Bandon Trails · Hole 4
Blue
474
White
399
Gold
334
Red
234
The hardest hole on the course and one of the most demanding par 4s in the Pacific Northwest. At 474 yards through dense forest with a tight fairway, this hole requires a perfect drive and a long iron approach to a green that doesn't offer many friendlies. The course's highest rating is earned in large part because of holes like this one.
Shot-by-Shot Strategy
Tee Shot
Driver is mandatory — you must reach the fairway well past 250 yards to have any shot at the green in regulation. The forest corridor is the tightest of any par 4 on the course. Take a deep breath, aim at the center of the fairway, and make a controlled aggressive swing. A miss in the trees here almost certainly means a bogey at minimum.
Approach
Long iron or hybrid approach from 200+ yards to a green that is narrow and well-bunkered. In almost all conditions, a bogey finish here is acceptable and a par is excellent. Aim at the center of the green regardless of pin position — chasing tight pins on this hole leads to doubles. If you reach this green in regulation, two-putt and walk away happy.
Putting
The green is elevated slightly and slopes from back to front. From above the hole, pace is firm — this is one of the faster greens on the front nine. The back-to-front slope means most four-footers for par can slide out below the hole; read them carefully and never give up on pace.
⚠Gotchas — What Kills Your Score
- •This is not the hole to experiment with ball flight or club choice — pick driver, commit to center, and execute your stock swing.
- •The forest punishes blocks and pulls alike. Both sides of the fairway become unplayable very quickly — there is no room for error.
- •A bogey feels like a loss here but is almost always a scoring par relative to the field. Don't chase par on this hole to the point of making double.
Wind Intelligence
Despite the forest shelter, this hole runs in a direction that catches occasional canopy gaps. In a strong southwest blow, gusts funnel through the tree gaps and affect the long approach more than the tee shot. The approach can play a club longer than expected if the gap wind is into your face. Ask your caddie if they've felt a wind pattern on this approach from previous rounds.
Hazard Map
- ▲Dense forest both sides — tightest fairway corridor on the course
- ▲Bunkers left and right of green
- ▲Elevated green with back-to-front slope
- ▲200+ yard approach from typical drive distance