Arg's Travel Log

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

Be sure and play PB Dye Golf Club while in Frederick, it's a tough test and unique. There are a few other decent courses around there as well. 

[Argonne69]

15 minutes ago, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

Be sure and play PB Dye Golf Club while in Frederick, it's a tough test and unique. There are a few other decent courses around there as well. 

 

Yeah, PB Dye is on the list along with Whiskey Creek and Musket Ridge. 

 

[buckI]

Pack your patience for the drive up 95 from Richmond to Frederick area in Bessie!

[Argonne69]

55 minutes ago, buckI said:

Pack your patience for the drive up 95 from Richmond to Frederick area in Bessie!

 

I'm heading to Lynchburg and then Staunton from Richmond. I'll be coming into Frederick from the west in a few weeks. 

 

[Argonne69]

Mostly enjoyable morning. Nice to be playing under blue skies. The humidity was high again, but the breeze made it bearable. Pace of play was awful, though. Started when I checked in with the starter and he said that they were already running 20 minutes behind because eight members showed up without tee times. Oy. Apparently members don't need tee times even though public players can book specific times. No worries he said, as they play quick. Well, on a normal day that might be true, but today that had an Amateur Players Tour even going off at 9 am as a partial shotgun. The pro shop said that it wouldn't effect play. Don't know what they were smoking. There was a 25 minute wait on the 18th teebox with 3 groups waiting to hit. Round wound up taking 4:50 from our original tee time. 

 

The Golf Club at Mattaponi Springs today. Not sure how this one doesn't find itself on GolfWeek's best in state list. Beautiful parkland layout with plenty of nice elevation changes designed by Bob Lohmann and Mike Benkusky. A couple of homes visible off property, but otherwise it's you and nature. Fairway bunkering was on the light side, but greenside was decent. Water in play on eight holes, but several more had marshes that should have been red staked. Eleven holes with left/right movement including four doglegs. 

 

Moderately difficult off the tee despite the light bunkering. Fairways weren't overly generous. Seven holes favored a fade. The rough was very light, so minor misses could scoot into trouble. Big misses were a mixed bag. Plenty of thick junk under the trees on many holes, but there were also ones with pine straw were a ball could be played. 

 

Approaches were moderately difficult. Elevation changes both up and down required work. Biggest factor were the uneven lies from the fairways. Might have had four flat lies all day. Greens had a good amount of contouring, slope, and tiering. Nice to see. Putting required work. Up and downs were generally tough. Had a few straightforward chips, but most were pitches that had to be landed within a 3 foot circle. 

 

Par 3s were OK. No real "Wow" holes. Could have used a little more danger. The 17th playing along a pond was probably the best of the lot. Very good variety of length ranging from GW to FW. Par 5s were also decent. The 16th was a good risk/reward hole with a pond right of the green and little bailout left. Two of the others had tough layups with forced carries over crossing junk from downhill lies. The four short 4s were meh. Didn't notice any real danger. 

 

Conditions were generally good. Fairways and teeboxes had a handful of iffy areas, but were very playable otherwise. Rough was low, and a little patchy in spots. Bunkers needed work. A handful had practically no sand. The ones that had sand don't look like they've been groomed in a week. Greens looked good, but weren't overly quick. Probably rolling 9. 

 

Played a Blue/White combo at 6280 yds (71.6/139). Struggled with the low lefts off the tee, but other than losing distance it didn't get me in any trouble. Irons were so so. Putter was ice cold except for one 24' birdie putt. One birdie, seven bogies, and a double. No shot of the day. The 7i on the par 3 17th looked great, but still wound up 24' away. Highlight of the day was my two local playing partners. The young couple had decent games, and were good company as we stranded around waiting. Low-light was the nearly 5 hour pace early on a weekday morning. Totally unacceptable. 

