Arg's Travel Log

[Argonne69]

Not much open early on a Monday, so I paid a second visit to Blue Mountain Brewery. The AC is cranked, so a Dark Hollow barrel aged imperial stout hits the spot. Lol. 

 

 

Nice outdoor patio area 

 

 

[Double Mocha Man]

6 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Not much open early on a Monday, so I paid a second visit to Blue Mountain Brewery. The AC is cranked, so a Dark Hollow barrel aged imperial stout hits the spot. Lol. 

 

 

Nice outdoor patio area 

 

 

 

Looks like you could do some practice chipping and pitching on that lawn. With a beer in hand. I bet that crossed your mind.

[stevopagolf]

56 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Ugh. Normally I'd say pleasant morning, but today was a bit of a slog. Getting a little tired of these courses that don't start play until 8 am, over 2 hours after sunrise. It was 95 degrees in the parking lot after the round. Went out as a single walking behind a 5some and threesome. The 5some finished in 2:50. The three finished in three hours. Probably could have played through them, but there was really nowhere to go. Teeing off an hour early would have been nice. 

 

Old Trail today. Another very nice looking course with great views of the mountains, but the design was so-so. The parkland/meadow style layout had gentle rolling hills on half the holes. A handful of homes visible off property. Fairway bunkering was light. Greenside was a little better. Nine holes with water in play, but most of that was small crossing streams. Nine holes with left/right movement including three doglegs. 

 

Fairly easy off the tee with generous fairways. There were a few holes with short forced carries. Minor misses would catch the thick rough. Fairly penal. Big misses were lost in the thick junk. 

 

Approaches were moderately difficult. A handful were fairly benign with light bunkering, but more than a few had pins tucked behind bunkers. Greens had gentle contouring and slope. Pretty boring. Putting didn't get the blood pumping. Up and downs were mixed. Chips from short of the greens were generally straightforward. Pin high pitches from the rough could be tricky. 

 

Other than the 2nd, the five par 3s were pretty ho hum. Not a ton of trouble and fairly meh looking. I guess the 15th was OK with a small creek in front of the green. Variety of length was very good playing PW to 3W. The five par 5s were meh. You can't design one with a tough shot? Nothing reachable, and little danger. The pair of short 4s were benign. 

 

Conditions were very good. Fairways were lush. Ball sat up nicely. Rough was thick. Bunkers were OK, but could have used a half inch more sand. Greens looks great. Speed was at least 10. 

 

Played a Black/White combo at 6430 yds (71.3/138). I've certainly had better days driving the ball. Way to many low draws. Didn't get me in any trouble, though. Irons were solid. Wedges were cool. Putter was icy. One birdie and seven bogies. Low-light of the day was shanking a 7i on the 17th from a perfect lie in the fairway. Luckily the thick rough captured it before it found the junk. Next shot was the shot of the day, a nice LW from the thick rough to 3' to save par. Whew. Lol. Had a nice sandy on the long par 3 2nd. 

 

Being stingy again and going with 5 cows. I guess I get cranky when I'm having a heat stroke. Lovely piece of property that needs plenty of design improvements, including a few contours on the greens, and some trouble on the par 5s and short 4s. Only members are allowed to walk, but the staffer in the pro shop was kind enough to allow me to walk given that I'd be following two groups. Much appreciated. The $76 weekday rate was decent. Can't say it's a must play, but it's playable. 

 

My private club's first tee time is also 8AM to give their skeleton grounds crew time to mow the front 9 fairways, greens and machine groom the traps.  It is tiresome when it is hot as hell. 

[ZephyrS4]

Digging these Virginia courses…..very scenic!

[cassel191919]

These courses should give you a deal for playing them and posting pictures abd a write up. I have never once considered going to Virginia to play golf  and some of these courses have me me looking for places to stay.

[dcmidnight]

2 hours ago, stevopagolf said:

My private club's first tee time is also 8AM to give their skeleton grounds crew time to mow the front 9 fairways, greens and machine groom the traps.  It is tiresome when it is hot as hell. 

 

Same - especially if there have been storms the night before as we've seemingly had in NoVa every night the last couple weeks lol. I get that people want to tee off right as soon as the sun comes up but unfortunately there's usually a lot of work to do before that.

[Argonne69]

Not much to do today, so instead of heading back to the RV park I decided to spend an hour driving on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. I was planning to visit the northern part of the park next Sunday, but I figured that I was driving right past the southern entrance, and a quick detour wouldn't hurt. 

 

As I entered the park it started raining cats and dogs. Crazy weather driving on the twisty drive. I'd have my wipers on high one minute, and then round a turn and it was sunny. A handful of the views from the lookouts were foggy/misty, but I still managed a number of decent pics. Drove ~20 miles north into the park before turning back south. Most of the parkway is heavily forested, so views are limited.

