channel. On this episode, we discuss the logistics of our trip, as well as our experiences at Portland Golf Club (19:30), Eastmoreland (24:00), Wildwood (28:30), Gearhart (35:00), Old Macdonald (56:30), Pacific Dunes (1:06:00), and Sheep Ranch (1:22:00). Part II will be published on Tuesday in advance of the premiere.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm going to be the right club today. Yes! That is better than most. I'm not in. That is better than most. Better than most! Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the No-Lang podcast, Sully here, the Kevin McAllister, the father of two, Mr. TC is here. Hello. Welcome back. Thank you.

DJ Pye is here. Tron, congratulations, man. Thanks, guys. Big Randy is here. Good morning. Tron, Lomuyek Thanks, guys. Big Randy is here. Good morning. Tron, Lomuyako, congratulations to you and your lovely bride. Tron has a new perspective on stuff, man. He's going to have his best podcast ever.

He's so freed up. Well, I do want to request an apology from DJ and Sully for having Max on without telling us and then getting into US Open setup and trying to spike the football on us. That was a complete drive by. We did not set that up. We said, Max, what do you wanna talk about? And he just went off on shooting you guys in the face.

So that was, we were not a party to that. I'm just gonna say, of course Max thought, of course Max thought it was plenty hard because he missed the cut. Exactly. We're not looking for Max's opinion on the US set of, US Open set up respectfully. I think the viewers, I think what's cool about this show

is we give them both perspectives. We gave them the perspective of PJ Tour winner who was playing in the tournament and we gave them the perspective of you two and they can choose which one they decide to play. PJ, have you heard on our side? But we don't have to relit against this. It's not black and white.

I choose parts from each argument. And also, it should to it or do this. Mr. Neil Schuster call again from somewhere, undisclosed location as always. The short-hale sharp is here, thrilled to be here. If TC's Kevin McAllister, does that make me the crazy uncle? The get outta here, you little pork, I'm gonna slap you silly.

You're definitely buzz. I think you're fuller. No, Freddy's buzz. No, fuller, what's the bed? I don't want the bed You're like the kid down the street so I I heard the McCallisters are going to Paris Is this thing? No, does this thing you could guess mileage? I don't know kid get here

No, I think you're I think you're in a transition period between buzz and uncle Frank Before we get down already several different wormholes, we're going to talk about our recent trip out to Oregon. If you're new to the listening of this podcast and expecting more professional golf talk, you are on the wrong episode. We do this usually after, so we have a series coming out, video series called Tour of Saas, season six. We filmed in Oregon in August. We've done this. You've for several years now season one was Australia season two was Scotland season three was California season four was Ireland and season five was the Carolinas. You can find those on our

YouTube channel. This season is brought to you by our hitters at precision pro golf. We're going to be taking you through. We do a complimentary podcast to the video series gives a chance to kind of flesh out our thoughts on the golf courses, the travel and everything. If it is not your cup of tea to listen to a bunch of dudes talk about their golf trip, again, you have every right to turn your podcast episode off. No hard feelings.

No hard feelings at all. We can totally understand that, but I know a lot of people love these episodes. And before we get going, we got to talk about, the last time people saw TC hitting driver, you know, left handed, it was a different driver than what you're playing currently. So tell us about the B21 driver from Calaway

and how that, you know, has helped you straighten out your drives. Yeah, so I was playing the Epic Flash prior. So in the, wow, we're a golf, every saw we playing the Epic Flash, big left miss in play, ton of backspin on the ball, getting the ball in the air has're a golf every solid playing the epic flash big left miss and play a ton of backspin on the ball getting the ball in the air is not been a problem like I'm hitting it too high with all my clubs. It's if I may it's worth repeating for people who don't know you're talking about hitting the ball

left hand. Yes. You're not left hand. Yeah, I never need that game improvement a driver right hand. That's that's the context for for this conversation. But continued. Yeah, so we're like four months into it at this point. We were in Oregon, August, so we were about two and a half months in, three months in at that point. So, I put the B21, Big Birth, a B21 in play, probably two weeks before the trip, three weeks before the trip. It was actually, the trip, three weeks before the trip. It was actually no, like a month before the trip. It's awesome. It's got a bunch of draw bias in it.

It's just a slice killer. It helped me out so much. Some of it was mechanical, but some of it was just, I just have so much more confidence in the driver and in the forgiveness of it. I love the aesthetic of it. It's like that dark blue navy, kind of like the great big birthday alpha they had probably, I don't know, six, seven years ago at this point. The Greller people many called it the Greller.

Yeah, the Greller. And yeah, it's just, you know, they just did a great job with it. The sound is awesome. I'm pumped to hit the rest of the. What's going to say? I was they have not only do they have the driver and you haven't tried this out, but they if you need help getting irons airborne, you know, if you maybe hit it a little, maybe as low as, if you hit it and it stays under a big Randy's height, then yeah, you may want to look into the B21 irons as well.

They're designed with technology to help the golfers that struggle to get it airborne keep it straight as well. So this applies, this also applies to the ladies. The big birth So this applies to the ladies, the Big Bertha Revva features a similar full lineup, same technologies. So it might be you that's in need, might be a friend that's in need, send them to calibagolf.com. Slash Big Bertha, more info on the entire B21 and Revva families, the drivers, the irons, fairway woods, hybrids, and the Big Bertha Revva women's lines. Calibagolf.com slash Big Bertha. All right.

TC, why don't you are our resident trip planner? the Big Bertha, Revvo women's lines. CalBigulf.com such Big Bertha. All right. TC, why don't you are our resident trip planner? I know there's like an hour and a half long version of this story and a two minute version of this story. I'm gonna ask you for the two-ish minute version of the story of how Oregon came together. COVID, we were planning on going to England in July. That obviously didn't happen. and I'm planning on going to England in July.

That obviously didn't happen. So we said, all right, where do we wanna go domestically? And we had a few different options. We landed on Oregon, we just figured, hey, you know what? This is the, I think the ultimate domestic bucket list trip. And yeah, so we said. And Oregon is not just bandin'. Correct.

We're gonna get bogged down talking a lot of banding. And that, that was a goal of ours also was to say, like, you know, you had a trip out to Oregon the year before, where you played a lot of golf in the in Portland and surrounding areas. And, and it just stuck, jumped off the page. It's like, all right, the whole, the whole state here is honestly up there is one of the best golf states in America. I think that at least for me, someone who has grown up very far from the West Coast, lived very far from the West Coast, to be fair, you grew up just East of Oregon. That's a really good stuff. And just West of Chicago.

Really good stuff. Got him. Now I lost my fucking train of thought. No, what I was going to say is, I mean, Bannon was definitely the impetus, right? Like, Bannon is the hook. And I think it's easy, you know, if you've only got room for one headline, it's easy to say, like, band-in is really great.

But as soon as you start peeling it back, it's like, holy God, there's so much good stuff here. To your point, like, we were thinking about other great public golf states, and I mean, this, it's in the top two, three, at least. I mean, it's really fantastic. For us, the most challenging part about putting this trip together was how much good golf

there is in Bend, how much good golf there is in Portland, all over the state where we just did a drive-by in Bend, basically, spent one night there, played one round in golf in Bend. We could have spent six days in Bend. And that's always a challenge with these trips, but I think getting some of that colon or a car or something like that, getting those into the fabric of a season is always important. So I think we've done that here, especially episode one, we let off with some of that

kind of stuff too. So, well, also just to Neil and DJ had taken a trip out to Sylvie's Valley Ranch. Last year came back and said, guys, we got to get the whole group to come out here. Neil's gonna, Neil, I know that kind of fired you up a little bit for the Oregon trip and you'd been out to bandin' before. Yes, Sylvie's is near and dear to my heart as our Mike and Bruce to go, Caddies. But it's about more than the go caddies The golf is excellent. So we'll get to that. Yes, that is very very well said And if anyone does want the hour and a half long version of this conversation TC and I did a nest pod last night and

Got pretty steep on the the Something that what's the nest? the nest is a a group of avid golfers and you know, some added value with NLU. So no-lang up.com forward slash join, go check it out, see what you get in the nest. Get involved if you will. It's essentially our Patreon with no Patreon. If you're interested in supporting the program beyond just listening, which is no obligation to you, of course, but follow that link and you can check out, there's a monthly podcast that goes up on that feed.

Behind the scenes about some of the stuff we do and listeners or members can send us questions and we answer all those. So, first access to events, you get 15% off in the pro shop, you get your annual gift. Annual gift, yeah, all sorts of stuff. And they're all listed there. So yeah, we'll get into some of that. pie. We've started. We're in the editing

So this is coming out two days before episode one You want to give us kind of just a quick runner show of what the season's gonna look like It's all I would love to do that. Uh, it you know You never want to put the cart before the horse if I'm being totally Transparent episode one's not done yet. So I'm getting there. Episode one's a beast. It's a fucking monster man. It's like four episodes and one.

So we're trying to, we're getting that done, but a couple shout outs, I will say. We brought along Ben Hôteling, who many people might know as the, one of the brain children behind a breath creek national, the homemade golf course in Kansas City, that's a staple of our message National, the homemade golf course in Kansas City that's a staple of our message board, the refuge.

Brain children, I think he was the father. The father. Well, there was a bunch of other guys involved. The brain child. The brain child is something. Oh, you're right, you're right, you're right, you're right. He's the brain father. The brain father.

That's a good nickname. Just one dead child, not another dead. Exactly. And this is a kind of conversation. I'll never know until, you know, I have a child of my own. But for the record, Tron just had a second baby. I think we kind of zoomed out that. It's unbelievable. I know.

That just wanted to actually call it. I have a cool wife. For letting me take these trips while she's eight months pregnant. The timing worked out great. We planned it around the pregnancy. Yeah, this podcast will be a historical document as Tron's the last golf trip. Ever. Where we go. So Ben Hottailing was with us. We planned it around the pregnancy as well. Yeah, this podcast will be a historical document as Trots the Last Golf Trip. Never.

Where we go. So Ben Hottailing was with us. So he helped a lot on the production side and an eternal shout out to him. So I think things look a lot better and we got a lot better stuff because of him. And also we had a friend of the program, Nick Kelly, on the trip with us

who is a immensely, incredibly, fantastically talented dude all around. So a lot of the drone stuff, a lot of the, just a lot of everything looks better because Nick was there as well. So we're trying to ramp things up. Listen, we respect your time. We respect your, the effort you put into watching these. So we're trying to pay back with a little bit of, you know, increase and actually being able to hear and see what we're doing on screen. So we're working on it. Spoiler, it's still windy out there. It's still windy, but we've got some solvents for that. So we're getting there.

Well, we are going to, let's go ahead and dive into it here. I'm going to run through the quick, quickly the itinerary we had for the trip. We started in Portland and we did a little divide and conquer. Randy and I went to Portland Golf Club. TC and DJ went to Eastmoreland and Neil and Ben went to Wildwood. No way, really? We did not go to Waverly. We looked at Waverly, we did a pumpkin ridge.