 

Despite the horrid pace and crummy bunkers, I'll go with 7 cows. Wonderful looking course. Needs a few more bunkers, and tougher short 4s. Appreciate that they allowed walking, but no walking rate. I'd have completely lost my mind if I had been required to ride while waiting around on every shot. The $89 senior weekday rate wasn't bad, but still don't like paying for a cart that's sitting at the clubhouse. I think Royal New Kent is a slightly better course in the area, but this one is still a must play. 

 

[Argonne69]

The Golf Club at Mattaponi Springs, Ruther Glen, VA 

 

Looking back at the clubhouse and the 9th from the 1st tee 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/guv7xnry3mg5nlac6fu9t/APvw2xbSQMV8RKuzFf0Yqig?rlkey=8z8rxbwidixx7t9kj66udr93d&st=53d4glj3&dl=0

 

Edited June 19 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Well, the original plan was to head into Richmond for a drink after the round, but the additional hour spent standing around on the course changed that plan quickly. It's nearly an hour drive into the city from the course, and another half hour back to the RV park, so it'll likely have to wait until tomorrow. 

 

Cracked open a nice Allagash tripel from the ever growing stash in the fridge. Picked up 10 bottles and cans yesterday. The prices and selection were just too good to pass up. 

 

[Argonne69]

Ugh. A quick moving storm rolled through the area and knocked out power. Really hate running the generator, but I have to keep the food in the fridge cold, and have some AC in this muggy weather. Only the third time this has happened. Hopefully they restore the power soon. 

 

 

Ugh. Another reason I don't like trees in RV parks. My poor neighbor now has a large chunk of tree on her 5th wheel and vehicle. 

 

 

Looks like widespread power outages in the Richmond area. I have a hunch that power is going to be out for an extended period of time. 

 

Edited June 19 by Argonne69

[bcjim]

Pretty vicious line of storms. Lot of outages around DC too. 

 

Mattaponi is definitely nice.  Of the Frederick area courses, I like Worthington Manor best but its hard to go wrong with those other places either. Will be some tough walks either way.  Don't sleep on Little Bennett GC. That is a heroic walk and an interesting but nasty course if you don't see it often.

[Argonne69]

Went to bed with the generator still running. Woke up at midnight to check, and still no power. Woke up at 1 am and the power was on, so I stumbled outside to flip the breaker. Roughly 8 hours without power. 'Could have been worse I guess. At least I don't have a tree sticking through the roof.

 

I was chatting with my neighbor last night. He's a full timer, and had a tree nearly destroy his 5th wheel last year. $80,000 and 8 months later he finally got it back from the repair shop. Wow.

 

[Argonne69]

Enjoyable morning. Sure glad that the power was restored last night. Didn't really want to head out golfing with the generator running all day. Sunny and a little cooler this morning, but oh that humidity. The dew didn't burn off until late in the round. Pace was a wee bit better today. Joined a twosome as the first group out, and they waved my on my way on the 2nd hole. Walked the hilly course in 2:45. 

 

Hanover GC today. Very nice parkland layout on a hilly piece of terrain. Well, half the holes anyway. The 9th plays downhill into a flat valley, and the 11th through 15th are pretty flat. A few homes are visible, but most of the course is fairly isolated. Fairway bunkering was light. Greenside a bit better. Water in play on 6 holes. Eight holes with left/right movement including two doglegs. 

 

Fairly tough off the tee with trees encroaching several chutes, a couple of forced carries, and fairways that weren't overly generous. Minor misses would generally find the rough, but it was thick and wet. Big misses were mixed. The flat holes on the back provided parallel fairways and clear areas under the trees, but the remaining holes would be lost in the thick junk. 

 

Approaches were moderately difficult due to the smallish greens. The uphill 6th was tough playing at least 2 clubs uphill. Greens had gentle contouring and slope. Putting was basically stress free. Up and downs were much trickier with many uneven lies in the thick rough. 

