Arg's Travel Log

[ZephyrS4]

Glad you were able to play!

[Argonne69]

Thank goodness for liquid Alleve. Lol. Killing the pain at Beer Mule Bottle Shop and Pour House in Watsonville. 40 taps with a nice mix. Starting with a very tasty Unibroue Brewery (Quebec) Unibroue La Fin Du Monde Belgian Tripel. One of the barrel aged imperial stouts is calling my name.

 

 

[Argonne69]

Definitely feeling discomfort in the ol wrist. Going to tee it up at Poppy Hills tomorrow, and then dial it back a bit. Monday is a travel day, and then I'll be in Paso Robles for two days. I'll probably take Tuesday off, and play Hunter Ranch on Wednesday. 

 

Thursday is another travel day to Oxnard, and then I'll likely skip Friday before playing Olivas Links on Saturday. I played Olivas in February 2019 on a February golf trip to LA, and it was a record rainy week where the course was pretty much a soggy mess. Hope to see it in better shape this time around. 

 

Sunday I travel to Redlands near San Bernardino, and on Monday I have an appointment with my kidney surgeon to get an order for my annual CT scan. The doctor relocated this year from Rush Hospital in Chicago to the LA area, so I'll see him in order to get the OK for a scan. 

 

Hopefully a few consecutive days off will help with the wrist. Fingers crossed. If I can. Lol. 

 

Edited November 16, 2024 by Argonne69

[aloha b.]

28 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Felt good to be back out on the course. The 37 degree temperature on the first tee was a bit of a shocker, but it warmed quickly. Cloudless skies and no wind certainly helped. Surprised that there wasn't a frost delay, as the 1st and 2nd holes clearly had a frosty layer. 

 

Pajaro Valley today. Decent looking parkland layout with some nice elevation changes. Nothing extreme, but it was anything but flat. A few homes are visible off property, but otherwise it's nicely isolated. Fairway bunkering was very light. In fact there may have been zero. Greenside was a tad better. Water in play on three holes, but a few more had red staked native areas. Only one hole with left/right movement, the 6th, but the play was to poke the tee shot into the 7th fairway. 

 

Very easy off the tee with no forced carries and light bunkering. Minor misses were no problem catching the light rough. Big misses would generally be playable from an adjacent fairway. Approaches were much tougher. Greens weren't tiny, but darn close. A number had decent front bunkering, but the size was the biggest defense. Greens had very gentle contouring, but plenty of slope. Definitely a course where you do not want to be above the hole. Putting was tricky, but the saving grace was that there were no long lags. Up and downs were tricky due to the sloping greens and a few uneven lies around them. 

 

Par 3s, 5s, and short 4s were meh. Very little stood out. A pair of the 5s were reachable, but no risk. 

 

Conditions were decent. Fairways had a few iffy patches, but were generally playable. Rough was low and patchy. Bunkers were excellent. Plenty of groomed, wet sand. Big tip of the hat. Greens were bumpy, but quick. The dew kept the speed down early, but halfway through the round they were rolling 11. 

 

On a normal day I would have probably played the Blue tees at 6432 yds, but with the bum wrist I moved up to the White tees at 6097 yds (69.4/119). Lol. I've had better rounds. Driver was finding fairways, but I only managed 200 yds. I teed it up in the fairway on the opening two holes, but since I wasn't getting any distance off the tee, I played it down the rest of the round given that I was generally hitting hybrids and fairway woods. I typically pick my wedges, so no real issue there. Nine bogies and a double. Highlight of the round was simply being out walking a course again after a week. My wrist is sore, and I'm sure it'll be worse later today, but I'll have to gut it out. Also enjoyed the company of my two local playing partners. We were the second group out, and finished in 3:25. 

 

4 cows here. Pity, because it's a very nice piece of property. The greens definitely give it teeth, but off the tee it's lacking. Needs all the usual stuff. The $70 weekend walking rate was about right. Certainly not a must play, but it's a decent course if you want to work on your iron play and short game. 

 

Glad to hear that you were able to play this morning!

[StoutKing]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

Definitely feeling discomfort in the ol wrist. Going to tee it up at Poppy Hills tomorrow, and then dial it back a bit. Monday is a travel day, and then I'll be in Paso Robles for two days. I'll probably take Tuesday off, and play Hunter Ranch on Wednesday. 