Columbia, edgewater, we looked at Pumpkin Ridge. Waverly would have been awesome with COVID. We just couldn't make it happen. Pumpkin Ridge, I just don't think there's a big story there. Yeah, Tiger won the USM there, but overall, it was built to host a US Open. It's in the middle of like a farm field. Just a nice place to play golf. It's on TV every year for the Portland Open, if you want to see that.

Watch Portland Open. We then went up to Gear Heart along the coast there and then made our way down to Band-In. Of course, played the preserve, then hit Ole McDonald Pacific Doons, sheep ranch, bandin trails, bandin dunes, and also went out and played bandin crossings, which we'll talk about. Hit up band on our way to Silvies Valley Ranch Day, there one night and played Tethero with Dave McClade Kid. No problem, horn?

And then ended at Silvies Valley Ranch, played both of those courses, some of the challenge courses and all that. So we're gonna unpack all of that before we do that TC, you are the challenge courses and all that. So we're gonna unpack all of that before we do that, TC, you are gonna tell us about wine access. It's a TC special right here. It is, it is.

I, uh, TC made a deal. I made a deal. Yeah, wine access. They've actually, so it's basically you can buy wine online. It's curated by, they've got a master's Somalia,

they've got a master sommelier, they've got a master of wine of which there only one of 53 in the country. That's that's really ridiculous by the way. Yeah, that's like that's like more rare than like a top shelf neuroscientist. Neurosurgeon. That's unbelievable. Yeah, it's like more masters winners than that. Holy shit. 53. Yeah, so wineaccess.com slash NLU, you get 15% off, you first three purchases there. And yeah, so basically, I think the biggest issue with wine these days is it's tough to know what to buy, right?

Like you just go in and you're like, you're looking at labels or whatever, and you have no idea how it's curated or how, you know, how everything's put together, or am I getting ripped off and all that? Sir, I don't know what to get. Exactly. Exactly.

People come up to TC and airports. Sir, I don't know which wine to buy. So go to wineaccess.com slash NOU and you get 15% off your first three purchases. So the part that got me here is it's, your direct line to wines typically reserved for industry insiders and Michelin star restaurants and the barrier to the world's best wine isn't price,

it's access. It's in the name there, wine access. So check it out. There's a, go to the, on there, there's a, you can shop by expert and there's Sir Lucero is one of their masters and he's got a 2017, to know, to to new to Dave, Jacina, Etneroso, my wife and I drink a lot of it neuroso. That's a great ball of wine for 25 bucks

You got some great Oregon stuff in here. How about that topical? Yeah, very topical Oregon peanut noir We had some on the trip. I know you guys are fans. So yeah wine access dot com slash NLU 15% off. So all right First up, we're gonna talk about Portland golf club and Randy, you are going to kick us off here. It's a big, big day for you. It's a rarity to get, you know, called up to the private club. Usually those days are reserved for Neil. Should we mention the edge field? We should. Yes. I keep, we did a lot in Portland in a very short period of time. The day we flew into Portland, we went to Edgefield,

once you tell us about that. Xmanamins Edgefield. Yeah, in keeping with it, we went to Kill Spindy in Scotland, we went to the Dueling Pitch and Putt. Yeah, Dueling Pitch and Putt, we've done, gosh, what else we did. San Andrew's Beach in Australia,

we try to keep moving a little bit and get active that first day when we fly in. It's always easier going to the West Coast from the East Coast, too. So we ended up going it out to McMendomans Edgefield and it got like 30 holes out there. Something a lot, not a lot of acreage and a bunch of little pitch and putt holes, which I know is maybe I should let you lead this up, because I know you love pissing puns, Randy. Yeah, it's cool. It's my fair way to lead off all of these things. Exceptional fun area, though. Nice little dining area. Great place to have a beer and low key my favorite thing.

You pick your own berries, write off each hole. Get a little nice snack for yourself. Neil, did it have pitch and putt bonafide? I think it did. Yes, it had some, some good elevation change, which you don't see a lot with, with pitch and putts. A lot of times that, you know, you're playing a, a very flat piece of property. There's another pitch and putt Lakeview Part, Part 3 challenge course that I played after a while, but we can talk about that in a second. But I'd say two good

Part 3s on the front end of the trip and then the challenge courses at Sylvie. So we touched on a lot of them. So Ed Spiel, it was great. We played with Nick Mollfler, Ian Kreitzer, or Ian Kreitzer, excuse me, from Mackenzie golf bags. And then, also the Northwest golf guys. And then Zach. And Travis.

And Travis from Northwest golf guys who helped, actually all four of those guys helped immensely with planning this and just balance and ideas off of them and just looking like I looked at it, basically pulled up Google Maps and went down the coast and then all to the state and looked up every single golf course in the whole state. Just to make sure we weren't like.

No one's doing that. Like on satellite, just because, you know, some stuff's not even listed on Google or they don't even have a website or whatever. So yeah. That's wild, man. The vibe out there was, it was just because, you know, some stuff's not even listed like Google or they don't even have a website or whatever. So, yeah. That's wild, man. The vibe out there was just like, it was golf reimagined a little bit for me

in terms of just like, it's just like a retreat there. Totally. And there's just a bunch of little greens and it took up such little space and it was so, we saw people out there that look like they'd never been on a golf course before and I mean, that in the best possible way of like, why isn't there more of that?

It's so much less land. I imagine it was like it's super affordable for almost anyone and it's like a fun evening activity that a lot of people were doing out there that like the greens were great and everything. I thought it was super cool. And it's fun to see Ben go out and play courses like that. Yes. That's what he plays at home, right?

With a rough creek and just seeing the wedges that he imagines and flights in there. Maybe the best wedge game on the planet. I forget who said it, but what an optimal spot for a date night. Yes. What a cool spot. Listen, it's, you know, Neil, like most pitching puts,

I think the secret is it's about a lot more than the golf out there. Yes, the date spot instead of the, you know, putt putt, I think pitch and putt's aren't the optimal third date to be specific, DJ. Yeah. It's gotta give a blueprint for this. Well, I think so, because you know,

the first one you go out to dinner and then maybe you do dinner again, but then you kinda wanna see, hey, you know, it's somebody athletic and they move, like, you know, what, how do the yoga pants look? Let's explore this a little bit. You're a sick guy. You're a bad guy.

Ugh, God, we got to take a picture. We're gonna take a picture of them. We're gonna take a picture of them. We're gonna take a picture of them. We're gonna take a picture of them. We're gonna take a picture of them. We're gonna take a picture of them. We're gonna take a picture of them.

We're gonna take a picture of them. We're gonna take a picture of them. We're gonna take a picture of them. We're gonna take a picture of them. We're gonna take a picture of them. We're gonna take a picture of them. We're gonna take a picture of them. We're gonna take a picture of them. We're gonna take a picture of them. We're gonna take a picture of them. We're gonna take a picture of them. We're gonna take a picture of them. uncomfortable situations. Can you interact with other people? That's key.

Can you imagine showing up for a third date with Big Randy where he's talked about how he owns this golf company. He's dedicated his whole life to golf, and then he just pitches the whole time about how much he hates pitching putt garses. This is fucking miserable. I hate this. I'm trying to grind.

In general, I think make amendments. What a stand up Oregon organization, like just the pride of Oregon right there. I don't think they have anything outside of Oregon, but they were all over the place. And very creative, you know, activities plus beer plus food. I think MacMennamins is a winner. I think we can shout them out a lot more when we get to Gearheart. Yeah. Well, so we did a little divide up and show off some of the offerings that Portland Golf has to offer. We had one private course, two public courses.

So Randy, let's go first to Portland Golf Club. I believe you mentioned always a thrill to play a golf course that's named after the city. You know it's old school. That's right. I was going back in my memory, bang, trying to think of other occurrences and that's pretty few and far between for me.

TC's got plenty if you wanna go through the TC stuff. TC started naming like, you know, at least it does. It's a Atlantic country club. A Boston golf club. A Boston golf club versus country club. That's true. So, TC's got the rankings for back. Like San Francisco golf club. Of course. I'm not aware of the San versus country club. That's true. So, T.C. is got the rankings for Bill. Like San Francisco golf club.

Of course. I'm not aware of the San Francisco Country Club. I'm not aware of a Portland Country Club. I'm more of a Portland Country Club in Portland, Maine, but not Portland, Oregon. We can do a whole podcast where T.C. breaks down the difference in vibe between San Francisco, golf club

and Los Angeles Country Club. That's right. Shut up. All right. Portland, Portland Country Club. That's right. Shut up. Uh. Portland, Portland Golf Club, very, you know, just a nice proper, it was just stellar, it was just class. It was private course.

I, you know, the big, big flag pull out front, the clubhouse was pretty cool. Got a warm welcome from the from the head pro to him. Lots of history in the club. So the Portland Golf Club hosted the 1946 PGA championship, the 1947 Ryder Cup, really the Ryder Cup that saved the Ryder Cup. What does that mean?

What does that mean? How can you make a claim like that? Well, they had canceled the Ryder Cup for several years with World War II going on. You're supposed to be here in Ponta Vigia. Exactly. Yeah, Ponta Vigia in the club. So we go into this much more in our video,

but the short story is a businessman from Portland invited the GB and I team to come out to Portland. He took a train to Chicago and met them in Chicago and then rode with them from Chicago all the way out to Portland. He took a train to Chicago and met them in Chicago and then rode with them from Chicago all the way out to Portland essentially, you know, help subsidize, pay their way to get them to come and to continue the Ryder Cup. The U.S. waxed them that year, but it got it back in, you know, they played another Ryder Cup and from then on, it was They played another Ryder Cup and from then on, it was every two years and the tradition continued. So, and then a number of, you know, USGA senior, open, senior AM, women's amateur championship. So, a very proper golf course. I think that's what, you know, your big takeaway was,

Sally. Well, it was like, we caught Oregon golf in the best possible month. We went in August, and we got Portland Golf Club in the best possible conditions. The super firm greens, very undulating and the whole golf course was like that exercise. It was, you had to take on, you know, bunkers are very well placed because you got a land shot short to try to run them on. There's nothing that was hitting and stopping and that kind of charting your way around golf courses, my favorite style golf to play. And there was just so much going on in the greens

that they weren't gimmicky in any way. And I wanted like five more shots at that course. I had such a blast. And it just like activated everything that I'm looking for out of around a golf within me. I think too, if you close your eyes and picture what a Oregon, kind of inland Oregon course looks like not banded necessarily.

I think most people picture the big fur trees, the... I don't like Eugene Country Club or the Exhaust. Exactly, exactly. That's what Portland had a lot of those vibes. What I really loved, it was like walking through an arboretum, they had every kind of tree had a little placard on it, identifying what kind of tree it was, which was so cool.

Golf wise, I was gonna say, there was so much subtle slope in those greens. We had a heck of a time and some not so subtle at times too. Right. Aiman putts 20 feet left and they were rolling really, really good. To your point too, a lot of trees on the property, but the corridors are wide.

