Bandon Trails · Hole 3
Blue
355
White
280
Gold
215
Red
115
A shorter par 4 that offers a brief scoring opportunity within the tight forest stretch. The hole bends gently left through the trees, making driver inadvisable for most players. A well-placed tee shot opens up a short-iron approach to one of the more accessible greens on the front nine.
Shot-by-Shot Strategy
Tee Shot
Resist driver — a fairway wood or hybrid to 210 yards leaves the ideal short-iron approach distance. Driver can run through the bend in the fairway into trees or rough at the corner. Aim slightly right of the corner to cut off the dogleg and leave the best angle into the green. Control is everything.
Approach
Short iron from 130–150 yards to a green that is relatively accessible by Bandon Trails standards. Bunkers right and short of the green are the main obstacles — aim at the center or left-center portion of the putting surface. This is one of the few holes where a genuine birdie chance exists in the forest section.
Putting
The green is on the flatter side of the course's spectrum with a gentle front-to-back slope. Most putts are fairly straightforward reads. From the back, pace down — even here in the forest, Coore & Crenshaw greens roll truer and faster than they appear.
⚠Gotchas — What Kills Your Score
- •Driver runs through the corner into the trees — more players make bogey from this mistake than from any other on this hole.
- •The bunker short-right catches approach shots from players who instinctively protect left from the trees.
- •The hole appears shorter than it plays — the forest compresses distance perception. Trust your rangefinder over your eye.
Wind Intelligence
Full forest shelter makes wind essentially a non-factor on this hole. This is one of the calmest holes on the property. Use it to dial in distances before the heathland opens up. The range markers here are reliable — what you carry is what you carry, with no wind adjustment needed.
Hazard Map
- ▲Forest trees right at dogleg corner
- ▲Bunker short-right of green
- ▲Rough both sides of fairway