Arg's Travel Log

[Argonne69]

3 minutes ago, ZephyrS4 said:

Did you go to a Brass Tap when you were in Monterey?

 

Yes, the new one in Marina. Been to a couple others around the country in the past three years. 

 

[ZephyrS4]

Thought it looked familiar

[Argonne69]

Another thing that bugged me about PGA Frisco is that the take 55% of the $125 caddie fee. The caddie is out there hoofing it to make a buck, and the course takes more than half the collected amount. 

 

[Bonneville85308]

22 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 The $370 greens fee isn't horrible, but toss in the $125 caddie fee plus tip and it's a $570 round of golf. Gulp. Sorry, but as much as I like the layout, this is not a $500 course. As much as I like having a caddie, I'm perfectly capable of playing one without. Pebble Beach, Chambers Bay, Kiawah Ocean, and plenty of other top courses don't require caddies. 

 

 

Greens fee aside, I find it completely ridiculous to require a caddie to walk this course during the off-season on a day with terrible weather. This course needs the next recession to make it get real.

 

Edited December 29, 2024 by Bonneville85308

[buckI]

PGA of America must need the cash to pay the Ryder Cup team!    Arg, should have just wrote the check to Cantlay!   RC makes them no money😂

[GasmanThe]

I can't believe it was $US570 to play such an ordinary course surrounded by houses! 

 

I just paid $US75 to play this course in Australia for contrast.  https://www.lonsdalelinks.com.au/cms/course/hole-1/  

 

And $US120 to play this course https://www.barwonheads.golf/cms/golf/the-course/course-tour/

 

Time for a tour around Australia hey Arg?

[Dancin]

5 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Another thing that bugged me about PGA Frisco is that the take 55% of the $125 caddie fee. The caddie is out there hoofing it to make a buck, and the course takes more than half the collected amount. 

 

There is some sort of collusion going with all the clubs around Dallas in relation to caddie pay. Caddies at my club told me some of the rates paid to pro caddies at the clubs around Dallas and it is criminal. I don't know why any traveling caddie would ever work in the Dallas area more than once after experiencing that unless you happened to get hooked up with some members that always requested you and tipped really well.

[mci711]

22 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Another thing that bugged me about PGA Frisco is that the take 55% of the $125 caddie fee. The caddie is out there hoofing it to make a buck, and the course takes more than half the collected amount. 

 

 

I hate this. One of the reasons Kiawah is great. 100 bucks straight to the caddies. That's what is expected and they get it all. 

[Argonne69]

Pleasant morning. Course was quite wet from the recent rains, but at least the sun was out. Winds kept it cool. Mansfield National today. Meh. Another ho-hum, prairie style housing development layout with mild mounding. The course was designed by John Colligan. Light fairway and greenside bunkering. Seven holes with water in play play, but a handful of others had native areas marked with red stakes. Six holes with left/right movement including three doglegs. 

 

Easy off the tee with generous fairways with light bunkering. A couple of holes did have short forced carries. Minor misses would catch the generous rough, but it could leave an even lie on the mounds. Big misses were toast with OB and dense native areas. Approaches were a little tougher, but few scary ones. Greens were a little on the small side. Greens had gentle contouring and slope. Putting was straightforward. Up and downs were a coin flip. Miss short and it was generally an easy chip. Miss left or right and there wee some uneven lies. 

 

Par 3s were mixed. The pair on the front were solid. The back not so much. The long par 3 5th was a beast with a carry over a creek. Missing a mid-length one. Par 5s were OK. The 6th and 16th were meh, but the 3rd and 13th were good risk/reward holes with greens tucked behind wetlands. The pair of short 4s were good. The dogleg 12th was driveable if you cut the corner, but it was a blind shot over the trees. 

 

Conditions were generally wet, but playable for the most part. A few muddy areas, and a couple of holes CPO, but otherwise decent. Rough was dormant and low. Bunkers were compacted and needed grooming. Greens looked great, thanks to the green dye, and rolled smooth, but were oh so slow. Can't have been more than 8. Probably closer to 7. 

