Arg's Travel Log

[Argonne69]

Booked an RV park in Lancaster for early-August. The triangular area between west Philadelphia, Allentown, and Harrisburg looks very good for public courses. 'Looking forward to it.

 

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

Booked an RV park in Lancaster for early-August. The triangular area between west Philadelphia, Allentown, and Harrisburg looks very good for public courses. 'Looking forward to it.

 

I am tempted to come out there for a few days and golf with you. Did you play LuLu CC? Also have an old Army buddy that I need to see that lives near Allentown as well.

[Argonne69]

2 hours ago, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

I am tempted to come out there for a few days and golf with you. Did you play LuLu CC? Also have an old Army buddy that I need to see that lives near Allentown as well.

 

No, haven't played Lulu. 

 

[tw422]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

No, haven't played Lulu. 

 

LuLu CC is definitely worth playing although I believe it is now fully private?  Great old school Ross course. 

[stevopagolf]

2 hours ago, tw422 said:

LuLu CC is definitely worth playing although I believe it is now fully private?  Great old school Ross course. 

I believe LuLu has gone full private but it is worth checking.

[Argonne69]

Well, I made it to Canton in one piece. Six and a half hours with a short stop at Denny's for a Super Slam breakfast. 

 

Crazy drive to say the least. Getting out of DC was a pain with morning traffic, but I managed to make it to I-70W. Took that to I-68W where the fun began. I don't think that 80 mile stretch of highway has 5 miles of flat pavement. You're either heading up a steep hill, or down a steep grade. At one point you cross the eastern Continental Divide. I'll be back on the highway in a few weeks when I hit Cumberland and Morgantown. Beautiful scenery, especially the church spires in Cumberland. 

 

Short drive north on I-79N to Washington, where Google Maps sent me on another expedition. You can always count on Google Maps to find some interesting shortcuts. Good thing I wasn't driving Bessie, because a few of the roads in rural West Virginia were "single" lane 20 mph twisties. I finally made it to the Ohio River, and crossed in Stuebenville where I picked up US-22W to US250W. West on that route to I-77N, and then north into Canton. Traffic was generally light, but there were a few slow stretches on US-250. 

 

I really need to download my location history from Google. With over 80,000 miles traveled in nearly four years, I bet I've hit half of the interstates in the country. Would make for an interesting map. Lol. 

 

Looks like a fun drive tomorrow. Canton seems to be in no-man's land as far as interstates. I'll probably wind up driving 340 miles on US-30. Old fashioned driving. I remember my family's first trip down to Southern Florida in the early 70s. The interstate system was still under construction, so you'd travel extended distances on US highways. 

 

Downtown Canton looks like it's seen better days. I do like football, but don't really feel like heading to the NFL Hall of Fame. Maybe in September when I'm back in the area. 

 

Stopped at Woodshop in Canton. Small brewery with eight taps that specializes in barrel fermented beers. Had a taste of their B-A Shrouded dark Saison. Blended with cherries, it packed a flavorful punch. Settled on their Guidestone Golden Strong Ale. 

 

 

Edited July 16 by Argonne69

[stevopagolf]

8 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Booked an RV park in Lancaster for early-August. The triangular area between west Philadelphia, Allentown, and Harrisburg looks very good for public courses. 'Looking forward to it.

 

there are some very good public golf courses that triangle West of Philadelphia.  Not sure any must plays.  I believe you played Glen Mills, Dauphin Highlands and iron Valley last tour.

 

Wyncote, Inniscrone if conditions are good, Pilgrims Oak, Golden Oaks are good courses in the west of Philly to Lancasterish area to take a look at.

 

In the Allentown area, the Architect's Club is a fun track with template holes from all the master architects.  Allentown and Bethlehem Municipal are solid not spectacular tracks.  Great Bear north of Allentown in East Stroudsburg ia a Jack Nicklaus design that was really good, but I am going a few years back.  Those are some off the top of my head. Burkleigh CC in Kutztown as well...Moselem Springs used to do a member for the day program but I am not sure anymore

Edited July 16 by stevopagolf
added material

[Argonne69]

25 minutes ago, stevopagolf said:

there are some very good public golf courses that triangle West of Philadelphia.  Not sure any must plays.  I believe you played Glen Mills, Dauphin Highlands and iron Valley last tour.

