Arg's Travel Log

[NCLancer]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

A bit of a struggle early, but it's loosening up. 

 

Keep on keeping on, Arg!!!

[Argonne69]

Mostly enjoyable morning. Weather was near perfect with sunny skies and light winds. Pace could have been better. Frustrating to be the fourth group out and sit on several teeboxes chatting with the foursome ahead because the lead group decided that a quick round is just not their thing. Marshals did nothing to help move things along. 

 

Rancho Solano today. For a housing development course it wasn't bad. Designed by Gary Roger Baird, the parkland layout has a few modest elevation changes. Many of the holes sit in bowls with the homes along the ridges, which can certainly aid errant teeshots at times. Fairway bunkering was light. Greenside was a little better. Water in play one 8 holes. Eight holes with moderate left/right movement. 

 

A couple of short forced carries, but otherwise fairly easy off the tee with generous fairways with few bunkers. Minor misses wound catch the generous rough, and might have tree trouble on a few holes. Big misses depended on the hole and direction of the miss. Most of the par 4s and 5s had an adjacent hole, so wild might put you in the next fairway. However, plenty of OB to be had. Approaches were rather straightforward. Greenside bunkering was good, but not many front bunkers to carry. Greens were also on the big side that did help pad the stats. Greens had moderate contouring, tiering, and slope, so putting was a bit tricky, especially the long lags. Up and downs weren't overly difficult. Probably because of the pin positions, even coming over a bunker there was plenty of green to work with. 

 

Par 3s were fairly forgettable. The long 12th with a carry over a pond was probably the best. Needed a short one. Par 5s were meh. The short 7th was reachable, but no real risk. The long dogleg 10th was tough only because of its length. The three short 4s were meh. Zero danger. 

 

Conditions could have been better. Fairways were scruffy with plenty of thin areas. Rough was quite good, though. Bunkers were fine. Greens had been aerated five days ago, and were bumpy. The light sanding helped with the speed, but putts were bouncing all over the place. 

 

Played the Blue/White combo at 6427 yds (70.9/131). Struggled early with the bad back, but finally got it in gear. Two birdies and seven bogies. Highlight of the day was my approach on the long dogleg 9th. Hit a solid drive, but played to the wrong side of the dogleg, leaving 205 yds to a back right pin. Lasered my 9 wood and it settled 6' from the hole, setting up my second birdie. 

 

I'll be nice and go with 6 cows primarily because the $39 weekend walking rate was crazy low. Definitely another course that could charge a few more dollars and invest it in turf management. Definitely needs more fairway bunkering, and the usual risk/reward par 5 and tougher short 4s. Ideal course for regular play by the locals, but certainly not a must play for out of towners. 

 

Edited October 26, 2024 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Rancho Solano GC, Fairfield, CA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/zyjk62sld24rnxsiq9ce5/APygaH8-j8MkQrYD9l3HKkE?rlkey=rn9nmg17619hz6tak386bieol&st=qefhj00w&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Stopped by the RV park after the round for a shower and a nap. It was chilly this morning, and I didn't turn the AC on before leaving. It was in the mid-70s after the round, and I didn't want to come back to a hotbox in the mid afternoon. 

 

Another visit to Fieldwork Brewing, but trying something new today. The Narrow Seas Imperial Porter is very good. Before I discovered barrel aged imperial stouts, my first barrel aged dark beer was an imperial porter, Revolution Brewing's Hugene, a barrel aged variant of their Eugene porter. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Saw the Napa Valley Wine Train go by as I was walking to Fieldwork. The tourist train line runs numerous trains with durations ranging from 2.5 to 6 gourde with food and wine tastings. Their rolling stock includes vintage single level passenger cars and two level dome cars. Unfortunately the schedule doesn't quite work with my tee times. The lunch trains leave too early, and the dinner trains depart much too late for this old fart. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

On 10/12/2024 at 7:30 AM, tad950 said:

I thought they were going to remodel Poppy Ridge. Going from 27 holes to 18. 😄😄

 

Yeah, tried booking 18 at Poppy Ridge, but it's currently a nine hole course. Bummer. 

 

[Argonne69]

Lol. I don't know if it's funny or sad, but I'm such a creature of habit. Been in 49 states in the last 3 years, but the weekly routines still seem to keep me grounded. I was planning to head to El Molino Central in Sonoma for dinner, but I didn't realize it's 35 minutes away. Ugh. I normally eat out on Wednesday, but this week it'll be a travel day, so I'll likely stop at El Molino on Tuesday on the way back from Bodega Harbour. 