They're set pretty far back. It's not overgrown. It's not growing into the fairways. At no point do you feel kind of strangled between trees. A lot of land movement in it too. It was just an old classic country club that, gosh, I believe when we'll get to Gear Heart too, I said, I'm in love with Portland Golf Club and I'm in lust with Gear Heart. Because I had a different feeling at Gear Heart

and in a, just touched a different part of my loins, I guess you could say. I would not do the pitch and put date. That's my car. That was vivid. That's a traffic metaphor. Let's go to Eastmoreland. Let's do that. Well, you used the word strangled.

That's a great one to describe. I think how you feel standing on the tee box at Eastmoreland, is that fair, Tron? Uh, yeah. Well, you use the word strangled. That's a great one to describe. I think how you feel standing on the T-Box at Eastmoreland, is that fair, Tron? Yeah, I mean, you could say strangled, you could say, Chucked out. Anxious. We counted them, there's nine and a half million trees. I could say safe fur.

On the golf course. Eastmoreland was awesome in so many ways. I absolutely loved it. I'm so glad we saw it. It was the kind of beauty that every, it would make every town in America better. You know, it's just like the kind of place where it seems like a total meeting place

for golfers in the community. Yeah, everybody knows everybody kind of a vibe. The first tee is right there. It's kind of this like natural amphitheater. There on this old clubhouse, massive, massive range, like double-decker range or triple-decker range, and then Chandler Egan Design. 1918.

Right next to this massive train tracks, and it was kind of, it's like wedged into it between a neighborhood and train tracks and a highway and all this stuff. It's a really interesting route. It's just, I mean, I know there's a cliche, but it is just woven into that part of town. You know what I mean?

Like it's been there forever and everything kind of built up around it rather than, you know, clearing out a bunch of shit and putting it in a golf course. Phil Knight grew up like across the street. You got the shoe dog himself. Yeah, the guy that wrote Caddy Shack, I guess. That was where he played golf. Yeah, it was fantastic. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm tin-cup where he played golf. Yeah, it was fantastic.

I'm sorry, I didn't come. I got to get it. Yeah, I was, yeah. Yes, the thing that stood out to me, and I kind of noticed it just from editing the Portland Golf Club stuff too, is maybe this is dumb, but when I picture all those golf courses,

you said the big, massive, fur trees, and all these things, you just picture these golf courses to be sopping wet. Like it just looks like there's a fog and a mist just around all the time. It was so firm. It was, balls are bouncing like crazy out there. We got choked out. We got something.

Yeah. You know what I mean? It's like rated our- Oh, it was, that was, that was on you. It was concrete out there. Honestly, that like on a not really funny We got to Oregon just before all the forest fires that's true popped off So I think that firmness and the dryness certainly played a part in that a few weeks later

Yeah, I mean the treat like to be fair like Eastmoreland. It was it's the most overgrown golf course I've ever played it It's it's good. That is gonna pop up video. That's for sure I did to set the scene here overgrown golf course I've ever played. It's good. That is gonna pop up on video. That's for sure. To set the scene here for this golf course, it looks like I'm seeing the most expensive you could possibly pay it or it eats more on a Friday, Sunday, or holiday or holidays in peak season is $45. And that's such a deal.

Like it was, I know we said this in the video too, but there's plenty to be said for taking trees out and with the angles and all of those things. But there's also something to be said for just variety of the challenge, right? If every golf course you played was wide open and treeless and like things would be pretty fucking boring. So it's scary. It's fun to, yeah, exactly.

It's Mr. Player, the tree hugger would love this golf course. They had the 1990 US Publinks out there. I mean, it's a proper course too. It's not a, you know, it's quirky, but there's some real golf holds. And they still have the, I believe they were saying the longest running city championship on the West Coast. They're over a hundred years.

They have it every year at Eastmoreland. And you go out there and it's one of those places, at least for me, like playing the first three, four holes when they told us that. I was like, okay, this place is really short, it's only like 6,500 yards from the Tippy tips, and the greens aren't, there's a lot of slope, but there's not crazy dramatic slope,

and so you kind of feel like even playing the first few holes, you're like, gosh, someone's gonna shoot 50 out here. Like this, to people who play here all the time could pick this place apart and the boys, the boys were playing with, they're like, now if you shoot even over like three days, like you're in the hunt, man. Like it's, it is not that kind of golf course.

There's so much subtlety to it and there's a lot of just, you have to be in the exact right spots in the fair. It's all course knowledge, yeah. I mean, there are a few holds where DJ hit what he thought was a perfect shot. And he's like, you know, blocked out by like 20, like got him close. So in the middle of the fairway and like completely blocked out by a tree that's like 180 feet tall.

There's a particular clip that I'm very much looking forward to people seeing. So it was awesome. I loved it. It, it, it, Nia, why don't you take us to, you and Ben went to Wildwood. Take us there without spoiling what, uh, there be a very fun, fun ride in this episode. So don't spoil that part, but tell us about Wildwood. Wildwood, aka Six Flags over Portland, complete theme park. I don't know a ton of history about it. I was trying to look it up for this and I sat

out with a couple guys that worked there and played out there a lot, played with a couple of Northwest golf guys out there with Ben. I don't think the history really matters though. It just felt like the West Coast. Like massive, it was like in the mountains, massive elevation changes, like circus shots, it felt like funtasia a little bit. So it was just a really fun round of golf. I would also say it had a really strong vibe around the clubhouse. It's the clubhouse that's up on this hill. And like the 10th tee is maybe five feet from the, you know,

patio, so you could see like, feels like the kind of place where there's mensley going on every night. And guys are just heckling each other. And, you know, there's no, no pretension out there. So I felt right at home and really enjoyed that round. My favorite hole, like to give you a sense, is number nine, it's like this drivable PAR4,

and there's these massive like industrial power lines that like run down like over, probably like a hundred feet over the fairway, like right down the middle of the fairway, so it almost looks like a bowling alley. And it's crazy, right? Exactly, it does look like a ski lift, and and you know you're almost using the power lines it's like all right I'm gonna try to put this ball like up the left side of the power lines and drop it

down the middle of them by the green so it was just like like shots like that that were you know maybe unintentionally fun I felt like I was hitting a lot of those kind of kind of shots like every hole you're like man what is this one doing on the tee? So we had a, it was a great, I guess, great first impression of Portland golf for me. I'll tell you, going through the footage, Neil, I'm not saying I didn't want to play Eastmoreland. I'm just saying, watching the Wildwood stuff,

I was like, oh my god, I want to play this place. This looks so fun. It just looks wild. All you got to do is look at the scorecard. Like so many like, getable par 5's, drivable 4's. It's like a little under 6000 yards. I immediately like went to go look up the scorecard after watching your guys footage and was like, damn, I really, really want to play around a golf. That was one that Ian Kreitzer was super like adamant. He's like, go play that place. The Zach and Travis were like, why are you

going to play in that place? And so that third course was kind of one that we struggled with. We're like, all right, do we go out east and do something out on the Columbia River Gorge and see that part of the state? Or do we stay in Portland and play one of the other city courses in Portland? Or, hey, get out, either get down in the wine country

or get out west of the city. So. And then Neil, take us. You tacked on a little bit of some more pitching you know, hey, get out, you know, either get down in the wine country or get out kind of west of the city. So. And then Neil, take us, you tacked on a little bit of some more pitching putt activity, briefly if you could take us through Lakeview. Yeah, so then Ben and I hop back in the car and drove up, crossed into Washington

and the brain father, a couple of pitching putt enthusiasts. So it's this Lakeview Part Three challenge course. There's a trailer park out back. It was a blue collar vibe out there. And that literally felt like a blown up version of miniature golf. Like, Tron and I used to play with our grandparents growing up at this place of Fantasia.

You know, and it had like the big cement lakes with like the blue water and these crazy... You know when you're on a miniature golf course and they have fake bunkers? That's what the bunkers look like. We were there, there was a massive men's league about the T-Off and we were finishing up, but they have some views out over... I think it's the lake, or it might be the Columbia River, but the lake off the river.

I'm guessing Lakeview is probably the lake. Yeah, but a massive body of water regardless. So yeah, it's a lake right off the edge of the Columbia River, but yeah, it's always nice to like off by the water. And that was a, I love seeing new pitch inputs. So that was a great way to end the day. And I think we got some good got some good drone stuff out there. And Ben and I just had a nice walk through the part three course.

We may have to scrap some of that footage. Since technically it was in Washington. Yeah, tough scene. You know, we don't want to miss it. Listen, I'll invite you ahead of time. Off the books, it was a time well spent with my guy Ben. And of course, for COVID reasons for the most part, we weren't really able to explore night life

or restaurant life in Portland. We did go hard as hell on to take out food. Well, yeah, that was so, we had a cool house stayed in this house. The rear brake. Yeah, rear brake, it was kind of east of town. Any house that has a name. It was like the real world house. Yeah, it was And then yeah, we got a bunch of takeout the

second night just so we could get a sense of the Portland culinary experience. Randy and I drove down to the protest just to see all that going on. One of the nights. I will say to it's pretty jarring in Portland like the homeless encampments like everywhere like off the interstates, and I mean, off the 13th tee at Eastmoreland. So yeah, that was kind of jarring, and then from the perspective too of Portland, just, it's a really just fascinating city.

I mean, and I think Oregon's a kind of a place of extremes, right, because you get out side of Portland and you're some super conservative areas and it's like, you know, I know Randy, you're a big state of Jefferson guy. We saw a lot of those signs. Were you flying the flag out there? I wouldn't fly in the flag,

but you gotta take some literature so you can educate yourself. And then, you're gonna set up big snow saves. I do wanna shout out the guy when we were down at the food trucks, downtown Portland, the guy that drove by and smoked the tires for a good 15, 20 seconds. We had a good time in downtown Portland,

not much popping off, but we, yeah, just some characters and the guy and his, some mustache-dodge, mustache dog dodge Mustang or Ford Mustang who literally smoked his tires for like 20 seconds and his friend while his buddy was up out the sunroof like dancing that was shredder if you're listening T.C. and I really really appreciate that if you're looking for more info in Portland I would recommend checking out the YouTube comments of all the of the video that we post because I'm sure that'd be some very educated takes

So that was it for Portland. We could have stayed there a lot longer I think pretty much in line with everything but hit the road about an hour 40 minutes in the car out west going through I'm a bit of a bit of a pass if you will out drive out to Gearhart beautiful drive TC why don't you take us to Gearheart? Yeah, so put Gearheart with Travis and Zach last year. The crash course on it. People may have seen that video. Yeah, hit the crash course.

And I'm so excited because so Jason Bangal is the director of golf GM, whatever you want to call it out there. They've got to make amendments hotel on site. Tim Boyle, the Columbia Sportswear. The CEO, you know, head of Columbia Sportswear. He owns the place. It's just like such a throwback cool spot. They've done such a good job renovating it, restoring it,

whatever you want to call it, John Straun. They're the sister course of Korn in Northwest Ireland. And just a really, really, it just puts you in a good mood. Just the sea, I've never had like a C side effect like that without like a actual view of the C. You don't get, you don't see the ocean from the course but you get the ocean breeze and you feel it and it is a C side just town and community.

