Arg's Travel Log

[Argonne69]

3 minutes ago, CDLgolf said:

Out of the 700 courses you have played what has been your favorite ?

 

Pebble Beach is still #1 in my book. Played it for the 2nd time earlier this year, and it doesn't disappoint. Fantastic views of the Pacific, challenging layout with plenty of tough holes with the miniscule greens. I'd die to play Cypress Point, but for a public golfer, PB is about as good as it gets. 

 

[Argonne69]

58 minutes ago, StoutKing said:

Can't recall what you've played on the central coast.  Mullenboy probably already covered what's worth playing.  What I've played (outside of Monterey) that's worth it is: Hunter Ranch, Morro Bay, La Purisima, Sandpiper, Soule..and now that you're nearing SoCal Olivas and Rustic.  But Mullenboy will have something better than all of these.  

 

Played Rustic for the 2nd time on this trip, and while it's solid, I'll probably take a pass this time. I'll be staying in the San Bernardino area, so it's quite the hike. 

 

Played Olivas on a previous trip to the LA area. Quality course, but a little too far from Santa Barbara and San Bernardino. 

 

Definitely going to hit Oak Quarry for a 2nd time. 

 

Edited October 19, 2024 by Argonne69

[StoutKing]

1 minute ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Played Rustic for the 2nd time on this trip, and while it's solid, I'll probably take a pass this time. I'll be staying in the San Bernardino area, so it's quite the hike. 

 

Played Olivas on a previous trip to the LA area. Quality course, but a little too far from Santa Barbara and San Bernardino. 

 

Definitely going to hit Oak Quarry for a end time. 

 

Oak is fun.  More of a cart ball course but can be walked.  If anyone offers you a round at their private there are definitely some worth playing, and nice walks as well.

[Argonne69]

Just now, StoutKing said:

Oak is fun.  More of a cart ball course but can be walked.  If anyone offers you a round at their private there are definitely some worth playing, and nice walks as well.

 

I'll be in the LA area for a couple of weeks likely. Anyone know a member at Riviera? 😁

 

Not to be greedy, but Wilshire would be a special day. 

 

[StoutKing]

5 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I'll be in the LA area for a couple of weeks likely. Anyone know a member at Riviera? 😁

 

Not to be greedy, but Wilshire would be a special day. 

 

Doesn't hurt to ask

 

6 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I'll be in the LA area for a couple of weeks likely. Anyone know a member at Riviera? 😁

 

Not to be greedy, but Wilshire would be a special day. 

 

Maybe post this on the CA forum as well with a link to this thread.  Can't hurt

[Double Mocha Man]

15 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Pebble Beach is still #1 in my book. Played it for the 2nd time earlier this year, and it doesn't disappoint. Fantastic views of the Pacific, challenging layout with plenty of tough holes with the miniscule greens. I'd die to play Cypress Point, but for a public golfer, PB is about as good as it gets. 

 

 

I agree, and it's so steeped in history.  Just as St. Andrews is the mecca of worldwide golf I feel that Pebble Beach is the mecca of U.S. golf.

[Argonne69]

41 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

I agree, and it's so steeped in history.  Just as St. Andrews is the mecca of worldwide golf I feel that Pebble Beach is the mecca of U.S. golf.

 

Love Erin Hills, Whistling Straits, Kiawah Ocean, and Pacific Dunes, but Pebble is still a tops. 

 

[Argonne69]

Yuck. Only one Mexican restaurant in town with mole, and they didn't open until late afternoon. Sigh. Should have gone back to the RV park and killed an hour. Wound up settling for La Bamba. Big mistake. The Xmas enchiladas were mediocre at best. Can't believe that red and green sauce could have so little flavor. Can't wait to get back to Las Cruces this winter. Only saving grace was that the margarita was decent. 

 

 

[Yoshifan151]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I'll be in the LA area for a couple of weeks likely. Anyone know a member at Riviera? 😁

 

Not to be greedy, but Wilshire would be a special day. 

 

Pretty sure Wilshire already closed for a year long reno/resto.

[StoutKing]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I'll be in the LA area for a couple of weeks likely. Anyone know a member at Riviera? 😁

 

Not to be greedy, but Wilshire would be a special day. 

 

Also some solid privates you should consider if an invite is available: Saticoy, Oakmont, Bel-Air, Hacienda, Virginia, Palos Verdes, Santa Ana, Victoria, San Diego, Rancho Santa Fe.  There are more but I know these are quality.

