Arg's Travel Log

[Argonne69]

1 hour ago, cjblake09 said:

I hate that Par 3 9th hole!  It is a fun layout and the conditions use to be better that the current state unfortunately.  

 

Are you going to try their new sister course Highland Pines that just opened?

 

Unfortunately not unless the forecast for Saturday changes. 

[SnowbirdTom]

12 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Unfortunately not unless the forecast for Saturday changes. 

 

Have faith.  I'm fully intending to be at Tradition at 7 that morning.  Looking at the hourly forecast for Saturday shows sporadic showers now.  Just a bit on the cool side in the high 40s.  Easy peasy and keeps the local course traffic down.  lol

[Argonne69]

Not the best day. Time for a little kvetching. Let's start with the weatherman. 10% chance for rain? Good idea to leave the rain gear in the loaner. Starting raining lightly on and off a few holes in, and started getting heavy the final three holes. Temperature dropped 10 degrees. Probably wouldn't have gotten as wet if the three bozos in front of us had any concept about using a cart. Is it really that difficult to drop a player off with their club(s), and then drive over to your ball? Instead we get to see both carts sitting together in the fairway, and then drive across the fairway after one of the players hits. Grrr. Can't begin to count the number of times a starter has told me that I was playing behind early morning rabbits, and that I'd never catch them. Yeah, right. Caught them on the 3rd hole today. Finished the round and called the car dealer to check on my CR-V. I called yesterday, and was told that the gas tank had arrived, and that it was being worked on. Figured I'd be able to pick it up today, and be on the road Sunday as originally scheduled. Called the place today and was told that one of the parts still hasn't arrived, and they're not sure when it will show up. Might find out tomorrow, so I'm left hanging with my travel plans and RV reservations. No idea why they didn't mention the missing part yesterday. 

 

Anyway, played the Cypress course at Cypresswood today. Enjoyable, but nothing to get excited about. Solid parkland layout with a good mix of left/right holes, and water in play on at least half of them. Another flat layout, but a bit of mounding on a few holes helped. Fairway bunkering was non-existent. Greenside was decent. 

 

With no fairway bunkers, tee shots were rather straightforward. Working the ball on the sweepers was needed to keep the ball in the short grass. Misses weren't terribly penal, as the trees were fairly sparse. Approaches were a little tougher. Many greens were elevated with good bunkering. Up and downs were fairly easy, as the greens weren't overly tough. Putting was a little trickier because the greens were simply dog slow. 

 

Par 3s were decent. No 'Wow', but fairly challenging. 5s were meh. Nothing reachable and no risk/reward. Only one short 4, and it was also meh. 

 

Conditions were spotty. Overseeded fairways were soft and thin in spots. Rough was trampled. Bunkers were decent. Greens were only rolling 8. Left most putts short. 

 

Played a Blue/Green combo at 6530 yds (72.3/126). Me thinks green would have been sufficient. Another bipolar day with the driver, and combined with the rain it was an up and down day. One birdie and eight bogies. Highlight of the day was the single who joined me on the 6th hole. Retired Army sergeant, and a great guy. Had plenty to chat about while we waited on every shot. 

 

I'll give Cypress 4 cows. Par 5s need spice. Course needs some fun short 4s. $53 walking on a Friday wasn't crazy. I'd probably play Tradition 7/10 times. 

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

The Cypress course at Cypresswood. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zyjzg7iml6p1tos/AAASEog8XdYgnWuwFO6xq8Axa?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Back to Thistle Draftshop for the second highlight of the day. Went to snag another pour of the Quad "Mystery" beer, and they just tapped a Destihl Dosvidanya Rye Barrel imperial stout. That was seriously good on a cold, wet day. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Lol. Here's a bright spot on a gloomy day. I've had a few too many expensive, mediocre burgers recently, and I was expecting to be disappointed here at Thistle, but wow, that was oh so good. The Bleu Burger was excellent. I generally don't like bleu cheese on a burger, as it tends to overpower the taste. This one was just right. Garlic aioli, caramelized beer onions, and smoked bacon. The bacon was nice and salty. Most burger bacon is meh at best. The bun was buttered and toasted to perfection. The fries were perfect. Too many pricey pub burgers with crummy fries, but these were hot, crispy, and just the right amount of salt. Big thumbs up!

 

 

[Argonne69]

Have you ever banged your head on a wall hoping that the next impact will dull the pain? Got a call this afternoon from the dealer, and they were able to locate the "missing" part at another dealer in Houston, and were sending someone over to pick it up. Hopefully I'll have the vehicle back tomorrow. Not holding my breath. 