 

Friendly greeting at my first stop. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/af0ck8e2vd2ngh616tevf/AK40JCUXmrku78-ovgv26_U?rlkey=3gjmn87b6i73ib1dsjep8fek1&st=dfahe4mq&dl=0

 

[dcmidnight]

Man it looks like youve gotten some great weather breaks though!

[Argonne69]

2 minutes ago, dcmidnight said:

Man it looks like youve gotten some great weather breaks though!

 

Yeah, other than the humidity I've been lucky since leaving Virginia Beach. With the high humidity we've had afternoon storms almost every day. The sun really boils the atmosphere. Looks like there'll be another early this evening. 

 

[dcmidnight]

At least up north after the storms Tuesday afternoon its supposed to cool off at least through Sunday noon or so.

[Argonne69]

4 minutes ago, dcmidnight said:

At least up north after the storms Tuesday afternoon its supposed to cool off at least through Sunday noon or so.

 

I'll be in Winchester on Thursday for the holiday weekend. Looks like temps in the high 80s and low 90s. 

 

[bcjim]

4 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I'll be in Winchester on Thursday for the holiday weekend. Looks like temps in the high 80s and low 90s. 

 

Dewpoints Wed or Th look to be dropping into the 60s for the first time in a while for a few days.  Should feel a bit nicer.  This last 2 weeks has been rough.

[TBone0576]

14 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I'll be in Winchester on Thursday for the holiday weekend. Looks like temps in the high 80s and low 90s. 

 

Any plans to visit Harpers Ferry or Antietam when up that way?  I lived in Martinsburg WV for about 8 months back in 2000 for work.  Almost stayed for good.  

[Argonne69]

5 minutes ago, TBone0576 said:

Any plans to visit Harpers Ferry or Antietam when up that way?  I lived in Martinsburg WV for about 8 months back in 2000 for work.  Almost stayed for good.  

 

I'll be staying in Harpers Ferry next week.

 

[Argonne69]

Wonderful morning. Started with the 90 minute drive to Hot Springs through the mountains. Very scenic twisty road that followed a couple of mountain streams for a few miles. I thought that the area would be more populated, but other than the majestic Omni Homestead hotel it looks pretty sparse. A little stressful at the end of the drive, though. Google maps had the wrong directions, and I managed to drive down a wide cart path near the driving range before I realized that it wasn't the entrance to the course. Oy. After getting directions from the bell hop at the hotel, I managed to find the bag drop. I was told to park at the spa, but when I got there the parking lot was closed with a maintenance crew doing something. Wound up parking in a gravel parking lot in town two blocks away hoping that my Honda wouldn't get towed. Not a particularly friendly welcome for a day guest. 

 

Weather was cooperative. The forecast called for t-storms mid morning, so I loaded the rain jacket and bag cover in the bag. Always nice to lug an extra couple of pounds. It did manage to keep the rain at bay. The bugs, however, were nasty. Had a good workout walking the hilly course. Went out as a single, played through a threesome on the 4th hole, and wound up joining a twosome on the 9th. Not the fastest round, but 3:30 wasn't bad. 

 

Old Course at Omni Homestead Resort today. The first six holes opened in 1892. The hilly parkland layout was designed by Donald Ross and William Flynn. Unlike Old White at the Greenbrier, and Banff Springs, I was not disappointed with this old course. Needs the usual modern design elements, but the property is quite special. The course ranks T9 on GolfWeek's best in state list. The layout is built in a valley with US-220 running down the middle, but the holes run perpendicular to the valley slope, so there are plenty of side hill lies to go along with the up and down. Several elevated tees provide some fun views. The course is somewhat unique with six par 3s, 5s, and 4s. Don't recall playing a course that opens with three par 5s and two par 3s. Lol. 

 

No surprise that bunkering was very light, including greenside. No water in play on the course. There were a couple of native areas that probably should have been red staked. Only two holes with gentle left/right movement. Not a lot of opportunity being built on the side of two hills. 

 

Thought it was fairly easy off the tee with little trouble other than the side slopes that directed good shots down into the rough. A couple of holes had short forced carries that weren't penal other than coming up short in the rough. Minor misses would catch the generous rough. Big misses were generally playable from under the sparse trees or adjacent fairway. 

 

Approaches were tougher. Greens were small and many were elevated or downhill from uneven lies. False fronts and sides were numerous. Greens had gentle contouring, but plenty of slope. Being built on the side of the hill, many putts seemed to break the "wrong" way. Putting required a bit of work. Up and downs were also tough with numerous uneven lies in the thick rough. 

 

The six par 3s were OK. Nothing really wowed, but they did the job. Variety of length was OK. 9i to FW. Didn't really expect a short one on an old layout. The six par 5s were meh. Three were short, but played uphill, so reaching in two needed a real bomb off the tee. Layups were stress free. The three short 4s were meh. 