[aloha b.]

On 10/15/2024 at 6:16 PM, Argonne69 said:

Started looking at airfare to Maui, along with golf. Looks like Southwest has direct flights from Oakland to Maui. Prices aren't bad. Can get a mid-morning flight out that arrives in the early afternoon, and a mid-afternoon flight back that gets in late, but allows for a morning round on the day of departure. 

 

The Kapalua Plantation Course appears to allow play for non-guests, although it's close to $500 a round. The Plantation Bay course is cheaper, but not sure if it's worth a play. 

 

Ka'anapali Royal seems to be the best of the rest. 

 

Would like to play Manele Golf Course on Lanai, and Makai Golf Club (Kauai), but travel between the Hawaiian islands is a royal pain. It's a short hop, but it's basically a full travel day. 

 

Probably going to book a 3 night stay on Maui with rounds at the three courses when I'm in San Jose. Would probably make more sense to do it when I'm at Alameda County Fairgrounds. 

 

You can't play Manele Golf Course anymore unless you stay at the Four Season Lanai which is really, really expensive. At least that's what I learned when my wife and I stayed at the Four Season Lanai several years ago.

Oops, didn’t read the other posts regarding Manele.

Edited October 20, 2024 by aloha b.

[aloha b.]

On 10/17/2024 at 3:32 PM, Argonne69 said:

Just noticed that it's an hour between Kapalua and Wailea. Might wind up switching hotels mid stay to avoid the longish drive.

 

The Sheraton is $500 a night. Ouch. 

 

If you want to save money on a hotel near Wailea, you might want to stay in Kihei which is near Wailea at the Maui Coast Hotel or Days Inn By Wyndham Maui.

The Four Seasons Maui, Grand Wailea, Fairmont Kea Lani, Andaz Maui, etc. in Wailea are very expensive as I’ve stayed at all of them in the past.

Edited October 20, 2024 by aloha b.

[aloha b.]

On 10/12/2024 at 7:30 AM, tad950 said:

I thought you meant courses closer to the shoreline. Wente is nice. Gonna be a tough walk getting to some tee boxes (1 and 9 if I remember correctly). I thought they were going to remodel Poppy Ridge. Going from 27 holes to 18. Never played Callippe but I’ve always heard good things about it. By the way, The Bridges is one of Eagle Ridge’s sister courses. But the Bridges maintenance budget is a lot bigger😄. We used to play Corica when it was always called Alameda. So before the remodel. One time, they paired us up with a +2. He absolutely ate the coursed up😄. 

At Wente the walk from #9 to #10 isn't easy as it's a replica of Lombard Street in San Francisco. I'll post a picture going from #9 to #10. It might be any easy walk for you since you walk a lot!

Edited October 20, 2024 by aloha b.

[Argonne69]

With an 11 am shotgun start at Gray's Crossing today, I had time to kill this morning, so I took a drive on Donner Pass Rd through Donner Pass. Nice views looking down at Donner lake, although the early morning sun didn't quite make for the best photos. Was hoping to catch a freight train coming out of the snow shed, but no luck. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/sk1z0ygcv7b65qkve22zh/APMCc1BK5mykaBXmumBisg0?rlkey=p5zziqoufascjjljy1pwir08b&st=9p8t3wyh&dl=0

 

Edited October 20, 2024 by Argonne69

[Double Mocha Man]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

With an 11 am shotgun start at Gray's Crossing today, I had time to kill this morning, so I took a drive on Donner Pass Rd through Donner Pass. Nice views looking down at Donner lake, although the early morning sun didn't quite make for the best photos. Was hoping to catch a freight train coming out of the snow shed, but no luck. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/sk1z0ygcv7b65qkve22zh/APMCc1BK5mykaBXmumBisg0?rlkey=p5zziqoufascjjljy1pwir08b&st=9p8t3wyh&dl=0

 

 

A lot more amenities than in 1844.

[Argonne69]

Enjoyable round despite being a late morning shotgun start. Weather was perfect. Probably could have started at least 30 minutes early, but they actually started 30 minutes late. Our group got lucky with the pace. It wasn't a full shotgun, and we were the 2nd group starting on the 13th behind a slow foursome starting on the 14th with an open course ahead of them. We waited on every shot until we made the turn, and after they stopped for food they allowed us to play through on the 1st. Thank goodness. We finished our round in four hours after completing the 12th hole, and when we drove back to the clubhouse the group that let us play through was teeing off on the 10th. Ugh. 

