Arg's Travel Log

[StudentGolfer4]

4 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Tomorrow's weather doesn't look particularly promising. RealFeel temp will be in the low 30's in the morning. Rather than drive an hour north to Aston Oaks just to freeze my butt off, I'll probably head over to a local course, Eagle Creek, and take my chances there. Gotta get moving south. 

 

For what it’s worth, you aren’t missing much with Aston Oaks. If I remember correctly, a couple of holes require a bit of a walk from between holes as well. Not the best for walking 

[Argonne69]

12 hours ago, StudentGolfer4 said:

For what it’s worth, you aren’t missing much with Aston Oaks. If I remember correctly, a couple of holes require a bit of a walk from between holes as well. Not the best for walking 

 

Thanks. I was in town in 2015, and played Belterra, Stonelick Hills, and Shaker Run. 'Just looking for another reasonable course to walk on this chilly November morning. It's currently 39 degrees. I may be the only player out there today.

 

[Argonne69]

Phew. Let me catch my breath. A mostly enjoyable morning at Eagle Creek CC in Dry Ridge, KY. It was rather brisk out there to start the round, but the sunshine felt good. Unfortunately the winds picked up, the clouds rolled in, and the temperature started to drop when I made the turn. Winds were steady at 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. I was very pleased with the course, especially the $21 walking rate. I've walked some tough courses, but this was a real workout. The rolling terrain had several large "canyons" running through it, so in addition to the severe side slopes on many holes, it was up and down for most of the day.

 

More of a parkland layout than Lassing Pointe, trees came into play on many holes. The course is short at 6177 yds, but with the winds and the elevation changes it played much longer. Flat lies were at a premium. It definitely helps to be able to work the ball both ways off the tee, as a few fairways have significant side slopes. You almost have to hit a fade on the short par 4 2nd to have any chance of keeping the ball in the fairway. Good, and almost strange, mix of holes. Quirky is probably the right word. Both nines finish with a long par 3. The 11th is a 452 yd par 5 that has a 90 degree right turn 200 yds out. One can't cut the corner, as they have internal OB stakes right up to the bend. The 3rd is a short 328 yd par 4 with no fairway. It's a blind teeshot down into a depression that is all rough, and oh, a hidden penalty area. The approach is 2 clubs more uphill. Very few fairway bunkers. I think I counted two. In this case the lack of flat lies presented enough challenge without adding sand.

 

Greens were on the small side, and while they didn't have any significant undulations, they had enough slope to keep you guessing. Greenside bunkers were few as well. The main defense, at least for me, was the zoysia grass. While it's wonderful to play from given that the ball sits up nicely, if you catch it fat it'll grab like a pit bull. 

 

Conditions were very good considering the place got nearly an inch of rain yesterday. A little soft, but very playable. The fairways are going dormant, but the greens looked great and were rolling a consistent 10. 'Very pleased. Pace was a non-issue. There was one member in front of me, and he disappeared after three holes. I believe I saw three other players all morning.

 

Tough round in the cold and wind. Dove the ball well, but hitting the small greens in those conditions was a challenge. One birdie and eight bogies. Probably one of the toughest short courses I've played in recent years.

 

Overall it was a fun day in challenging conditions. I wanted a workout, and I got it. Can't beat the price. I'll give the course five cows. Definitely not a destination course, but if one is in the area planning to play Lassing Pointe, it's a good warmup. 

 

Edited November 12, 2021 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Eagle Creek CC, Dry Ridge, KY. 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lx5zxawdx51kinz/AAACTi8Exs7uz4jyCXrAGClba?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Travel day to Nashville tomorrow, and then a little sightseeing on Sunday. Hermitage GC (General's Retreat) on Monday morning. Then it's off to Chattanooga to (hopefully) play Sewanee and Sweetens Cove.

 

[buckI]

Looking forward to hearing how you like Sweetens.   The head pro there used to be at the club I play at.   Great guy and pro!

[Argonne69]

Combining my love of beer with my love of trains, this tasty Belgian Strong is called Headless Train Conductor. Lol. Made it to Nashville, and I'm starting this afternoon's pub crawl at East Nashville Beer Works. 25 taps with a broad selection. Stull not sure when or why sours became popular. Eww. 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 13, 2021 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Living Waters Brewing. A couple of nice imperial milk stouts, Mille and Loire. Not much of a selection with only 13 taps, but imperial milk stouts appear to be their specialty. Next stop is likely going to be a BBQ joint. 

 

 

[ChxDigLongBall]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

Combining my love of beer with my love of trains, this tasty Belgian Strong is called Headless Train Conductor. Lol. Made it to Nashville, and I'm starting this afternoon's pub crawl at East Nashville Beer Works. 25 taps with a broad selection. Stull not sure when or why sours became popular. Eww. 

