Arg's Travel Log

[Argonne69]

4 minutes ago, mci711 said:

Arg, I know you've talked about settling down at some point in the future. Have you thought about the Pinehurst area? I've been trying to get my wife to move down there ever since the beginning of covid. Hard to beat the quality/quantity of golf anywhere in the country really. Would be amazing to select from these courses on a daily basis.  It gets chilly, but nothing like Chicago! 

 

I still think the area is a little too sleepy for this city boy. Great resort courses, but not sure one can find inexpensive golf for 4 to 5 rounds a week. Gotta do more research on the non-resort offerings. 

 

I'm thinking Columbia or Raleigh might be more up my alley. It's a short drive to Pinehurst for an occasional getaway. 

 

[mci711]

Just now, Argonne69 said:

 

I still think the area is a little too sleepy for this city boy. Great resort courses, but not sure one can find inexpensive golf for 4 to 5 rounds a week. Gotta do more research on the non-resort offerings. 

 

I'm thinking Columbia or Raleigh might be more up my alley. It's a short drive to Pinehurst for an occasional getaway. 

 

 

Raleigh is great (and a more realistic location for my wife 😂.) Have you played all of the college courses in the area? 

[Argonne69]

6 minutes ago, mci711 said:

 

Raleigh is great (and a more realistic location for my wife 😂.) Have you played all of the college courses in the area? 

 

I played Duke and UNC Finley at the start of this trip in November 2021. I was hoping to play Lonnie Pool, and early tee times are impossible. 

 

[Argonne69]

It's been a while since I had some decent Asian. RedBowl Asian Bistro in Southern Pines. Starting with a tasty spring (summer) roll, and red snapper. 

 

 

 

So many bad or mediocre egg rolls out there. These are excellent. 

 

 

Spicy mango chicken and Mongolian beef. Top notch. Definitely worth a visit if you want quality Asian. 

 

 

Edited March 17, 2023 by Argonne69

[DE-ILLINI]

Wow.  Southern Pines looks fantastic.  I will definitely add that to my lists of must plays.  I want to get down and play the Pinehurst courses, but it looks like this is worth adding to the list.

[mmack067]

Just happened to be searching for Southern Pines info and turns out you're posting about it today! I'm playing it along with Mid Pines on the way to Augusta in a few short weeks. It's still winter here (ugh) so your photos have me dreaming of spending some time on the course. Love the review and I can't wait to get to play it!

Edited March 17, 2023 by mmack067

[Argonne69]

Drove to the Raleigh area this morning. Area is probably a bit of a stretch. There are only a couple of RV parks near the city, and they were all booked. Wound up 30 miles south in Benson, NC. I'll have drives of 30 to 45 minutes tomorrow and Monday for golf. 

 

Stopped in Fainting Goat Brewing Company in Benson. Small local company with 12 taps. The pecan porter isn't bad. Going to follow up with a tripel. 

 

 

I'm a huge fan of imperial stouts, especially bourbon barrel aged ones, but there are so many mediocre and bad ones out there that I'm getting gun shy about ordering one. On the other hand, I can't recall the last time I had a bad Belgian. The tripel here is excellent. 

 

 

I booked my final RV park in Louisville for this leg of my journey. I'll pass through the city on my way to Chicagoland after two days in Knoxville. 

 

Edited March 18, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Cold and breezy this morning. Sun felt nice, though. Pine Hollow today. Decent local parkland layout with a few moderate elevation changes. A few homes visible on the perimeter of the course, but nothing too distracting. Decent bunkering. A couple of sweepers/doglegs to mix it up. Water in play on five holes. 

 

Generous off the tee. Minor misses were somewhat of penal because there was actual rough on the course. Lol. Wild misses were goners. Approaches were moderately challenging. Greens were a good size, but plenty of contours near the edges could repel shots. Up and downs were tricky with the rough around the greens and the speedy putting surfaces. Putting required a delicate touch. Nothing crazy, but one couldn't get too aggressive. 

 

Par 3s were decent. Three were long, and the shorter 5th had a forced carry to a peninsula green. The three par 5s were mixed. The 2nd and 16th were benign three shot holes. The shortish 17th was very good risk/reward hole. Sweeper left with a bunker guarding the corner. Carry it and it was a green light. However, water guarded the right side of the green, and a bunker pinched the left side. The two short 4s were very good. Both were driveable for long hitters, and had solid bunkering. 

 

Conditions were very good. A few thin, dormant areas in the fairways, but otherwise playable. Rough wasn't deep, but exacted a cost. Bunkers had plenty of sand, but unfortunately it was compacted. Bust it up, please. Greens were a joy. Firm and fast. Had to be rolling at least 11. 