Whereas, you know, I'm trying to say like a golf course on the coast like hits you with the views and that's like your experience. Yet you don't get the C side town experience for a lot of golf courses that are on the coast, like hits you with the views and that's like your experience, yet you don't get the seaside town experience for a lot of golf courses that are on the coast. And this is like, set back low from the coast, but in the middle of a community. And it just seems like the vibe I got was,

everyone there has got something in life figured out. It wasn't like the super rich, it wasn't all super rich people. It was like a broad spectrum of, you know, the, the, Jason tells a story in the video too of just, like, you could be a logger, you could be a construction worker,

and you could own a multi-billion dollar clothing operation, and you all play golf the same place, and you all drink together around the sand bar and what not. And that part was just super, super cool. It was, I realized how much of a lightning rod this take is, but it was kind of like St. Andrews. Like it reminded me of almost like a very, very small, you know, American version of St. Andrews in that. The golf course felt like the community meeting place for everybody. Like it felt like the

whole community just was built, like kind of like we were saying about Eastmoreland a little bit where it just felt like everything was built around the golf course. And I think that was the case, right? It was a very old course. It was a Scottish immigrants who showed up and said, like, let's build this place. And then I think the town kind of sprung up around that.

And it still feels like that. And part of that's because it's remote. It's kind of a remote vacation town, but if you wanna, if you're looking for a hotel room, it's at the golf course. If you're looking for a good meal, it's at the golf course. If you're looking for your buddies to go have a beer,

they're probably at the golf course. And like, what a fucking awesome vibe that is. There's a pack of elk that, if you're looking for the elk there at the golf course. It's the golf course. Yeah. If you're looking for the mayor, he's probably at the golf course.

It's so cool. If you're looking for the mayor, he's probably at the golf course. It's so cool. And you mentioned solid like Tim Boyle out there is a true billionaire. And he's out there hanging in a folding chair with like, he was drinking bush light with drinking bush light with all the boys out of the cooler. I mean, it's just- And fixing ball marks with his black lap.

It was the best five ever. It's also, it's the oldest public course west of the Mississippi, which blew me away. I think there's probably 15 other courses that claim that this is going to say that. Well, listen, I'm going to call it out because I thought that was one of those things when I showed up I didn't expect.

And I've never been to Scotland, but I felt like it's the closest I've been, I think, in terms of vibe. So DJ, your your take resonates with me. Well, that's good to hear. It was brawler. It was just, everything felt like brawler. It was a bunch of like par fours that are under 400 yards that you could play so many of variety of ways. They're not like drivable holes, but you know, there's one great drivable hole, but the rest are like 34370 par fours that pound driver. If you want to try to hit a little pitch in and figure it out, or you can take iron and

hit a full wedge in, you could do all these different things. And it had a linsey feel, firmish balls bouncing and all that, but it's small greens. So it was like, all right, yeah, you can get close to the green if you want, but can you hold the green from this close and the wind blew out there like it does on a links course. And it's set within dunes, too. There's a set of like two or three dunes that go kind of just like cross over the whole property. And so you're playing, they're almost like kind of ripple on the front nine, you're kind

of playing over the dunes and kind of across them. And then on the back nine, you're playing like within the dunes and kind of a half-pipe thing. Gosh. And I think one thing worth mentioning too is it didn't, I know you mentioned Jason and some of the people who made that place what it is today and it's not an accident that the vibe feels like that and that the golf course looks like that because there was a lot of work that went into it and a little bit background I'm sure we'll get it on the video too, but Jason was working at Nenea in Hawaii, which is Charles Schwabbs like the guy, nothing the company His private golf course in I forget which island on the big island of Hawaii and Jason was working there and had just you know

probably I would I would assume what's's gotta be about one of the best jobs you can possibly get in golf. And Tim Boyle, the Columbia Sportswear guy that we mentioned quite a few times was a member there and they started talking about Gear Heart and- He wanted to get back to the mainland from Eastern Canada. And so Tim was talking about Gear Heart

where he vacationed as a kid, grown up in Portland and they kinda, I think, envisioned together a little bit, you know, what could be done to kind of really pump some juice into this place. And they just, every touch, it seems like, they just absolutely nailed. And a lot of that was taken out of ton of trees,

shout out to Eastmoreland, taken out of ton of trees on the golf course, and kind of revamping some of the lodging and all of that stuff. some of the lodging and all of that stuff. And on the lodging front, this is maybe where we slurp mic menamins a little bit because the place was so cool. Well, yeah, and they've got like three or four different barbers and restaurants. What is mic menamins? It's, and Neil, to your point earlier, they are actually in Washington state as well, but they take kind of older buildings or try to infuse character

into newer buildings. Old school houses, old churches, that sort of thing. Restaurants, bars, hotels, like Edgefield has an amphitheater. They have their own wine, they have their own breweries, all that stuff, and it's essentially like this kind of self-contained very in each one is truly unique. Well, I would say talking to Tim Boyle about the big men of the brothers. And one of them, Tim was like, yeah, I went to high school with him.

And he played football at Oregon State. And then his brother started one restaurant. They just kind of built it from the ground up. it's, you know, it was kind of cool to hear that story. He's like, yeah, you know, I brought him out here, we played golf. He's like, I don't really want to get involved. And then he called him back like a couple months later. He's like, you know what, we should build a hotel there.

And then, you know, it's just kind of funny how like down to earth and all sounds in a way. The whole aesthetic is, it's got this kind of like, very psychedelic sort of golf in the kingdom kind of vibe and it's just, it's just really cool. It's unlike anywhere I've ever been for golf, for sure. Also want to shout out the bookstore that Randy and I went to. Randy, I thought that was a delightful morning before we got in the car and went to band it. Absolutely was.

Yeah, and then, so yeah, Forest, the superintendent, came out and hung out with us. Obviously Jason, Mayor, Maddie Brown, who owns, runs Highlands Golf Club up the, yeah, wrote a little bit. He's currently a lame duck mayor there.

He's not running for re-election. And then yeah, I kind of spooked you guys with that New Yorker article. Oh yeah. Oh. We were glad to get off the West Coast after reading that article. Yeah.

The big one that's coming for you. The big one is coming. They have the tsunami. So yeah, hopefully not for thousands of years, but read that at your own leisure. Yeah, watch the season first and then do that. So then we hit the road, had it sound good. Yeah, one more thing, Neil, not only the bookstore,

but I think we were talking in Gearhart overall, probably Oregon has the most miscellaneous hitters per capita of anywhere in the country. Oh my God, and I think the shop was, like we could have stood out there all day long. We would run out of pamphlets by noon. Exactly. I think Gearhart was one of the epicenters of miscellaneous hitters. So just needed to mention that. Which for people who don't know, just how do people let it go? People we'd love to have in

our orbit. Exactly. People we want associated with the brand. People in Randy's words that just don't give a fuck, right? And just like, yo man, I'll listen, well, like all you have to do, I'm gonna give you a shirt, you know, I'll give you the clothing, just you just have to wear it. Like we just want you associated with us, like miscellaneous hitters. Exactly.

So we hopped in, we kind of split off. We had three car with three vehicles, paired up two, two, and two. Five and a half hours down the coast, unbelievable, awesome drive, we pulled over maybe 20 times just to get footage and two. Five and a half hours down the coast. Unbelievable. Awesome drive. We pulled over maybe 20 times just to get footage and stuff. Bridge porn. The coastline and you know, it's it's reminded me of doing the Pacific coast highway in California. Some of those twists and turns and some of those roads. I think it's every bit as good as yeah. Yeah. That's what I was going to say.

Hot take. But man, everybody talks about California in the central coast there, and I thought this was just as good. Did you come to draw up to Washington? A story of? Yeah, I'm trying to talk. I'm trying to talk to the goonies. Across the bridge in a story of,

and then, yeah, and then kind of, you guys were gonna stop at the creamery, the Tillumok creamery on the way down. Which, yeah, Neil and I were riding together, and we did stop. For COVID reasons, they weren't doing any, oh, they were doing inside tourist booths, very limited and you needed to make a reservation well in advance.

So, we did get out of the car, we got some ice cream, we saw the grounds, I would, it looked very cool. I would say if you're ever near Tillumook, you know, go take the tour, quite a complex. The one thing Neil and I were driving south, we didn't see any dunes. I don't know. I still don't know where you guys

are talking with me on this. That's a U-problem then, because it was all... We also got Brandy his first Dutch press coffee. So shout out to Dutch press. The wine was just blown. Maybe you're in a different plane of consciousness. Well, and they don't even do the case. They don't even do drip coffee.

Oh, did you know that? But the lady, the girl in the drive-through couldn't have been nicer, Randy. I thought she made that a very impressionable first experience for you. Absolutely. Give me the whole Dutch Bros vibe. Yes.

Randy, we passed through a city called Dune's City. I think they have to be fucking with us because- Or you guys took a different route. Like, maybe. The Doon was gonna swallow up the safe way. Yeah. Neil, am I making that up? I think we had other stuff going on.

We were kind of impersonating F1 drivers and we were kind of deep in character there for a while in the car. We were also banging some Dave, you know? We were kind of lost in character there for a while in the car. We were also banging some Dave, you know? We were kind of lost in a live album. I thought it was Randy, I wouldn't have changed our experience down the coast or anything. Yeah, I'm still soaking,

like Ben and I pulled over and like tried to climb a dune and it was either the hardest thing I've ever done or like really exposed how out of shape I was, I've never been more exhausted. We like wanted to go up to the top of this dude and drone it. And it was like one of those, it was the sand was so soft that like you took a step and you slid back like 18 inches to the point

where you're taking like three inch steps every time you try to climb. And oh my God, my quads were absolutely on fire. So I do not recommend pulling over and climbing some of those dunes. But if we had more time out there getting ATVs, like do a lot of ATV tours and stuff out there would have been an extremely fun way to, you know, kind of break up golf if you're if you're in band and I think you're 35 minutes

away from the nearest like ATV spot or something like that and be worth it. We stopped in Monsanita on the way down. Easily the best logo in the game. Yeah. King's heavy. But yeah, I mean, Cannon Beach, massive rock there. There's just like, there's just so many cool little towns. What's the town that I can never pronounce? Yajuts? Yajuts? Yajuts? Yajuts? Yeah, that was a cool town. We did, I do remember driving through that town. And people had told us that's like the stop if you do have a little bit

of time, great restaurants. They have a cool little art scene there. So anybody that does do that drive, check out Yehuts, Yachats, who could call it whatever you want. Yeah, there's some pretty good spots along that coast. If you're looking to just drop out and just post up for somewhere for a couple years that I'm going to be fine. Yeah, there's some some sleepy cool little town. Thanks to BMW too. We had a couple of nice nice vehicles for this.

Made the drive a lot more fun. For sure. So then we arrive at Bannon. We went up and hit the preserve up that night. I know we've done a pod in the past on Bannon, but we're revis, it's time to revisit everything, I think it's, it's, I don't know if my rankings change a little bit doing the courses and we'll get into them kind of one by one, but preserve. I'll start there by just saying, you know, I think some people will go to bandin and not want to do a part three course. Like now they have five golf courses. I can see how that

can slip off your radar, but I think that would be a big mistake. I think that is such a great way to experience the approach shots at Bandin and the Joy and the ups and like without having to worry about where you're teaching. Maybe if your driver's off the map and you don't get to experience some of these golf courses and you get to go hit 13 incredible approach shots, same exact experiences as those golf courses, same turf

with maybe even better, like some of the best views you'll see on the entire coastline. I can't say enough great things about Bayonet Preserve. Don't let it be an afterthought, schedule an afternoon for it. You can go in the morning if you want. If you don't want to do straight 36 whole days every day, do 18 and the preserve, like that is a very manageable day.