 

Thursday is another travel day to Oxnard, and then I'll likely skip Friday before playing Olivas Links on Saturday. I played Olivas in February 2019 on a February golf trip to LA, and it was a record rainy week where the course was pretty much a soggy mess. Hope to see it in better shape this time around. 

 

Sunday I travel to Redlands near San Bernardino, and on Monday I have an appointment with my kidney surgeon to get an order for my annual CT scan. The doctor relocated this year from Rush Hospital in Chicago to the LA area, so I'll see him in order to get the OK for a scan. 

 

Hopefully a few consecutive days off will help with the wrist. Fingers crossed. If I can. Lol. 

 

Rustic is in perfect condition right now.  Greens are rolling great, the turf is firming up and the light is magical.  Hopefully Olivas is in good shape but with paspalum grass it's usually not as bouncy.  Heal up.

[hammergolf]

3 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Pajaro Valley GC, Royal Oaks, CA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/52ozwcr4p703c4wufepcw/ADb5Qt4ZmVhjqcU1CBkCVcI?rlkey=wexf8adyxq6xg91kiolypz848&st=7xwk60tu&dl=0

 

Lots of potential no doubt!

[Argonne69]

Well, that's very disappointing. Haute Enchilada Café is only a block from the RV park. I was looking forward to strolling down there for dinner. Their mole looked very good from the photos. Since it's so close to the RV park I decided to stop in and shower up and take a short nap before heading out for a slightly later than usual Saturday meal. Turns out Haute closes at 3:30 pm on Saturday! Bah. Can't make money if you're closed. 

 

Wound up in Watsonville. We'll see how Jalisco fares. 

 

[ZephyrS4]

Only open for 3 1/2 hours, and closed 2 days a week?! That’s very strange!

[Double Mocha Man]

4 minutes ago, ZephyrS4 said:

Only open for 3 1/2 hours, and closed 2 days a week?! That’s very strange!

 

They knew Arg was in town and didn't want to stand up to the scrutiny of his mole review.

[StoutKing]

When in Oxnard you may enjoy Marshall's Bodacious BBQ.

Edited November 17, 2024 by StoutKing
spelling

[ZephyrS4]

11 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

They knew Arg was in town and didn't want to stand up to the scrutiny of his mole review.

Haha…..you might be on to something 😂😂

[Argonne69]

Well that was different. Jalisco's mole was closer to a red chili sauce than a traditional mole pablano. Don't think there was any dark chocolate in the sauce, and if there was it was it was minimal. Tasty nonetheless. Unlike last week's meal, I had no complaints on the amount of pollo. The full chicken breast was chopped, but it was sizeable. Barely finished it. Salsa was OK. The house margarita was a little too sweet. 

 

 

[tad950]

6 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Only one hole with left/right movement, the 6th, but the play was to poke the tee shot into the 7th fairway. 

 

 

Used to be, the 8th fairway (7 is the par 3) was OB when playing the 6th. It was OB for exactly the play you mentioned. I can’t imagine Pajaro changing that rule. Hope you weren’t wagering with those two locals 😄. 
 

And judging by your pics, there are way fewer pine trees there now. When I used to play there, the Monterey(?) pines were just beginning to reach the end of their life span. And the die off was starting. We actually saw a tree split apart on the inside dogleg of #6. Right where an OB post should have been when you played #6 😄. 

[Nels55]

3 hours ago, tad950 said:

Used to be, the 8th fairway (7 is the par 3) was OB when playing the 6th. It was OB for exactly the play you mentioned. I can’t imagine Pajaro changing that rule. Hope you weren’t wagering with those two locals 😄. 
 

And judging by your pics, there are way fewer pine trees there now. When I used to play there, the Monterey(?) pines were just beginning to reach the end of their life span. And the die off was starting. We actually saw a tree split apart on the inside dogleg of #6. Right where an OB post should have been when you played #6 😄. 

They took the OB out a number of years ago.  I remember being surprised the first time I played it with it gone.  LOL I seem to do better playing the sixth hole on the left side up the correct fairway.   

[Argonne69]

7 hours ago, Nels55 said:

They took the OB out a number of years ago.  I remember being surprised the first time I played it with it gone.  LOL I seem to do better playing the sixth hole on the left side up the correct fairway.   

 

Yeah, the two locals said that they took the white stakes out a while ago. All three of us played it down the 8th fairway. Two of us had clear shots into the green, but the angle from over there left a very shallow green with the bunker in front. The third player was a little too far left and had tree trouble. Still seemed easier than trying to drive the tight 6th fairway, especially if one hits a draw.