 

Wyncote, Inniscrone if conditions are good, Pilgrims Oak, Golden Oaks are good courses in the west of Philly to Lancasterish area to take a look at.

 

In the Allentown area, the Architect's Club is a fun track with template holes from all the master architects.  Allentown and Bethlehem Municipal are solid not spectacular tracks.  Great Bear north of Allentown in East Stroudsburg ia a Jack Nicklaus design that was really good, but I am going a few years back.  Those are some off the top of my head. Burkleigh CC in Kutztown as well...Moselem Springs used to do a member for the day program but I am not sure anymore

 

Yeah, played Glen Mills, Dauphin Highlands, and Iron Valley during my first visit. 

 

These are the courses on my list. There's overlap if l can't play one or more due to scheduling issues. 

 

West Philly: Wyncote, Honeybrook, Inniscrone, Pilgrim's Oak, Turtle Creek, Broad Run, Hickory Valley Presidential, Pickering Valley, Kimberton, Spring Hollow, Mainland, Lederach

 

Allentown: Architects Club, Great Bear, Burkleigh, Butter Valley, Macoby Run, Shepherd Hills, Twin Lakes, Golden Oaks, Turtle Creek, Fox Hollow, Hickory Valley Presidential, Blue Shamrock, Willow Brook

 

Lancaster: Wyncote, Crossgates GC, Pilgrim's Oak, Foxchase, Four Seasons, Tanglewood Manor, Bridgewater GC (9 Hole), Inniscrone, Broad Run

 

Harrisburg/Hershey: Pilgrim's Oak, Cool Creek

 

'Definitely going to hit Hersheypark. Been too long since I tortured myself on some first class rollercoasters. 

 

Edited July 16 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

I do like when a brewery is on the way to the hotel. Lol. Stopped at Fat Head's Brewery in Canton. Two dozen taps with a decent mix. Sampled the tasty Maple Belgian Dubbel, but settled (once again) on their Zeus Juice Belgian Strong Golden Ale. 

 

 

'Very surprised to see that they actually have a beer with a one word name, "Kolsch". Speaks for itself. Lol. Several brews with longer names, including Haulin' Down Espresso 77 Coffee Stout. Do like the Benjamin Danklin IPA. Gotta start posting the best names at each brewery. 

 

Wasn't sure if I'd have dinner after having breakfast this morning, but with no BBQ in store for the next week, I was drawn to the Quadruple B Burger with smoked brisket and bourbon BBQ sauce. Not bad. 

 

 

I really hope The Quarry allows walking tomorrow. With Lou Malnati's and Aurelio's pizza on deck for the next two days, and a visit to Greektown on Saturday, I need to get some steps in. Lol. 

 

Edited July 16 by Argonne69

[stevopagolf]

11 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Yeah, played Glen Mills, Dauphin Highlands, and Iron Valley during my first visit. 

 

These are the courses on my list. There's overlap if l can't play one or more due to scheduling issues. 

 

West Philly: Wyncote, Honeybrook, Inniscrone, Pilgrim's Oak, Turtle Creek, Broad Run, Hickory Valley Presidential, Pickering Valley, Kimberton, Spring Hollow, Mainland, Lederach

 

Allentown: Architects Club, Great Bear, Burkleigh, Butter Valley, Macoby Run, Shepherd Hills, Twin Lakes, Golden Oaks, Turtle Creek, Fox Hollow, Hickory Valley Presidential, Blue Shamrock, Willow Brook

 

Lancaster: Wyncote, Crossgates GC, Pilgrim's Oak, Foxchase, Four Seasons, Tanglewood Manor, Bridgewater GC (9 Hole), Inniscrone, Broad Run

 

Harrisburg/Hershey: Pilgrim's Oak, Cool Creek

 

'Definitely going to hit Hersheypark. Been too long since I tortured myself on some first class rollercoasters. 