 

Anyway, Gray's Crossing. The parkland layout was designed by Peter Jacobsen and Jim Hardy. A few nice elevation changes, but basically a flat layout routing through a housing department. Like Incline Village, the homes were nicely tucked behind the trees. OK, there were a handful of uneven lies in the fairways. Bunkering was excellent. Water in play on just two holes. Eight holes with gentle left/right movement. 

 

Fairly easy off the tee despite the bunkering. Fairways were generous, and the trees weren't as intrusive as Incline Village. No real forced carries. Rough was generous, so minor misses were no issue. Big misses had a a good chance of hitting a tree and finding the pinestraw. Approaches were fairly tough. Plenty of front bunkers to cover. Greens had moderate contouring and slope. Putting wasn't terribly difficult, but it sure wasn't easy. Up and downs were tough. Plenty of opportunities to short side yourself. 

 

Par 3s were decent, but visually they weren't overly impressive. Good mix of lengths. Par 5s were fairly benign. The short 18th a very nice risk/reward with a split fairway that required a long carry over a native area if you wanted a better angle into the long, narrow green. The pair of short 4s were mixed. The 14th was meh, but the driveable 6th was excellent with plenty of bunkers. I believe my poor playing partners found every single one as the did their best Lawrence of Arabian impression. Lol. 

 

Conditions were very good. Fairways and rough were fine. Bunkers were mixed. Most were excellent with plenty of soft sand. However, I found a couple that had a thin layer of sand over the hardpan. Greens were excellent. Looked and rolled nicely at speeds close to 11. 

 

Played a Tahoe/Donner combo at 6285 yds (69.2/127). Another solid day ballstriking, but I did leave a couple of iron shots out right. Putter was a little defensive on the slick greens. One birdie and five bogies. Highlight of the day was my playing partners. Club members, the father, mother, and daughter were great company. Shot of the day was a sweet high lob on the driveable par 4 6th. Didn't quite reach the green, and the pin was tucked back left behind one of the numerous front bunkers. Landed the flop soft near the hole for a fairly easy birdie. 

 

Solid 7 cows. Other than the narrow chutes, it played similar to Incline Village. Would like to see a little more trouble on the par 3s. A little more contouring on the greens wouldn't hurt. Once again I thought the $185 weekend rate was excessive. What happened to $100 courses? I guess it goes along with the $6.75 gas in the area. Nice that they allow walking, but no walking rate. Definitely worth a play, but I can't see myself paying the price to play it a second time. 

 

[Argonne69]

Gray's Crossing, Truckee, CA (#13 Start) 

 

 

 

 

Go or no-go on the par 5 18th 

 

 

 

Driveable par 4 6th 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/qiokkwgre8yexd6o0n2x6/AI3TiODXGuT7bZ3alIVqeO4?rlkey=kuv68pbu2om4kq2nsuncw3p4s&st=s9omc32b&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Enjoyable post round brew at Fiftyfifty Brewing Company, known for their Eclipse series of imperial stouts. This is their Old Trestle variety. Excellent. 

 

 

Long day, and I was thinking about grabbing a bite to eat at Fiftyfifty. However, I'm not dropping $24.50 for a burger. Looks like it'll be a can of Spaghettios back at the RV park. 😊

 

[gmayo11]

On 10/19/2024 at 6:11 PM, Argonne69 said:

Yuck. Only one Mexican restaurant in town with mole, and they didn't open until late afternoon. Sigh. Should have gone back to the RV park and killed an hour. Wound up settling for La Bamba. Big mistake. The Xmas enchiladas were mediocre at best. Can't believe that red and green sauce could have so little flavor. Can't wait to get back to Las Cruces this winter. Only saving grace was that the margarita was decent. 

 

 

 

Just make sure you hit up El Molino Central in Sonoma on your visit.  It will make you forget out this meal quickly, in a good way.

[zer0]

On 10/16/2024 at 4:26 PM, Argonne69 said:

Lol. Now that's a cheeseburger. Don't think I've ever had anything like it. The cheese skirt burger at Sierra Squeeze Burger in Portola is unique to say the least. The place is actually a 7-Eleven gas station with limited seating and foods options. Underneath the cheese skirt is actually a good burger with a nice patty, lettuce, tomato, pickles, grilled onions, and mayo. 