We had some bad pins. The first go around though. A couple times, yeah. There was some that were real. They, a little manageable day. We had some bad pins. The first go around though. A couple times, yeah. There was something real, they, a little bit mean spirited the first time around. Or just like you couldn't use a sl, like you couldn't kind of play the whole way. Right, it was intended to play.

You can move around T's all you want. It's just a, just a tremendous, tremendous walk. I can't say enough good things about it. Great one to mix up formats also. If you, if you've played 36, Randy shaking his head because he loves hitting the cups, I know. But next time, Neil and I made a pact. Next time, hopefully there is a next time

we're out of band-in, we're gonna play the preserve straight up, grind mode, post-sign. I love it. Well, I've never done that. 13 cups, Randy. And that's honestly fair to say is maybe we've swung so far in the other direction that I don't know that I've ever actually done that.

So that's rainy. That's an interesting point. I'd love to take part in that experiment as well. You absolutely can. Yes, we gotta go back. I guess we gotta go back. But what I was saying was we did shake up the format a little bit and had some friends out there and we were playing like a two-man alt shot kind of game, which is a fun one

if you're looking to, you know, if you've already played 36 that day and you don't really want to go out and grind even more, you can take a few shots off, have some beers. And it's different from doing a scramble because it, like, the shots matter, right? It's not like, like, you have to be accountable versus in a scramble. There's no, I get so unfocused in a scramble to where it's like, oh, you know, oh, yeah, like, oh yeah, this doesn't matter because he's gonna put it on the green. Sometimes you can get caught with your pants down on that, but really for the most part, it's like this is like,

no, you're gonna hang your partner out to dry. Speaking of having your pants down solid, is this on the love, lust, scale, the preserve? You speak pretty highly of it. I love the, I don't know what the scale looks like. I have to put some more thought into it, but. Kind of, I would say. My pants are down.

Make time for a one-night stay at the preserve. While you're, while you're offended. Don't marry the preserve, but. Yeah, I have some, some fun wild times with her. It's worth mentioning we're there during the USM, which was interesting. They had the USM bubble and the lodge and McKee's pub and that was, you know, the M was on trails and band and dunes for stroke play and then all on band and dunes for match play and so we couldn't go in the lodge or anything like that

That was kind of you know band and dunes was kind of shut down until our last day there But it was really really cool to see like the preserve is right across the this little gorge or this little canyon from from band and dune. So you could see all the matches coming up, you know, the 18th hole and all that. It was, it was really surreal. We do apologize to the championship match then when they're on the 30 second hole, I believe of the of the match. If you did hear a roar coming from Bannon Preserve, I don't there's no spoilers there. That moment has been been displayed. But yeah, that was that was some fun. There may have been some alcohol involved in that evening as well. A little bit. That was our second loop around. That was. Yeah. We made a couple of visits

to the preserve. First round of golf at at Bannon. First of all, we stayed in a couple of different places. The chrome chrome lake lodge was where we had one of our rooms and where was your guys' room, DJ? I think that's where we were. Yeah, you guys are at Chrome Lake and we were at the round lake. Okay. Amazing, perfect accommodations there, Ben,

and again, we've talked about this in the past where it's everything you need, nothing more. It is, Mike Kaiser says himself, three stars and it is just perfect for a golf hangout. There's nothing fancy about it But it is great showers great warm beds. That's it. That's the review. I don't think yours It's the Grove the Grove. Yeah, we had a four four bedroom Cottage at the Grove right on the on the lake there and you could see over to was at six or seven on Yeah, yeah, no, I think it's eight because it has that that fake pin definitely not eight, but

okay, well, is it seven? I think it's seven. Yeah, going up the with the par four going up the hill. Yeah. Well, anybody that hasn't been make sure you take a look to the left over the lake. There's a flag that you can hit. It's like a three wood to try to hit, you know, hit this island green. Tough shot. And it's a tough shot. Tough shot. Very tough shot. Fun shot though. I always look forward to hitting that shot.

First round of golf, we played early morning, one of the first ones off. Maybe the first ones off at... Well, before the first round of golf, I think we need to talk about... We had dinner at trails after we, uh, controversy. After we played, I got to reopen the app preserve. Go ahead. Randy, Randy had been talking about this salad. Randy and DJ. Not just ASAL, it was these salad. That's very, like, diminishing.

I'm a big fan of salad. It's the, the, the only salad. It's the one true salad. Yeah, it's the truly life changing from our first trip out to band-in. We've been chasing it for years. Yeah. Like after we left, it was like,

every time we're out, like you want to split a Caesar, like let's see how this stacks up. You know, and it's just, just our lives were mired with shit Caesars for the next couple of years. And so we're just dying to get back to the band in Trails Clubhouse

where they've got this kind of spicy Asian Caesar salad. Yeah, you guys ever watch how I met your mother? Yeah, there's the episode where they search for like they had this perfect burger and they can't find where they got it, but that is a perfect metaphor. It is to say that. It could be that.

Yeah, and it's gone. It's gone, but worse than that, worse than that is the very nice waitress. Tried to convince me that what they had on the menu was in fact what I had tasted three years ago. Bless her heart, she's only been working there like a year, she doesn't know any difference. I was there for that conversation.

I would not say, she was not adamant that it was the same, you were trying to drag it out of her that this was a guarantee that this was the same salad. She's like, I mean, I think it is. I don't know for sure. And if I may say, I don't eat salad, the salad came and I tried your salad, and it was tremendous.

I love that salad. It's very good. It's very good. It's very good. But we're talking about it respectfully. She was, you're out of your depth, here. Currently, there's a romaine salad on the menu with Wonton, Parmesan, and creamy sandball dressing, which

is not. And she did promise when she was going to ask the head chef, it's still a waiting word on that, but I've efforted it, my dissatisfaction that they've taken at that salad off the menu. It is being run up the chain at band-in. So I'm happy to report back any updates as they become available. But point to point out, Randy's view of bandin is every opinion now is now clouded. Like it's

just going to be rooted in this, the salad and he's probably not going to give a fair opinion. The fair not DJ. The trails and the trails end clubhouse is really good. Is the best one on property. The trails end restaurant is by far my favorite on property. I agree. There's three. Was it the sable fish that we beat up? The mesau sable fish was excellent. The noodle bowl, the duck.

The food abandon is really, really freaking good man. Every time it looks very plain on the menu and then you have it, it's like, damn, that was good. I think we, I'm sure we beat this up in our last band in episode, but the best part about it is you get done playing like 36 holes. The last thing you wanna do is sit down at like a white tablecloth dinner and spend $900 on like some crazy dinner.

It's like, no, I just wanna sandwich, man. I just wanna, I just wanna give me a comfy noodle bowl. Give me something easy and they do such a good job of, I think they do have, they do have a good job of, you know, if you want something more upscale, they have that. But if you'd like, you know, the meatloaf at McKee's pub, they got that too. So it's, it's great. All right. So first golf course up, I believe when we did the rankings the last time around, Randy had this as his favorite golf course at, at the band in Dunes Golf Resort, which I believe is, is would be for, if you pulled, most people would be there, it usually comes out near

the bottom of the ranking. So tell us. A lot of people drop it. Yeah. It is old McDonald. Uh, Rainy, why don't you take us to, uh, to old McDonald, why you love it so much, whether your opinion changed it all this time around. It's the best. And to all those people who are saying it's the worst, I respectfully, you know, I don't, I've never asked for your opinion. I don't need your opinion. It's inherently personal to each individual. I'm not saying that you're wrong in any way. I love here and why you love it. You know, you guys spoke about the Scottish vibe at Geerhart, and I think rightly for it being kind of the epicenter of the town. To me, I think Old McDonald is from a golf perspective,

probably the closest I've gotten to what I felt in Scotland in the US. It doesn't provide the best views on the property abandoned. But what it does is you're near the ocean, you hear the ocean, you do get views of the ocean, but it's not the constant, you know, just, oh my God, look, it's so beautiful, like maybe at the sheep ranch, for instance.

I think it's good in all the ways that I like a golf course. The greens are quirky, you hit some fun shots, I'm a sucker for the ghost tree the halfway house Beyond you get to it a couple times, but you know you you the whole course crescendos with the walk up to seven green And that's the first reveal of the ocean and then once you play that hole if you go over to the the little halfway house It's a little bit of a walk in my opinion. I told these guys like if you just At some point you don't know where I am, just check that spot. I think low-key, it might be the best spot on band-ins property.

I don't know, I just think, so Old McDonald, it's a lot of template holes that, DOK and Jim Urbina, Urbina, Urbina, Urbina, Urbina, kind of reimagined. So there's a little bit of that going on. I will say, I understand why people would not rank it as high as other courses, but I don't know, it's just got charm and I find it fun

and it kind of makes me nostalgic for Scotland a little bit. I would push back on the views a little bit in that they're not as dramatic. The photos might not look as cool as Pacific Dunes 10th T or 11th T or 4th T or something like that. But the views are absolutely gorgeous in a different way where you get up to the high point of that property was at 14 green and you're just looking down on this. The maiden. You're looking down on this, you can see the entire golf course and it is just a massive

sprawling, gorgeous, endless piece of land. It's so cool. And I totally agree with you. I think the three best views at Old McDonald are cresting the dune on the Ghost Tree Hole. Three. Where you see, it's your first reveal of like that huge bowl with all the holes. It's up the hill, seeing the ocean on seven and then yeah, 14 kind of looking back. Yeah.

Or the westward hoe, like part five where you're going back out towards the ocean. So it is more subtle views for sure, but it's equally cool. It's important to note that this was the fourth golf course built at Bandon. So Bandon dunes and Pacific dunes are similar in a way. They both run along the coast. They're touching the properties touch each other and it is a similar vibe. And Bandon trails was very clearly the third course and it was like, we are doing something different here.

We are giving you variety in this experience. And the same goes for O McDonald. It was, for, you know, we have, the trails is, is like a trail walk through the forest and stuff like that. And O McDonald is different than anything else that you experience on the property and that was the goal of it. So I don't think they designed O McDonald thinking

like anyone, you know, this is gonna compete with the other courses. No, it is a compliment to all of the other offerings that Bandin has to offer. In that in itself, it's incredibly enjoyable. Like I love old McDonald. It still ranks last for me, but I love the golf course, and that's an important thing to note. Before we get into like the specific holes and stuff

as much as we wanna do that, we probably should do, you know, a bit of like what the inspiration was. Why it's called old McDonald's, all that stuff. I think it bit of what the inspiration was, why it's called McDonald's, all that stuff. I think it's pretty well documented out there, but if you don't know, it was Tom Doe, Kenjimmer, Venus basically tribute to CB McDonald and Seth Reiner and a lot of these golden age architecture guys. So it's mostly template holes, maybe not entirely template holes, but that's kind of the gist. You said they're looking for something that had a little bit different selling point or a different bit of variety.