 

Played the Gold tees at 6232 yds (70.5/122). Driver was fine, but irons continue to be a sore spot. Short game saved the round for the most part. One birdie and five bogies. Highlights were a handful of chip shots knocked close after coming up short of the greens. 

 

Another 5 cow course. Totally forgettable. Needs more trouble off the tee, and more contouring on the greens. The $43 senior weekday rate was perfect. Playable, but easily skipped. 

 

Edited December 30, 2024 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Mansfield National GC, Mansfield, TX 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/ogb1t1iwkx8wszn59stqy/ADhHHGpNQdc4kUb7RrkGbdc?rlkey=wcoespkigdcnokk0fygjuny8i&st=j2odxrry&dl=0

 

Edited December 30, 2024 by Argonne69

[hammergolf]

22 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Another thing that bugged me about PGA Frisco is that the take 55% of the $125 caddie fee. The caddie is out there hoofing it to make a buck, and the course takes more than half the collected amount. 

 

As if the $370 to play isn’t enough of a gouge…. Not surprising, the PGA of America has been fleecing even their own members for decades, not to mention the fortune they’ve made on Ryder Cups.

[hammergolf]

22 hours ago, buckI said:

PGA of America must need the cash to pay the Ryder Cup team!    Arg, should have just wrote the check to Cantlay!   RC makes them no money😂

Oh no, there is PLENTY of money to pay the players. The PGA of America’s greed just makes them want to keep it all their selves. 

[buckI]

2 hours ago, hammergolf said:

Oh no, there is PLENTY of money to pay the players. The PGA of America’s greed just makes them want to keep it all their selves. 

Not sure you got my sarcasm @hammergolf!   The RC prints money for them!    Not a fan of paying the players but they definitely have it.   I think there are better uses for it personally.

[Argonne69]

Slight change of plans this week. I was originally going to drive to the RV dealer in Mineola on Thursday morning to drop off Bessie for service before starting my drive north in the Honda to Chicago. However, once again I underestimated the time needed to drive to Mineola. I don't want to leave before sunrise, and it would take me too long to get there. 

 

So, instead of golfing on New Year's Day I'm going to skip the round and head to an RV park in Mineola. The park is 10 minutes away from the RV dealer, so I'll have no problem arriving in time for my service appointment. In addition I'll be driving nearly 3 hours less that day. I figure I'll drive for 7 hours to northeast Missouri before finding a hotel. 

 

Would have been nice to tee it up on New Year's Day, but there's nothing in the area that I'm dying to play. Since it's a reasonable drive to Mineola, maybe I can find a course along the way that has a big parking lot. Trinity Forest looks interesting, but appears to be private. 

 

Edited December 30, 2024 by Argonne69

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, buckI said:

Not sure you got my sarcasm @hammergolf!   The RC prints money for them!    Not a fan of paying the players but they definitely have it.   I think there are better uses for it personally.

I’m the same, not a fan of the players getting paid either, but the PGA of America keeping almost all the money isn’t right. In a perfect world, the money would be split 50/50 between the player’s choice of charities and the PGA. However, that will never happen.

[dougieb42]

35 minutes east of Mineola is Gladewater, and the home of Tempest golf club.  Very good redue by Jeff Brauer a few years ago.  Lots of elevation change and challenge.  I think plenty of what you may like.  Or, maybe you played it when you bought your RV?

Doug

[Argonne69]

9 hours ago, dougieb42 said:

35 minutes east of Mineola is Gladewater, and the home of Tempest golf club.  Very good redue by Jeff Brauer a few years ago.  Lots of elevation change and challenge.  I think plenty of what you may like.  Or, maybe you played it when you bought your RV?

Doug

 

Yeah, I played Tempest in early 2022 when I was starting my eastward travels through Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama after a brief stay in Austin. 'Very nice course.