 

Par 3s weren't particularly interesting. The 10th was the best of the bunch with a carry over a pond. Variety of length was very poor. Four 7i's. Meh. The three par 5s were OK. The short 5th had a forced carry from the elevated teebox, but no real trouble near the green. The 12th had a tough layup with a very narrow fairway pinched by a pond left. The pair of short 4s were mixed. The 2nd was bland, but the uphill 6th played long with the severe uphill climb. Reminded me of the 18th at Big Run outside of Chicago. Land short of the green on the "toboggan run" and the ball could roll back 50 yds. 

 

Conditions were a mixed bag. Several teeboxes were basically dead grass. Fairways were wet and shaggy with numerous bare patches. Rough was quite thick. Bunkers were excellent with plenty of groomed sand. Greens looked good, but speed was no more than 9. 

 

Played the Blue tees at 6282 yds on the par 71 layout (71.0/131). Same ol day with the driver. Wet fairways stealing any rollout. Irons were better than most days. Wedges saved several shots. Putter was useless on the slow greens. No way to keep a ball on your line when you have to smash the putt. One birdie, five bogies, and a double. Shot of the day was the 272 yd drive on the par 5 12th. Pushed it right and didn't see or hear it hit the cart path, but the asphalt assist is the only explanation for the 50 bonus yds. Highlight of the day was the pleasant walk on the hilly course. Got the heart rate up a few times 

 

Mid pack course gets 5 cows. Nice looking piece of property that needs more than a few tweaks. More bunkers, more contouring on the greens, and more variety in the par 3s. Turf conditions need work. Walking Allowed, but no public walking rate on the weekends. $77 didn't break the bank, though. Very playable for the locals, but it can be skipped if you're passing through with several better options in the area. 

 

[Argonne69]

Hanover Golf Club, Ashland, VA 

 

 

 

 

Tough par 5 5th from the tips 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/jhn86wiwfw1tnl5ppffjf/AD6mptlQsHWMuEKR6hs0oco?rlkey=pd7k64g6bwsmtoxo41lh9qkfy&st=67inf0oz&dl=0

 

Edited June 20 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Second stop on a busy Friday was The Veil Brewing Company (Scott's Addition). Impressive new taproom with over 30 taps. They appear to be IPA heavy, but do have a few stouts. Downed short pours of their Sleeping Forever 2025 BBA imperial stout, Iron Jaw BBA imperial stout, and Ralph brandy and bourbon barrel aged barleywine (collab w/ Ardent Craft Ales). 

 

 

Edited June 20 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Final stop today was at Smohk RVA BBQ. Excellent Q. Ribs were meaty and trendy. Very good rub. Brisket was lean, but the rub was very good. Don't recall having smoked ribeye before, but it was very tasty. Mac and cheese and beans were both better than most. The four sauces were very good. The mustard and Carolina white w/ horseradish were both excellent. Definitely worth a visit. 

 

 

[buckI]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Second stop on a busy Friday was The Veil Brewing Company (Scott's Addition). Impressive new taproom with over 30 taps. They appear to be IPA heavy, but do have a few stouts. Downed short pours of their Sleeping Forever 2025 BBA imperial stout, Iron Jaw BBA imperial stout, and Ralph brandy and bourbon barrel aged barleywine (collab w/ Ardent Craft Ales). 

 

 

Hopefully you enjoyed the brews at Veil.

[Argonne69]

Fun morning. Weather was very nice, although the humidity is getting tiresome. Joined three local members in the first group out, and finished in a brisk two hours on the 12 hole layout. 

 

Belmont GC today. Interesting course with an interesting history. The parkland layout was designed by A.W. Tillinghast 1917, and tweaked by Donald Ross ten years later. Love Golf Design renovated it in 2021. It hosted the 1949 PGA Championship won by Sam Snead. Some years back the course was purchased by First Tee, and the original 6 holes were converted to a teaching facility with a six hole par 3 course. The 7th through 18th holes are now a 12 hole "regulation" course (par 48). Beautiful old school design on a fairly hilly piece of property. Bunkering was excellent, especially for an old design. Loved the natural look of them. Water in play on two holes, but a few more had native areas that were red staked. Four holes with left/right movement including two doglegs. 