 

[Nels55]

21 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Yeah, the two locals said that they took the white stakes out a while ago. All three of us played it down the 8th fairway. Two of us had clear shots into the green, but the angle from over there left a very shallow green with the bunker in front. The third player was a little too far left and had tree trouble. Still seemed easier than trying to drive the tight 6th fairway, especially if one hits a draw.

 

I hit a hybrid or iron off the tee to stay short of the OB on the left.  That hole has killed my score card a lot of times over the years.

 

The green on 4 can be pretty nasty did you guys have any trouble there?

[Argonne69]

56 minutes ago, Nels55 said:

I hit a hybrid or iron off the tee to stay short of the OB on the left.  That hole has killed my score card a lot of times over the years.

 

The green on 4 can be pretty nasty did you guys have any trouble there?

 

Of course. Tough green. 

 

[jvincent]

23 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Starting with a very tasty Unibroue Brewery (Quebec) Unibroue La Fin Du Monde Belgian Tripel. 

 

Unibroue makes a lot of good stuff. Surprised to see it available out in Cali.

[Argonne69]

Gorgeous day. Another cold morning, but once again light winds and clear skies helped things warm up quickly. I'll post my review of Poppy Hills a bit later, as I'm currently numbing the pain in my wrist with a nice Delirium Tremens with a wonderful view from the Bench. Golf was fun today, but I'm soaking in this view. Lol. 

 

 

 

 

Probably going to swing by Spyglass for a cup of chili, and then take the 17 Mile Drive to Monterey for another beer at Fieldwork. Simply too nice a day to be sitting inside. 

 

 

 

Edited November 17, 2024 by Argonne69

[ZephyrS4]

That does not suck!

[Bad9]

1 hour ago, jvincent said:

 

Unibroue makes a lot of good stuff. Surprised to see it available out in Cali.

I could get it in Labrador but not in my area of Nova Scotia🤷‍♂️

[jvincent]

3 minutes ago, Bad9 said:

I could get it in Labrador but not in my area of Nova Scotia🤷‍♂️

 

 

Given our wacky inter-provincial liquor rules, I'm not surprised.

[aloha b.]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

Gorgeous day. Another cold morning, but once again light winds and clear skies helped things warm up quickly. I'll post my review of Poppy Hills a bit later, as I'm currently numbing the pain in my wrist with a nice Delirium Tremens with a wonderful view from the Bench. Golf was fun today, but I'm soaking in this view. Lol. 

 

 

 

 

Probably going to swing by Spyglass for a cup of chili, and then take the 17 Mile Drive to Monterey for another beer at Fieldwork. Simply too nice a day to be sitting inside. 

 

 

 

Glad that the weather was nice today! We were thinking of going down to PB this morning to visit some staff we know at Stillwater’s but decided to do some other things. Looks like we should have went to PB. 😉

[Argonne69]

Slow, but pleasant drive on 17 Mile Drive. Third time cruising the drive, so not much new. Stopped at Lone Cypress, China Rock, and Heart Shaped Rock. Also drove by Cypress Point Club, MPCC, Spanish Bay, and Pacific Grove GL before settling down for an imperial porter at Fieldwork. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Argonne69]

OK, back to the golf. Lol. What I'll probably remember about today's round at Poppy Hills is my local playing partner. I thought I complained about pace of play, but wow, I'm an amateur. The lead group wound up taking 4:40, with everyone backed up behind them. Of course not a ranger in sight all day. Thankfully the weather and the course were both beautiful, so at least we had something nice to look at while we waited on every single shot. That, and chatting with the group ahead on the teebox. 

 

Second time playing PH. The first time I played the opening holes in a dense fog, so it was nice to see the entire course. Since I couldn't see much the first time around, it took me 7 holes to realize that they've flipped the nines since my last visit. The new #9 really should be the finishing hole, as it's a nice risk/reward par 5. Beautiful piece of property with rolling hills and tall pines. The Robert Trent Jones Jr course has hosted numerous professional and high end amateur events, and ranks #87 on Golf Digest's Top 100 Public list. The 2014 renovation added numerous waste bunkers that really give the course a great look. The regular fairway bunkers are also excellent, and greenside is also top notch. Water in play on only two holes. Plenty of left/right movement with 10 holes playing less than straight. 

