Arg's Travel Log

[Argonne69]

Crazy. Thank goodness for brewpubs. It's going to take over an hour and a half to get back to Lake Elmo. I-94 has a 45 minute backup going through St Paul, so I have to take MN-36. Is it even remotely possible for people to stop looking at their phones and focus on driving? Should be a 20 minute trip. 

 

Edited July 21, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Lol. Well, I made it safely through the Twin Cities Demolition Derby. Ugh. 

 

Taking an actual day off tomorrow. Probably going to take a dip in the pool, and an early morning run to stock up on groceries for the Great Plains leg of the journey. 

 

I've been on the road post-surgery for 11+ weeks, and have played 60 courses on the trip through Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Overall I was very pleased with the quality, but the riding only policies in Michigan left a sour taste in my mouth. Prices were reasonable for the most part, and the hilly terrain was very fun. Could have used without the bugs, but the vast majority of the courses were bugger free. Northern Minnesota was definitely better than the UP and the northwoods of Wisconsin, but Greywalls was the standout. 

 

I can't believe the good luck I've had with the weather. Nothing really hot, and just a couple of wet rounds. Hoping that the weeks ahead are the same, but I expect hotter days in the plains. 

 

I'm considering skipping Billings (Eaglerock, Pryor Creek) in two weeks and heading straight to Gillette, WY (Bell Nob) from Medora, ND (Bully Pulpit). Not sure if the drive across eastern Montana is worth the effort. I can possibly hit Billings next summer as I swing through western Montana on my way from Yellowstone to Glacier and Alberta. 

 

Edited July 21, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Enjoying an evening in Stillwater. Nice selection of restaurants and a couple of of brewpubs. Decided I needed a change of pace after my Belgian brew crawl yesterday, so it's a margarita at Melt Pizza Company while we wait for our Detroit style pan pizza. 

 

 

The tempura Champagne Shishitos with Sambol Aioli is a wicked start. 

 

 

Beef Ramen was tasty. 

 

 

The pizza was very good. I've had better Detroit style pizza, but this was no slouch. 

 

 

Edited July 23, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

 

[Argonne69]

 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/khgpvq222woofu6/AAAxzaG3FHJl1N3ydJVjhZeJa?dl=0

 

Edited July 23, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Long, but uneventful drive to Fargo this morning. It was the longest drive I've had since the trip from Chicago to Des Moines last fall. Sitting in Bessie listening to the racket from the generator. Temps in the mid 80s and the RV park has been without electricity all day. No idea when service will be restored, so I get to listen to the generator. Oy. 

 

I have two rounds booked here at Rose Creek and Edgewood. I was able to book a round at Hawktree near Bismarck for Friday, but couldn't find a morning tee time nearby for Thursday. Called Prairie West GC, but apparently the manager allows twosomes to play by themselves by locking out the other two slots. Stupid way to run a golf course. I wound up booking at Painted Woods 40 minutes north of town. After driving nearly an hour for three rounds last week, I would have preferred not having to trek into the prairie, but what can you do. 

 

Oh veh. Welcome to North Dakota. Should have probably headed south. Lol. Looking to book rounds at Minot CC and Vardon for next week. Sunday mornings are reserved for members only at Vardon, and the first open slot is at noon, but public players can only book 2 days in advance. Tuesday and Wednesday mornings are reserved for league play. Monday is a possibility, but I won't know until Saturday. 

 

Minot is open to the public Monday through Friday only. 

 

Edited July 23, 2023 by Argonne69

[Titleist_PT23]

7 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Long, but uneventful drive to Fargo this morning. It was the longest drive I've had since the trip from Chicago to Des Moines last fall. Sitting in Bessie listening to the racket from the generator. Temps in the mid 80s and the RV park has been without electricity all day. No idea when service will be restored, so I get to listen to the generator. Oy. 

 

I have two rounds booked here at Rose Creek and Edgewood. I was able to book a round at Hawktree near Bismarck for Friday, but couldn't find a morning tee time nearby for Thursday. Called Prairie West GC, but apparently the manager allows twosomes to play by themselves by locking out the other two slots. Stupid way to run a golf course. I wound up booking at Painted Woods 40 minutes north of town. After driving nearly an hour for three rounds last week, I would have preferred not having to trek into the prairie, but what can you do. 

 

Oh veh. Welcome to North Dakota. Should have probably headed south. Lol. Looking to book rounds at Minot CC and Vardon for next week. Sunday mornings are reserved for members only at Vardon, and the first open slot is at noon, but public players can only book 2 days in advance. Tuesday and Wednesday mornings are reserved for league play. Monday is a possibility, but I won't know until Saturday. 

 

Minot is open to the public Monday through Friday only. 

 

Maybe call and ask if you can pay twice and play two balls by yourself?