 

Played a Blue/White combo at 6240 yds on the par 71 layout (71.0/132). A couple of wonky drives cost a few strokes, but otherwise a solid round. Very defensive on the greens, but still managed to burn a few edges. One birdie and five bogies. Highlight of the day was my 2nd into the par 5 17th. With a front pin, there was little green to work with. Figured long was better than short, and hit a sweet high cut with a 9 wood to the middle of the green. Tough eagle putt, but I lagged it close for my sole birdie. 

 

I think PH merits 6 cows. Not quite a seven, but close. Solid layout and a great value at $51 to walk on a weekend. Would like to see a tough, short par 3. Can't say it's a destination course, but it's cer worth a visit if you're in the area. If I was a local it'd be a regular stop. 

 

Edited March 19, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Pine Hollow Golf Club, Clayton, NC 

 

 

 

 

 

Par 5 17th go/no-go 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1n6at43i1zafkm2/AACH2_s2o3joqFhoLgv99rl1a?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

A little disappointed with Cleveland Draft House in Clayton. 50+ taps with a good mix. Their online and bar menu lists Goose Island Double Barrel Rye Bourbon County imperial stout. Of course they've been out for over a week. Grrr. The Victory Berry Monkey is interesting. A very fruity Belgian tripel. Can't complain about a full pint of a brew that's normally served in a 10 ounce sniffer. Lol. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Oy veh. Deep River Brewing Company in Clayton. Quality local brewery with a nice mix, including a tasty Belgian Tripel and a barrel aged imperial stout. However, for the love of God, do not serve premium beers in plastic cups. If I wanted beer in plastic I'd go to a baseball game. The horror. 

 

 

Edited March 19, 2023 by Argonne69

[caniac6]

On 3/17/2023 at 12:12 PM, Argonne69 said:

 

I still think the area is a little too sleepy for this city boy. Great resort courses, but not sure one can find inexpensive golf for 4 to 5 rounds a week. Gotta do more research on the non-resort offerings. 

 

I'm thinking Columbia or Raleigh might be more up my alley. It's a short drive to Pinehurst for an occasional getaway. 

 

We considered moving there, but there was not enough things to do for my wife. All I need is golf and cable tv. We also looked into membership at Pinehurst. If you but property in Pinehurst with a membership attached, the initiation is doable, and considering the number courses, the monthly is reasonable. I was concerned that with all the tourists, access to the courses might be tough. The last time we were there was the middle of the summer, which is considered off season, and it was as busy as a beehive. When I called the membership office to ask some questions, the membership director told me he might have time to speak with me in about ten days. That pretty much convinced me to look elsewhere.

[caniac6]

21 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Drove to the Raleigh area this morning. Area is probably a bit of a stretch. There are only a couple of RV parks near the city, and they were all booked. Wound up 30 miles south in Benson, NC. I'll have drives of 30 to 45 minutes tomorrow and Monday for golf. 

 

Stopped in Fainting Goat Brewing Company in Benson. Small local company with 12 taps. The pecan porter isn't bad. Going to follow up with a tripel. 

 

 

I'm a huge fan of imperial stouts, especially bourbon barrel aged ones, but there are so many mediocre and bad ones out there that I'm getting gun shy about ordering one. On the other hand, I can't recall the last time I had a bad Belgian. The tripel here is excellent. 

 

 

I booked my final RV park in Louisville for this leg of my journey. I'll pass through the city on my way to Chicagoland after two days in Knoxville. 

 

Keith Hills in Buies Creek is a pretty good course, and not too far from Benson. It’s owned by Campbell University. They used to have really good hand squeezed orangeade, and lemonade. It was always in good shape, walking was allowed, and priced reasonably.

Edited March 19, 2023 by caniac6

[Argonne69]

1 hour ago, caniac6 said:

We considered moving there, but there was not enough things to do for my wife. All I need is golf and cable tv. We also looked into membership at Pinehurst. If you but property in Pinehurst with a membership attached, the initiation is doable, and considering the number courses, the monthly is reasonable. I was concerned that with all the tourists, access to the courses might be tough. The last time we were there was the middle of the summer, which is considered off season, and it was as busy as a beehive. When I called the membership office to ask some questions, the membership director told me he might have time to speak with me in about ten days. That pretty much convinced me to look elsewhere.

 

That's the basic rub, isn't it? Don't mind paying a little more if tee times are plentiful. Don't mind fighting for tee times if the golf is cheap. Don't want to be paying premium prices and then struggling to get a decent tee time. 