 

Now, they've had the thing since Sunday, and knew what parts were needed. They got the gas tank two days ago, and starting working on it. Did anyone think that it would be wise to check for the other parts at some point this week so we wouldn't get to Friday and discover that the job couldn't be finished? Oy. Veh. 

 

Once again I guess I should be thankful that the part is (hopefully) in the area, but the job should have been finished by now. 

 

I'm probably going to take the day off tomorrow. I managed to leave my umbrella and bag cover in my CR-V, and I don't really want to play another round in the rain tomorrow without them. I've played 12 rounds in Houston over the past 15 days, and one more round isn't going to make or break the trip. If the calf isn't ready tomorrow I can book a round for Sunday given that I'll have to stay another day. I'll check the forecast in the morning before making a final decision. Either way it's been a fun stay. 

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

The saga continues. I feel like I'm trapped in a Three Stooges episode. The dealer sent someone across town to the other dealer to pick up the part yesterday afternoon, and when they get there they were told that the part was shipped via UPS to my dealer instead of being held for pickup, even though my dealer told them someone would be there to pick it up. So now the part is in the hands of UPS with a possible delivery Monday afternoon if I'm lucky. Being UPS, I'm sure the part is on its was to Denver. Oy. Best case I'll have the CR-V back late Monday, but I figure Tuesday is a better guess. With the tracking number my service guy should have an idea on Monday if the part is out for delivery. 

 

Booked Panorama for tomorrow, and Highland Pines for Monday. Forecast looks good. Tuesday looks like a washout, so hopefully I'll be on the road to Beaumont. 

 

 

Edited January 21, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

High octane goodness. Copperhead Brewery in Conroe. Only a handful of taps, but their specialty is barrel aged imperial stouts. Jackpot.. 

 

 

 

Edited January 21, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

And now for something completely different. Oy. I know better than to hit a restaurant near a mall. Excellent top shelf margarita, but the rest of the menu is your typical over priced fare. $26 for enchiladas? Ugh. At least it's tasty. 

 

 

 

[ThinkingPlus]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

And now for something completely different. Oy. I know better than to hit a restaurant near a mall. Excellent top shelf margarita, but the rest of the menu is your typical over priced fare. $26 for enchiladas? Ugh. At least it's tasty. 

 

 

 

Chicken mole enchiladas?

[jjr]

I'll bet you a burger and a beer the CRV is not ready as expected, something else will happen, can't tell you why I know aside from I see these crazy things happening near me all the time.

 

I hope I'm wrong though.

 

I don't eat meat and that burger looks amazing!

[Argonne69]

10 hours ago, ThinkingPlus said:

Chicken mole enchiladas?

 

Unfortunately not. I was looking forward to mole, but they didn't have it on the menu. Three enchiladas with verde sauce, red sauce, and sour cream and cheese sauce.

 

[Argonne69]

7 hours ago, jjr said:

I'll bet you a burger and a beer the CRV is not ready as expected, something else will happen, can't tell you why I know aside from I see these crazy things happening near me all the time.

 

I hope I'm wrong though.

 

I don't eat meat and that burger looks amazing!

 

I wouldn't take that bet. The way it's going there's something bound to happen. My guess is that UPS will temporarily lose the package, and it'll be delayed a few days. Then they'll find another issue with the thing when they take it for a test drive.

 

[ThinkingPlus]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Unfortunately not. I was looking forward to mole, but they didn't have it on the menu. Three enchiladas with verde sauce, red sauce, and sour cream and cheese sauce.

 

Finding good mole here in Texas seems harder than it should be. Down here in the RGV, I don't think I have ever seen mole on any menu.  Sad.

[Argonne69]

Enjoyable morning on a rather mundane course. Cool temps, but plenty of sunshine and light winds. Big thanks to the starter for letting me go out as a single to try to catch the leadoff threesome in front of me. I caught them a couple of times, but they were moving at a great clip, so I simply held back and we all finished in less than 3 hours. Nice to have actual rabbits out there on a weekend morning. Never saw the group behind me. 

 

Panorama GC today. Played the Thunderbird and Rolling Hills nines. Rolling Hills? Lol. I sure didn't see any. OK, one hill on the 7th. Quite a bland parkland layout routing through a housing development with homes pinching both sides of the fairways. Very little left or right movement, and very little elevation change. The 6th and 7th holes on Thunderbird played uphill and downhill, but that was about it. Water in play on just a couple of holes, including the island green par 3 3rd on RH. Don't recall seeing a single fairway bunker. Greenside bunkering was decent. 