 

With numerous restaurants in Napa, I still wound up eating Mexican. Los Agaves in downtown Napa. For starters, their salsa was excellent. Miles ahead of the usual stuff that comes out of a jar. The margarita was also top notch. No surprise I was eyeing their mole, but wound up with the Arrachera, which combination of a pollo mole enchilada and an 8 oz marinated skirt steak. The mole was good, but the skirt steak was excellent. Tender and juicy. Highly recommended. 

 

 

Edited October 27, 2024 by Argonne69

[Phireside]

That looks like an excellent meal

[Mullenboy]

16 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Yeah, tried booking 18 at Poppy Ridge, but it's currently a nine hole course. Bummer. 

 

You should have asked.  😀

Rancho Solano gets 6 cows and my beloved Monterey Pines got 4 a few months ago.  I demand a recount.  😀😀😀

 

I guess to each his own but in a  split between these two for me it’s 8-2 in favor of MP.

 

It’s all good though.  Arg you know what you like and short quirky courses like MP are not it. 

[Argonne69]

Very enjoyable morning. Cloudy with a morning fog that didn't burn off until the back nine, but a fine day nonetheless. Thanks to an intelligent, friendly starter, the pace was much better than yesterday. Asked the pro shop about getting out early, and they said no dice, full tee sheet. Checked in with the starter and noticed a twosome in the first fairway. There was nobody on the teebox, so I asked the starter if I could head out as a single and possibly catch the two. Before he could answer another single pulled up, so the starter wisely told the two of us to head out. Brilliant. Instead of stacking the course up with foursomes, he made a judgement call and let a pair of twosome lead the parade. Never did see the group behind us. 

 

Eagle Vines today. I guess I have to invent a new category of layout. Vineyard style? Lol. Most of the course routes through "old" vineyards. Not sure if they're still producing grapes, but the plants looked rather stressed. I believe the area has been hit pretty hard by drought. Their website states that it was designed in part by Johnny Miller. No idea which part. But while the conditions left a lot to be desired, the collection of holes were rarely boring. Elevation changes were minimal, but the signature par 3 14th and par 4 15th did have nice elevated teeboxes. Fairway bunkering was a little light. Greenside was pretty decent. Water in play on half the holes. Nice collection of holes with left/right movement. I counted 10. 

 

Fairly easy off the tee with the light bunkering and only a couple of short forced carries. A handful of holes did feel a little tight, but unless you're wild off the tee yous still find a playable lie. Minor misses were no problem. Big misses were pretty much trouble. The vineyards are are environmental no-play zones with a one stroke penalty, not that you'd actually be able to play from the rows of grapes. Approaches were moderately tough. Half the holes were fairly open in front, but the other half were well guarded. Greens had a nice amount of contouring, tiering, and slope. Putting wasn't a cakewalk. Up and downs were also tricky, primarily due to the crummy turf conditions. No telling what type of lie you'd encounter. 

 

Par 3s were pretty good. The 5th was meh, but the other three were solid. The 14th with its island green was the best of the bunch. Variety of length was lacking with all basically playing at mid iron length. Three of the four par 5s were meh. The Z shaped 1st was a decent risk/reward hole with its green tucked behind a pond, but much too early in the round to be attempting a 200 yd carry. Lol. Short 4s were meh. The dogleg par 4 15th was interesting. A long hitter could try to carry the vineyards on the inside corner, but I had it as 260 yds from the elevated teebox. 

 

Conditions were a bit of a sloppy mess. If the area is in drought conditions, you couldn't quite tell from the turf. Fairways were patchy with plenty of thin areas, but also plenty of squishy spots. Rough was iffy. Plenty of decent areas, but also plenty of patchy ones. Bunkers looked OK, but generally had little sand. Greens had been aerated a couple of weeks back, but were still healing. Very bumpy, but the sanding did help keep the speed up. Maybe 10. 

 

Played the White tees at 6371 yds (71.2/127). Excellent day ballstriking, but the soft fairways were stealing rollout. Putts had little chance of staying online. One birdie and five bogies. The starter was A+, but the highlight of the day was my young playing partner. The young man started played 3 months ago after his friends goaded him into playing. He mentioned that he played baseball, but while athletic, he was slicing balls into the vineyards on the first few holes. He asked me if I could provide any tips, and I corrected his thumbs on top grip. After that his slice became a nice high fade, and he couldn't wipe the smile off his face. Still needed to work on the irons, but watching a struggling player hit fairways was golden. Also gave him a chipping lesson mid round that immedi paid dividends. 

