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.

Nice to be back on the "regular" schedule. Stopped at Grill Life Barbecue on the way back to the RV park. The food truck isn't much to look at, but the Q is excellent. The brisket was a tad lean, but still plenty tender and juicy. Ribs could have used a little more meat, but were also tender and juicy. Unfortunately they don't serve hot links on Wednesdays. The beans and mac and cheese were both very good. The sweet sauce and Texas tangy were both excellent. I found a small park a few miles away with a picnic table in the shade so I was able to enjoy the tasty Q in the shade with a nice breeze. It doesn't climb into the top 10, but it's definitely worth a stop in the Allentown area.

Lol. Nothing is more summer-like than a barrel aged imperial stout when the heat index is over 100F. Stopped by Fegley's Bethlehem Brew Works. Fifteen taps with a meh selection, but they did have a couple of brews in cans that caught my eye. I don't generally take a chance on a pricey can of beer that I haven't sampled, but I took a chance on their Bourbon Barrel Imperial Coffee Stout. Glad I did. The coffee stout has a 17% ABV, and provided a real kick in the side of the head. Lol. Very boozy, no surprise, but very drinkable.

No, I hear you. The entire section of the country from Kansas to South Carolina is being brutalized with a massive heat dome. Stay safe.

Architects Golf Club, Phillipsburg, NJ (#10 Start) Lol. Got quite enamored with the clouds today. Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/xd5de32ad8iw0guut4k6m/ANwb-_XdM1dMfzbsK_j3HHw?rlkey=y7vmy2ng6opt4aov2pwct0yvj&st=1n8qtygv&dl=0

Enjoyable morning, but oh that heat index. It was 94 degrees in the parking lot at the end of the round at 10:30 am. The heat index had to be mid-100s. Went out early as a single, caught a twosome on the 5th, and followed them around for the rest of the round. They appeared to pick up the pace, and I knew that the heat was going to slow me down, so no rush to play through. Finished in a leisurely three hours. The Architects Golf Club today. First round in New Jersey in over three years. The course ranks T7 on GolfWeek's best in state list. As the name suggests, the prairie style layout consists of eighteen holes modeled after 18 well known architects. I don't think they're replica holes, but I could be wrong. Almost all of the names are familiar to me, but I've obviously not played all of their courses. Lol. Beautiful piece of property with views of the hills to the east, and some nice rolling terrain. A handful of homes visible off property, but otherwise it was a nice walk. Fairway bunkering was mixed. Very good bunkering on the holes where the architect is known for his bunkers, but otherwise it was light. Greenside was generally quite good with a couple of real gems. Water in play on just two holes. Four holes with gentle left/right movement, and one dogleg. Overall it was a little too much back and forth, but the classic architects weren't known for significant left/right movement. Thought it was fairly easy off the tee with no forced carries and light bunkering on most holes. The rough was quite generous, so minor misses were no problem. A handful of holes needed mowing, so the rough was quite penal. Big misses were a coin flip. Plenty of adjacent fairways to find, but the native areas were pretty thick. Approaches were moderately difficult. Plenty of holes where one could run a ball up, but there were also plenty that had big bunkers staring you in the face. Greens were sadly disappointing. Gentle contouring and slope. A couple had two tiers, but most were rather benign. Quite surprised that neither of the two Ross greens were turtle back. Boo. Lol. Putting should have been a challenge, but it was quite benign. Up and downs were moderately difficult. Between the rough, uneven lies, and several raised greens, they were a bit of work. The five par 3s were tough, but visually meh. The Stanley Thompson 17th was a beaut with massive bunkering. Variety of length was meh. No surprise given that the classic designers generally went long. There was one short one (#6) playing at PW length, but otherwise it was 6i to 4i. Par 5s were snoozers. Nothing reachable, and little risk. The sole short par 4 was benign. Conditions were very good. Fairways had a handful of iffy spots but were generally very good. Rough was thick. Bunkers were nicely groomed, but could have used a little more sand. Greens were decent, but c'mon, what do we have to do to get idiots to fix their pitch marks? I averaged five fixes per green, and could have easily doubled that. It's really pathetic. Speed was at least 10. Played a Gold/Blue combo at 6370 yds on the par 71 layout (70.7/128). Another course that really needs a proper combo. Oh, so close. It's been ages since I broke par. Started on #10, and made the turn at even par with two birdies and two bogies. Stood on the 9th tee needing par, but a closing bogie left me at even. Had a 12 footer for par on the 9th, but burned the edge. Grrr. Lol. One of my better days driving recently. Irons were solid. Wedges won a gold star. Stuffed three to kick in range on the par 5s to set up easy birdies. Shots of the day had to be the wedges on the par 5s. Sweet when you stick em close. Highlight of the day was walking a beautiful course on a (mostly) nice day. That said, I couldn't wait to get indoors. Going with a solid 6 cows. The greens were a real disappointment. Pretty sure these 18 architects knew how to design tough greens, but apparently the design team focused on the tee to green look. The $68 pre-paid weekday rate (w/ cart) was excellent, but curious if they offer a walking rate. I've unfortunately run into this multiple times. The online booking engine only offers a riding rate. Can't say it's a must play, but it's certainly worth a visit of you're in the Allentown/Bethlehem area.

A young star blasts streams of gas into surrounding dust clouds within the constellation Taurus. Image: NASA/ESA

Charley's nickname on this forum years ago was Blades. Lol. Wonder why.

My fortune teller name? The Great Carnage sounds nice. Lol.

As @DuenPhenmentioned, Jeeno won the Mizuho. Nelly has only teed it up a dozen times this year. In half of those she scores in double digits under par. Definitely helps the scoring average, but unfortunately she ran into a hotter player each week. Four of those were classic birdiefests, so a great week can easily be outshined. Nice -14 week at the Ford Championship, but Hyo Joo shot 22 under Hye Jin is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Simply put, if she's in contention on Sunday, she plays meh. If he's out of it, she'll move up easily into a top 10. She's certainly not the only player to muck up Sundays. This year's Meijer's was classic Hye Jin. Shot a decent final round 68, but her back nine had her at even par for the day after a sloppy bogey on the 17th. Finished with a birdie on the easily reachable par 5 18th, but Carlota managed a 67. No reason she should have parred the easy par 5 14th.

Looks sharp.