And I think that's kind of the character makeup of that golf course, right? I think my issue with it is I like the non-template holes, the most of any of the core. Like number three is awesome. And that is not a template hole. Seven is not a template hole. Technically three, it's Sahara from Presswick.

So yeah, yeah, it's very different than that. Three is awesome, it's one of the best holes on the whole property. It's so good and it's kind of the blind nature of Sahara at Presswick. But the redan is, I hate that hole, I'll just say it. Like I think it's a very bad green. The short is okay, but it is a mega while.

They just didn't really nail the templates. That's a hold for me, but overall, the first time I played it, I had no idea what a template hole was. I think I enjoyed it more knowing that. Now having played other template holes and stuff, I just don't think they really nailed that part of it, yet at the same time, I love, I freaking love 17. I think that's a tremendous hole. 16, the Alps hole is fantastic, but.

I think the beer it's is mediocre. Like for me, it runs out of gas a little bit in the middle stretch. Where it kind of flattens out, you go to that middle part of the property. And really, I think after we played, it was our first round of the chip this time. After we played it, it, looking back at it

from Pacific Dunes and from Sheep Ranch even, it really dawns on you like how, like it's by far the worst piece of property on the resort, right? And I say that like kind of as a backhanded compliment to Doken or Beena of like, hey, they made something cool out of this and it's cool how, you know,, kind of as a backhanded compliment to Doken or Beena of like, hey, they made something cool out of this and it's cool how, you know,

you kind of crest up the hill on like seven, like that hole always just, just kills me, you know, like you got gorse all the way up the left side. Is it hard left handed? Oh my God. And yeah, it's actually, yeah, I mean, I played, like, I was super nervous going to Bannon. I'm like, oh man, if the wind blows,

like, what am I gonna do? It's like, this just, like, I suck. Like, what am I gonna do if I can't hit the ball at Bannon? I've birdied the third hole, which is the ghost tree hole. I was like, all right, like, cool. It's on. We're good now, you know? And then, sure enough, by like seven, I'm like,

oh, I'm gonna do anything. So, but yeah, I'm like, like, the beer it's a super mediocre in my opinion. Like eight, so like eight, it kind of starts to run on a steam a little bit. And then it's definitely the best finishing hole in the property, in my opinion. I like the punch ball, I think.

It's super cool. I really like the sheep ranch one, but we can get we can get to that. Neil, what are your thoughts on Ole McDonald? I love the vibe. I similar to trails. Trails, you don't really see another group for 18 holes. So you feel like very remote. And when you go to a place like band-in, it's like you're going to the edge of the earth. When you play Pacific dunes and band-in dunes, there's a lot of people out there, right? Because it's a popular resort. But at Old Mac, I feel like when you crest a hill on three, you get the scale of the course.

It's a big ballpark. And so you'll see other groups, but they all look so small and distant on each hole. It gives me that feeling of being really far away from being in a really far away place, which I really like about golf. When it takes you to a place you'd never go, I think that vibe is best on all back, even if the course isn't my favorite from an architecture standpoint or the most fun shots, it gives you a vibe of like, man, I'm really out here right now. And for that, every time I've played it,

I've kind of enjoyed that vibe. You are on vibe patrol today. I will say, overall, I think it is the most skippable course at bandin. Yet I do not recommend skipping it. That's fair. Fair to, like if you're going to bandin, schedule all Mac, but if you're going to band and schedule old Mac,

but if you're going there for like a couple of days and you need something that you to chop out, that would be my personal recommendation to chop out. But I, I, I, some people think like, oh, I don't want to play old Mac, I heard that, that's the worst one. I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. This is like one of the greatest golf courses in the world.

Like we need to be clear on this. And now, especially not that they have five courses, you know, you just, you need an extra day at bandin before a sheep ranch. I honestly think you now need an extra day for that to truly, you know, enjoy everything they have to offer. There's some reason I can't put the greens there on that course. The grass, the grass, the grass, the fescue greens on that course are so different than the rest of the resort. I love the greens there. Yeah, they got a lot better this time around too.

I remember the first trip like two, three years ago, it felt like dirt and this time around, I loved them. I think that wraps up Old McDonald. Next up that afternoon, when started blowing, we had a little different experience at Pacific Dunes. Neil, why don't you take us there? And Neil, you have to admit it's electric. I was gonna say DJ, give me one word to describe the place.

Remember the first time you played it. You'll let's drink. It's an electric factory, okay? Neil was so drunk on the last line of the trip when we're all kind of just like letting it go. We've got all the hay is in the barn and he was just, we're talking about Pacific Dears and he just kept saying that.

You have to admit it's electric. No, because you guys are so lost in the sauce and you're spoiled rotten and you played it three or four times is just, we're talking about Pacific Dersi, just kept saying that. You have to admit it's electric. No, because you guys are so lost in the sauce and you're spoiled rotten and you played it three or four times and so, oh, you know, I just don't think it's like, I mean, don't really made some mistakes on the routing and like if that's the prevailing wind, like how could you make that hole?

And I'm like, try to like remember what this is like for somebody, like you go out to that course and it just slaps you continuously across the face with electric views, like crazy fun shots. And that was it everywhere. That was an excellent popping. That was an excellent point the first time you made it. But then you made it 55 times after that.

Well, that's because you weren't listening. No, it's because you weren't listening. If you weren't listening, you weren't listening. You weren't listening. Anyways, sorry. Well, yes, anyways, it is electric. I mean, it's your first time abandoned, that place will blow you away.

So what, designed in 2001 by the doketo, and a second course on the property, I think overall, it's the hardest course. And I think it was my favorite round of the trip because the wind was blowing and there is, it's across the spectrum with how we played. You know, some people got blown out to see. I thought it was great because I, you know, I was with,

I was with squid, our caddy, and just we were deep in our process. And I had a blast kind of just not, not getting back down and I loved it. I just loved, I finally learned how to hit some shots in a wind. I guess that helped a lot. But I think, you guys have made that point that when the wind's blowing, it can become a little bit unplayable. On certain holes, like the hole that jumps out to me is dumb, is what is it? 14, the par three, facing back south. So you're hitting downwind to a, they had a front pin,

and if you land it anywhere, but like two feet in front of the green, you're getting in a death bunker on all sides. So sometimes you're like, man, that's just like, that's not very fun, right? There's some holes where Duke doesn't really provide you anywhere to bail out, but the holes along the water

are world class, I think, and just like a ton of fun, and you feel just, you know, really lucky to be there. I think the first hole and the 18th hole, you know, kind of have to get you out there and get you back to the clubhouse, those aren't my favorite start and finish. I think it does build though, so that's good. You come out in the first three,

and then you hit number four, and it's like the electricity starts to pick up, baby. Nicole of Tesla, let's go, baby. So the synapses start to fire, but that electricity analogy, I think works well, because sometimes the wind's blowing, it'll start shocking you. It'll start electrocreating you

if the elements pick up. I still contend. I wrote this when we did our essays from the first trip to band, and Dogue did not like this. You made that very, very clear to me, but Pacific Dunes is like an abusive lover. And Dogue in general, I think, his designs are like that. It'll beat you up. It's, you know, it's going to beat you up, but you keep coming back because there's

there's good times too, you know, and it was that was the highs are very high out there. Yes, that, you know, specifically like this might this may be a spoiler. That's probably the first round of golf I've played in 28 years where I didn't make a par. I Think this is a spoiler TC got stuck on the double black diamond. He and Tayske's off and come down on his butt It was it was the terrain was too treacherous for him. Well, it's important to note that the like the wind blew us almost off the golf course and it was It's important to note that the win blew us almost off the golf course. It was the not fun win to play golf in. That being said, I think we can and are able and are doing this currently separating that part of it out from our opinion on the golf.

It was my favorite course last time we were out there. And this time, I would say it's probably down in like the third spot. But I think that's part of the point for me. Like we've played in some heavy wins overseas for instance where the golf was still very much enjoyable. Yes. Like a ballie bun. Exactly. Very like challenging technical course and I was so much more playable than and then Pacific Dins was the least enjoyable round of golf I've played in several years with the win blowing like it was.

It just, the course just sucked. I do think your point is extremely well made, Neil, as far as, you know, if you're in the right mindset and you have the right skills and you're ready to go out and like, all right, let's go do battle today. Like let's stay locked in on every shot. I can see why that would be so fun. And I that was just not where my where my head was at. I was I had no fight whatsoever. And

I just got completely blown off the mountain. It was the first round of golf I've had since starting to play left handed where I was like I truly felt like yeah, you know what? Now I see why a high handicap wouldn't like this golf course. It was, okay, to the point, Neil, that you kind of brushed by and we're willing to mock a little bit there. We played in the prevailing summer wind, which comes out of the north. And that golf course was not fun to play in a strong prevailing north wind, which, again, that's where I'm not going to separate out the conditions in the experience to say like, golf course shouldn't play that difficult in the prevailing wind in the wind that happens a lot.

And not to David McLeod kids point, we talked to him a lot about, you know, how he designed band and doing things. He's like, dude, I was there on that property for three or four months before like the routing started it. I was getting to know the land, getting to know the winds and everything. And we'll get to band in, but like, my opinion is that course flows so much better in the prevailing wind than Pacific Doons does,

because you get to that stretch on the back nine where you go, somewhat into the wind off the right, really on 10, the par three, a very scenic hole, like a signature hole there, and then dead in on 11, dead in on 12, dead in on 13, dead down on 14, a short part of three that you can't hold the green and dead down on a bunch of holes that, you know, I just don't think the holes play that great in that, in that downwind. I kind of walked off just wondering like, gosh, it feels like that is the kind of condition

that this course should play great in and I didn't walk off. Okay, so and a lot of this comes from, I think, the Pacific Doons has rated the number one public golf course in the United States. Tom Doak himself has given it a 10 on the doke scale, which I want to read that definition. That's so, it's so egregious on his part. The rating is nearly perfect. If you skipped even one hole, you would miss something worth seeing. If you haven't seen all the courses in this category,

you don't know how good golf architecture can get. Call your travel agent immediately. That is what the list of courses that are in the 10 category, it would amaze you that Pacific Dunes is in that. Is it electric? Of course. Look at the pictures of it.

You have to admit. I do remember that it's electric. I remember that. Are the views incredible, 100%. Still to me, and I was expecting to, you know, this trip to finally be like, okay, yes, Pacific Doomsday Better Golf Course in Bandin, you're not, I am not getting there.

I like Band so much more. I think I can reach across the aisle. I agree with you on the prevailing wind argument is a very strong one. I just feel like most people are only gonna play that course one time, and I think it's going to blow them away, right? It's going to be a memorable experience, which there's something to be, I think, a more memorable experience and more impactful first impression than any other course at Bandit,

which is worth noting. From a prevailing wind perspective, I think it's probably worth noting that it's probably a really good course to play in like the fall or the winter when the winds come out of the south. Yeah. And under a less wind in the north out of the north, I'm sure it's probably more enjoyable, but I still maintain, if the highs are really high, but I think the highs at Bandon are even higher. I, you know, I think the fourth and 13th holes, which are the two biggest signature holes, are honestly somewhat bland of golf holes.