 

[Argonne69]

Ugh. I managed to get a mid-morning tee time at Lonnie Poole, but the frost delay is going to be at least 90 minutes. Hopefully there are a few no shows, otherwise I'll be standing around for three hours. 

 

[Argonne69]

Well, I guess it could have been worse. With the extended frost delay, a few groups bailed, and the starter was kind enough to move me up to the 2nd group out. The lead group were fairly quick, so we got around in a reasonable a of time. Another sunny but cold day. The wind was rather raw. Don't know how people ride in this type of weather, esp when it's CPO. 

 

Lonnie Poole today. It's the home course for NC State. Beau layout. I'd rank it slightly ahead of Duke. Rolling parkland layout, although some holes feel more prairie style with the native areas. Bunkering is fantastic. Big and deep. Water in play on a couple of holes. A few sweepers made it more interesting, but there are few snoozers in the layout. 

 

Moderately difficult off the tee with the bunkering and slopes. The 1st hole looks like it's 20 yds wide with a huge bunker right. The side slopes tended to funnel the ball into trouble. Rough was a generous width, but it was cut so low that it didn't stop anything from running into the junk. Approaches were tough. Plenty of elevated, well guarded greens. I chickened out on a few shots and aimed away from trouble. Up and downs were tough, no surprise. Plenty of steep drop offs and mounds around the greens. Putts were challenging. More slope than met the eye. 

 

The five par 3s were decent. Nice mix of lengths, including the 100 yd 17th that had a wickedly sloped green. The five 5s were a little disappointing. No real risk/reward hole, but still plenty of risk. The 15th had water left off the tee, and then water right to the green. The 7th had a well guarded layup area. Short 4s were very good. The 16th had plenty of trouble with a fairway slanted towards the water left, and several deep bunkers in the middle of the fairway. 

 

Conditions were good. Dormant fairways were thin in spots. Unfortunately they had us playing off of mats on the par 3s. Rough was cut very low. Bunkers had plenty of sand, but compacted. Greens were frustrating. They watered them early to help with the frost, so they were only rolling 9 for half the round. After they dried off they were rolling close to 11. 

 

Played a Red/White (Wolfpack) combo at 6265 yds (69.8/128). Tough day at work. Funny, but the ball just doesn't seem to fly when it's 38 degrees. Lol. The greens were driving me nuts early, as all of us were leaving putts short. After the turn it was defensive putting to avoid running the ball 12' past the hole. Seven bogies and a double. 

 

LP gets a solid 7 cows. Tough, but fair. With five par 5s, they definitely need one or two risk/reward holes. Like to see another short 4. $42 was ridiculous. If I was a local I'd be playing here every week. Definitely worth a visit. 

 

[Argonne69]

Lonnie Poole Golf Course, Raleigh, NC (#10 Start) 

 

 

One of the small bunkers. Lol. 

 

 

 

 

#16 

 

 

#1 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/v9ss9edqaebt04e/AABbXIsBNQ0v8E11wdr7A68Fa?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Burial Beer Company in Raleigh. Heavy on the IPAs, but they also have three barrel aged imperial stouts and a pair of barrel aged barley wines. Nice. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Lol. OK, I think it's official. I've switched my preference from imperial stouts to Belgian dubbels/tripels/quads/strongs. Simply too many mediocre stouts out there. A short drive to Flying Saucer in downtown Raleigh and a $4 special White Street Meridium Belgian Tripel out of Wake Forest. 

 

 

[graveydellic]

Burial is a favorite of mine.  The location in Asheville is awesome.  

 

Assuming you have made it to Raleigh Beer Garden?  Couple hundreds taps I think.

[Argonne69]

49 minutes ago, graveydellic said:

Burial is a favorite of mine.  The location in Asheville is awesome.  

 

Assuming you have made it to Raleigh Beer Garden?  Couple hundreds taps I think.

 

I saw that, but took a pass. I assume it's similar to Charlotte Beer Garden. Hundreds of taps is pretty cool. 

 

[caniac6]

I’m a graduate of the Turf School at NC State. Lonnie Poole, and that entire part of campus on that side of Western Blvd were not there when I was in school. I worked at Raleigh Country Club which had a great layout, but was financially struggling when I was there. It was the first course bought by John McConnell, and it’s been renovated twice. Glad you enjoyed Lonnie Poole and Raleigh. It’s changed a lot since I was there, but it’s a nice city.