 

Conditions were good. Fairways were very lush. Rough was consistent and thick. Bunkers had plenty of sand, but needed grooming. Greens looked fine. A few too many poorly repaired ballmarks. Speed was at least 10. 

 

Played the Blue tees (tips) at 6036 yds (69.4/132). Much better day off the tee today. Irons and wedges were very good. Putter was very warm. Two birdies and four bogies. Shot of the day was a very unexpected 51' birdie putt on the 7th. Would have been happy with a tap in par, but it took the extra rotation. The teeshot on the uphill par 3 16th was also tops. Stuck a 7i 4' from the cup, and thanks to a read from my playing partner I trickled the downhill birdie putt into the hole. Low-light was not having a place to park. Completely unacceptable at a high end resort. 

 

Tough call here. Despite missing my favorite modern design elements, I'm going with 7 cows. Greens need more contouring, and a few more bunkers wouldn't hurt. Not sure how you'd add risk/reward other than a handful of deep bunkers. Still, with plenty of uneven lies the course still has teeth. Appreciated that they allowed walking, but no walking rate. The $233 guest rate was steep, but not crazy. Definitely interested in how it compares to the newer Cascades course. Unless you're a big Ross fan, I can't say it's a must play, but if you're going to trek out to the area to play Cascades, it's certainly worth a play with an overnight stay. 

 

[Argonne69]

Old Course at The Omni Homestead Resort, Hot Springs, VA 

 

Impressive old hotel 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/hli2m6gjrryz3gzxmxtg2/AIXkBqCmtEEXTPmHXbCM2vY?rlkey=u0j6t7e086hbebqmpmxer8a09&st=ez4na53y&dl=0

 

Edited July 1 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

A bit of a an unusual day given that I'm spending the night here in town. Only one brewery, and they don't open until 4 pm tomorrow. Grabbing a drink in Jefferson’s Taproom in the hotel. Very limited selection with the usual national brands. After walking a round on a hilly course on a humid day, the Sam Adam's Summer Ale hits the spot. 

 

 

Gotta figure out a plan for dinner. My motel's check in time is at 3 pm, so I have a couple of hours to kill. Was considering a round at Cliff View GC down the road, but I'm beat after hiking Old Course. There are a couple of restaurants nearby, but are closed on Tuesdays. The steak joint at the hotel opens at 5 pm. Lol. I'm not a late eater. 

 

Pretty sure I'm not going with the $21 Baby Iceburg Wedge at the Omni. Lol. 

 

 

Edited July 1 by Argonne69

[dcmidnight]

Have been to the Homestead a couple of times and its always been a fantastic getaway. Its a little far of a drive but worth it when you get there - looks like you had great weather.

Fun fact the 1st tee at the Old Course is the oldest first tee in continuous use in the country.

[Argonne69]

Looks like a nice hotel. It opened in 1766. Rooms appear to start at $800. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/qjvp8bavlhxsf81u0852q/AGSKhE0RwcBF7g8po_s7EVM?rlkey=i67cq9qthqujol12cyykpv52x&st=azn03qgd&dl=0

 

[ZephyrS4]

Quite the place!

[Argonne69]

Bummer. Found a small diner, Country Cafe, a mile south of town, and the breakfast menu looked good. Thought a chicken fried steak would hit the spot. Well, it would have if they served breakfast all day. Bah. Lol. 

 

Wound up with a Patty Melt. Wasn't bad, but I had my heart set on a big breakfast. 

 

 

[ZephyrS4]

Nothing wrong with that…..love a good patty melt

[eboettne]

3 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Rooms appear to start at $800. 

 

 

Just when I was thinking it was a nice place for the wife and I to visit...

[Murphy76]

8 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Looks like a nice hotel. It opened in 1766. Rooms appear to start at $800. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/qjvp8bavlhxsf81u0852q/AGSKhE0RwcBF7g8po_s7EVM?rlkey=i67cq9qthqujol12cyykpv52x&st=azn03qgd&dl=0

 

 

 

Isn't that the Hotel from "The Shining"?  

 

Where is Jack Nicholson?  

 

Did you edit-out the river of blood from the 5th picture?   

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 2 by Murphy76

[Double Mocha Man]

15 minutes ago, Murphy76 said:

 

 

Isn't that the Hotel from "The Shining"?  

 

Where is Jack Nicholson?  

 

Did you edit-out the river of blood from the 5th picture?   

 

 

 

 

 

 

You are thinking of the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park Colorado.

 

[Argonne69]

Lol. I paid for that. Didn't get my big breakfast yesterday afternoon, but I drove by the restaurant on the way to the course and figured a little energy wouldn't hurt. Not sure when I'd get back to Staunton, so I decided to swap today's early dinner for a big breakfast. Sure glad I walked a hilly course. That was a healthy dose of calories. 