 

Not overly difficult off the tee despite the bunkering. A few trees pinched a couple of chutes. Minor misses would catch the generous rough, but it was deep enough to create flyer lies. Big misses could be played on several holes, but the others would be lost balls or OB. 

 

Approaches were fairly tough. Greens weren't particularly large, and many had dropoffs front, sides, and/or back. Several had some pretty deep bunkers protecting the fronts. Greens were excellent with plenty of contouring and slope. Several holes were sloped such that one really didn't want to be above the hole. Putting was actual work. Up and downs were equally tough. Had a couple straightforward chips, but most required high pitches over bunkers from uneven lies in the Bermuda rough. 

 

The pair of par 3s were decent with good bunkering. Length was nearly identical on both (6i). The two par 5s were mixed. The 4th was nothing special, but the dogleg 4th had solid bunkering in play off the tee and in the layup area. One of the short 4s was good. The dogleg 10th could be driven by a long hitter by hitting a high fade over the corner, but nothing but trouble around the green. Laying up required avoiding the new pot bunker in the middle of the fairway. Two long par 4s were tough. 

 

Conditions were generally good. Fairways were in very good shape. Rough was a bit inconsistent in height, but generally thick. Bunkers were very nice minus a few with footprints due to missing rakes. Greens were smooth, but way too many unrepaired or poorly repaired ballmarks. Shame. Speed was pushing 10. 

 

Played the Tillinghast (Black tips ) tees at 4325 yds on the par 48 layout (65.5/121). I assume the rating and slope includes the par 3 course? Decent day off the tee. Swapped out the i200s for the PXG Gen 3s, and the irons were very good. Putter was cold on the tricky greens. One birdie and four bogies. Shots of the day came on the short dogleg par 4 10th. Set up to hit a fade with the mini driver, but pushed it dead straight right. Clipped a tree on the corner, but it fell just forward of the junk. Had a big tree to deal with, and just cleared it with my gap wedge to 2'. Highlight of the morning was my three playing partners. They have the first tee time on weekends, and didn't mess around. Great company as we sailed around. 

 

Don't quite think it reaches seven, but it's easily a 6 cow layout. Looks great and plays tough. Greens would take a few rounds to figure out. Pity that it was shortened to a dozen holes. Needs a few modern design elements, but minor quibble. The $40 weekend walking rate was a bargain, even missing 33.3% of the holes. Lol. I don't think it's a must play, but it's certainly worth a visit. Just make sure you get an early tee time, as pace of play can be awful according to the members. 

 

Edited June 22 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Belmont GC, Richmond, VA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/dct42c2kz9nn2d1punuof/ACWpN_qlzj6xHqwnsxBqGoo?rlkey=pieyff3jpyt2ydpyrtdiuwsjf&st=um4cvw7x&dl=0

 

Edited June 21 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Lol. This is a first. Several locals told me to check out Mekong Vietnamese Restaurant because they had a great taplist. Not bad. 36 taps with a very nice selection. Starting today's pubcrawl with a St Bernardus Tripel and a tasty pork and shrimp spring roll. 

 

 

 

[Argonne69]

The unusual day continues with a return to Smohk. I was chatting with the owner yesterday, and mentioned that I was disappointed that they didn't have their Brunswick stew. He said to stop by today for a freebie. He also gave me a sample of their pork belly. Both were excellent. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Thank goodness for half pours. Quick stop at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery for a sample of their Bourbon Cru barrel aged Belgian quad. Yum. Looks like 16 taps with the usual suspects. I've had their Peach Tripel a few weeks ago. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Short drive south of downtown to Basic City Beer Company. Small brewery with a dozen taps. Their Grin Casket Maple barrel aged imperial stout is OK. A little too sweet on a hot, humid day. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Stopped at a final brewery a few blocks from Basic City, but their website was woefully out of date. If a brewpub taps out a day or two ago, I can accept that. However, don't understand why a place pays someone good money to maintain a website when it's weeks or months out of date. 