 

Going with 5 cows.  Crummy conditions aside, it was anything but mundane. I'd like to see more fairway bunkers, more variety in the par 3s, a risk/reward par 5 later in the round, and tougher short 4s. Nice that they allow walking, and offer a weekend walking rate, but I was a tad surprised that walking saved me $10. The $87 walking rate was decent, but after yesterday's bargain round I felt overcharged. Lol. Not a must play, but it's worth a visit if you're in the area. Rancho Solano was a better layout, and certainly cheaper, but both are decent local tracks. 

 

[Argonne69]

Eagle Vines GC, American Canyon, CA 

 

 

Go or no-go on the par 5 1st. Ummm, no-go? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Par 3 14th 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/88y4v34in8v1rfxgiskjo/AJxLToMydnJdk-y-1MRAEe0?rlkey=seza8d4ma24exxpn16p1epaaq&st=vhj6buvc&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Yup. Creature of habit. Back to Fieldwork Brewing for their Death Will Tremble imperial stout. Not barrel aged, but a quality imperial. 

 

 

 

Edited October 27, 2024 by Argonne69

[PrincipalsNose]

[eboettne]

13 hours ago, PrincipalsNose said:

How many cows?

[Argonne69]

Beautiful morning for a walk. A little on the cool side, but the sun felt great. Got lucky with the tee time and pace. The members appeared to have the tee sheet full, but I arrived early, and a threesome of members was happy to let me join them. Nice 3:45 round. 

 

Blue Rock Springs GC today. Two courses, East and West. I teed it up on the hilly East course. Very nice parkland layout with plenty of elevation change. Uneven lies were the rule of the day. Fairway bunkering was light. Greenside was pretty decent. Water in play on three holes, but there were a couple of native areas that were red staked. Three holes with left/right movement, but two were proper doglegs. 

 

Fairly straightforward off the tee with the light bunkering, but there were a few holes with side slope that could feeds balls down into the rough. Minor misses would catch the generous rough, but a flat lie was unlikely. Big misses would generally find an adjacent fairway, but of course the handful of perimeter holes had OB. Approaches were a different matter. Greens weren't overly large, and most were well protected, and/or elevated. Greens had a nice amount of contouring and slope. Putting was anything but easy. Up and downs were tricky with plenty of shots from uneven lies. 

 

The five par 3s were pretty good, but could have used more variety in the lengths. The short 8th was tough with a forced carry to a very shallow green. The 17th was also quite good, but they had the tees moved up, taking some of the teeth out of the hole. The three par 5s were mixed. The 5th and 14th were meh, but the dogleg 7th was a fun risk/reward hole from its elevated tee. Less than driver to avoid running through the corner, but one could attempt to cut the corner. However, the fairway was very narrow with trouble short and long. Short 4s were meh. Special mention of the long uphill par 4 15th. Not only long and uphill, but the green had some serious back to front slope. 

 

Conditions were pretty decent. Fairways had a few iffy areas, but were overall quite playable. Rough was quite thick. Bunkers had sufficient wet sand, but needed grooming. Greens were rolling nicely other than having too many unrepaired ballmarks. Such a shame that players are too lazy to bend over and fix one or two. Speed was at least 10. 

 

Played the Blue tees (tips) at 6133 yds on the par 70 layout (70.0/127). Driver was a little off, but no real trouble. Irons were spotty. Short game saved the day. One birdie, four bogies, and a double. Highlight of the day were my playing partners once again. Appreciated that they allowed me to join their group. Two retirees and a priest. Sounds like the beginning of a joke. Lol. All had solid games. Bob had four birdies including a hole out from the bunker on the par 3 16th. 

 

Was thinking five, but no real reason not to go with 6 cows. Loved the look of the course starting with the elevation changes. Could use more fairway bunkering, a short and long par 3s, and tougher short 4s. Usual stuff. The $36 weekday walking rate was crazy. Charge a few more Washingtons and groom the bunkers. Not a must play, but worth a visit. If I was a local I'd be out there regularly. Curious to see how the West Course compares. 

 

[Argonne69]

Blue Rock Springs GC, East Course, Vallejo, CA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/1nbmqeekos9gzzhxp4a24/AJZjd4Axx9q0xDg5jCVYEps?rlkey=rr2rbcbu5yzlv2g3rlxqohg6q&st=kl1kwf30&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Bummer. Took a short drive over to Mare Island Brewing Company because their website listed a handful of imperial stouts in cans. Unfortunately the limited releases are gone. Wound up with a pint of their Saginaw golden ale. Decent, but certainly not a barrel aged goodie. 

 

 

 

[Mullenboy]

The real bummer is that Mare Island GC no longer exists...now that was a fun course.  Of course it was also short and quirky so four cows max.  🙂

 

Each of Eagle Vines and both courses at Blue Rock Springs are fine enough courses.  I don't go to places like that expecting great conditions.  I'm happy for the decent prices.  So much overpriced crap in our area.  🙂

Edited October 28, 2024 by Mullenboy

[ZephyrS4]

“Two retirees and a priest. Sounds like the beginning of a joke.”
That made my day….lol….too funny!

[Argonne69]

9 minutes ago, ZephyrS4 said:

“Two retirees and a priest. Sounds like the beginning of a joke.”
That made my day….lol….too funny!

 

It should probably start, "Two retired members, a priest, and a traveling golfer are playing a round, ...".

 

[Double Mocha Man]

6 hours ago, eboettne said:

How many cows?

 

I heard there was only a small herd roaming the property...

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

What states are you not going to visit anymore? When are you headed back out East? 

 

I retire April 1st, I wouldn't mind meeting up to play a few rounds with you. I'm not looking for another job for 9-12 months, so I'll be playing a lot and am already planning some solo golf trips. Heck, I'm not even sure that you have any courses left to play on your spreadsheet!

[PrincipalsNose]

7 hours ago, eboettne said:

How many cows?

Like cash?? 450 US all in 

Edited October 29, 2024 by PrincipalsNose

[st1800e]

7 minutes ago, PrincipalsNose said:

Like cash?? 450 US all in 

I think you intended to post those Winged Foot photos in the “US Open” thread?
Not here in “Arg’s Travel Log”?

[PrincipalsNose]

1 hour ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

I heard there was only a small herd roaming the property...

In terms of other guests, super quiet day. 

[JungleJimbo]

@Argonne69 what are your hands (and lower back/ legs, etc) like, after so many rounds of golf on your travels?

 

I see Christina Kim has gone "gloveless" in recent weeks, to "get back to her roots".

 

 

 

[Argonne69]

11 hours ago, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

What states are you not going to visit anymore? When are you headed back out East? 

 

I retire April 1st, I wouldn't mind meeting up to play a few rounds with you. I'm not looking for another job for 9-12 months, so I'll be playing a lot and am already planning some solo golf trips. Heck, I'm not even sure that you have any courses left to play on your spreadsheet!

 

I'll be traveling from LA to Orlando over the winter, and then I'll probably head north through the Carolinas to Virginia and Maryland in the spring. I'll hug the gulf coast during the winter.

 

Not sure what happens in late spring. At that point I'll have to decide if it's time to settle down somewhere, or continue to be a wanderer.

 

[Argonne69]

7 hours ago, JungleJimbo said:

@Argonne69 what are your hands (and lower back/ legs, etc) like, after so many rounds of golf on your travels?

 

I see Christina Kim has gone "gloveless" in recent weeks, to "get back to her roots".

 

 

 

 

Hands are in good shape more or less. It's not the golf that gets me, but being a general klutz. Amazing how many cuts I have on my hands from banging it on the storage doors on the RV, or pinching it on the towbar when hooking up the Honda to be flat towed.

 

I used to play without a glove before I changed my grip earlier this year in Vegas. The interlocking grip was creating a blister on my left hand where my right pinky rests. I started wearing a left hand glove after that.

 

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

3 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I'll be traveling from LA to Orlando over the winter, and then I'll probably head north through the Carolinas to Virginia and Maryland in the spring. I'll hug the gulf coast during the winter.

 

Not sure what happens in late spring. At that point I'll have to decide if it's time to settle down somewhere, or continue to be a wanderer.

 

Interested in playing any military courses not open to the public? I am planning on playing the military ones around Jacksonville as well as the ones up near Virginia Beach.  There are few courses in Maryland that I have on my radar as well. I am free since I retire 4/1 and have carte blanche to do as I please for a few months anyway.

Edited October 29, 2024 by BEND OF THE RIVER GC

[eboettne]

16 hours ago, PrincipalsNose said:

Like cash?? 450 US all in 

 

The only currency we transact with around here is cows

 

 

...if you're still confused just read the previous 284 pages