 

Moderately difficult off the tee. Felt tight with the tall trees and OB just a few yards away on both sides of most holes. Misses were trouble, as the thin slice of rough was cut very low, and then the hard pan took over to the OB stakes. Approaches were tough as well. Greens were small, and generally well guarded. A handful were elevated, but most were close to fairway height. Up and downs and putting were tricky due to the green contours. Not crazy, but plenty to deal with. Lies around the greens were also spotty, so pitches from the hard pan were dicey. 

 

Other than the island green par 3, the others were meh. 5s were ho hum. The 8th on TB was reachable, but no risk/reward. The 9th on RH has a pond guarding the front of the green, but it really wasn't in play for a moderate hitter. A big drive would bring it into play. Short 4s were benign. 

 

Conditions were on the soft side from two days of light rain. Fairways had a few iffy spots, but were generally playable. Rough was cut low and/or matted down. Bunkers had a decent amount of sand, but it was heavily compacted. Need to put some back into it, crew. Greens were a little bumpy, and only rolling 9. 

 

Played the Blue tees at 6351 yds (71.4/130). Same old story. Decent round with the driver, but a few too many long approaches in the soft conditions to the small greens. Couldn't buy a putt on the slow greens with that much break. Six bogies and a double. Did manage one 15' par putt. 

 

I'll be nice and give it 4 cows. Playable, but uninspiring. Definitely liked the greens, though. $52 to walk on a weekend was fine. Can't say I'd recommend it, but for locals it's a decent track for an occasional change of pace. 

 

Edited January 22, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Panorama GC (Thunderbird / Rolling Hills), Panorama Village, TX 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dv0z8l9vv0ubs80/AACUDvkHI9MOvJOKQCd8C-fOa?dl=0

 

[tw422]

21 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

High octane goodness. Copperhead Brewery in Conroe. Only a handful of taps, but their specialty is barrel aged imperial stouts. Jackpot.. 

 

 

 

Did you try the King of Terrors Barrel Aged Wild Turkey?!?  

[Argonne69]

15 minutes ago, tw422 said:

Did you try the King of Terrors Barrel Aged Wild Turkey?!?  

 

Yeah, I got a full pour of the Wild Turkey. The owner was kind enough to give me a taste of the other variants. 'Good stuff.

 

[TBone0576]

I've noticed that what I am assuming is the new driver, has been giving you troubles.   Did you keep the old or trade it in?   Is it a consistent miss or is it all over the place?  Just curious. 

[Argonne69]

56 minutes ago, TBone0576 said:

I've noticed that what I am assuming is the new driver, has been giving you troubles.   Did you keep the old or trade it in?   Is it a consistent miss or is it all over the place?  Just curious. 

 

I kept the old one. Nobody should get rid of a G400 Max. Lol. 

 

The same old miss, low and left. I picked up a new shaft yesterday, an Aldila Ascent Red 50. Weird swinging a 50 gram shaft after playing a 65 gram one for years. Added some lead tape out near the toe, and set the head in the flat position. So far it's been very good this morning. 

 

[503Mike]

21 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Yeah, I got a full pour of the Wild Turkey. The owner was kind enough to give me a taste of the other variants. 'Good stuff.

 

Love that they list the distiller for their barrel aged stuff. Too many brewers that barrel age will only say "aged in bourbon barrels" or something similar, without calling out the actual spirit the barrel previously held. If chef's say you should only cook with wine you'd actually drink, I have to believe you should only age beer in barrels of spirits you'd actually drink.

[Argonne69]

Simply gorgeous day. Cold start again, but that sun was just so nice. First one out on the course, and although I had to play leapfrog with the greens mower for a few holes on the front, and dodge a few crews grooming bunkers, I had the beautiful course to myself. 

 

Highland Pines today. First course I've ever played where I had to pay a toll to get to the course. The housing development that contains the course sits off of Highway 99, and as far as I could tell there is no other way into the development. Lol. The beautiful parkland layout opened last November, so there are still a few growing pains. Trailer for a clubhouse. Sodded areas around the course. Greens as firm as pool tables. No big deals frankly. I assume at some point in the future there will be homes lining many of the holes, but for now there's just one hole on the back with houses. Otherwise it's you and nature. Nice mix of left/right holes. Water in play on just over half the holes, including the forced carry on the opening hole. Fairway bunkering was light. Greenside much better. Fairly flat layout, but there are a couple of nice elevated tees. 