 

Crossed the James River and stopped at the CSX and Norfolk Southern Richmond Triple Railroad Bridge Crossing, a rare triple level crossing, expecting to see a few freights on the overhead rails. Bah. Slow Saturday. Should have stopped at Main Street Station. 

 

Edited June 21 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Well that was pretty bad. Been on a solid streak of mole recently, but it sure came crashing to a halt today. Mexico Restaurant in Ashland. For starters, who puts green pepper in enchiladas? Don't recall ever seeing that before. The mole was as bland as you could make it and still call it mole. Very little flavor. I'll give them credit for the portion size, as I couldn't finish the three enchiladas. Could have been something to do with the lack of taste, though. Salsa was good. Margarita was much too sweet. Big pass here. Should have made a second visit to ZZQ Barbecue. 

 

 

[buckI]

18 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Well that was pretty bad. Been on a solid streak of mole recently, but it sure came crashing to a halt today. Mexico Restaurant in Ashland. For starters, who puts green pepper in enchiladas? Don't recall ever seeing that before. The mole was as bland as you could make it and still call it mole. Very little flavor. I'll give them credit for the portion size, as I couldn't finish the three enchiladas. Could have been something to do with the lack of taste, though. Salsa was good. Margarita was much too sweet. Big pass here. Should have made a second visit to ZZQ Barbecue. 

 

 

Glad you liked most of the beers and I forgot about mole Saturday or could have provided a better suggestion!

 

Richmond humidity is not fun.   We used to start at 7 and be done by 10:30 and the moisture on the fairways was still there after that.   Like a few hours in a hot sauna for we walkers.

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

If you go to Williamsburg, Old City BBQ was pretty good. You may have already stopped there. I am going to head down to Richmond area in the Fall to play a few courses. Belmont looks fun. 

[Argonne69]

1 hour ago, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

If you go to Williamsburg, Old City BBQ was pretty good. You may have already stopped there. I am going to head down to Richmond area in the Fall to play a few courses. Belmont looks fun. 

 

Yeah, I stopped at Old City 3 years ago during my first visit to the area. Good stuff. 

 

[Argonne69]

Same old stressful 3 hour drive to Lynchburg this morning. The US and state highways were narrow with no shoulders, wavey, hilly, uneven, and no areas to pull over and let faster traffic pass. Still bothers me that people will climb on my bumper and refuse to pass is the straight stretches where passing is allowed. Beautiful part of the state with rolling hills and big farms with iconic white fences. 

 

Midrange RV Park 20 minutes east of Lynchburg. On the plus side I can get satellite service, and can watch the final round of the KPMG. Downside is that the site is anything but level. This time Bessie's back right wheels are off the ground. Since the parking brake sets the rear brakes I have to chock the front left wheel. The park has a pool and a small swimming pond. It's going to be in the mid 90s today, and close to 100 the next two days. Might take advantage of the water to cool off in the afternoons. 

 

 

 

Booked an RV park in College Park, MD for mid-July. I wanted to be a little closer to Baltimore, but there are no RV parks near the city. 

 

No plans today. Too hot to head out, so I'll sit inside and grab a cold one from the fridge and watch the final round of the KPMG. 

 

I have a morning round at Poplar Grove tomorrow, Colonial Hills on Tuesday, and London Downs on Wednesday. 

 

On Thursday I head to Staunton for a week. The forecast looks awful at this point with rain forecast every morning. Ugh. 

