Arg's Travel Log

[deadsolid...shank]

Well, after you leave Cheyenne, if you want to make a stop over in Greely I’ll join for a round. Highland Hills is a scruffy old school, parkland style muni. Not many bunkers, only two lakes. A little bit of elevation change, lots of doglegs (especially to the right).  But tight enough to be rated over par. And no one will give you any flak about walking. And it will run you about $35. 

Edited July 1, 2023 by deadsolid...shank

[So_Cal]

Arg,

 

Any connections to get on Northland in Duluth?  Always heard that is an excellent Ross but never played it.  

[Argonne69]

1 hour ago, So_Cal said:

Arg,

 

Any connections to get on Northland in Duluth?  Always heard that is an excellent Ross but never played it.  

 

No connections. Always been a public kind of guy. 

 

[Argonne69]

A very enjoyable morning. Can't believe I'd say that about a holiday weekend round, but when the weather is nice, and your foursome can get around in less than four hours, it's a good day. A bit weird, though. It's been over a month since I played in a foursome. Strange not walking the course solo. 

 

Big Fish GC today. Surprised to see that it's a Pete Dye design given that it's a relatively new course. It's a tale of two nines. The front is a prairie style design where Pete appears to have moved quite a bit of dirt to transform a flat farm into a respectable undulating layout. I played with a local who confirmed that it was pancake flat before the course was built. The back is a beautiful parkland layout with some very nice elevation changes. The par 5 7th has a large pond running along the left side, but otherwise there is little water on the course. Bunkering was very good. No doglegs, but a couple of sweepers that favored working the ball. Lies on both nines were rarely flat. 

 

Very generous off the tee with wide fairways. The back was a bit tighter, but other than the short par 4 11th it was still pretty wide. Plenty of room for small and big misses on the front, but not so on the back with the dense woods. Lies in the "rough" could be quite bad on the uneven turf. Approaches were tough. Plenty of small, well guarded greens with a handful of false fronts and sides. Up and downs were equally tough. Plenty of closely mown areas gave options, but the steep sides and undulating greens made getting the ball close a real challenge. Putting was mixed. Find yourself below the hole and it was fairly straightforward. Above the hole produced some real knee knockers. 

 

Par 3s were on the mundane side. The 16th was probably the best of the bunch. Par 5s were fun, but no real risk/reward. The S shaped 13th was fun. Reachable, but it needed a PA near the green to add some risk. Short 4s were decent. The 5th had a big bunker center creating a split fairway. The small right side gave the easier approach, but was tough to hit. 

 

Conditions were very spotty. The fairways on the opening holes were about as shaggy as one could get without calling it rough. Produced some weird lies. Plenty of brown areas, as well as a few large areas marked as GUR. Rough was patchy. Bunkers were excellent with plenty of fluffy sand. Greens had way too many unrepaired ballmarks, and inconsistent speeds. Some were rolling 10, but others were closer to 8. 

 

Played a Championship/Member combo at 6325 yds (70.6/128). Very happy with the round today. Solid off the tee, decent iron play, and a few nice scrambles. One birdie and six bogies. Highlight of the day was getting up and down for par on the long par 4 15th. 

 

BF gets a solid 6 cows. Greens provide plenty of challange, but I'd like to see more risk/reward. Conditions were iffy, but at $45 to walk on a holiday weekend I can live with a little scruff. Not a must play, but worth a visit if you're in town. 

 

[Argonne69]

Big Fish GC, Hayward, WI 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/s4e836ssb9ojela/AAAtgIA8hjdAfn1bgUMX-BvJa?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Well, this is different. Stopped at Tamarack Farms Winery for a drink and a bite to eat. They have a handful of bottled beers, but I decided to go with their Cranberries Jubilee fruit wine. Very sweet, but it has a nice tart aftertaste. Tough choice on the food side with decent looking pizza and BBQ. The wings are supposed to be very good, but can't get a half order. Decided to go with the pizza, but I might add a half pound of brisket to the order. 

