Argonne69

Something quite different today. Going to abuse my body with a few coasters at Dorney Park. Lol. The weather really changed after the rains passed through last night. Woke up this morning and had to turn on the heat.

Spiral galaxy NGC 7469, located 220 million light-years away. The bright, six-pointed object at the galaxy's center may be an active supermassive black hole. Image: ESA/NASA

Ah, the Speech Impediment Rock era. Lol. Ch-ch-changes. - David Bowie

The weather looks brisk this morning, but scores are low. 'Nice 65 by Miyu to take the lead. Several players at -4 and -5 late in their rounds. The chasers need to get it in gear.

Lol. You mean they're playing out of the same crummy bunkers that we play in daily? I think I could become a good bunker player if I got to play in the same consistent sand each week compared to the hardpan-with-a-dash-of-dirt ones we see regularly.

Lol. I dunno. I've played plenty of courses with holes that parallel the range, and I'm often astonished at how many range balls wind up in the middle of the fairway or in the right rough.

Enjoyed the opening round. Didn't know much about the course, but it sure looks like it's playing as a proper links layout. When you see players in a greenside bunker playing perpendicular to the hole, it's proper. Lol. Greens look challenging for a seaside layout. Weather seemed fair across the two waves. Hope tomorrow is the same. Very impressed by the Japanese players. They obviously did their prep. Of course I'm stoked about Dumbo's round. The career grand slam is hers for the taking. No offense, Minjee. Got a big laugh from Ariya's "F me" after her tee shot on the 14th. Would have figured that a Thai f-bomb would have been forthcoming.

Sure glad I got out early. It's coming down in buckets for the next hour or so.

Golden Oaks Golf Club, Fleetwood, PA (#10 Start) Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/za7mdw0u89i9y8g8kz2w2/ANTdw285iyRpBAoBC3LcyD8?rlkey=koa60l0h80fhsw0o3j6n5stp3&st=k1jvozs5&dl=0

Well, I guess you could call that enjoyable. Lol. The clouds provided some relief from the sun, but when the dew point is a few degrees below the air temperature, it's a slog. Another round where every piece of clothing and three towels were soaked after the final hole. No drinking water on the course didn't help. Got out very early this morning to beat the approaching rain. Headed out as a single, and played through a foursome on my 4th hole. Pleasantly surprised to get the wave up on the par 3. It's a dying art. Golden Oaks GC today. Pleasant looking parkland layout with a few minor elevation changes. Had a couple of uneven lies in the fairways. Fairly ho hum design, though. Fairway bunkering was very light. Greenside was a wee bit better, but it's no Whistling Straits. Water in play on five holes. Six holes with left/right movement including one that would be a stretch to call it a dogleg. Fairly easy off the tee with few bunkers to worry about, no forced carries, and no water in play. The trees did pinch a couple of holes. Minor misses were no issue. Rough was being cut, and sat at a good height. One of a few courses recently that didn't beat you up if you were wild off the tee. Plenty of adjacent fairways, and the turf under the trees lining the holes was cut low. Little risk of a lost ball. Approaches were a little tougher primarily because the greens weren't overly large. A handful did have good front bunkering, but most could be played short. Greens were snoozers. Gentle contouring and slope. Didn't sweat a putt all round. Up and downs were mixed. Plenty of greens had dropoffs left or right, leaving pitches from uneven lies if you were pin high. Short misses generally left straightforward chips. Par 3s were mixed. The 4th and 9th were tough holes with forced carries over ponds. The other two were meh. Variety of length was poor playing 8i to 5i. Par 5s were OK. The short 5th was reachable, but I wouldn't classify it as risk/reward given the lack of PA near the green. Decent greenside bunkering, though. The 18th was pretty good with a pond left coming into play on the layup and 3rd. The pair of short 4s were toothless. Conditions were playable, but a tad scruffy. Fairways had some thin patches, but were otherwise decent. Rough was being cut, and was a good height. Bunkers needed more sand. Greens were very nice. Looked good and had way fewer unrepaired ballmarks compared to Architects. Speed was at least 10. Played a Championship/Middle (Gold/Black) combo at 6425 yds (70.0/125). Lol. What a difference a day makes. Driver didn't get in any trouble, but struggled to find the short grass. Only managed two fairways on my opening nine before getting it together. Irons were spotty. Actually shanked a 7i on my 11th hole. Ouch. Wedges were anything but golden. Putter was lukewarm. One birdie and seven bogies. No real shots of the day. Hit a solid choked down 6h on the par 3 4th and 9th to the fat of the green. Highlight of the morning was simply being out on another empty course. Place was pretty empty. Sad to give the course just 5 cows. Nice looking piece of parkland property, but it underwhelmed from a design standpoint. Needs more bunkering, more contouring on the greens, a short and long par 3, and some fangs on the short 4s. The $46 walking rate was a bargain, though. If I was a local I'd be here regularly, but it's one that can be skipped.

Oh, the joys of getting old. In addition to golfer's elbow, a sprained wrist, plantars, bad ankles, bad knees, bad back, and a torn rotator cuff, it appears that I have developed bursitis in my hips. Woke up at 2 am with a burning pain near my right hip just above the thigh and on the outside of the leg. 'Felt like I was being branded.

The heat and humidity lately is no joke. I know I'm a nut walking and carrying in it, but I can certainly understand why one would ride or skip playing. I try to get out early, stay hydrated, and walk in the shade when I can. This was the projected heat dome from yesterday afternoon. Image: National Weather Service/ESRI

Wound up booking Allentown Municipal for Sunday morning. Tee times are tough to come by. I looked at Burkleigh and Olde Homestead, but neither allow singles to book. Must be nice to have so much business that singles can be ignored. If the vast majority of courses didn't allow singles to book, I guess I'd just reluctantly accept that it's part of the game. However, given that almost all courses allow singles to book in some fashion, I just don't understand why there are a handful of holdouts.

Is your driveway big enough to park an RV? Lol.