 

 

 

 

If you plan on travelling thru Jackson, MS, shoot me a DM. I'll set you up at a nice private club.

[Argonne69]

A nice 5 mile walking tour of Nashville today. The Titans are playing the Saints at home, so there's plenty of activity today. Currently enjoying a brew at Yee-Haw Brewing. 

 

First stop of course was the classic Union Station, once again restored and now serving as a hotel. 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jy0m2eri74oy9zd/AAD5T4ecOgkKflQHOD3C8zwla?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

I was surprised by the amount of live music being played on Broadway on a Sunday morning. Maybe because it's game day, or is this a typical Sunday morning? Kind of puts Beale St to shame. Anyway, it was nice to catch a handful of good sounding bands while strolling down the street. 

 

The riverfront was a beehive of activity with Titan and Saints fans streaming to the stadium. 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/pms877cz0l6tx9c/AABNrifwq7p2hYS_wX0NJzORa?dl=0

 

Edited November 14, 2021 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

A brief stop at New Heights Brewing Company to sample a pair of their imperial stouts, and then I'll swing by the Grand Ole Opry for a photo, and then grab an early dinner at Jack Cawthon's Bar-B-Que. 

 

 

 

[Argonne69]

I'm more of a sweet and tangy Kansas City BBQ fan, but the dry rub ribs and brisket at Martin's BBQ were excellent. Highly recommended. 

 

 

[tw422]

On 11/13/2021 at 11:29 AM, Argonne69 said:

Combining my love of beer with my love of trains, this tasty Belgian Strong is called Headless Train Conductor. Lol. Made it to Nashville, and I'm starting this afternoon's pub crawl at East Nashville Beer Works. 25 taps with a broad selection. Stull not sure when or why sours became popular. Eww. 

 

 

 

 

That Belgian looks great. Agreed on sours. 

[Argonne69]

An enjoyable morning at the General's Retreat course at Hermitage GC in Old Hickory, TN. 'Not ideal conditions with the morning temperature hovering below 40, but with practically no wind, and no frost delay, I'll take it. It was overcast most of the morning, and of course the sun came out as I finished my round. Lol. Oh well. The course hosted an LPGA event in the 80's and 90's, so I was eager to check it out. The parkland layout is fairly flat, although there is some mounding. Water comes into play on a few holes, particularly the par 5's. The 11th is a nice risk reward hole. Sadly with 4 layers of clothes on and the ball barely compressing I was too chicken to go for the green in two with danger lurking short. The course is fairly short, so the driver only got a partial workout. Probably should have moved back a teebox. Too few bunkers again. The green complexes were very nice, however. A number had numerous segments, and being in the wrong one meant an up and over putt on a slick surface. 

 

Conditions were decent. The Bermuda is going dormant, but lies were good. The course is cart path only once it goes brown, so I'm glad I walked. The bunkers needed grooming. The greens were excellent. Firm, but not hard, and rolling a good 11. Pace was great given that I was the first one out and had the course to myself, along with a few maintenance workers and the course's sheep.

 

Best round of the trip so far with 3 birdies, and five bogies. Closed with two birdies, which was nice. It's nice to play a short course now and again and give the wedges a workout.

 

Overall I'd give the course four out of ten cows. It presents itself well, and it does have a few fun holes. However, too many are rather mundane. If I was a local I'd play it regularly, but it doesn't have pizazz to be a destination course.

 

[Argonne69]

Hermitage GC (General's Retreat), Old Hickory, TN 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/44k1e2reuo8rp4h/AABs0gp-Q7ODkwbEcIkkKKIZa?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Heading down to Chattanooga tomorrow morning. I'll walk on The Course at Sewanee late morning. Unfortunately the limited passes at Sweetens Cove are sold out for tomorrow and Wednesday. I grabbed one of the few remaining on Thursday, so I'll extend my stay by a day. The pro shop said to give them a call tomorrow afternoon to see if there is a cancelation on Wednesday. Otherwise I'll probably do some hiking/sightseeing that day. The forecast on Thursday looks wet, so hopefully I can get on the course Wednesday.

 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2021 by Argonne69

[vandyfan]

Nashville resident here, I play Hermitage fairly frequently and generally it is in pretty good shape. General's is sneaky tight on a few holes and I tend to prefer the President's 18 for that reason but if you are walking the General's lays out much better. As you pointed out, General's will take driver out of your hand a good bit, especially on the front. My favorite part about General's all the par 5s are pretty interesting out there and while I disagree with you on bunkers (haha) glad you stopped by and I'm sure you will have a great time at Sweetens and Sewanee. 