 

 

Pizza is excellent. Looks like I'll stop by tomorrow for BBQ. 

 

 

Edited July 1, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

A frustrating morning communing with nature. By nature I don't mean deer, turtles, or hawks, but mosquitos and flies. I picked up some heavy duty repellent with 40 percent DEET, and while it kept the buggers from biting, they still kept buzzing the tower. However, the biggest source of frustration came from the course sending groups out on the back nine. You get your butt out of bed before dawn hoping to head out early and beat the holiday crowds, and then you run into roadblocks on the back nine. The lack of drinking water on a very hilly course on a steamy day didn't add to the experience. 

 

Anyway, Lakewoods Forest Ridges GC today. It's located 30 miles northeast of Hayward in the deep woods. I'm sitting in the lodge typing this because they have wifi, and there's no Verizon signal up here. Beautiful piece of rolling parkland. Very few flat lies today. A couple of small ponds on the course, but plenty of heavily wooded areas and wetlands. Bunkering was very light, but with the trees so close it's probably a good thing. A couple of sweepers and two doglegs on the layout, including the short Z shaped par 5 18th. 

 

This is a tough course off the tee. Does not favor hitting a draw, as trees crowd the right side on many holes, and several slant right to left. Several holes have you hitting into an upslope, so while the course plays only 6062 yds from the tips, it plays much longer. There were a couple of generous holes with wide rough, but most of the holes were tighter than my high school jeans. Big misses were goners. Approaches were also tough with small, elevated greens, or small, downhill greens. Up and downs were tricky due to the patchy rough. Plenty of iffy lies. Putting should have been easy with benign greens, but they were dog slow. 

 

The five par 3s were very good. Elevated tees, forced carries, and small greens. The long 13th was a doozy. Par 5s were meh. The 8th could be considered a risk/reward hole for a longer hitter with a pond guarding the green's left front. The 18th was short, but tough. Dogleg right required a solid drive to clear the corner, and then another solid layup to clear the 2nd corner leaving less than wedge. If you can hit a high draw you might challenge the green, but it's a blind shot. Short 4s were meh. 

 

If yesterday's conditions were scruffy, the conditions today were just awful. Fairways were a third patchy, shaggy grass, a third weeds, and a third dirt. Rough was thin and patchy. The few bunkers weren't bad. Greens were glacial. Maybe rolling 7 with the heavy dew in the early morning, but possibly 9 at the end of the round. 

 

Played the Black tees on the par 71 layout at 6062 yds (70.3/136). Rough day all around. Couldn't buy a putt on the shaggy greens. Seven bogies and a double. Clipping a tree on the 18th was costly. Highlight of the day was simply walking the hilly terrain. Great workout with less than spectacular play. 

 

I'm going to be nice and give LFR 5 cows. Really loved the property, even though conditions were mediocre at best. The $42 weekend walking rate was excellent. No complaints there. If you can ignore the conditions, it's a tough test, and worth a visit. Don't recall seeing a power line poll in the middle of a fairway (9th), but it added to the quirkiness of the course. 

 

[Argonne69]

Lakewoods Forest Ridges GC, Cable, WI 

 

Yes, those are powerlines cutting across the 1st hole 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Played through 3 groups on the back, and this comedian wanted to partake in the photo shoot. Lol. 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8viua4ha5ia7srp/AAAPPivEInfZbLz_fezKJE-ua?dl=0

 

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

Lakewoods Forest Ridges GC, Cable, WI 

 

Yes, those are powerlines cutting across the 1st hole 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Played through 3 groups on the back, and this comedian wanted to partake in the photo shoot. Lol. 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8viua4ha5ia7srp/AAAPPivEInfZbLz_fezKJE-ua?dl=0

 

Great piece of property! A little tlc and it could be really good.

[Argonne69]

6 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

Great piece of property! A little tlc and it could be really good.