 

There are a plethora of brewpubs in this general area......

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

4 hours ago, tw422 said:

LuLu CC is definitely worth playing although I believe it is now fully private?  Great old school Ross course. 

I think they will allow you to play once. 

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

Did you play Jeffersonville near Philly? I am thinking you did. It looks good!

[Argonne69]

25 minutes ago, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

Did you play Jeffersonville near Philly? I am thinking you did. It looks good!

 

Yup. 

 

[tw422]

4 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

West Philly: Wyncote, Honeybrook, Inniscrone, Pilgrim's Oak, Turtle Creek, Broad Run, Hickory Valley Presidential, Pickering Valley, Kimberton, Spring Hollow, Mainland, Lederach

Having lived in that area for 25+ yrs (I still own a house around the corner from Pickering) most of these are worth playing (HV Presidential was my go to for years) except for Pickering Valley, Spring Hollow and Kimberton.  You can skip the Club at Shannondell - not worth playing. 

Based on the recent courses you've been playing, most if not all of these will be let downs except for Wyncote and Broad Run, which are closer to the Frederick MD courses.  Everything else is going to be a notch below. 

 

I would add Raven's Claw, Downingtown CC & Bella Vista to your potential list but they will definitely slot in the "B" to "B+" list.  

[Phreddy]

6 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

 

I really need to download my location history from Google. With over 80,000 miles traveled in nearly four years, I bet I've hit half of the interstates in the country. Would make for an interesting map. Lol. 

 

 

 

Way back in 1978 an English professor by the name of William Least-Heat Moon left his teaching post and traveled America in a camper van.  The result of his travels was a book published in 1982 titled Blue Highways.  The highways colored blue in a Rand McNally from back in the day were the "back roads," the twisty two lanes that rolled through small towns and villages.

 

A book of your travels, while golf, Q, mole and brewery focused would be similarly interesting.

[JungleJimbo]

@Argonne69 Saw this image today on TV (the permanent RV camp, adjacent to Royal Portrush, with full complete of RV creature comforts/ bells-and-whistles)

... presumably this is ideal for RV enthusiasts-cum-keen-golfers?

 

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

Of course my Spectrum Cable totally died (or the router) last night! I had planned on an early morning watching The Opn. I'll just look at this picture instead!

[Argonne69]

Long day, but fun nonetheless. Golf in the morning and then a six hour drive to Chicago. Celebrated another minor milestone today playing my 1500th course. Amazing that it was only 28 months ago that I played my 1000th at Pinehurst #4. 

 

Weather was pretty good. The dew point was high, but a steady breeze kept it manageable while I walked the hilly course. Teed off early with another single, but he told me to play ahead on the 2nd hole. He passed me a few holes later as he looked like he was skipping holes. Finished in just over 3 hours. 

 

The Quarry GC today. As the name implies the course was built in an old quarry. Must have been many years ago, because I wouldn't have known it by looking at it. Very little exposed rock, and plenty of mature trees. Still a beautiful layout, though. It ranks #8 on GolfWeek's best in state list. Seems low. I'd rank it above Manakiki and Fowler's Mill. Primarily a parkland design, it does have a few holes that are more meadow style. Plenty of elevation change including a number of very elevated teeboxes, and a handful of elevated greens playing up from the fairways below. Plenty of sidehill lies, too. Fairway bunkering was light. Greenside was pretty good. Water in play on 14 holes. Seven holes with left/right movement including three doglegs. 

 

Moderately difficult off the tee with a couple of forced carries, pinching trees, and the doglegs that required a little precision. Minor misses would catch the generous thick rough. Big misses were generally a big no-no with the dense trees and thick native areas. There were three pairs of parallel holes that might give you a chance from the other fairway. 

 

Approaches were tough. Greens weren't particularly large, and most had solid bunkering or water in play. Approaches often came from uneven lies. Greens were somewhat disappointing with gentle contouring and slope. Putting didn't get the blood flowing. Up and downs were tricky primarily due to uneven lies coming out of the thick rough. 