 

PS - very glad you didn't play Gaylord Springs. That place stinks!

[Argonne69]

Another enjoyable day out on the links. The Course at Sewanee late this morning after the drive from Nashville. Can't seem to get away from the cloud cover, but the temps were moderate with light winds. I didn't realize that the course is only nine holes. They have two sets of tees on each hole, so one does get a slightly different look the second time around. Pity it's not a full 18, though. My first thought would be to classify it as a hidden gem, but given that it ranks #2 on Golfweek's Best in State (Tennessee), I'd say the word is out. It's not very common to find a nine hole course on a state's best list. 'Very nice parkland layout with enough elevation change to keep it interesting. Bunkering is very good, and quite natural looking. Very view flat lies on this rolling layout. Fairways were generous. The par 3s are long, and missing the greens long or wide can lead to serious trouble. The par 5 2nd was fun, as was the driveable par 4 4th. Green complexes had quite a bit of undulation, and with speeds near 11 positioning was important. A few were elevated, so getting up and down was tricky. 

 

Conditions were quite good. Fairways were starting to go dormant. Greens were very nice. Looks like they were dyed. A couple of bunkers were a mess, but the majority were freshly groomed with nice sand. Pace was a bit of a slog, at least on the first go around. A few groups only played nine holes, and were making the most of it. 

 

Decent round with one birdie and five bogies. The par 3s were tough, and I only managed one par. Disappointed that I couldn't make birdie on the 4th even though I drove the ball close each time. Tough pin position. 

 

Overall it was an excellent layout. I'd give it five cows. Definitely worth a visit. 

 

I was able to get a pass for Sweetens Cove tomorrow after someone canceled, so I'll avoid the wet weather on Thursday. 

 

Edited November 16, 2021 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

The Course at Sewanee, Sewanee, TN 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bx0sczyb49yxgnj/AAB8J5CidfLETo3zNwVvmKxya?dl=0

 

[golfortennis]

Railfan as well.  Sweet stations.  Do they still have anything running through Cincy any more?  

[Argonne69]

11 minutes ago, golfortennis said:

Railfan as well.  Sweet stations.  Do they still have anything running through Cincy any more?  

 

The Amtrak Cardinal makes overnight stops 3 days a week in both directions in Cincinnati. 

 

[Argonne69]

A rather interesting day at Sweetens Cove. To say this place does things a bit different is an understatement. For starters they don't have tee times. You basically get a "permit" for the day, show up, and then they somehow figure it out. Lol. The morning starts with every player gathered around the starter's hut for the talk. He explains the process, and then it's more or less a shotgun start depending on whether one is playing 9, 18, or all day. Sixsomes? No problem. Fivesomes were common. Everyone there is a serious golfer, so simply go with the flow. This ain't your grandpa's country club. Need food? Domino's delivers at the 7th hole. Then there's the group shot of bourbon before teeing off. Lol. 

 

After sorting out the groups it's off to the course. I initially paired with another single from Illinois starting on the 4th hole, but after a handful of holes we joined the threesome in front of us because the pace wasn't setting any speed records. Great group of guys. 

 

The course itself is pretty cool. First impression was that it reminded me a bit of Mammoth Dunes, minus the elevation changes. It's a 9 hole layout, but the greens range from large to huge. There are two pins on each hole, an "easy" pin, and a sucker pin. There were holes that had 50 yds difference between them, so on the 2nd (or 3rd) go around one could get a slightly different challenge. Throw in the multiple teeboxes, and there were plenty options to keep one interested. That said, I do wish it was an 18 hole layout. 

 

The course sits in a valley, so even though this part of the state has fairly large elevation changes, the course does not. There is plenty of mounding, so flat lies are not guaranteed. Bunkering was wonderful. Plenty of natural sandy areas ala Sand Valley. Fairways were generous, but a handful of fairway bunkers definitely came into play. Water came into play on only one shot. 

 

Good mix of holes. Depending on the pin selected, the par 3s could be a pitching wedge or a fairway wood. The par 4s were different. The two par 5s were a little too similar. 

 

OK, now for the real differentiator, the greens. OMG. I like challenging greens, but these were bordering on cartoonish. Reminded me of Arcadia Bluffs. Give someone a bulldozer with no instructions and this is what you get. The only things missing were the windmill and clown's mouth. I used my hybrid today more than any other club in my bag, not because I had a lot of 185 yd shots, but rather because I couldn't keep a ball on the green. The runoffs into tight lies left me putting from off the green all round. Pinehurst #2 has nothing on this course. I hit 11/14 fairways today, and 5 greens. You could land an approach within 10 feet and still have a 50 ft putt. 