 

Definitely. Add a few bunkers to catch some of the offline drives from running into the trees, shorten one of the 5s and add some risk near the green, and improve the turf and it could easily be a 7 cow layout. 

 

[Argonne69]

Back to Tamarack Farms Winery for some BBQ. Wow. That is some high quality Q. The ribs were probably the best I've had on this journey. Certainly the meatiest. Tender, smokey, and juicy. The brisket was very good, but a little lean for my tastes. Definitely tender. The corn bread was better than average. Could use a helping of jalepeno. The three sauces were excellent. Subtle differences, but each sweet and tangy. Definitely check this place out. 

 

 

[So_Cal]

Looks awesome.   I forgot what bugs were out in SoCal but you jogged my memory.  They can be brutal in the north woods.  

[Argonne69]

I made it to Delta Diner, and managed to find a parking spot. Well, not really a parking spot, but rather the gravel shoulder of the road out front. Hopefully a semi doesn't get distracted and plow into Bessie's front end. If I'm lucky I'll be out of here shortly. Looks interesting. Ordered the Pedro's Mexican Benny with a side Norwegian cake. 

 

 

 

 

Oh, that's tasty. Two eggs on a green chile cornbake, smothered in chipotle-chorizo sauce. 

 

 

Edited July 3, 2023 by Argonne69

[ClarkGrswld4]

funny about the brisket being a little too lean for your taste, my biggest gripe about brisket is its usually too fatty for my tastes. I was salivating over that pic of yours.

[Argonne69]

A little bit of excitement today. First, US 53 in Duluth was closed due to construction, and my GPS sent me off on a little detour that added some unneeded stress. Lol. I'm 14 miles northwest of town, and US-53 is nothing but malls and traffic lights for a good stretch of that. Hopefully getting to the courses doesn't take too long this week. 

 

Set up camp and it was time to run my washer/dryer through its bi-monthly cleaning cycle. The thing kept throwing an error that it wasn't getting water. There was sufficient water pressure at the two sinks, so I thought that maybe the screen in the washer's water line(s) was clogged. Turned off the water at the source, and checked the hoses. Nope. Reconnected the water lines, went to outside to turn on the water, and when I came back inside I could hear water running. Uh oh. Seems I cross threaded the cold water supply, and had water flowing into the washer cabinet. Ran outside to turn off the water, but by that point I had several gallons of water in the RV. Luckily it was clean water, but I still had a mess on my hands to clean up. The water leaked into the living area from under the fireplace. Hopefully it'll dry quickly. Moisture and mold are the bane of RVs. I was able to run the cleaning cycle using my fresh water tank and the internal pump. No idea why the city water supply didn't work. Seemed like sufficient pressure. 

 

Called Wilderness at Fortune Bay to get a tee time for next Sunday. Also called Giants Ridge to book tee times at The Legend and The Quarry for next Monday and Tuesday mornings. Long term forecast shows a 50 percent chance of rain on Sunday and Monday, so fingers crossed. 

 

Enger Park GC early tomorrow morning. There's a 40 percent chance of storms, so hopefully I catch a break. 

 

Edited July 3, 2023 by Argonne69

[eboettne]

FYI I'm not sure how doable walking The Legend would be. There's some looooong stretches between greens and tees.  Between the 16th green and 17th tee it's gotta be around a mile. It felt long in a golf cart if that gives you any reference.

[Argonne69]

16 minutes ago, eboettne said:

FYI I'm not sure how doable walking The Legend would be. There's some looooong stretches between greens and tees.  Between the 16th green and 17th tee it's gotta be around a mile. It felt long in a golf cart if that gives you any reference.

 

Yeah, I was told that The Quarry was walkable, but that The Legend is best played with a cart due to the long hikes between several holes. 

 

[Argonne69]

A very enjoyable morning. Got lucky with the weather thanks to the pace of play, as rain will be here shortly. Got to the course early expecting heavy crowds, but they sent me out as a single 15 minutes behind a twosome. They let me play through on the 12th hole, so it turned out to be one of the fastest, and therefore oddest, holiday rounds to date. Lol. 