 

Moderately difficult off the tee with bunkers crowding many fairways. Not a lot of rough on the course, so minor misses may find trouble, usually in the form of a waste area. Big misses might get lucky in an adjacent fairway, but would generally be playable from the pine straw under the trees. Approaches were tough with fairly large greens having plenty of false fronts and slopes from front to back. My playing partner and I both had several shots land in the front part of the green, but buzz past the flag before rolling off the back. Also several pins tucked behind front bunkers. Greens had plenty of contouring and slope. Putting often left one scratching their heads. Solid greenside bunkering gave opportunities galore for short sided up and downs. 

 

Par 3s were decent, but generally forgettable. Needed a short and long one. Par 5s were a little better. The 9th was the best of the bunch. Good reachable risk/reward hole with PAs near the green. The 10th was reachable, but the left pond was a little too far from the green to present risk. The Z shaped 18th was reachable by cutting the two corners, but the trees didn't present a lot of risk. Short 4s were meh. 

 

Conditions were very good, but not perfect. Fairways were a little shaggy. The light rough was very light. Bunkers were hit or miss. Several had sufficient sand, but too many needed a truckload. Greens looked good and rolled at 10. 

 

Played a Blue/White combo at 6070 yds on the par 71 layout (70.5/131). Would have played the Blue tees at 6320 yds if the wrist wasn't an impediment. Drove the ball OK, but not getting much distance. Irons were spotty with a few too many pushed right. Can't turn the ball over with the wrist support. Wedges were decent, but the putter was ice cold on the tough greens. Eight bogies and a double. Highlight of the round was the 9 wood that got a real workout. After more than a few drives that seemed to go nowhere, I was able to reach the green or get close several times with the trusty fairway. That said, the real highlight was playing a beautiful course on a gorgeous fall day. 

 

Tough call on this one. I think it just climbs into the 8 cow category. Love the bunkering and greens. Could use a little more risk on the par 5s and short 4s. There are a couple of holes where one can see the ocean, but a few more wouldn't hurt. Lol. The $120 weekend NCGA walking rate was fine. The membership costs $75, so for less than $200 one can play this beaut. I think it's a must play on the MP. 

 

Edited November 18, 2024 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Poppy Hills GC, Pebble Beach, CA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/6a4w0n5px2fshaan1p7ws/AJlxKp0cETtr-PnSPMCbilM?rlkey=kze1brm9wufxrxqeck42gy2uc&st=i5208zsm&dl=0

 

Edited November 17, 2024 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

If you're bored, here are the photos from my 2017 Monterey trip with rounds at Presidio, Harding Park, Pebble Beach, Spanish Bay, Spyglass, Poppy Hills, Pasatiempo, Half Moon Bay Ocean, and Half Moon Bay Old. 

 

 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/9wlstgjthkhn2kpge8rrg/h?rlkey=hums1spjkrb5ubbgu48ok0mgz&st=ycy4wqqr&dl=0

 

Edited November 17, 2024 by Argonne69

[carrera]

Ha, didn't recognize PH from the photos...every time I've played there it was foggy!

[aloha b.]

5 hours ago, carrera said:

Ha, didn't recognize PH from the photos...every time I've played there it was foggy!

I guess that I've been lucky because everytime we've played PH the weather has been nice!

Edited November 18, 2024 by aloha b.

[Mullenboy]

Sigh.  Another course I've played many times over the years and generally love gets the dreaded four cows.  Pajaro Valley.  Arg I could go on and on as to what you missed and/or glossed over, but it's no use.  You love The Bridges and poo-pooh Pajaro and Monterey Pines.  You and I appreciate differet things in golf courses. So the golf world goes.  It just makes me a little sad.  🙂

 

BTW the best play on 6 is nearly never down 8 fairway... unless you go way right you're blocked by trees.  I suppose if one's normal shot is a draw the normal straight shot into 6 fairway seems daunting but...lay up.. play way left... you'll have 150 max in.  It's a short tight hole with a very small green, tough to hit. The tee shot is way more manageable than it looks in one play.  But what do I now?  I've played there at least 50 times.  😉

 

Poppy Hills... always great, most so now after most recent revisions.  I'm usually for leaving well-enough alone in terms of messing with golf courses, but every time they've changed Poppy it's been for the better.  Cool you got a nice day, there and everywhere nearby.  Enjoy the drive south.