 

[Argonne69]

Brutal morning. Lol. The humidity is deadly. It was in the mid 70s when I teed off. It was 104 in the parking lot at the end of the round. Went through 3 bottles of water and 2 large Gatorades during the round, and needed another Gatorade after the round. Tough course to walk even without the heat index being 105. Teed off with another single as the first ones out. He was riding, so I bid him farewell after the opening hole. The 3:15 pace was one of my slower rounds lately, but it wasn't helped by the additional time spent looking for my ball in the thick rough. I was told that there was an NCAA tournament here this past weekend. Not sure if that's accurate, but the course did host regionals last month. Based on the condition of the bunkers, I'd say last month was more likely. 

 

Poplar Grove GC today. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the hilly parkland/meadow-style layout was designed by Sam Snead and Ed Carton. It was Snead’s final design. A handful of homes line some holes, but they don't detract from its beauty. Fairway bunkering was very good. Greenside was also very good. A dozen holes have water in play, but a few of those were small crossing streams that really didn't come into play. Six holes with left/right movement including two doglegs. 

 

Thought it was rather straightforward off the tee despite the bunkering. Plenty of room to play away from them. Minor misses would catch the thick rough. If you were lucky enough to find your ball, it was tough to advance it. Big misses were generally big trouble in the thick junk or trees. 

 

Approaches were tough. Had more than a few uneven lies in the fairway. Solid bunkering around the greens with several pins tucked behind them on small fingers. Several were one to two clubs up/down. Greens were a bit benign with gentle contouring and slope. Wouldn't call them boring, but my blood pressure remained flat. Up and downs from the cabbage was very difficult. I'd much rather be playing out of the crummy bunkers than gouging balls out of the twisted rough. 

 

Par 3s were decent. Could have used a little more danger on two. The 17th was the best of the bunch with a pond short and right. The 4th was no slouch. Variety of length was meh playing 9i to 5i. Par 5s were a little disappointing. The dogleg 6th was very good. If one risked carrying the inside corner bunkers, it was reachable, but a creek guarded the front of the green. Otherwise there wasn't much trouble. The sole short par 4 14th was very good. Driveable, but the elevated green was tucked behind a series of deep bunkers. 

 

Conditions were very good. Fairways were in great shape. Rough was probably too thick for mere mortals. Bunkers needed a good grooming. Probably haven't been touched in a week. Greens looked fine, and speed was at least 10. 

 

Played a Blue/White combo at 6275 yds (71.1/138). For the adventurous types the tips play at 7212 yds (75.5/146). Very good day off the tee, but a couple of pushed irons that found the cabbage rough didn't help. Took advantage of the par 5s. Two birdies, five bogies, and a double. Shot of the day was a nice 27' birdie putt on the par 5 6th. Highlight of the morning was simply surviving the hike. First time in ages that I actually considered grabbing a cart at the turn. Pounding the two Gatorades helped change my mind. Lol. 

 

Solid 7 cows. Beautiful course with plenty of teeth. A few more bunkers wouldn't hurt. Needs a short and long par 3, and a bit more trouble on the 5s. 'Very nice to stumble across a course that actually has a walking rate. The $70 weekday rate was fine. Can't say that Lynchburg is a popular golf destination, but if you're passing through it's a must play. 

 

 

Edited June 23 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Poplar Grove Golf Club, Amherst, VA 

 

 

 

 

Lol. Never saw a "Bobcat" on pontoons. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/fxli65iug4l6mqiths0av/AE-r1msPEZGVGQOZtodkizs?rlkey=vyxq849p4a6vf1luwbl2dg58s&st=hdp598pc&dl=0

 

Edited June 23 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Short drive into the town of Amherst to The Filling Station. Combination gas station, cafe, and taproom. Only a dozen taps with a meh selection, but dozens of cans and bottles in the cooler. They did have an imperial stout on their website, but tapped out yesterday. Probably a good thing. Don't say this often, but it's too hot for a stout. Wound up with a Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat.