Arg's Travel Log

[Argonne69]

9 hours ago, StoutKing said:

Glad you enjoyed it.  They have gradually made LP easier over the years, which is a good thing.  It used to be insanely hard, especially in the afternoon winds.

 

It was calm in the early morning. There was a one club west wind late in the round. The 18th was a tough finish hitting into the wind from a downhill lie with the two front bunkers in play.

 

[Argonne69]

Another pleasant morning. I could do without the temps in the 40s, but the sunshine felt great. Wind was stiff, though. Rancho Maria today. Yup, not much. Nice piece of property, but they didn't do much with it. Interesting star shaped layout. Don't recall seeing this before. Instead of back and forth, the holes were basically laid out at 45 degree angles to each other, leaving triangular native areas between most clusters. I guess I'd classify it as a parkland layout, although many holes had a prairie feel to them. A couple of small elevation changes, but otherwise it was flat. Water on just 2 holes. Fairway bunkering was extremely light. Greenside was a bit better. A couple of light sweepers didn't help break things up. 

 

Fairly easy off the tee with generous fairways. A handful of holes were tough, though, with trees pinching the chute. Minor misses were no problem, as the rough was thin and wide. Big misses would have to be quite big to find the native areas. A handful of holes had internal OB marked in these areas. Not sure why. Approaches were a little tricky due to a number of small greens, but otherwise not a lot of trouble around them. Greens had very little contouring, but a decent amount of slope. Well, at least the front. The greens on the back seemed different. Not sure if The course started out as a nine hole layout. Putting was fairly straightforward. Up and downs were less than easy due to the patchy rough. Getting a decent lie was a coin flip. 

 

The five par 3s were meh. The long 6th with a forced carry over a pond was tough. Otherwise not much to get excited about. The five par 5s were also mundane. The 14th was reachable, but zero risk. The others had little trouble. The sole short 4 8th was a snoozer. 

 

Conditions were less than pristine, but playable. Fairways were soft with thin turf in many places. Rough was patchy, but generally light. Bunkers were decent. Greens looked fine, but the front and back were playing like Jekyll and Hyde. Even wet with morning dew, the front was rolling a good 10. Got to the 10th green and left a 10 foot putt 3 feet short. 8 maybe? 

 

Played a Blue/White combo at 6270 yds (70.2/123). Put my old Ping G400 Max in the bag for old times sake, and promptly took it out after the round. Lol. After playing a lighter shaft for a while, it felt like swinging a brick. Irons were decent, but putting was off. Very defensive on the front, and struggled with the speed on the back. Six bogies. 

 

Don't want to beat it up, but going with 3 cows. Decent layout for the locals to bang a ball around, but it's uninspiring. Nice piece of property, but the design needs a do-over. The $32 senior weekday walking rate was spot on, but I'd easily spend double that to play La Purisima. In fact, I booked my round at LP on the 13th tee this morning while waiting for the group ahead to clear. Easily skipped. 

 

Edited March 13, 2024 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Rancho Maria GC, Santa Maria, CA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/gbskb1anxsxim3ze71b5x/h?rlkey=kpwpfb8dqck3qllyeoux466i5&dl=0

 

[Mullenboy]

Yeah I was gonna be quite surprised if Rancho Maria got more than 3 cows.  It's just kinda... there.

 

Are you gonna hit more courses going north?  There are several worthwhile in the greater San Luis Obispo area.....

 

You are far gone from Santa Barbara now also, right?  Bummer because I posted in here that I could have perhaps gotten you on Valley Club.  That's a top 50 in the world golf course.  Oh well.  I am getting the impression you prefer not to have favors done for you?  Prefer to stay at the public courses?  I could absolutely understand that.  Hey I am late to the game here... just started following you when you got to California.

 

 

[StoutKing]

1 minute ago, Mullenboy said:

Yeah I was gonna be quite surprised if Rancho Maria got more than 3 cows.  It's just kinda... there.

 

Are you gonna hit more courses going north?  There are several worthwhile in the greater San Luis Obispo area.....

