Argonne69

Yeah, it wouldn't be a Saturday without the mole. Got back to the RV park to find the power out. Over an hour without power, and the Verizon and T-Mobile coverage here is garbage. Normally I get 100 to 150 Mbps with the T-Mobile Hotspot, but here I'm getting 3 Mbps. Oy. Stopped at Fajita Grande in Frederick. OK I guess. I've certainly had better, but I've also had worse. Looked at a dozen restaurants before finding one with mole. The salsa was very good. Margarita wasn't bad. Can't say I'd recommend the place.

Oy. Lol. Frederick seems like a nice town, but 17 minutes to travel 3 miles is killer. Stopped for gas along the way. Remember when premium gas was 10 or 20 cents more than regular? Luckily the CR-V takes regular, because paying $1 a gallon more than regular for premium is a crime.

Lol. Actually I did. Still at 220. No idea why I'm not at 199. 'Might have something to do with the brisket, ribs, and tripels. 😊

As wicked as it was, it was certainly better than the t-storms that were forecast earlier in the week. I really should have taken an umbrella today. Not much shade out there.

There are a handful of breweries in town, but their lineup is meh for this malty beer lover, so it was back to Steinhardt Brewing Company for their tasty Orange Punch Belgian Golden Strong Ale.

The Club at PB Dye, Ijamsville, MD Forgot to mention the numerous blind shots Wouldn't be a Dye course without a volcano bunker Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/hyfptqn9l5s8hcwdkol2d/AHkXHBYh25faJc6NnA0OuzE?rlkey=4lqx9qeadz0no9rwi271kngel&st=19cn15bq&dl=0

Well, at least I survived. I think. Lol. Current temp in Frederick is 90 degrees, and the RealFeel is 108. Got a little lucky with a few clouds and a light breeze. Sure beat no clouds and no wind. Thankfully the course had water stations every three holes. Joined two young doctors walking. Always nice to be in a group of walkers. Pace was OK for a busy Saturday morning at 4 hours. The Club at PB Dye today. Another local gem. What a brute. Obviously designed by PB Dye, the meadow style layout had many similarities to Worthington Manor with few trees and more than enough thick native areas. Plenty of up and down, and several fairways with uneven lies. Don't recall seeing a home. Lol. Fairway bunkering was somewhat light. On several holes my Skycaddie showed extensive bunkers, but there were only one or two. I asked the marshal about it, and he said that they tamed the course a few years ago removing many bunkers and a couple of ponds. Greenside bunkering was decent. Water in play on a dozen holes, but every hole had dense native areas that should be red staked. Nine holes with left/right movement that included three doglegs. Looks like they flipped the nines recently. Moderately difficult off the tee due primarily to the forced carries. Minor misses would catch the generous thick rough, which was very penal. Our group spent plenty of time marching back and forth trying to find balls that settled down in the stuff. Big misses need not apply. You might get really lucky and find an adjacent fairway, but 99 percent of the time it was a lost ball in the junk. Normally I can find a few balls walking through the stuff, but it was a lost cause here. Approaches weren't that bad because the greens were massive. Good luck two putting, but you can pad your GIR stats. Greens had some fun contouring and slope, including a few with multiple tiers. Had one pitch that looked like it was going to stop on the upper tier, but it started inching down and wound up 60' below the back pin. Actually had to pitch the ball from the front part of the green due to the shape of the green. Putting was hard, but due to the slower speeds, not quite as tricky as Worthington Manor. Up and downs were mixed. There were plenty of greens with light bunkering and large closely mown areas. Lengthy, but fairly straightforward chips or Texas wedges. OTOH, there were plenty of tough pitches out of the thick rough from uneven lies. Par 3s were very good with plenty of trouble. The 2nd was the best of the bunch with water short and left. The long uphill 17th was tough. Variety of length was poor. Three played PW to 9i. The 17th was a fairway wood. Par 5s were somewhat disappointing. Three were reachable with good drives, but not a lot of risk near the greens. The 3rd did have a somewhat tricky layup with a carry over a crossing creek from a downhill lie. The sole short par 4 1st was OK. The dogleg could be driven by cutting the corner, but not a ton of risk. Definitely seemed a better hole as the old 10th. Conditions were excellent. Fairways were lush. Rough was thick, but cut to a consistent height. Bunkers had plenty of sand. Greens were in nice shape. Speed might have been close to 10. Played the White tees at 6356 yds (70.7/134). Minus one drive, it was a good day off the tee. Irons were good until late in the round when I simply ran out of gas. Wedges have been better. Putter was pretty good given the number of long lags. One birdie, seven bogies, and a double. Shot of the day was a nice 21' birdie putt on the par 5 8th. Also hit a couple of nice hybrids and 9Ws that found the large putting surface on the long par 4s. Highlight of the day was my playing partners. Not much of a game, but both had extended layoffs during their residencies. Good company. Being lazy and going with a solid 7 cows. Very tough course if you're not a str8 hitter. Honestly, it's hard to pick one of these last four courses as the top pick. I said it yesterday, the four would make a great three day golf trip. Dulles is an hour away. Fly in, play Musket the afternoon of arrival, PB Dye and Worthington Manor on day two, and finish with Whiskey Creek on the third day before flying home. I'd like to see the old bunkers put back. Lol. Needs a mid-length par 3, and a little more risk on the par 5s. I'd like to see the greens a little speedier, but that would be a punch in the gut for most players. No walking rate, but the pro shop gave me a senior rate that usually doesn't apply on the weekends. $89 was a bargain. Destination course? Don't think so, but it's definitely worth a play. I'd be happy to be a local here playing these four courses every week.

Looks like a handful of good scores in the 3rd round, but most players appears to be hanging around par.

Winner last week as an amateur? Check. #1 ranked amateur? Check. Playing in one of the two feature groups, and playing well? Check. Yeah, we're going to see pretty much every shot.

Oy, Dame Lydia. That was a shocker. A few surprises at the top of the leaderboard, e.g. Casandra, , but no real shockers. The course is firming up. Don't think the winner will hit 20 under, but it'll be close.

Thankfully Worthington had plenty of drinking water on the course. Probably had a water station every three holes. I downed a 16 bottle at every stop.

Unfortunately not. Harvester went private before I got a chance to get out there.