 

I thought it was fairly generous off the tee with the light bunkering. Rough was fairly wide, so minor misses weren't overly penal. Approaches were tougher, though. Well defended and firm. Landed a few approach shots in the front of the green, but was putting from the back. Up and downs were tricky. Greens were quick, and chips could easily run well past the hole. Putting was also a challenge with well contoured, speedy greens. 

 

Par 3s were very good. The 4th and 12th were simply long, and the 8th and 17th had forced carries. 5s were also very good. The 6th was bland, but the 9th was a solid risk/reward hole with the green tucked behind a pond. The 15th was excellent with a split fairway with trees in the middle. Left was the safe, but longer route. The right was shorter, but had three bunkers on the left side, and water right. Pull off a perfect drive and it was a long iron in. The 18th was reachable, but little risk other than the big hump dissecting the large green. Just one short 4, the 7th. Water right, but the narrow green is the defense. 

 

Conditions were very good. Actually getting some rollout in the fairway. Rough was decent. Didn't find the sand, but it looked good. Greens were very firm. I fixed one small ballmark all day. Speed was a good 11. 

 

Played a Green/Gold combo at 6400 yds. It doesn't appear that the course has been rated yet. Heck, I was playing blind out there, as my SkyCaddie doesn't have the course in its database. 'Really need to pick up a cheap rangefinder for days like this. Oh, so close. Three birdies and five bogies. Highlight of the day was my approach on the par 4 13th. Found the right rough on a downslope. With water left I was simply trying to hit a low runner to the front right of the green. Executed the shot, but lost sight of the ball. Walked up to find it 3 feet from the pin. Also had a sweet 15' par saving putt on the 11th after a nice high flop from the rough short and right. 

 

Can't say enough good things about the new driver shaft. Stopped at PGA Superstore yesterday to see if they could sell me an Alta CB Slate, one of the available shafts for the G425, but they couldn't without handing in the Tensei. Didn't want to do that, so I was rummaging in their used/demo bins for shafts and and found a stiff Aldila Ascent Red (50g). It's supposed to be a high/mid launch shaft that doesn't add spin. The shaft retails for $250, but the demo was $49. Add a Ping adapter for $30, and subtract my $10 PGAS credit, and I had another option. It's not perfect, but it's certainly higher and straighter than the Tensei. Easy to hit mid launch draws and fades. Just feels weird swinging a 50g shaft. 

 

I think I have to give HL 7 cows. At $108 it's overpriced for the area. I'd play it occasionally as a local, but it wouldn't be a weekly stop. I'd like to see a couple more short 4s. The reachable 18th could use a bit of danger near the green, but those are minor quibbles. Hopefully they don't start clear cutting the trees and putting in houses. 

 

[Argonne69]

Highland Pines GC, Porter, TX 

 

38 degrees. Forced carry with a crossing bunker on the 1st? Oy. Lol. 

 

 

 

Par 3 8th 

 

 

Go, no go decision on the 9th 

 

 

Looking back from the 10th 

 

 

One of the unique things about the course was the use of tree repurposed flatcars for bridges on the back. 

 

 

The split par 5 15th 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/d6nzb2k1hthyq1s/AAALdARSoOgKdFHE5HGyEHWCa?dl=0

 

 

[Argonne69]

Not much open on a Monday morning, so it's back to my favorite local taproom, Thistle. Can't say enough about the Destihl Dosvidanya Rye Barrel imperial stout. 

 

 

Called the Honda dealer this morning after my round. Of course my service agent called in sick. The person I spoke with had no clue about the possibility of the delivery of my missing part. I'll call back later, but it sure looks like I'll be in town for at least another day. Frustrating to say the least. 

 

[Argonne69]

A bit of a dilemma. I've played 975ish courses. I timed it just right to hit Pebble Beach as #400, and The Old Course at St Andrews as #500. Didn't really think that I'd get to 1000. I'm on track to play my 1000th in late February or early March. I have a recurring dream that a member of August National hears about my journey to and invites me to play there. Lol. Yeah, right. For starters the course is probably going to be closed for the Masters at that point. 

 

So, what do I do? The easiest thing to do is simply play whatever local course in Georgia pops up at the time. However, I'm not opposed to hopping on a plane and flying somewhere if I can get on a high ranked course. Two options that jump out are Shadow Creek and Teeth of the Dog. SC is the only top 10 course on Golf Digest's Top 100 Public Course that I haven't played. I was going to play it in 2024 when I'm in Nevada. TotD is the only course on Golf Magazine's Top 100 list that I haven't played. 

 

So, what do you think? Pack my clubs and hop on a plane to play either course? I'd hate to "waste" number 1000 on a goat track, but I'm not sure either is worthy of the title. Since I don't have a pro to call in a favor, the chances of playing a top private course is pretty slim. Sigh. First world problems. Lol. 

 

Edited January 23, 2023 by Argonne69

[mci711]

27 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

A bit of a dilemma. I've played 975ish courses. I timed it just right to hit Pebble Beach as #400, and The Old Course at St Andrews as #500. Didn't really think that I'd get to 1000. I'm on track to play my 1000th in late February or early March. I have a recurring dream that a member of August National hears about my journey to and invites me to play there. Lol. Yeah, right. For starters the course is probably going to be closed for the Masters at that point. 

 

So, what do I do? The easiest thing to do is simply play whatever local course in Georgia pops up at the time. However, I'm not opposed to hopping on a plane and flying somewhere if I can get on a high ranked course. Two options that jump out are Shadow Creek and Teeth of the Dog. SC is the only top 10 course on Golf Digest's Top 100 Public Course that I haven't played. I was going to play it in 2024 when I'm in Nevada. TotD is the only course on Golf Magazine's Top 100 list that I haven't played. 

 

So, what do you think? Pack my clubs and hop on a plane to play either course? I'd hate to "waste" number 1000 on a goat track, but I'm not sure either is worthy of the title. Since I don't have a pro to call in a favor, the chances of playing a top private course is pretty slim. Sigh. First world problems. Lol. 

 

 

Shadow Creek! SC is the only top 10 I haven't played, but it feels like a perfect place for 1000. Got to stay at an MGM property - book a room at the Bellagio, play your 1000th round, then grab a steak a Prime. Download the MGM, Myblackjack or Myvegas app, play it while you're killing time in the RV and get a room comped. 

 

You can stay at any MGM to get on, the rates can be super cheap (excalibur/Luxur) to expensive (Bellagio/Aria) and a bunch in between. You do have to play Monday to I believe Wed, Maybe Thursday. 

Edited January 23, 2023 by mci711

[Argonne69]

8 minutes ago, mci711 said:

 

Shadow Creek! SC is the only top 10 I haven't played, but it feels like a perfect place for 1000. Got to stay at an MGM property - book a room at the Bellagio, play your 1000th round, then grab a steak a Prime. Download the MGM, Myblackjack or Myvegas app, play it while you're killing time in the RV and get a room comped. 

 

You can stay at any MGM to get on, the rates can be super cheap (excalibur/Luxur) to expensive (Bellagio/Aria) and a bunch in between. You do have to play Monday to I believe Wed, Maybe Thursday. 

 

Does the level of hotel improve your chances of a decent tee time? Hate to pony up for the Bellagio if a room at Excalibur would suffice. Not planning on spending much time in the room. Lol. 

 

[mci711]

1 minute ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Does the level of hotel improve your chances of a decent tee time? Hate to pony up for the Bellagio if a room at Excalibur would suffice. Not planning on spending much time in the room. Lol. 

 

 

I don't think it should matter. You book your room, then call the course. They'll ask for a reservation #. Last time I went I was staying at the Delano, which is mid level, and had no issue booking, but would have had to extend my stay a day and I couldn't make it work. 

 

I believe the hotel can call as well, I just thought it was easier taking it into my own hands. 

[Abh159]

8 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Does the level of hotel improve your chances of a decent tee time? Hate to pony up for the Bellagio if a room at Excalibur would suffice. Not planning on spending much time in the room. Lol. 

 

 

Probably not seeing as how that course is practically empty 99% of the time. However, if push comes to shove and they need to bump someone staying at their "budget property" for a high roller at the Bellagio then I think you know how that would go...

 

I think making Shadow Creek #1,000 would be a fun story. Just be prepared to spend some $$$$. After you account for travel, lodging, green fee, caddy fee, and etc. you'll easily be out $2,000+ (I want to say their peak season green fee is now $1,000). That being said the people I know who have played it said it was awesome. They treat you like a VIP and you'll feel like you own the course.

 

When asked you could always say you spent $1,000 to play your 1,000th course!

 

Edited January 23, 2023 by Abh159