 

Par 3s were very good with plenty of trouble. The 17th with a pond left was the best. Variety of length was so-so. Three were GW to 9i. Par 3s were also OK. The short 7th was reachable with a good drive, but playing downhill the fairway was pinched by PAs on both sides, so there was some risk getting it to the bottom of the slope. The other three had moderate trouble with water in play. The pair of short 4s were mixed. The 4th was meh, but the dogleg 14th was a beaut. Uphill with a large rock on the inside corner. A good drive got zero rollout slamming into the slope, leaving a blind shot over the rock with little room to miss around the green. 

 

Conditions were good. Fairways had a handful of iffy areas, but were generally good. Rough was thick, but cut to a good height. Bunkers had sufficient sand, but needed grooming. Greens looked and rolled fine. Speed was probably 10. 

 

Played the Blue tees at 6313 yds (70.8/130). Very good day ballstriking. Wedges weren't too shabby. Putter was lukewarm. Two birdies, four bogies, and a double. The 10' birdie putt on the par 3 6th was nice, but the shot of the day was the teeshot on the par 3 17th. With the pin tucked back left I hit a nice high draw with the 6h that landed mid green and released to the back fringe. Highlight of the day was walking the beautiful course for my 1500th. I don't think I could have found something as nice in DC that I haven't played. 

 

Solid 7 cows. Very similar to the courses in Frederick. Beautiful looking with plenty of ups and downs, but needs a few design upgrades starting with the green contouring and fairway bunkering. Still a solid test, though. No walking rate, but the $55 weekday rate was silly good. Biggest nit with the course was the total lack of drinking water on the course. I was told that they haven't had any since the pandemic. Crazy to think that 95% of all courses don't seem to have a problem with water on the course. That said, it's a must play, and a real bargain. 

 

[Argonne69]

The Quarry GC, Canton, OH 

 

Lol. I think black cats are good luck. 'Had two growing up, a mother and daughter, that both lived over 20 years 

 

 

Hate teeing off into the morning sun 

 

 

 

Hmmm. Pretty sure I had some moisture on the lense 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tough elevated green on the 13th 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/juut44tvi03z059gv7zmk/AMRQijFdpGyQHamjEDamAMc?rlkey=21uec8a2hwn0s7fapff2p4dnh&st=vj8wb6bu&dl=0

 

Edited July 17 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Crazy 345 mile drive on US-30 after the round. I've done longer stretches on interstates, but this is the longest drive I've done on a single US highway. It wasn't half bad through most of Ohio with a speed limit of 70 mph for most of it, and only a few traffic lights. That changed significantly once I hit Fort Wayne, IN. The speed limit dropped to 60, and there were several long stretches with traffic lights every half mile or less. 

 

I had a very scary moment in Fort Wayne on I-69/US-30. I was following a truck that was hauling a large dumpster. The exit for US-30 was coming up, so I didn't want to try to get around it in heavy traffic, figuring that I could trail him for a half mile. I saw something black rise up above the dumpster, and I realized that it was the dumpster's heavy plastic lid, or one of them. The lid blew off, and luckily flew over my vehicle. Traffic was heavy, so there was no where to go had it flown towards my windshield. No idea if one or more of the vehicles behind my got clobbered. I really should know better than to follow any type of truck hauling rocks, junk, or dumpsters. 

 

Edited July 18 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

First order of business upon arrival after unpacking my good clothes for the memorial service tomorrow was ordering a pizza from Lou Malnati's. It's been 7 months since I had it last. Lol. 

 

 

Sitting down typing this while enjoying a Bourbon County. Going to hit the sack early tonight. Walking 18 on a hilly course, a 6 hour drive, a couple of large slices of deep dish, and a BBA imperial stout does make one sleepy. 

 

[eboettne]

13 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

First order of business upon arrival after unpacking my good clothes for the memorial service tomorrow was ordering a pizza from Lou Malnati's. It's been 7 months since I had it last. Lol. 