 

You are far gone from Santa Barbara now also, right?  Bummer because I posted in here that I could have perhaps gotten you on Valley Club.  That's a top 50 in the world golf course.  Oh well.  I am getting the impression you prefer not to have favors done for you?  Prefer to stay at the public courses?  I could absolutely understand that.  Hey I am late to the game here... just started following you when you got to California.

 

 

Now that is generous, and worth the drive!

 

I'm sure there's a course there at Rancho Maria between the trees somewhere :)

[Argonne69]

Well that was disappointing. My big plans this afternoon went kaput. After stopping at the RV park to shower, and a short nap, I was going to head to Hitching Post II. I had a hankering for a steak. According to Google Maps, the restaurant is open for lunch. Arrived to find it closed until 5 pm. What's open for lunch is the Hitching Post Wine store next door. Apparently they serve lunch that isn't quite the same as the restaurant, prepared in a tent behind the shop. Grrr. Very deceiving. I wasn't going to spend $33 on a run of the mill ribeye, so I decided to head back to the RV park. I don't normally eat weekday dinners in the late afternoon, but at this point I'll hang around for a few hours and head back. 

 

[Argonne69]

48 minutes ago, Mullenboy said:

Yeah I was gonna be quite surprised if Rancho Maria got more than 3 cows.  It's just kinda... there.

 

Are you gonna hit more courses going north?  There are several worthwhile in the greater San Luis Obispo area.....

 

You are far gone from Santa Barbara now also, right?  Bummer because I posted in here that I could have perhaps gotten you on Valley Club.  That's a top 50 in the world golf course.  Oh well.  I am getting the impression you prefer not to have favors done for you?  Prefer to stay at the public courses?  I could absolutely understand that.  Hey I am late to the game here... just started following you when you got to California.

 

 

Sorry, I was thinking about taking you up on your offer, but my leg was really bothering me, and I didn't want to embarrass myself on a wonderful course. 😒

 

Yeah, plenty more courses on the agenda for the next ten days as I stop in Pismo Beach and Paso Robles before arriving in Monterey. 

 

I've booked rounds at Avila Beach and Morro Bay. I also plan to hit Cypress Ridge, Monarch Dunes, Sea Pines (9), Dairy Creek (9), Paso Robles, Hunter Ranch, and Chalk Mountain. 

 

Edited March 13, 2024 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Made it to Hitching Post II for dinner. Ordered the 10 ounce New York. Tasty, but not the best I've had. I did like the fact that they include soup/salad, and a starch instead of gouging one $8 for a baked potato. Their pinot noir was very good. I do like a good steak, but I don't eat them as often as I used to because I'm usually disappointed after dropping $50+. 

 

 

Now, the key lime pie was delicious. 

 

 

[carrera]

Yeah, hard to screw up a NY steak.

[Mullenboy]

16 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Sorry, I was thinking about taking you up on your offer, but my leg was really bothering me, and I didn't want to embarrass myself on a wonderful course. 😒

 

Yeah, plenty more courses on the agenda for the next ten days as I stop in Pismo Beach and Paso Robles before arriving in Monterey. 

 

I've booked rounds at Avila Beach and Morro Bay. I also plan to hit Cypress Ridge, Monarch Dunes, Sea Pines (9), Dairy Creek (9), Paso Robles, Hunter Ranch, and Chalk Mountain. 

 

All good!  Thanks for clarifying.

 

You are missing NOTHING as you make your way up  the great state of California.  The cool thing is all of those are worth playing.  There was one more that was very fun.. scruffy mom and pop course with some really fun holes... Links at Paso Robles.  Sadly closed.  

 

But seriously all of those have something going for them.  Maybe no 7 cow courses but I bet we see lots of 5 and 6 ratings.  🙂

 

Then in Monterey the real fun begins.

 

If you do get up to San Jose and want to play my weird 9 hole private (Saratoga CC) the offer remains open.  I play 5 days per week, sometimes 6.  Can always add you.

 

Go Arg!

[Argonne69]

It was deja vu all over again. Another cold, but sunny morning. Warmed nicely, though. A rarity on this trip, a replay at La Purisima. I've played a handful of courses that I've played before, but not one that I played two days prior. Didn't feel like Alisal River was worth a 2nd trip with LP just a few miles west. Not much has changed at La Purisima. Still looking good. Only difference was that for whatever reason they watered the bunkers. Instead of the nice, well groomed sand it was wet and a bit compacted. Fairways were a little drier, too. 

 

Played the same Blue/White combo, and it's amazing what a little course knowledge can do for the scoring. Well, to a point. Put the new Ping G425 Max driver back in the bag, but swapped out the PXG 0311 Gen 3 irons for my old Ping i200s. Last time I played them I couldn't hit them worth a darn, but today they were very well behaved. One birdie and six bogies. Even managed a par on the 18th. Highlight was simply being out on a fairly empty course with wonderful views. Still worthy of 7 cows and a visit (or two). 

 

I took a number of photos today, but I appended them to the folder I created two days ago. 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/3vd6iagowm76dcxxwx0f0/h?rlkey=0yv4zv7f242l369itdarnmpgz&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

I wasn't planning to stop at Firestone Walker Brewing today, but after checking out the brewpubs in the Pismo Beach area, I figured I better enjoy the good stuff for now, as pickings will be slim next week. Starting with tasters of their 26 Anniversary Strong Ale and 27 Anniversary Imperial Stout. Tasty as usual. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

A pleasant drive north on US-101 to Pismo Beach. Short, scenic and light traffic, just how I like them. Big RV park with tight spots. Couldn't fit a 40' rig in my space. Currently no water in the park due to a water main break. No idea when it'll be fixed, but I can run off of my fresh water tank for a week if necessary. One reason to make surely it's always full. 

 

I have a round at Avila Beach GC tomorrow morning. I'm taking a day off on Sunday. After that I have Morro Bay on Monday, Cypress Ridge on Tuesday, Monarch Dunes on Wednesday, and the two nine holes courses, Dairy Creek and Sea Pines, on Thursday. On Friday it's off to Paso Robles. 

 

Going to head into town for a beer and lunch later. 

 

 

Edited March 15, 2024 by Argonne69

[Mullenboy]

You're in a great part of our state, Arg.  I am jealous.   Fine lineup of courses also.  You are quite likely to find fine food and beer.  Enjoy!

[rooski]

Curious how much sleep you end up getting every night Arg. You're definitely an early bird but curious if you're also early to bed or just run off less sleep than most?

[Argonne69]

Just now, rooski said:

Curious how much sleep you end up getting every night Arg. You're definitely an early bird but curious if you're also early to bed or just run off less sleep than most?

 

I'm in bed at 9 pm, and set the alarm for 5 am. A good 8 hours sleep does wonders for the body. Most afternoons I take a 20 to 30 minute nap. When I was working, I was certainly more of a night owl. 

 

On days when I'm not golfing, I'll generally hit the snooze button 2 or 3 times to get a little extra rest. Lol.

 

Edited March 15, 2024 by Argonne69

[ThinkingPlus]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

A pleasant drive north on US-101 to Pismo Beach. Short, scenic and light traffic, just how I like them. Big RV park with tight spots. Couldn't fit a 40' rig in my space. Currently no water in the park due to a water main break. No idea when it'll be fixed, but I can run off of my fresh water tank for a week if necessary. One reason to make surely it's always full. 

 

I have a round at Avila Beach GC tomorrow morning. I'm taking a day off on Sunday. After that I have Morro Bay on Monday, Cypress Ridge on Tuesday, Monarch Dunes on Wednesday, and the two nine holes courses, Dairy Creek and Sea Pines, on Thursday. On Friday it's off to Paso Robles. 

 

Going to head into town for a beer and lunch later. 

 

 

Quick tip for Morro Bay. No matter what the line looks like, all putts break towards the Pacific. Easy to lose track of where the ocean is so monitor some landmarks.

[Argonne69]

I was watching the launch of SpaceX's Starship yesterday, and it reminded me that I forgot to mention that last week in Santa Barbara I was in bed falling asleep and I heard a loud, sustained rumble overhead. I was too lazy to get out of bed and venture into the cold night, but I assume it was a rocket launching from Vandenburg SFB. Might have been cool to watch. 

 

Speaking of VSFB, I'm enjoying a tasty Hubbel Dubbel at Apogee Brewing Company in Grover Beach. Very tasty. They have three additional Belgians that they won't have to twist my arm to try. 

 

 

Ooh, the Monks in Space Belgian Tripel is wonderful. 

 

 

Unfortunately it's not bigger on the inside. Lol. 

 

 

Edited March 16, 2024 by Argonne69

[ThinkingPlus]

29 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

I was watching the launch of SpaceX's Starship yesterday, and it reminded me that I forgot to mention that last week in Santa Barbara I was in bed falling asleep and I heard a loud, sustained rumble overhead. I was too lazy to get out of bed and venture into the cold night, but I assume it was a rocket launching from Vandenburg SFB. Might have been cool to watch. 

 

Speaking of VSFB, I'm enjoying a tasty Hubbel Dubbel at Apogee Brewing Company in Grover Beach. Very tasty. They have three additional Belgians that they won't have to twist my arm to try. 

 

 

Ooh, the Monks in Space Belgian Tripel is wonderful. 

 

 

Yep, I walked out the front door at our place at the coast to watch the launch.  Pretty impressive. We are about 9 km from the launch site so pretty up close and personal. Could get closer with the boat, but we haven't tried that yet.

[Argonne69]

Oy. Two of my biggest food related peeves on this trip have been outdated websites and BBQ joints that don't serve meat by weight. Took a drive into Pismo Beach to check out Mo's Smokehouse BBQ. The reviews looked good, and their website's menu showed a brisket and rib combo. Perfect. Arrived and was told that they haven't offered brisket in over 2 years. Grrr. OK, how about substituting tri-tip for brisket? No, can't do that. Only combo option is ribs, chicken, and pulled pork. Don't want chicken or pulled pork. Wind up with a tri-tip sandwich with a hunk of bread that I don't eat, and 3 bones of ribs. As I've kvetched before after visiting 100+ BBQ joints, I have no idea why these places don't offer meat by the pound. It's meat. Why are you pushing unwanted meats on your customers instead of allowing them to simply choose what they want? Sheesh. 

 

Anyway, not the greatest, but not the worst. The ribs were a little lean, and cold, but they had enough meat on them. The tri-tip was tender, but much too lean. If you visit a BBQ restaurant, are you really afraid of a little fat? Lol. Beans were quite good. Slaw was average. The four sauces were better than average. The sweet sauce was my favorite, no surprise, but the others weren't bad. Not a lot Q nearby, so this will have to make do. 

 

 

 

 

[StoutKing]

Awesome stuff Arg.  Thought you might post a pic of driving on the beach, ha.  Enjoying your journey.

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

Oy. Two of my biggest food related peeves on this trip have been outdated websites and BBQ joints that don't serve meat by weight. Took a drive into Pismo Beach to check out Mo's Smokehouse BBQ. The reviews looked good, and their website's menu showed a brisket and rib combo. Perfect. Arrived and was told that they haven't offered brisket in over 2 years. Grrr. OK, how about substituting tri-tip for brisket? No, can't do that. Only combo option is ribs, chicken, and pulled pork. Don't want chicken or pulled pork. Wind up with a tri-tip sandwich with a hunk of bread that I don't eat, and 3 bones of ribs. As I've kvetched before after visiting 100+ BBQ joints, I have no idea why these places don't offer meat by the pound. It's meat. Why are you pushing unwanted meats on your customers instead of allowing them to simply choose what they want? Sheesh. 

 

Anyway, not the greatest, but not the worst. The ribs were a little lean, and cold, but they had enough meat on them. The tri-tip was tender, but much too lean. If you visit a BBQ restaurant, are you really afraid of a little fat? Lol. Beans were quite good. Slaw was average. The four sauces were better than average. The sweet sauce was my favorite, no surprise, but the others weren't bad. Not a lot Q nearby, so this will have to make do. 

 

 

 

 

What kind of bbq place doesn’t serve brisket??? 

[EddieWouldGo]

Hey, when you coming to Vegas? We can have you out at Bear’s Best if we are in town. 

[Argonne69]

7 hours ago, HulaGolfMom said:

Hey, when you coming to Vegas? We can have you out at Bear’s Best if we are in town. 

 

Tentatively arrive in Las Vegas on April 20th for a 14 night stay.