 

Enger Park GC today, my first round in Minnesota on this trip. Actually, I think it's only my second round ever in the state. With the threat of storms, I picked this one because it seemed to be a cheap, scruffy muni. I was right. Sounding once again like a broken record, a beautiful piece of parkland property that lacked teeth, and suffered from very poor conditions. It's a 27 hole layout, and I played the Back and Front nines. Saw a few holes on the Middle nine, and they looked good. Very nice elevation changes with plenty of elevated tees and greens, and some wonky sidehill lies. A few small ponds come into play, but the dense trees are a bigger defense. Hunkering was extremely light. No doglegs, and just a couple of minor sweepers. 

 

No trouble off the tee with little bunkering and generous fairways. The 5th hole was a tad tougher with a carry over a wetland providing a good risk/reward opportunity. Minor misses were safe with wide rough. Big misses were goners. Approaches should have been benign with lightly defended greens, but the fairway turf conditions were so bad that you could be hitting off of dirt or through a tuff of weeds. Actually, there were a couple of nice elevated greens with decent bunkering. Up and downs were straightforward. Greens had slope, but little contouring. Putting was tough because the greens were so bad that one couldn't really keep a ball on line. 

 

The three par 3s were boring. The three par 5s were equally benign. The opening hole on the back was OK I guess, a reachable hole with some risk with a pond in front of the green. Short 4s were meh. 

 

Conditions were nearly as bad as Lake Woods Forest Ridges. Fairways were a mess with bare patches, weeds, and uneven turf. Soft and wet to boot. Rough was patchy. Bunkers actually had sufficient sand, but needed grooming. Greens were nasty. For starters, players have simply given up fixing ballmarks. There weren't just your usual handful of fresh ones, but large holes from weeks old unrepaired or ill repairs ones. Sad. Speed was decent, though. Probably 10. 

 

Played a Blue/White combo at 6385 yds (71.5/130). Solid day all around. Scrambling was spot on. Two birdies and three bogies. Highlight of the round was a pair of midrange par putts that managed to find the hole on the lumpy greens. Lowlight was nearly clocking the cart girl on the 7th hole on the Front nine. Blind tee shot slightly uphill to a large drop-off. There are no cart paths on this hole, and as I watch my tee shot sail down the middle she appeared over the crest coming right at me. I yelled fore at the top of my lungs, but she took no avasive action. Missed her by a couple of yards. 

 

I'll be nice and give EP 4 cows simply because I enjoyed the rolling terrain. The course needs a proper architect to add some spice to the cream of wheat. The $32 walking rate was almost too low for a holiday. Charge $10 more and spend it on maintenance. There are plenty of moderately priced munis that have playable conditions tee to green, and smooth greens. 

 

Edited July 4, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Enger Park GC, Duluth, MN 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ay77uvcrmrqg9u9/AADuKxfhTk1BJRx1_QRVd8Sta?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Busy morning. With an hour to kill before the brewpubs open, lol, I took a drive to Enger Park Tower and hiked the four flights to get a nice view of the city. I then headed over to the lift bridge before stopping at Hoops Brewing for a refreshing raspberry wheat. 30 taps but few of my favorites. 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mq46fdob2joa2o9/AADyilgSUGvxgRkp-teWCxQAa?dl=0

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/s3dtpilrslf1vzt/AAA8s_D8DR8AFUon9AFgB-lMa?dl=0

 

 

[eboettne]

If you’re sticking around the area past today, I’m a big fan of Ursa Minor Brewery in Duluth. Interesting to hear about Enger Park’s conditioning. There used to be a similar muni in Duluth called Lester Park that was also owned by the city. However they had to close due to finances and planned to re-open recently but decided that it didn’t make financial sense and pulled the plug. Hopefully Enger gets better in the near future as a result.