 

 

Sitting down typing this while enjoying a Bourbon County. Going to hit the sack early tonight. Walking 18 on a hilly course, a 6 hour drive, a couple of large slices of deep dish, and a BBA imperial stout does make one sleepy. 

 

Ok that's it, I need to get back to Chicago

[ZephyrS4]

Nice….looks awesome!

[vernon]

Wow this is a first - opened up Arg's thread this morning and there are NO new posts!

 

Zip, zero, nada.........

 

Not sure what to do at this point.

[Argonne69]

Bittersweet day yesterday. Funerals are never a good time, but it was nice to see family that I haven't seen in a few years. Spent a few hours at the memorial service, and then we went for lunch at Aurelio's Pizza. Didn't snap any photos, though. Lol. 

 

I have a day in town before heading back to DC tomorrow. I "needed" to do a beer run into the city to pick up some Revolution Brewing Deth's Tar, so I decided to skip the expressways and take take a leisurely drive up the full length of DuSable Lake Shore Drive. It's been four years since I was in Chicago during the summer. Unfortunately the weather is crummy today with clouds and rain approaching. Chicago is a great tourist town in the summer. You won't find another city with ~20 miles of nearly uninterrupted lakefront park. The lakefront bike trail is a nice ride. 

 

Stopped at Adler Planetarium to snap a few pics of the city's skyline. On a sunny day it's the best spot to take in the views. 

 

 

The planetarium was a favorite as a kid. 

 

 

Drove through Grant Park and snapped a poor photo of Buckingham Fountain while waiting at a traffic light 

 

 

Stopped at Sydney R. Marovitz GC to use the restroom. Used to play this 9 hole city run lakefront course occasionally. Pace of play was always horrid (3 hours for 9 holes), so I'd only tee it up in the late fall when the weather was crummy. It's not a bad course, but could use the usual design tweaks. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Did I say that Chicago is a great tourist town? Lol. Getting very pricey for the locals given that the city sold it's soul for $5. They sold the rights to the parking meters for a dime on the dollar. The streets are also littered with photo speed cameras with the speed limit set to 30 mph. Gas prices? Oy. 

 

 

Edited July 19 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Been quite a while since I stopped at my favorite place in the city, the Revolution Brewing Taproom. It's my lucky day because it's release weekend for a few of their brews, including the wickedly good Thundertaker Bourbon Barrel Aged Rye Stout (16% ABV). Definitely picking up a few four packs to go. It's "reasonably" priced at $30 for four 12 ounce cans. 

 

Only nit is that the $8 samplers are served in plastic cups during the release party. Boo! 

 

 

Where the magic happens. Lol. 

 

 

On deck is the Thundertaker Espresso, and the Quinze Double BBA barleywine and ryewine. I do love a 5 ounce pour, even if it's pricey. 🙂

 

Edited July 19 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Lol. Picked a good day to sample new bourbon barrel aged brews. 

 

 

[Bonneville85308]

On 7/16/2025 at 3:31 AM, Argonne69 said:

Booked an RV park in Lancaster for early-August. The triangular area between west Philadelphia, Allentown, and Harrisburg looks very good for public courses. 'Looking forward to it.

 

 

Allentown and Bethlehem have great inexpensive walker-friendly muni courses that have had a lot of renovations in recent years and are in the best condition I've seen them in during the past 25+ years.

 

What's your course list looking like for that area?

 

[Argonne69]

Tough call for lunch today. Being a big BBQ fan, I considered stopping at Carson's Ribs. It's a bit of an institution in the city. Don't think it stacks up to some of the southside joints, but it's a decent rack of ribs. Their original sauce is still one of my favorites, a sweet and tangy sauce. They don't do brisket, but the ribs are very good, and they do a mean porkchop. 

 

However, I decided that I eat enough barbecue, and settled on Greek. Don't think I've run across a proper Greek restaurant outside of Chicago. Athena's in Greektown has been my go-to restaurant for 25+ years. Their atrium used to have wonderful views of downtown Chicago, but a few years ago they built a high rise across the street. 

 

 

Edited July 19 by Argonne69