 

Conditions were mediocre. The course does not drain well. It hasn't rained in a week, but it was cart path only for the riders. The fairways were very soft. Bunkers were fine. Greens were excellent, and rolling ~10. Throw in the undulations, though, and there were putts that couldn't be kept on the green. Pace was slow by my standards at 4:40. With so many large groups on the course one has to accept that it's not going to be a speed round. 

 

Decent round with 2 birdies, 7 bogies, and one double. Thank goodness for my hydrid, as I managed more than a few up and downs after putting from off the green. Driver was fine, but holding a green was a Herculean task. 

 

Tough call on this one. Must play? Sure. I can see why it's rated as the #1 course in the state. However, this is not your weekly go-to course unless you're a masochist. Playing it once is an experience. A handful of times would be fun just to see if you could somewhat master the greens. Over the long haul it would be frustrating. At $98 it wasn't cheap. Play 36 and it's a better value, but most folks aren't going to spend all day there. I'll give it 5 cows. 

 

[Argonne69]

Sweetens Cove, South Pittsburg, TN 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/803d4o32lwwjbmn/AACpY7VMVVisvtfraelORFkta?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Fountainhead Taproom in Chattanooga. 60 self serve taps (by the ounce). If you've never been to a self serve taproom it's a good time. Give them a credit card and they give you a "beercard" (or an RFID wristband), and then you help yourself to the beer. Each tap has a description of the brew, and after inserting your card you pour as little or as much as you'd like. It's a great way to sample a lot of local brews without nagging your bartender. When you're done you settle your tab on the way out. 

 

 

[TheBear95]

Thanks for the review, Arg. I was definitely interested in your take when you mentioned playing it as part of your trip south.

 

I have read and watched a lot of reviews/info on Sweetens Cove. The vibe I have always gotten from that stuff is that they do things different, just to be different. I guess there's value in that, but that's not the way I really think, lol. If it lacks logic, I'm usually not a fan.

Edited November 17, 2021 by TheBear95

[Argonne69]

4 minutes ago, TheBear95 said:

Thanks for the review, Arg. I was definitely interested in your take when you mentioned playing it as part of your trip south.

 

I have read and watched a lot of reviews/info on Sweetens Cove. The vibe I have always gotten from that stuff is that they do things different, just be different. I guess there's value in that, but that's not the way I really think, lol. If it lacks logic, I'm usually not a fan.

 

Strangely enough it does seem to work. They limit the number of players per day, so combined with the shotgun start I didn't have to wait too long to tee off. My fear was that I'd be standing around for 2 hours waiting to play. Of course a shotgun isn't ideal when half the players are walking. Luckily the 4th hole was only a few hundred yards from the starter shack. If I would have had to start on the 3rd tee at the farthest point on the course I'd probably be a little miffed. 

 

There seems to be some adjacent land that could be used to make it a full 18. Curious if they'll eventually go that route, and how it might change things. 

 

Overall it was a fun day, but I'd much rather spend a day at Sand Valley with two wonderful courses and a little more structure. 

 

[StudentGolfer4]

Out of curiosity, what on earth magazines or sites do you use for rankings? The Honors Course seems to be the unanimous #1 in TN. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Honors not #1. I had the same question in another review when you mentioned a course in Kentucky being top 1-3. 
 

I am wanting to do both in the same trip, but If you were playing 18 at one and had to pick, Sweetens or Sewanee?

[Argonne69]

9 hours ago, StudentGolfer4 said:

Out of curiosity, what on earth magazines or sites do you use for rankings? The Honors Course seems to be the unanimous #1 in TN. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Honors not #1. I had the same question in another review when you mentioned a course in Kentucky being top 1-3. 
 

I am wanting to do both in the same trip, but If you were playing 18 at one and had to pick, Sweetens or Sewanee?

 

I use the Golfweek's (Public) Best in State 2021 list: https://golfweek.usatoday.com/lists/best-public-golf-courses-state-by-state/

 

I also use Golf and Golf Digest magazines Top 100 lists when looking for the best of the best. 

 

Tough call on picking between the two courses. I'd probably go with Sewanee. I think Sewanee has more interesting terrain, and the greens are more gettable. Not easy, but not brutal. If you're looking for a challenge, and don't mind getting beat up by wicked greens, then Sweetens is the pick. 

 

Of course, since they're 30 minutes apart, I'd probably play one go around at each on the same day. 

 

[Argonne69]

I spent the morning on Lookout Mountain, and have stopped for a beer at Tanasi Brewing. It's primarily a brewing supply store, but they do have a small selection on tap. This is a tasty pumpkin ale. 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2021 by Argonne69