 

 

I'll write up my course review when I get back to the RV park. Long drive ahead. 

 

[Double Mocha Man]

6 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Lol. I paid for that. Didn't get my big breakfast yesterday afternoon, but I drove by the restaurant on the way to the course and figured a little energy wouldn't hurt. Not sure when I'd get back to Staunton, so I decided to swap today's early dinner for a big breakfast. Sure glad I walked a hilly course. That was a healthy dose of calories. 

 

 

I'll write up my course review when I get back to the RV park. Long drive ahead. 

 

 

Those sausages look a little dried out. But the hash browns look yummy.

[Argonne69]

Another enjoyable morning. Got lucky with the weather again. After yesterday's round I looked at today's forecast, and it looked like off and on rain this morning. Figured it would be another day lugging rain gear. It rained overnight, and was still raining when I headed out. However, the moisture cleared by the time I arrived at the course. Nice temps and the usual high humidity, but I'll take it. Thought the clouds looked great. Went out as a single walking behind another single riding. Felt like I had the course to myself. Very nice 3 hour round. 

 

The Cascades at Omni Homestead Resort today. Not quite what I was expecting. I knew the course was newer than the Old Course, but I was figuring 1960s, not 1924. Still an old classic course. The hilly parkland layout was designed by William S. Flynn. It ranks #40 on Gold Digest's Top 100 Public Course list, and #1 on GolfWeek's Best in State list. Similar to the Old Course, it's a beautiful piece of property, but I don't think it's a Top 100 course. Certainly not Top 40. 90's maybe. Other than having a handful of holes with water, it plays very similar to its sister course. After the round I was joking with the bag drop attendant that the course should be called The Trickle, because the small creek cutting through the course was in no hurry even after the rain last night. Located in a valley, the course plays perpendicular to the slopes for the most part with three holes on the other side of the highway. The final six holes are dead flat. 

 

Fairway bunkering was light. Greenside was moderate. Water in play on eight holes with seven on the back nine. Seven holes with left/right movement including two doglegs. 

 

Going to call this one moderately difficult off the tee due to the side slopes again. "Good" drives on the first dozen holes had a tendancy to find the rough. Minor misses would catch the rough. Penal, but not overly. Big misses would likely be lost in the thick native areas. Plenty of adjacent fairways, but the areas between them were quite penal. 

 

Approaches were also moderately difficult. Plenty of uneven lies on the opening twelve holes, and smallish greens. A few were elevated or playing down. Greens were similar to the Old Course, gentle contouring with decent slope. Putting was a bit 'o work. Up and downs were mixed. Short misses were fairly easy chips on most holes. Pin high in the rough was tasty out of the rough. The par 3 18th had a big' ol false front. Miss short and you'd be lucky if it stayed out of the pond. 

 

The five par 3s were OK. Thought there was sufficient trouble. The 18th was probably the best of bunch with the pond in play. The downhill 4th was good looking. Variety of length was decent playing PW to FW. Par 5s were meh. The short 12th played uphill, so no real chance of reaching in two. The short dogleg 16th could possibly be a risk/reward hole, but you'd really have to bomb a drive over the inside corner trees to have a crack at the green. Risky with a pond short and zero room left, right, or long. The sole short par 4 was benign. 

 

Conditions were excellent. Fairways were lush, but rather soft from the recent rains. Rough was consistent and a good height. Bunkers were fantastic. Plenty of wet groomed sand. Greens looked and rolled fine. Speed was at least 10. Might have been closer to 11 late in the round as the moisture burned off. 

 

Played the White tees at 6290 yds on the par 71 layout (70.9/130). Good day off the tee. Woods and irons were average. Wedges weren't quite dialed in. Putter speed control was excellent, but burned a few too many edges. Five bogies and a double. Shot of the day came early with an unexpected 33' par saving putt on the 1st. 

 

Going with 7 cows again. Honestly, I don't see how this one is ranked higher than Old. Similar terrain, similar play, and similar shortcomings. Like most classic designs it needs a few modern elements. Minor nit was the noise from the highway on the first six holes. The $315 rate was pretty much a ripoff. This is a $150 to $200 layout. I really enjoyed my round, especially the views of the mountains, but I wouldn't pay that again. I'd play Old and then have a steak dinner. Many have said the course is the best mountain golf out there. Lol. Bah. Played plenty of better tracks. The two courses at The Homestead are worth a visit, but I wouldn't be in a hurry to come back. 

 

Edited July 2 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

The Cascades at Omni Homestead Resort, Hot Springs, VA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/ljcrw3jazgebwaz9wf0jc/AD0yxi6Q6lOjIyTNsqqF3vk?rlkey=r3robsehgg7j6y19568p45nj3&st=49gxntk1&dl=0

 

Edited July 2 by Argonne69

[ZephyrS4]

Very pretty…..what’s that building? Looks pretty sweet.