[Argonne69]

6 hours ago, eboettne said:

If you’re sticking around the area past today, I’m a big fan of Ursa Minor Brewery in Duluth. Interesting to hear about Enger Park’s conditioning. There used to be a similar muni in Duluth called Lester Park that was also owned by the city. However they had to close due to finances and planned to re-open recently but decided that it didn’t make financial sense and pulled the plug. Hopefully Enger gets better in the near future as a result.

 

I stopped by Ursa Minor and Warrior yesterday. I swear UM had a dozen IPAs on tap, and nothing that I cared for, so I heading two blocks south to Warrior to sample a couple of imperial stouts. Ursa Minor has a very nice place there, but they need more variety.

 

[eboettne]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I stopped by Ursa Minor and Warrior yesterday. I swear UM had a dozen IPAs on tap, and nothing that I cared for, so I heading two blocks south to Warrior to sample a couple of imperial stouts. Ursa Minor has a very nice place there, but they need more variety.

 

 

That's a bummer, must be a seasonal thing.  I am usually there over the winter and they have a few other options I enjoy.  I'm not a big IPA guy at all.

[Argonne69]

Very enjoyable morning. It was supposed to be cool and cloudy all day, but the sun managed to peek out now and again. Black Bear GC today. Very nice parkland/wetland layout with plenty of trouble. Some mounding on the course, but it's generally quite flat. Fairway bunkering was light, but greenside was quite good. A handful of sweepers helped mix things up. Nicely isolated, the casino hotel off in the distance is the only sign of life. The wood carvings in a handful of greenside bunkers was an interesting touch. 

 

Fairly tough off the tee on most holes. A couple were more generous, but most were fairly narrow with wetlands or dense trees on both sides. The par 4 8th required a good poke to reach the wider part of the fairway, otherwise you had maybe 20 yds to work with. The rough was generally narrow, but fairly thick, so minor misses might get lucky. Big misses were no-no's. Approaches were tough if you were firing at flags, as many were tucked. I found bunkers on three consecutive holes. Lesson learned, fire away from the pins to the fat of the green. Up and downs were mixed. Tricky coming out of the thick rough if you short sided yourself. Putting was benign. Little slope or contouring. 

 

Par 3s were mixed. A couple were snoozers, but the pair on the back were decent. The 11th had a forced carry over a small pond. 5s were mixed. The sweeper 3rd was a nice reachable risk/reward hole off the tee. Bite off enough carrying the wetlands and the green was reachable. The 7th was tough because of a marsh pinching the fairway in the landing area. Carry it and it was a flip wedge into the green. The 18th was reachable, but one had to first avoid the rock formation in the fairway. No short 4s. 

 

Conditions were mixed. Fairways had a few iffy patches, but generally playable. Rough was thick, but cut at a decent height. Bunkers were excellent. Plenty of properly groomed wet sand. Greens had been verticut a few weeks ago, and were still effecting the roll. Speed was 9 at best. 

 

Played a Blue/White combo at 6392 yds (71.1/130). Another solid round with a few nice scrambles that really helped. Two birdies and five bogies. Highlight of the round was a nice 18' birdie putt on the 8th. 

 

BB gets 5 cows. Nice looking course, and a real bear off the tee. [Snare. Cymbol] Par 3s could use some excitement. A couple of short 4s would be nice. No complaints about the $54 walking rate, but no drinking water on the course was irksome, and no idea why they send players off the back nine so the early birds can run into a traffic jam after flying through the front. I'd say it's worth a visit, but either bring your A game or a dozen balls, because the native areas around the PAs are thick as nails, and don't give up the dead. 

 

Edited July 5, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Black Bear GC, Carlton, MN 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2xrntvlxw9uh6mc/AADc0yJhe4sxmDunAys4mVHea?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Sitting in the Black Bear clubhouse enjoying a mango blonde ale. Heading downtown shortly for another beer, and then an afternoon ride in a domecar on the North Shore Scenic Railroad. I hope the sun pops out again. 

