Oregon Golf Course Reviews
Old MacDonald Golf Course Review
Bandon, OR
74.4 rating; 131 slope |
Old MacDonald Golf Scorecard from the longest tees as of the date of last review
Other Great Golf Course Reviews:
Pebble Beach Golf Links | Chambers Bay Golf | Bandon Dunes | Pacific Dunes | Bandon Trails
Pebble Beach Golf Links | Chambers Bay Golf | Bandon Dunes | Pacific Dunes | Bandon Trails
Old MacDonald Overview: The fourth edition to the Bandon group of courses is the tribute to the golf design of Charles Blair MacDonald, yielding the rather unconventional golf course name. What this also did is allow Tom Doak to create a very unusual golf course using design features the namesake borrowed himself from classic links courses in the British Isles. Thus, whereas the normal golf course may have 2 or 3 of these famous designs, this one has over a dozen. The result is an innovative and punishing design with what the author considers the most difficult collection of green complexes around, that will plague those with bad short games. Located on a beautiful plot of land harkening back to Scotland, complete with the resplendent "Ghost Tree", the author expects this golf course to be adored by some and despised by others. The best golf holes are reviewed below:
Old MacDonald Hole 1: The first shot of the day is as close to a "freebie" as one gets on a golf course. This par four is short and, although sand traps are present, there is so much room to miss them, that the player can pretty much hit anything they want and have a short shot into the green. The green, however, is big and undulating, like most will be all day, so it serves as a needed warmup, but can yield an opening three putt.
Old MacDonald Hole 3 (left and below): After a fairly straightforward opening two golf holes, the golfer gets the first real scare of the day: the blind tee shot on the third hole. With a massive "ghost" tree dead center of the dune, the golfer knows they must hit it high, long and close to the tree, but not into it. From the plateau in the fairway, the golfer is treated to a very wide fairway and the vista of the rest of the course and the ocean before them before they turn attention to the downhill and extremely undulating green complex.
Old MacDonald Hole 4: The "hog’s back" golf hole is an exercise in brutality. At over 500 yards from the tips, this par four is relentless, and that’s after a successful drive that catches the backside of the hog’s back. Anything other than perfection on the drive will yield a long second and a tough chance at par. Any pin placement on the far left of the green is practically impossible to get within 30 feet of and going long is not a great option either.
Old MacDonald Hole 5: After the brutality of number 4 it is almost cruel to have a short par three to remind the golfer that finesse is also required to score well out here. This one features a massively wide and deep green with all kinds of tiers and pin placements, demanding accuracy and distance control.
Old MacDonald Hole 6: I cannot say this hole is one of the better on the course, but for those that have not played some of the iconic Scottish courses called "Long" or seen the cardinal or hell bunker complexes over there, the second shot on this straight away par five will give them that memorable chance. When this hole plays into a prevailing wind, it also ends up being every bit a three shot hole.
Old MacDonald Hole 7: The signature hole is not a replication but a unique hole with an easy drive (the golfer just can't go left into the forest of gorse bushes) followed by a very difficult, uphill shot to a green fronted by an enormously deep bunker and flanked by more sand and a steep hill heading down towards gorse and the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, with bunkers behind as well. Picture is taken from back-right of green.
Old MacDonald Hole 8: The "Biarritz" hole is a downhill par three with a massive green. The design element here is the massive sunken dip in the middle of the green that separates the front and back "plateaus" of the putting surface. Club selection is key (and tricky) as the player needs to weigh distance, wind, downhill and trajectory so as to not end up in the wrong section of the huge green. The pin will almost certainly be on the back tier.
Old MacDonald Hole 9: Not overly long, picturesque or demanding, the ninth is still an enjoyable par dogleg right par four that snakes its way between hard pan and a very large quantity of sand on both sides of the fairway. The green, as usual, has all sorts of humps and undulations. An aggressive drive can cut the corner and leave a chip to the green but going right will leave bad lies or bunker shots most likely.
Old MacDonald Hole 11: The “road hole” must be mentioned as a great replica of the second shot of number 17 at St. Andrews Old Course. The tee shot has a dogleg, but it is from an elevated tee, there is no hotel to hit around and there is not actual road or wall behind the green, but the road bunker, although not as deep, does a good job of recreating the angle of the approach shot and choices that the famous golfers have faced in this tribute hole. In other words, Doak did a good job of creating a cousin to the original, and one where par is tough to attain.
Old MacDonald Hole 13: This is not the most memorable hole on the course, but the drive needs to avoid the bunkers and the uphill second shot is intriguing as the green is very wide and runs strongly left to right. Thus, left pins need to be gone at or aimed almost left of the green whereas right pins, if missed too far left, will have a very nasty, downhill putt over a tier.
Old MacDonald Hole 14: This short par four is an uphill dogleg left. The real mistake is to find the bunkers left of the fairway and green. However, from any angle and distance, the green is a tough one, shallow, with three distinct levels and shots that miss in pretty much any direction will find very difficult up and downs awaiting them.
Old MacDonald Hole 15: This par five is not difficult as long as the golfer avoids the bunkers and gorse right of the fairway on the tee shot as well as the cavernous bunker about 50 yards from the green. If they do not, then they are dead. That green complex has a stunning view of the Oregon coastline.
Old MacDonald Hole 16: Called "Alps" this hole is crafted after the design element found at Prestwick, in Scotland. Here, the hole is much longer, and the "mountain" that the golfer has to clear on the second is a bit lower so the player can actually see portions of the green (which is undulating), if they are far enough right in the fairway. However, there is the hidden bunker over the dune and another couple right and left of the green making this long par four one of the hardest on property.
Old MacDonald Hole 17: This par five offers a really wide fairway, but for those that want to brave the hazard on the right, they can cut distance and go for the green in two as the only real defense the green has is the large bunker on the left side of the fairway about 30 yards short of it, but going left from tee to green will bring in the hazard over there so some caution is warranted. Played as a three shot hole, it is fairly simple.
Old MacDonald Hole 18: The round's final hole plays opposite the first hole, and has a very wide landing zone. Avoiding the various bunkers is the main job for the tee shot. From there, the golfer will play over a couple of mounds fronting the punchbowl green. Most pins are right of center and shots can feed towards the hole.