[Argonne69]

Well, they can't all be great. Another diet portion at Sweet Old Bill's in High Point. Had a taste for ribs, but they only serve them on Fridays and Saturdays. Bah. Don't recall ever having brisket drowned in sauce. Too lean for me. Pulled pork was on the dry side. Beans and corn pudding were decent. No white bread. Lol. The vinegar sauce was nasty, but the sweet tomato based sauce was OK. This one can be skipped. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Paddles South Brewing in High Point. Small, local company with 10 taps. Pleasantly surprised to find a tasty Belgian Quad. 

 

 

It should be in the low 40s in the morning for my round at Oak Hollow GC, so it looks like the worst of the cold weather is over for now. 

 

[caniac6]

37 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Well, they can't all be great. Another diet portion at Sweet Old Bill's in High Point. Had a taste for ribs, but they only serve them on Fridays and Saturdays. Bah. Don't recall ever having brisket drowned in sauce. Too lean for me. Pulled pork was on the dry side. Beans and corn pudding were decent. No white bread. Lol. The vinegar sauce was nasty, but the sweet tomato based sauce was OK. This one can be skipped. 

 

 

I believe Kepley’s is just a few blocks north of SOBs. Traditional NC barbecue. Been in High Point a long time, and always good.

[JungleJimbo]

Combining @Argonne69's 2 loves ... RV's and LPGA!

 

..Missing: photos of BBQ?

 

https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/03/22/lpga-epson-tour-players-golf-dreams-rv-trailers/

 

 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Dreary mudfest today. Cool and overcast with light sprinkles all morning. Thankfully the heavy stuff stayed away, or I'd have spent more time cleaning my shoes than playing golf. Oak Hollow GC today. Beautiful Pete Dye design from the early 70s. Not his best, but you can certainly see his handiwork. The rolling parkland layout sits out on a peninsula, so water is visible and in play on a number of holes. Only nit is that a few holes play along the interstate, so you have to bear with the drone of highway traffic. Fairway bunkering was very light, but greenside was quite good. Short couree, but it plays longer with a number of driving holes hitting into slopes. Nice mix of left/right holes. 

 

Fairly challenging off the tee even with the light bunkering. The forced carry on the 5th, and the pencil thin fairway on the 6th with water left were fun. Not much rough on the course, so misses were generally trouble. Approaches were tough. Small greens with heavy bunkering and plenty of steep drop offs. Up and downs were tricky, as the ball was generally well below the putting surface. Greens were fairly benign, so putting wasn't overly difficult (except for the punched greens). 

 

Par 3s were decent. Nice mix of lengths. The 4th was the best of the bunch with a forced carry to a shallow green. Par 5s were very good. Two good risk/reward holes, and one long sweeper. The short 5th was the best, a right to left sweeper with a peninsula green, and trees guarding the inside corner of the approach. Good luck slinging a big draw and getting it to stop. Short 4s were decent. Not a ton of danger off the tee, but the fairways were very sloped, and the greens tiny. 

 

Conditions were awful, unfortunately. They had two tractors out plugging through the green. Played thousands of rounds, and have never seen plugs this huge. Looked like fence post holes. Had to play preferred lies, as the ball kept settling in the holes. The turf was long, matted, dormant Bermuda. Bunkers were sandy, but needed grooming. Greens were basically unplayable. They had been punched recently, and heavily sanded. 

 

Played the Mixed tees at 6052 yds (69.3/128). Short on paper, but plenty of challenge. Struggled all day hitting off the sidehill lies and crummy turf. Did manage to chip one close for a tap in birdie, but otherwise it was seven bogies. Just no way to roll a putt. Highlight of the round was a nature show on the 11th. A pair of eagles had a nest in a tall tree halfway to the green. One of the pair was flying around and landing on the nest. Unfortunately the cloudy conditions made for some poor photos. 

 

Even with the crummy conditions, I'll give OH 6 cows. I can overlook the conditions when I get dinged $14 to walk. I'd be teeing it up regularly if I was a local. Short, but tough. Worth a visit if passing through the area. 

 

[Argonne69]

Oak Hollow GC, High Point, NC 

 

 

 

 

Par 4 6th. Classic Pete. There's plenty of fairway right of the tree, but you're still shaking in your shoes. 

 

 

 

Lol. No, that's not a cigar that someone left on the course. 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/u8zy1jmc6o2t67u/AAAPmgY4p6Dxn50OtjYcawBLa?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

The Brewer's Kettle in High Point. Primarily a beer and wine store, but they have a nice lineup of 20 taps, including a tasty Belgian Strong. 

 

 

[caniac6]

Last time I played Oak Hollow I played with a guy that had never played there, and wanted to play the back tees. I agreed, but told him the backside would kick our backsides. We played well on the front, but got crushed on the back. We played the Cardinal in Greensboro a few days before, and have no desire to have anything to do with Pete Dye for awhile.