 

[Argonne69]

7 West Taphouse in Duluth. Decent selection with 40 taps. Nice to see that they have a "Kidz" menu with Bud Light. Lol. Enjoying a Bent Paddle Brewing Barrel Aged Extra Baked imperial pastry stout. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Disappointed with the North Shore Scenic Railroad. "Scenic" is a bit of a stretch. Not many views of the lake. Still, always nice to ride in a vintage dome car and check out an old station.  Didn't expect the complementary drinks in 1st class. Lol. The train just reached its furthest point north, the engine swapped ends, and we're heading back south into the city. 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zg4t4cp37rn5z48/AABDzfnCBALWLgA7qr44ksZRa?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Being peak season, I got an early jump booking my rounds for the Brainerd area late next week. Booked early morning rounds at Deacon's Lodge at Breezy Point Resort, Grand View Lodge (Pines - Marsh/Lakes), and Madden's on Gull Lake (Classic). I'm only there for 3 days, so not a lot of wiggle room if the weather is poor. Hoping for the best. 

 

[Argonne69]

Busy, busy day, but a beautiful one on a beautiful course. The two hour drive in the early morning was very nice. Light traffic and some wonderful views of the lake. Worst part was that it took me 35 minutes just to get to MN-61. I got lucky with the weather. Usually it's cloudy, and then clears up near the end of my round. Today it was sunny, and the clouds didn't roll in until I was back on the road heading to Two Harbors. 

 

Superior National at Lutsen GC today. Definitely worth the 90 minute drive north from the city. The parkland course has three nines with plenty of nice elevation changes, and some great views out at the lake. I played the River and Canyon nines. The Mountain nine looked fun. Nice mix of holes with numerous sweepers, and a couple of doglegs. Fairway bunkering was mixed. Nonexistent on many holes, but very good on others. Greenside was quite good. Plenty of water on the course in the form of small ponds and creeks. 

 

Moderately challenging off the tee. Most of the fairways were fairly wide with light bunkering, but there were a handful of forced carries and some side slopes that could deflect a drive down into the rough. Minor misses weren't much problem, but big ones could be costly with dense trees and native areas. Approaches were moderately difficult. Seemed like there were plenty of shots to well defended, elevated greens. Up and downs and putting were both tricky because there was a serious lake effect going on. Your eyes told you the ball was going to go away from the water, but the pull was like a neo magnet on iron. 

 

Par 3s were very good. The 8th was a little bland, but the other 3 were sweet. The 2nd had a forced carry over a creek. The pair on the back both had elevated tees. The 17th had no danger, but the 15th had a carry over a deep ravine. The three 5s were a letdown. The River 5th was reachable, but no danger. The Canyon 1st and 4th were simply long. Short 4s were meh. The 14th was technically not a short 4, but with an elevated tee, it was a fun risk/reward 4. 230 yds to carry the creek leaving a short wedge, or layup with an 8 iron leaving 160 into a narrow green. 

 

Conditions were good, but not perfect. Fairways had their share of bad patches. Rough was very nice. Bunkers were excellent with plenty of well groomed wet sand. Greens looked very good, but were on the slow side. Maybe 9, but the lake effect could make some seem much quicker. Away from the lake they felt like 7s. 

 

Played the Black (Double Black Diamond) tees at 6392 yds (71.8/132). Driver was well behaved, but the irons didn't earn their keep. One birdie, five bogies and a double. Highlight of the day was getting up and down for par on the 433 yd 11th (Canyon #2) after a sweet 9 wood that barely cleared the deep front bunker. Lowlight was another tough walking course with no drinking water available. Grrr. 

 

SN gets a solid 6 cows. Add a risk/reward 5 and a couple of challenging short 4s and it gets another Bessie. The $99 weekday walking rate was on the high side but the course is probably worth a Benjamin. Once again, definitely worth the drive. Make a day trip out of it and stop to view the sights. 

 

Edited July 6, 2023 by Argonne69