 

I was originally planning to head there from Bakersfield a few days earlier, but I calculated that it's a 5 hour drive. Ugh. I'll likely make a short visit to the San Bernardino area before continuing on to Vegas.

 

[Argonne69]

Enjoyable morning. Cool start with the sun hiding behind the hills, but once it cleared them it was very nice. Avila Beach Golf Resort today. Nice looking parkland layout with plenty of water in play. The course sits in a low valley. The front has a creek that winds it's way through the layout. The back plays along the wider portion of the San Luis Obispo Creek, with three holes playing across it. A couple of holes on the front have some minor elevation, but otherwise it's pretty flat. Plenty of native areas. Also plenty of birds. Lol. Bunkering was very light. Green complexes were mundane. Nice collection of left/right holes, though. 

 

Fairly tough off the tee with trees pinching several holes, a couple of forced carries over the creek, and generally narrow fairways. Minor misses were very penal, as the rough doesn't appear to have been cut in ages. The stuff was six inches high in places. Big misses were a big no-no. Only a couple of adjacent holes on the course. Approaches were tough due to the smallish greens. Bunkering was light, but there were a handful of holes with front bunkers. Greens were benign with little contouring and gentle slope. Putting was fairly easy. A handful of greens on the front were raised a few feet, so chipping/pitching from the upslope was interesting. Otherwise up and downs were fairly straightforward unless you caught a crummy lie. 

 

Par 3s were mixed. The pair on the front were very good with forced carries over ponds and plenty of trouble around the greens. The two on the back were long, but not particularly interesting. The 17th had the creek on the left. 5s were meh. Nothing reachable. The 3rd was somewhat interesting because it was a blind 3rd to a shallow green. The 11th was tough because the layup area was pinched by two mounds that left a fairway that couldn't have been more than 15 yds wide. The pair of short 4s were meh. 

 

Conditions were pretty bad. It hasn't rained in a while, but the course was a muddy mess in many areas. Fairways were shaggy and soft. Surprised they let carts out on most holes. Rough was not only thick, but a combination of multiple grasses and weeds. Plenty of clover. Walking through the wet rough was a treat. Bunkers were wet and needed grooming. Greens were very disappointing. Looks like they were aerated a few weeks ago. Bumpy and slow. Couldn't have been rolling more than 7 or 8. 

 

Played a Blue/White combo at 6245 yds (70.9/128). Good day off the tee, but getting zero rollout on the squishy fairways. Longer approaches into small greens was tough. Couldn't get the ball to the hole on the shaggy greens. A handful of nice up and downs kept it reasonable. Seven bogies. Highlight of the round was the birds. 

 

Going with 4 cows. Nice looking course that needs more than a few design tweaks, and some TLC with the conditions. The $68 weekend walking rate felt high given the poor conditions, but not crazy. Definitely not a destination course, but worth a play if you're in the area. 

 

[Argonne69]

Avila Beach Golf Resort, Avila Beach, CA 

 

 

Fun tee shot on the short par 4 2nd 

 

 

 

 

10th tee with a carry over the creek and palms to get in your head 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/9otg4xch6zddh05fv3c8r/h?rlkey=21gmukqg23v42z83696vxjv4p&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

 

 

 

[Argonne69]

The Boardroom Beer Pub. Small place with a dozen taps, but they do have a tasty St Bernardus Tripel. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Tasty mole at Old Juan's Cantina in Oceano. Had a nice kick, but could have used without the sour cream drizzle. I do love sour cream, but it subtracts more than it adds to mole. Black beans were quite tasty, but were actually more like chili than plain beans. The salsa and margarita were both above average. Seems to be the only place in the area if you're looking for mole. Worth a visit. 

 

 

Edited March 16, 2024 by Argonne69

[hammergolf]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Tasty mole at Old Juan's Cantina in Oceano. Had a nice kick, but could have used without the sour cream drizzle. I do love sour cream, but it subtracts more than it adds to mole. Black beans were quite tasty, but were actually more like chili than plain beans. The salsa and margarita were both above average. Seems to be the only place in the area if you're looking for mole. Worth a visit. 

 

 

Looks like you need to stick to Mexican food while you’re in Cali, and wait till you’re back in the Midwest for bbq…