[Argonne69]

Rough night last night. Definitely reinforced why I don't go cheap and spend nights in a Walmart parking lot. Very little sleep with a generator going full bore 15 feet away. Finally got tired of the noise and turned it off, so I got a few hours of restless sleep in the warm humid air. Thankfully the power came back on in the early morning so I could have my morning coffee in the peace. Hopefully it's still on when I get back. 

 

Warm and sticky today. It's going to be a relatively warm week. Rose Creek GC today, my first round in the state of North Dakota. Only six states remaining. Very forgettable local muni. Prairie style layout with a handful of trees, wetlands, and ponds. About as flat as you can make a course. A handful of sweepers added a little challenge. Fairway bunkering was very light. Greenside was a little better. 

 

Fairly easy off the tee, but there were a number of tougher holes with forced carries or water on one or both sides. Minor misses were little problem with decent rough. Big misses that weren't wet could generally be played from adjacent fairways. Approaches were benign for the most part. A couple of tucked pins, but most holes could be safely played to the fat of the green. Up and downs and putting were no brainers. Greens were speedy, but had little contouring. 

 

Par 3s were meh. The 13th was OK with a wetland short and left. The three 5s were decent. The right to left sweeper 3rd was a nice risk/reward hole with water right off the tee, and left for the approach of one chose to carry it. The 9th was also reachable with a good drive with water left of the green. No short 4s, but the 5th could be cut down with a risky carry over the corner of the pond. 

 

Conditions were generally good tee to green. Bunkers were a mess with nicely groomed dirt. Greens rolled nicely if you avoided the numerous poorly repaired ballmarks. First challenge is to get players to fix ballmarks. The bigger challenge is to teach them how to do it correctly. 

 

Played the Black/Blue combo at 6365 yds on the par 71 layout (71.3/124). Solid round, but couldn't buy a birdie. Five bogies. 

 

Didn't expect much in Fargo, but the course isn't bad for an inexpensive muni. 4 cows. The $28 senior walking rate was spot on. Can't say I'd recommend it, but there's not a ton of good public golf in the area. Worth a visit if you're passing through. 

 

[Argonne69]

Rose Creek GC, Fargo, ND 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/frkv1a5vyn4u3jx/AAAMLK3QFeFafFNUscb4XHWxa?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

It's the middle of summer, so it's difficult to find a barrel aged Russian imperial stout, but thankfully not impossible. Lol. A very tasty Surly 

Gimme S'More Darkness RIS at JL Beers. 30 taps with a nice mix. 

 

 

Wasn't planning on an early dinner, but the burgers at JL looked so good. Tasted even better. Got the JL burger with an added egg on top. Top 10 burger on the trip. 

 

 

Edited July 24, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Ah, nothing like a nice, level spot in an RV park. Poor Bessie has her front end a foot off the ground. 

 

 

Nice view of the Red River, though. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Uploaded the updated course ratings list through Chaska Town Course. 

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sxo4bvkpv6g5dl8/ArgsCourseRatings.csv?dl=0

 

[eboettne]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

It's the middle of summer, so it's difficult to find a barrel aged Russian imperial stout, but thankfully not impossible. Lol. A very tasty Surly 

Gimme S'More Darkness RIS at JL Beers. 30 taps with a nice mix. 

 

 

Wasn't planning on an early dinner, but the burgers at JL looked so good. Tested even better. Got the JL burger with an added egg on top. Top 10 burger on the trip. 

 

 

 

JL Beers burgers are right up there with In N Out and Five Guys for my favorite burgers. Welcome to Nodak!

[Argonne69]

Tried calling Minot CC today to get a tee time for next Monday. Sorry, closed for a tournament. OK, how about Tuesday? Yeah, wide open, but you have to get permission from the head pro to get a tee time. Huh? 

 

Not sure why this is considered a "best you can play" course by GolfWeek if you have to jump through hoops to get a tee time. 

 

[Dancin]

I would guess a lot of previous semi private/private courses that were welcoming to the public a couple years ago have cut back on public play due to increased member play. The magazines are generally a year or two behind current since the ratings are based on the previous year's play.

[Argonne69]

Very pleasant morning. Warm and humid, but the breeze helped, and the parkland layout had plenty of large trees to provide shade throughout the round. Edgewood GC today, another Fargo owned muni. Very different than yesterday's course. The course sits on a bend in the river forming a peninsula, so plenty of water and wetlands on the parkland layout. The clubhouse sits on the high point, so there's a bit of elevation change. I don't recall seeing a fairway bunker, but greenside wasn't bad. A couple of gentle sweepers provided the only left/right movement. 

 

Even without the bunkering it was fairly tough off the tee. Plenty of trees and water lining the narrow fairways. Clipped a couple of branches with my big draw. The par 5 4th was the hardest driving hole with the river and wetlands left, and a pond right. Minor misses weren't bad. Big misses that didn't find water could generally be found and played from the trees, but it would generally require a punch out. 