 

Biggest problem was trying to figure out out how to eat it. Eat the cheese around the edge first, or remove the top bun and try to fold the cheese on top? I wound up doing both, eating a quarter of the skirt, and then folding the rest under the bun. 

 

 

love a good cheese skirt.  And that looks like quite an impressive cheese skirt.

[Argonne69]

Two hour drive to Sacramento on I-80 today. Short drive up to Donners Pass, and then pretty much all downhill the rest of the way. Probably used 5 gallons of of gas on the 100 mile drive. Lol. Even though it was all interstate, it wasn't quite as relaxing as I expected. Long stretches of curvy highway with 5 to 6 degrees downgrade. Throw in several long sections under construction and it wasn't quite kick back and look at the mountains. Once I got to Auburn traffic got heavy. 

 

Crazy how the weather changes when you get out of the mountains. After 3 nights of running the furnace, I have the AC cranked here as it's pushing 80 degrees. The RV park only has 30 amp service, so I can only run one AC unit. 

 

Small, but decent RV park in West Sacramento just off the interstate. The crushed rock sites are somewhat level. No big trees to block the satellite, so the portable dish can finally stay in storage. 

 

 

Booked an RV park just south of San Jose for mid-November. A little further from the city than I'd like, but it's really the only decent option. Also booked rounds at Links at Bodega Harbour and Eagle Vines next weekend. I'll lonely book a round at Brambles for Monday. Another long drive. 

 

Still have to book hotels for Maui. Probably going to hang around Bessie today unless there's a brewery less than a couple of miles away. My rounds at Darkhorse and Yocha Dehe are both more than an hour a way tomorrow and Wednesday. Plenty of driving ahead. 

 

Edited October 22, 2024 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Wow. Just wow. Lol. Booked my four nights of hotel in Maui. Gotta love the Google Maps hotel search function. Put in your dates, and you get dozens of reasonable prices. However, you start clicking on those "$198 per Night" results and your wind up with a price that's $300 or more. Taxes are a big factor, but it appears that they factor in additional optional nights that aren't needed into the average price. 

 

Wound up with a one night stay near Kapalua, and then 3 nights in a beachfront resort in Kihei. Average price for four nights is $310. Ouch. Like Alaska, it's going to be a pricey addition to the journey. Guess I can't take it with me. The Mana Kai Maui Resort looks decent. 

 

Edited October 21, 2024 by Argonne69

[Double Mocha Man]

5 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Guess I can't take it with me.

 

Good attitude.  I've always said, "When I'm on my deathbed I don't want to say, I wish I had played Pebble Beach."  That thought determines a lot of the things I choose to do.

[Mullenboy]

Curious - exactly where is the RV Park south of San Jose?  I live there and can't imagine where it is.  🙂

 

Good choices in Bodega Harbor and Eagle Vines.  The former is a taxing walk and has some annoying weird holes with houses very close in... but also some very cool holes with ocean in view.  The latter is good fun, several interesting holes.

 

Curious how you are going to access Brambles as it is very private.  Bring me.  🙂

 

Re Maui prices... welcome to 2024.  🙂

[Argonne69]

11 hours ago, Mullenboy said:

Curious - exactly where is the RV Park south of San Jose?  I live there and can't imagine where it is.  🙂

 

Good choices in Bodega Harbor and Eagle Vines.  The former is a taxing walk and has some annoying weird holes with houses very close in... but also some very cool holes with ocean in view.  The latter is good fun, several interesting holes.

 

Curious how you are going to access Brambles as it is very private.  Bring me.  🙂

 

Re Maui prices... welcome to 2024.  🙂

 

Coyote Valley RV Resort is in Morgan Hill, just off US-101. 17 miles from downtown.

 

Ugh. Another private course? No idea how these things get on my list. Looks like it'll be Chardonnay and possibly Rancho Solano.

 

 

[Mullenboy]

2 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Coyote Valley RV Resort is in Morgan Hill, just off US-101. 17 miles from downtown.

 

Ugh. Another private course? No idea how these things get on my list. Looks like it'll be Chardonnay and possibly Rancho Solano.

 

 

Morgan Hill!   Aha.  That makes sense.  Nice town,  

And yeah we have a lot of great private clubs in the greater Bay Area.  Brambles is new - just opened this year.  It looks fantastic - I hope to get there soon.

Each of Chardonnay and Rancho Solano will be worth your time... guessing 5 cows for each.  Paradise Valley is near there, decent. Lone Tree in Antioch is fun also.