They're set up against the coast. Are they beautiful, of course, but there's not a ton of strategy that goes into either of those holes, whereas the fourth at Banan Dunes is one of my favorite holes in the world. The fifth is a fantastic hole. 16 is one of the most unique golf holes I've ever played. 17 is incredible riding along that ridge. And I just don't, nothing blows me away about those holes.

Now the sixth hole, it doesn't. I agree with you now playing it the second and third time, whatever, but that those opinions abandoned, you know, no, those opinions abandoned grow over time, right? It's almost like the privilege of being able to play it multiple times. I totally agree. That's, and so I just want to point that out so that we don't get lost in the sauce.

Like from a perspective of like, if it's your first time out there, like Pacific Doons is gonna, you know, it's gonna melt your face. I think that's, this is where we diverged when we were at Silveys, and you were not listening to what I was saying. But I completely agree, and what I was trying to say is the first time I went to Band-In, Pacific Dooms was so head and shoulders above everything else, it was the coolest thing

I'd ever seen in my life. And the more trips I've taken, the more it's kind of falling down the rank. Yeah, and I'm in that bucket too. I just wanna, it's like I'm trying to like, almost make sure that I check myself on that, right? So I think it's worth having both. want to call out two holes at Pacific Doons And I'd like to hear what you guys think playing in the second time or third time

Number six. It's not on the water But it reminds me that one at Barn Boogey. It's so good And I said it to Deage It feels like the you know the front of the hole feels like The back and feels like somebody put their blazer on backwards because the backside is like shaved. You know, it's like the, it's like the, you're like, wait, that's supposed to be the front of the hole.

Like you could convince me that we're, you know, that's where you're supposed to come in from. So we tee off on the wrong spot? Yeah, and I just, like, you know, on third time around, I finally noticed that. I was like, man, that's really, that's a cool aesthetic. I love that. And then two of my least favorite hole is 16.

That's battle freaking stinks. The drivable par four. It's kind of like 14 abandoned trails. I think, I don't know, because all the balls end up in the same spot, like going for it. It's like, if I try to lay up there, there's not really a flat lie to have, you know, you gotta keep up on this little shelf on the left.

And then, you know, I just don't like it when every shot from, with like a hundred yard dispersion is going to end up in the same place. And there's this coarse bush up the left, it. Yeah, I just think, I think they could improve that whole, I think the idea of it is good. I just, like, the more I play that one, the more I'm like, man. Like, and that's one, the first time around, we man, like, and that's one the first time around. We're like, oh, check out this getable for. It's electric.

But then, you know, the more I play it, I'm like, yeah, this is like, I'm tired of getting shocked, you know, like, what is it, Milgram's experiment? Like, you know, someone's like, shock, and be like, yeah, stop that, quit it, stop it. That's a really good green sight, too. Like, it should be a better hole. I agree. I know Solid Loves it. I'm not a good green sight too. Like it should be a better hole. I agree.

I know Solid loves it. I'm not a big fan of 17. I just feel like you get to the point in that round and this again, maybe, is personal, but you just got the shit kicked out of you for like four hours at this point. And you stand up there and it plays whatever, like 220 or something and the wind's like whipping

and you're like, fuck this. Last time we were there, it did not play. It was like, we were hitting like nine and eight irons. And really? Yeah, yeah. It was further up. It was just like dead into the wind. Again, when you played it and it was,

you couldn't keep one on the planet. Again, not to base everything off of Dokes definition of a great golf course, but the line of, if you skipped even one hole, you would miss something worth seeing. You have to skip one. I could do five or six holes in specific dudes that are very much.

Very much. Yes. You could skip 14, that par three, that needs to, I don't know, that's one I have an issue with too. I do think the stretch from really 11, 12, 13, I really like that stretch. Yeah, 12, I really like 12, 13, that's another one.

Well it's cool, I love three, I think three is a really good Well the inlet the inland halls were like made a big impression on me playing more and more number Seven that one back into that creek. That's a really You know for probably a whole that people would remember the first time around but grows on you every time you play Probably to shout out nine as well the double nine the double green is cool Yeah, cool to if you're especially a lot of people I don't go and play courses multiple times on on different trips. Always fun. Have a double

green. And just to accept the scene for the win we were dealing with, I hit my nine iron, I'll say maybe 160 yards. And the 11th hole was playing 98 yards. And I hit a full nine iron that came up 15 yard short. Like that's that's the level of when we were we're playing. And so maybe that's why we're a little salty about it, but which is fun, I think for one shot? Yeah, but when you've got it for a bunch in a row. A bunch in a row is where it gets tedious. I think I hit four on the first time I played that whole,

because the wind was so strong, it was like a hundred and twenty-nine yards, a hundred and thirty yards, and I hit a full, like, two-ten shot. And this group of people that likes playing golf in the wind. Yeah, so I also thought the greens two 10 shot. And this group of people that likes playing golf in the win. Yeah. So I also thought the greens, the greens are Pacific dunes, the condition of them left, it was pretty lacking, I think. I didn't think that.

I thought they were fast. They were like, the condition of like number six green was just, it's like peak season in your pan, however much for these rounds. Like, I don't know, I just think the agronomy could, could stand to probably improve a little bit on some of these courses. Like, I don't know, I just think the agronomy could stand to probably improve a little bit on some of these courses at Bannon. I thought two years ago, like the Bannon trails greens

were close to a disgrace. They had popping up everywhere. And that was really bad. They've gotten that straightened out. I did not walk off Pactoons thinking that it was condition based at all. I thought, no, I mean, it wasn't. Like, I just think there's room for improvement there.

Yeah. For one of the best golfers in the world. Yeah. I respectfully did don't agree, but. It's still TC, I don't remember that, but I'm not gonna, if that's his memory or his thought, that's fine. And Neil's sitting here, attributing it to me being a high

handicap now. Thank you, no. Neil was kind of climbing TC, maybe as he was falling down the mountain, was looking for someone to play. What I said is he took the T-bar up and then he hiked up to the, you know, out of the ski resort area and then starts blaming the ski resort. They need to groom this run. This is bullshit.

All right, I think that wraps Pacific Dunes. Where's logo, too? Shitty logo. That, I agree with it. I can give all that. What is it, dolphins? I think they're seals. I don't know.

They're whales. Other whales. I'm out on the whales. It's also worth noting the punch bowl green is located at Pacific Dunes as well. That's a lot of fun. We didn't really get to enjoy that as much as I like the restaurant. Restaurant's good.

It's a fun scene. Cool clubhouse. We're probably leaning on the harsh edge, but with huge ass expectations, I think the critiques of the golf course are very fair and I feel quite passionate about it. Hey, I think both the dope slash or being in courses are, they're great, but in my opinion, they about it. Yeah, I think both the dope Slash or Beena courses are great, but in my opinion, they're flawed.

Yeah. Old Mac and Pacific Dune. There's crazy high points. There's less flaw in Pacific Dune, but there's still some stuff I would change significantly. But as I'm sure you'll admit, it's electric. It's electric. And I will say, I think there's seals on the logo.

I think I had a whole conversation about this while we were there. Glad we could sell that. Just to, yeah. All right, let's go to the new course at Band & Dunes. We are the first ones to take any photos or any images of this golf course. Might have been the first ones to play it. I think they've been, like, a, I've had about 12 soft openings for this golf course as far as been the first one to play it. I think they've been like, I think they've had about 12 soft openings

for this golf course as far as I know. But the sheep ranch is alive, it is open. Played in the morning. DJ, take us there. Where to start. So the sheep ranch has kind of been a golf, a piece of golf lore, I think, for quite a while, where it's this unbelievably spectacular piece of land, just apart from the other golf lore, I think, for quite a while, where it's this unbelievably spectacular piece of land,

just apart from the other golf courses, just off the resort, I guess, in years past. And the setup, and I'm very bummed that we never actually got to do this, but the setup was basically, you had to go into a, I think, a sporting goods store in downtown Bandon, and kind of book the place for the day. And there was no real routing.

It was just, I forget how many green sites there were, but there were just a bunch of green sites scattered around this field and you just go out there with your buddies or whomever rented out for the day and just hit golf shots. And there was always talk of whether or not they were gonna make it into an actual 18-hole golf course. It sounds like the routing proved extremely difficult to try to get it to actual to to 18 golf holes.

Kaiser, we did a great interview with my Kaiser talking about this process and what it was like to actually get that done and how finally Bill Coren Ben Crenshaw were the people who who came to him with a, hey, here's a routing that we can actually pull off. We know there's gonna be 18 great holes. And I think Kaiser had kind of a moment of like, man, if we're not gonna do this, like literally, literally nobody else is gonna do this. And so he had a division to knock it out

and they've been working on it for the last few years and it opened earlier this year. And guys, if there is a, there's a lot of caveats that go into this, but if there's a better walk in golf, I definitely have not found it, nor do I feel totally content with the fact that I will never find a better walk than what we had. I'm not having a look for one.

At 6.50 in the morning on whatever day that was, it was the most peaceful, like it's about a lot more than golf out here, round of golf, I think I've ever had in my life. Help set that. Why is that different than band and doon specific doons, any of the other courses on the property that touch the coast as often as she branch does? So I think that, first of all,

you mentioned touching the coast, like it's the whole, you're looking at the ocean, it's outrageous. For the first six holes, you're just, you're playing right down and around the coast, like it's the whole, you're looking at the ocean, it's outrageous. For the first six holes, you're just, you're playing right down and around the coastline and it's just absurdly, absurdly beautiful. I think Band-In, I don't wanna get out over my skis kinda architecturally here, but I think Band-In and Pacific

and Old Mac and Band-In Trails, I mean, they're designed to be strategic golf courses, you know, capital G, capital C. Whereas the Sheep Ranch feels like you're just out in a, it's like, it feels like a different game and I don't wanna be, you know, I don't wanna put too fine a point on that, but it just feels like, it's like,

now there's a T and there's a green and kind of in between, I don't know, man, you just kind of, you just kind of see what's out there when you get out there. And it's very rugged is such a cliche, but it's so, like a lot of golf courses call themselves rugged. This is actual, actually rugged. You know, it actually feels like a field, it just doesn't feel like they changed much.

And it just, it's got some of the old patchy fairways from the old course. So they re-grasp some of it. They maintain some of the Apache, like just not pristine fairways, which I dug the hell out of that. That was awesome. Wait, was that, I don't think that was necessarily part of the plan or the charm? I think that was just because they rushed opening.

I don't know exactly, but they have some old-ass fairways. For sure, but I thought, there wasn't any rhyme or reason to it. It was just where the old course was and they didn't kill that grass off. They're just trying to meld it with where they put new grass. I would say that's probably a flop of the course. I liked it.