 

Approaches were fairly straightforward because the greens were soft and receptive. I was a bit surprised by their size. You generally expect tiny on a course like this, but they were a decent size. Up and downs were generally easy if you played enough break. Most greens had little contouring or slope, but a few were very slanted. The 18th had a ton of slope. 

 

Par 3s were snoozers. Needed more trouble and a better mix of lengths. The three 5s were ho hum. As noted, the 4th was a tough driving hole. No short 4s unfortunately. 

 

Conditions were, umm, playable. The course sits in a flood plain. Until a couple of weeks ago the par 4 16th was shortened to a par 3 because the fairway was still recovering from damage. There were plenty of iffy areas, but for less than $30 I was pleasantly surprised. Bunkers were sandy and groomed. Greens were spotty, a little bumpy, and on the slow side due to the early morning watering. 

 

Played the Blue/White combo at 6247 yds on the par 71 layout (70.8/123). A couple of wonky drives, but overall a good day ballstriking. Couldn't putt on the slow greens, though. Four bogies and a double. Highlight of the day was my three playing partners. Local high school teachers/coaches. Two were crazy long, and solid players who made me feel more than welcome. 

 

This one gets a solid 4 cows. I definitely like it more than Rose Creek yesterday, but the layout still needs several tweeks. The lack of housing is a definite plus. The $27 senior walking rate put a smile on my face. Lol. Similar to yesterday, it's not a destination course, but it's certainly worth a visit if you're passing through town. 

 

Edited July 25, 2023 by Argonne69

[eboettne]

37 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Tried calling Minot CC today to get a tee time for next Monday. Sorry, closed for a tournament. OK, how about Tuesday? Yeah, wide open, but you have to get permission from the head pro to get a tee time. Huh? 

 

Not sure why this is considered a "best you can play" course by GolfWeek if you have to jump through hoops to get a tee time. 

 

I had to do a stay and play deal with a local hotel to play there

[Argonne69]

Edgewood GC, Fargo, ND (#10 start) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/c2h5kz7mg5xzngd/AACFdsbUa9PHUb2cO7Kf0WSPa?dl=0

 

[vallygolf]

My least favorite feature of many golf courses are the trees.  Photos may make the cutes look smaller, but some of those tee shots look stupid.  The great ones had it right building courses on links land devoid of trees.  Seems like the budget to maintain trees correctly according to the architects design is nonexistent far too often.

 

Edited July 25, 2023 by vallygolf

[Argonne69]

2 minutes ago, vallygolf said:

My least favorite feature of many golf courses are the trees.  Photos may make the cutes look smaller, but some of those tee shots look stupid.  The great ones had it right building courses on links land devoid of trees.  Seems like the budget to maintain trees correctly according to the architects design is nonexistent far too often.

 

Edgewood was definitely designed by someone who played a fade. 

 

[Argonne69]

Lol. I feel like a kid in a candy store. After eating relatively healthy for a week staying with family, I couldn't resist another treat at JL. A 1st Avenue burger with bacon, cheese, BBQ sauce, and an added egg hit the spot. Salad and a sandwich tomorrow, I promise. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

I managed to get a tee time at Minot CC next Tuesday. Not as early as I like to play, but better than I expected. Unfortunately they don't allow walking. Motorized golf. Sigh. 

 

The pro was very responsive, which was nice. 

 

I was originally planning to drive up to southwest Manitoba for a round, spend a night, and then play a round in southeast Saskatchewan. However, with the round at Minot scheduled in the middle of my visit, it looks likes I'll have to make two day trips across the border. Two and a half hours each way. Ugh. 

 

[Argonne69]

Fairly boring three and a half hour drive to Bismarck today. Plenty of construction on I-94, but traffic was light. Had plenty of time to consider my options for next week. I didn't really want to drive 5 hours a day for two days to play in Canada, so I went ahead and booked rounds for Sunday and Monday at Oak Island and Golf Kinosee. The forecast looks bleak, so it may be a couple of wet days, but I'll be able to check off a couple more provinces. I'll book at hotel room for Sunday night, and head back to Minot after Monday's round. 

 

Vardon GC will have to wait until Wednesday, but the course is closed for maintenance until 11 am, and I'm sure the members will grab the earliest tee times. If I can't get out before 12:30 pm I'll find another course. 

 

I checked the tee sheets for Prairie West and Riverwood in Bismarck for an early time tomorrow, but no openings. I'll make the 45 drive up to Painted Woods. 

 

Edit: Oy. Just got a call from Painted Woods, and apparently they have a tournament tomorrow morning, and that they shouldn't have booked my tee time. I assured the head pro that I'll be done in plenty of time. He seemed rather surprised that I could play a solo round in under 3 hours. Amazing. 