 

 

[tad950]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Coyote Valley RV Resort is in Morgan Hill, just off US-101. 17 miles from downtown.

 

Ugh. Another private course? No idea how these things get on my list. Looks like it'll be Chardonnay and possibly Rancho Solano.

 

 

Just letting you know, you can’t just turn left into the RV park. If you are heading south on Monterey Rd you will have to make a u turn at the next signal. and and head north. (Palm Ave). Might be tough with Bessie. Or go a couple roads over and double back. Another option is staying on the freeway and take Cochrane Rd. And head back north on Monterey Rd. 
 

You used to be able to cut through Coyote Creek Golf from the freeway. But I think they keep that road closed now because commuters would use it if there was a traffic jam on the freeway. 

[Argonne69]

Splendid morning. Have I used that adjective before? Lol. A little cool at the start of the round, but the wind vest was off after a couple of holes. Nice workout walking the hilly (parkland?) layout. Went out as a single following what I thought was the lead rabbits, but waited on nearly every shot until the twosome waved me through on the 6th. Much appreciated. The wave through through seems to be a lost art. Had the course to myself after that. 

 

Darkhorse GC today, an hour northeast of Sacramento. While tucked in a housing development, the homes are generally up on the ridges and mostly out of sight. Very nice elevation changes with plenty of elevated tees, and more than a few uphill approaches. Fairway bunkering was OK. Greenside was very good. Water in play on half the holes, but many didn't really come into play. Six holes with gentle left/right movement. 

 

Fairly easy off the tee with generally generous fairways. Many of the holes played down the "valleys", so slight misses would often kick back towards the center of the short grass. Minor misses weren't much trouble except for the iffy lies in the patchy rough. Big misses would typically be playable. Really big misses would somehow find OB. Approaches were a different animal. Tough. Greens were moderate size, but most were protected by deep front bunkers. Many were elevated. Greens had a nice amount of contouring, tiering, and slope. Putting was no pushover. Up and downs were also tough with the addition of crummy uneven lies around the greens. 

 

Par 3s were decent. The pair on the back had nice, elevated tees, but the four didn't have a ton of trouble. Nice mix of lengths ranging from a gap wedge to a fairway wood. Par 5s were excellent. The short 7th and 18th were both solid risk/reward holes with greens protected by water. The two short 4s were also wxc. The uphill 2nd had excellent bunkering. The driveable 14th had plenty of trouble near the green. Laying up was no picnic with a big center bunker. 

 

Conditions were good, but not perfect. Fairways had a few iffy areas. Rough was patchy with plenty of opportunities for crummy lies. Bunkers were very good. Looks like they recently added fresh sand. Greens were very nice. Speed was at least 10. 

 

Played the Blue tees at 6364 yds (71.7/132). A couple of iffy drives, but overall it was a solid day ballstriking. Putter was cool, as I had a handful of decent birdie chances that went unrewarded. One birdie and five bogies. No real highlight, but I did hit a few hybrids that wound up better than average. 

 

Solid 7 cows here. Very nice mix of holes that never got monotonous. Homes didn't really detract from the visuals. I'd like to see a wee bit more trouble on the par 3s, especially the short 6th. Par 5s and short 4s were spot on. No walking rate, but the $70 weekday rate was crazy good. Had a few people, including the staffer in the pro shop, tell me that nobody walks the course. Lol. Not an easy walk, but seriously, people need to get their bottoms out of the Lazyboys. Don't consider it a must play, but it's worth the hour drive from Sacramento. Traffic near Auburn is a nightmare, so unless you're a local, I can't see it as a regular play, but I'd probably make the drive at least once a month. 

 

[Argonne69]

Darkhorse GC, Auburn, CA 

 

 

Lol. Don't know what setting I accidentally set on my phone's camera, but this is a real beaut in the early morning shade. 

 

 

 

 

Ah, clouds 

 

 

Go or no-go on the par 5 7th 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/a7padoe8m4dk1xlvrse7t/AOOpdA1q9O2AEg35M7ZhniA?rlkey=jmhwupelki6885d2mspbxjwx7&st=n8u2qg8f&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Originally planned to drive 45 minutes back to downtown Sacr, but I stumbled across Crooked Lane Brewing Company in Auburn. Twenty-one taps with the usual hoppy mix, but their Abuelita's Embrace barrel aged imperial stout was top notch. Lucky find.