I thought it was cool. I thought it was cool too. And I think golf has a bad habit of kind of trying to pretend like you're out in a natural setting. Like there's nothing, 99% of the golf courses in the world. I mean, there's like nothing natural about them, right? Like they didn't exist and somebody just found them. Like they were clearly man-made.

They're clearly, you moved a bunch of shit to build them. And the sheep ranch just, it feels like it's close to kind of natural golf as I think you can get. I don't know if that makes sense or if that's overly emotional. No, I think that's right. I think it's interesting. You know, you were saying rugged. And there is some, I guess, ruggedness to the conditioning, but the word that jumps from my mind

is there's a softness to sheep ranch that it's it's comfortable in a way that Pacific dunes isn't in a way that band and dunes Bannon dunes a little bit more so but band and dunes isn't and so you just it's a place I mean, I wouldn't as tron play really good golf and some of that again is the wind the wind Just a hint of wind, but I think when it is the win. The win just a hint of win. But I think when it is like that, it's just such a, it's a place that just can bring out really good scoring, really good feeling. Yeah, feeling about, it may even, you know, laws you into like, hey, I could be a pretty good player.

It's like the golf doesn't get, get in the way of the walk. Yes. If you're going out there to like critique the golf course, you're doing sheep ranch wrong. Yeah. Like it is, and we've been really fortunate to see a lot of really cool places and we say that a lot, but like this felt different.

Like we got in the most ideal morning possible for it, I think, but it just hit. It really hit and I know, in my head, I was like, we should play in the afternoon because the sun will be setting right there in the morning. It was so beautiful. And you know, everyone on property had advised us like, if you play in the afternoon, the wind really picks up there and what might blow you off the golf course. So I think it's something to where if you want to take a couple of holes, like just kind

of coast for a couple of holes and not really, you know, just lose focus a little bit. Like you can't do that a specific doons because you're just going to be in your pocket. Yeah. Or you can't do that at band and even you're going to be in your pocket. You're going to be in bunkers. Like, here, you can do that and kind of just coast and make an easy bogey or whatever. And like that, like, that's nice to know that you've got that in your back pocket. The whole, like, I was super interested to see how the no bunkers thing would work, or no sand bunkers.

Like, there's grass bunkers carved out everywhere. It's still kind of catch your eye. You don't want to hit it there. And I think as the course develops, it'll probably, like, that grass will get longer in certain spots, and like, there will be kind of a half-shot penalty in some of those spots. So I think it maybe doesn't catch your eye as much off the tee because there's not a whole lot of aiming points with those bunkers. But as far as the approach shots into the greens, it's spectacular.

I thought it was a better version of Cabot Cliff. Oh yeah, my opinion. I think it's the best opening hole I've ever played. Yeah. I'm struggling to think of one. The par-5 first, it wraps around to the left and the green sits right on the ocean. Like it hits you first hole, you hit the ocean. And it's part of the strategy of like this weird property

of, you know, you have to attack it kind of straight on and then kind of come back from it and attack it back straight on. And if you just look overhead at the routing that Randy's got up on his screen right now, it's just fascinating how they got this many holes on the coast like I I don't know how many there are eight nine ten holes That are straight on the ocean and it never gets old. It's not repetitive the each each time you hit it. It's unique and Three five like there's those those par three is awesome. I

Thought six was so cool a better version of the 17th hole at Cabot thought six was a better version of the 17th-Holot Cabot Cliffs and a better version. It's a marriage of the 17th-Holot Cabot Cliffs and the fourth-Holot Pacific Dunes. And it's an infinitely better version of both holes, I think. I've never seen anything like that sixth hole. It is so freaking cool.

I think it's a very romantic round of golf. Yes. This is like Pacific Dunes is very technical. This is very romantic and kind of emotional. That's totally, and I know that it sounds ridiculous to talk about a golf course that way, but I walked off of it and I was like that, and I still feel this way.

Without hyperbole, that's the coolest, most like soulful round of like walk that I've ever had in golf. And I couldn't even sit here and tell you like, I couldn't name all the golf holes probably. Like I don't, it sounds dooshy, but it's like, that's not what it's about. It just just get out there with like some people you really like and have a great cup of coffee

and a great morning. I mean, if you walked that place every day at 6.30 in the morning, I think you crack the codes to a lot of what ails people. 11 was the closest like I've played such a good part five. It plays up into this dune into this little totally inland hole. Yeah, and you know uphill part five got put one in the fairway there. And then from there, it's like you're just you're really like that's an

exhilarating second shot exhilarating third shot. If you have it. Like that was how friars that is. And then I thought the weakest hole was probably the one after that, 12. Just really, just kind of firing back into the middle of the property. Yeah, just kind of a nothing hole.

12's a good example though, where you're talking about, the criticism I could see is like, there's no real interest off the tee and you just kind of bang it anywhere. And that's because there's not really, in a lot of holes, like there's not really like the fairway starts here and ends here.

I mean, it's just you're playing in like a big field, right? Like you can, yeah, man, hit it anywhere, like literally anywhere. And that wouldn't be, I got caught in the cross bunker, the grass bunker, there's a little bit to 12. I think it's, yeah, I think it, it's hard to, it's hard to like, like, start talking about the holes again and then not go back to like, yeah, we're just talking about a spiritual walk. And the part of threes, the part of threes are honestly kind of, that's the only part I get confused because like, all of them essentially go towards the ocean or next to it.

Kind of tear down towards the ocean where there's just these rolling, kind of rolling humps all the way down. I thought 14 was really cool too. There's this massive, massive mound in the middle of the fairway. The fairway kind of goes over that. And if you bang it over the hill up the right,

you got this great angle at the green, but farther left you go, you know, the worst your stance and the worst your angle. Like that was a cool hole. I could see that would be a good angle is on 14. If you can go left and you're chipping up the hill from it, right is kind of where it kind of, that's where the beef that our caddy had on that one was like,

all the balls kind of feed down to the right and that's a tougher angle. I could see that would be an a tough one for caddy where people could hit it 300 yards apart from each other. And Squid was saying too, he's like, yeah, the majority of the people I, Katty for like they can't get over this hill. So it's kind of, it's a blind second shot in for them.

But yeah, and then I thought, you know, 16, really 15, 16, 17, 18. Oh my God, it was 17. It was crazy. So freaking cool. You gotta get to 17. I got, I hope they never lose those trees along 17. I'm out. But get out there, if there's a possibility that those trees disappear one day, it's

gonna make 17 a lot less special. Neil, did we cover it all? Well, I got a couple things to say. I don't, I'm not woke enough to think about routing very often on a golf course. You're getting there. I'm getting there, but I'm not woke enough to think about routing very often on a golf course. You're getting there. I'm getting there, but I'm not to that level of enlightenment yet. The routing were mounted in the game of pinball immediately.

You nailed it. The first hole is electric, but you come down. It's almost like, you know, when you pull the spring back in a pinball machine, you come straight down the side of the property and then it just shoots you out. And then you're kind of like bouncing back and forth. Like sometimes you hit a couple switchbacks and then it kind of extends for a while and then a couple switchbacks.

So it's all over the map and then you come all the way back to that side of the property when you finish on 18. So I would call out that that stuck out to me on the first go around. And I feel like the the course it's almost like the last 20 years of bandin has been a big focus group. I feel like it's the perfect resort course. It's it they learned like okay in the wind like we need to make this playable in the wind. I think that course is probably the most playable in the wind. So it

was great. We played in the morning, but I don't want to say like I like I'd ask you guys this. Would you rather play there in the afternoon versus Pacific Dune? Like that it seems like that would be the play. It's probably the most playable in the wind as far as the course goes, but it's probably the highest winds on the whole property. Yeah, exactly. It's just out on the point. There's a lot going on with those greens. And if you get going downwind on some of those,

that would have been a lot to handle, I think. So I know that my point is they learned. They learned from, you know, the other four courses, okay, well, like, you know, grass bunkers might be the play here. Like, let's make this enjoyable for golfers of all skill level. It's a long epic cruising blue to use this game analogy. I was kind of thinking that same thing, Neil, where I think it does, you can make an argument that it does kind of take almost the best parts of all the golf courses there.

You have kind of like the soul of Old Mac, you have the beautiful walk of trails, you have some of the stark ocean views of Bannon and Pacific and you kind of roll them all up into this thing that is just, I'm kind of almost at like a loss of words. It's just, it's unlike anything I've ever played. I was gonna say, and for being just, you know, less than a mile down the coast or whatever it is, like it's crazy that you can feel that differently about two different golf courses.

Well, it with what they have at band and in Pacific, if you're gonna do coastline, you gotta hit like extra hard. Like, it couldn't be just as good view wise as the other ones it had to like really smash and it does. If you go, look, if you get blown off the golf course, if you have bad weather, if you truly have the worst round of your life, I can see you're not having fun there, but honestly, if you go and play sheep ranch and don't enjoy it, you and I are not going to be good friends, I don't think.

I just don't, I don't know how golf gets much more fun than that. Like, is it a perfect golf course? No, I will not say that, but it is so many fun holes and maybe the most perfect setting. 18 is like a 436 par five, which I don't know why it's par five. If you just put part like a scorecard. Yeah, no that goes to the resort, like the focus group thing. It was like, you know what, let's end it on a part,

like an easy par five, because everybody will come off and be like, man, how about that birdie? You know, the 15 handy caper, like, oh, you know what, let's end it on a part, like an easy part five, because everybody will come off and be like, man, how about that birdie? You know, the 15 handy caper, like, oh, you know what, birdie the last one. What a great feeling that is. Yeah, it's very true. That was a great, a fun hole, a really good hole. It just didn't, it was.

I thought 16, 17, 18 were exactly what I wanted. 16, 17, 18 to be a cabit clip. I am into that. I am into that. Like, just like 16 16 the par three, you know, they kind of goes through the dune and a couple that we met when we're out there.

She had a putter hole in one. A putter hole in one the day prior. We saw them at McKee's and, you know, there was a variety of different ways to play that shot. And then 17, the green just right up against the cliff there. It's so good. 17 and 16 were just absolute treats.

So I think that covers sheep ranch. One critique, along with 18 should be a part four. I would say the logo, they need to drop the SNR and resize the shepherdepherds cane. Crook. Crook, that should be a sheep. Make it a lamb. I was, I'm not a wild, not wild about the logo.

I was in there, I was like, as I've said many times, that's the coolest walk I've ever had. Please let me buy some of your merch to, you know, evangelize and yeah, I just didn't like the logo. Couldn't get into it. It's overly minimal. It's overly minimal without any like risk. Yeah, you know.

It's like, yeah. Yeah, make it a little bit of a like, if you know, you know, got your butt. Yeah, you don't need the S in the R. The best logo on properties by far is preserve. Agree. Yeah, I think that's fair. I like band and dunes logo, with the puffin.

But. All right, that's gonna bring it into part one of this podcast. Part two will be out Tuesday and don't forget to mark your calendars to tune into our season premiere of Taurus sauce this Tuesday I believe 8 p.m. Might be 9 p.m. Haven't decided yet exactly, but Tuesday night market calendars Taurus sauce season six and stay tuned as well for Tuesday's part two cheers Cheers. I Expect anything different