 

Edited July 26, 2023 by Argonne69

[TBD203]

Never ceases to amaze me how little people know about playing fast. I walked 18 with a member I had never played with before Tuesday morning and we finished in 2:27. Had to look for two balls as well!

[Argonne69]

It reached a high of 101 degrees in Bismarck late yesterday afternoon. Was not looking forward to a hot one this morning, but it was mostly cloudy, which helped keep the temperature fairly decent. Unfortunately there was no wind, so the mosquitoes were out in full force. A beautiful drive 30 miles north of the city. Not quite as pretty as the Sand Hills region, but it's much more picturesque than eastern North Dakota. I thought I might get lucky with the rain, as I could see a storm moving east just north of the course. I managed 14 holes before I had to pull out the umbrella, but thankfully it stopped two holes later. In classic Arg fashion the sun came out when I walked off the 18th. 

 

Painted Woods GC today. Strange name for a course with few trees. Lol. I often refer to prairie style layouts, but this one really puts the prairie in it. Wonderful piece of hilly terrain with native grasses galore. A small creek winds through the course, so while there aren't many large bodies of water in play, there are plenty of wetlands and a few short forced carries. The clubhouse sits on the high point, so a handful of holes play up to it and down from it. Sadly, bunkering was extremely light. Probably less than a dozen on the entire course. One dogleg and a few sweepers helped keep it interesting. 

 

Very easy course off the tee. Wide fairways and no bunkers. Minor misses would often get kicked back into the fairway by the mounding. Big misses had to be very big to fund trouble, which generally meant a ball lost in the junk. Approaches were mixed. Most were easy with decent sized greens with no protection. A handful of greens were on the small side. All were soft, and very receptive. Up and downs and putting were straightforward. The greens had a good amount of contouring, but it was gentle and fairly easy to read. 

 

Other than the long 16th, the five par 3s were meh. The 16th had a restricted view of the green, and it was pushed against the creek right. The 5s were also benign. Nothing reachable, and very little trouble. Well, the sweeper 5th had a wetland running nearly the entire length of the inside, but there was plenty of room to avoid it. The two short 4s were snoozers. 

 

Conditions were scruffy, but playable. Fairways had numerous types of turf grass, with a few patches of weeds. They were very soft due to a combination of rain and watering. Rough was decent. Green looked nice, but were only rolling 8 to 9 due to the morning dampness. 

 

Played a Black/Gold combo at 6252 yds on the par 71 layout (71.0/117). Had a very nice round going, but the late rain put a halt to that. Two birdies and seven bogies. Highlight of the day was back to back birdies on the 7th and 8th holes, which included a nice 15 footer. 

 

I really wanted to give this one seven, but it's going to be 6 cows. Lovely looking course, but the design is seriously wanting in challenges. Lack of drinking water on the course was a downer. I was shocked at the $28 walking rate. Seriously good bargain. It fell just short of falling into the hidden gem category, but I'd say it's still worth the 30 mile drive north of the city just for the scenery. 

 

Edited July 27, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Painted Woods GC, Washburn, ND 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dwlh2naldzkassq/AACq1EikT-I4P5JxEETbAxJSa?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Laughing Sun Brewing Company. 20 taps with the usual IPAs and sours, but the Sinister Fear Belgian style ale is very good. 

 

 

The burnt ends were pretty tasty, too. 

 

 

Edited July 27, 2023 by Argonne69

[jkody]

On 7/21/2023 at 4:55 PM, Argonne69 said:

I'm considering skipping Billings (Eaglerock, Pryor Creek) in two weeks and heading straight to Gillette, WY (Bell Nob) from Medora, ND (Bully Pulpit). Not sure if the drive across eastern Montana is worth the effort. I can possibly hit Billings next summer as I swing through western Montana on my way from Yellowstone to Glacier and Alberta. 

 

I would skip Billings. Least interesting part of Montana, for sure. Send me a message next summer when you are near Missoula. Happy to host at the Ranch Club if you're interested, also happy to play at any of the publics in town if you are looking for someone to play with (I'll walk too). Also sorry I got behind on this thread because we could've finagled you a way on at Northland in Duluth, which is an absolute stunner.

Edited July 27, 2023 by jkody

[cassel191919]

54 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Painted Woods GC, Washburn, ND 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dwlh2naldzkassq/AACq1EikT-I4P5JxEETbAxJSa?dl=0

 

for $28 it looks like one of the best values there is.

[Argonne69]

2 hours ago, TBD203 said:

Never ceases to amaze me how little people know about playing fast. I walked 18 with a member I had never played with before Tuesday morning and we finished in 2:27. Had to look for two balls as well!

 

Played in 2:40 this morning. I was hurrying through the back nine hoping to miss the rain, but it's not like I was running between shots.