 

[Argonne69]

Ugh. 'Going to be a rough day on the course. I once again injured my back yesterday afternoon while bending over for an extended period of time installing sheet metal screws in the rear vent cover on Bessie's roof. I inspect the covers every three months, and discovered that three of the four screws holding it on had fallen out over the past few months. Good thing I check them regularly. The screws are tough to install, and I had to position myself at an awkward angle near the roof's edge. Could barely get out of bed this morning.

 

Hopefully it'll loosen up enough to swing a club. I've been down this road more than a few times. Crummy way to end the year.

 

[Nels55]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Ugh. 'Going to be a rough day on the course. I once again injured my back yesterday afternoon while bending over for an extended period of time installing sheet metal screws in the rear vent cover on Bessie's roof. I inspect the covers every three months, and discovered that three of the four screws holding it on had fallen out over the past few months. Good thing I check them regularly. The screws are tough to install, and I had to position myself at an awkward angle near the roof's edge. Could barely get out of bed this morning.

 

Hopefully it'll loosen up enough to swing a club. I've been down this road more than a few times. Crummy way to end the year.

 

I am a month into doing back extension exercises on a back extension machine.  So far this really seems to be helping my back which has been a problem due to several injuries over the years.

 

Here's the video that got me started:

 

[Argonne69]

Well that was fun. Rather uncomfortable, but I think it was better than sitting around getting stiff. Much cooler today with the 2 club wind swinging around to the north. Probably a good thing that I'm traveling tomorrow, though, as I don't think I'd be up to another round. 

 

Irving GC today. The prairie style muni was designed by Colligan Golf Design. Fairly wide open with no homes visible. The drone from traffic on Highway 12 was constant. Fairly light fairway bunkering. Greenside was somewhat better. Water in play on 7 holes, but a few of the thick native areas could have used red stakes. Four holes with left/right movement including one dogleg. 

 

Easy off the tee for the most part. A handful of holes did have nice bunkers plopped in the middle of the fairways, but there was plenty of room right and left. Minor misses would catch the generous rough. Big misses were generally trouble in the native areas, but there were a couple of holes where missing right would put you in an adjacent fairway. Approaches were generally straightforward. A handful of holes had tucked pins, but plenty of room if played smart. Greens had gentle contouring and slope. Kept seeing small breaks that went dead straight. Putting was pretty easy. Up and downs were mixed. Short misses typically left easy chips, but there were still opportunities to shortside yourself. 

 

The five par 3s were mixed. The 18th was the best of the bunch. Don't see too many closing par 3s, but playing uphill and into the wind to a shallow green with a forced carry over the creek wasn't a bad finish. The 12th was all carry over a pond. Nice mix of lengths ranging from a short iron to a 3 wood on the long 8th. Par 5s were meh. No risk/reward holes. The sole short par 4 6th was pretty good. Driveable with PAs left and long. 

 

Conditions were playable. Overseeded fairways were a little soft from the recent rain, but no real mud patches. Rough was dormant and cut low. Bunkers were surprisingly playable with wet, groomed sand. The speedy dyed greens looked and rolled great. Speed was probably 11. Very nice. 

 

Played a Black/Blue combo at 6380 yds (70.6/123). Surprised that I was actually able to get off the tee, but distance was meh. Irons were the usual hit or miss. Wedges were golden. Putter was going where I aimed it, but I kept seeing breaks that simply weren't there. One eagle and six bogies. Highlight of the day was obviously the eagle on the par 5 14th. Nice way to close out the year. Had 125 yds downwind into the green for my 3rd, and hit a nice gap wedge that landed short, but took a high bounce and hit the flagstick. I didn't see it go in, but my playing partner yelled that it went in the hole. Sweet. Been a while since I holed out.

 

Going with a measly 4 cows here. Maybe it's the painful back talking, but the course is not going to wow you. Since I've considered settling down in the area, I've been targeting the local tracks, and most of them are decent, but certainly not destination courses. This one needs more trouble off the tee, and a risk/reward par 5. No walking rate, but one can't complain about the $46 rate. Probably should have grabbed a cart, but it was just too cold to be riding in the early AM. Decent course for the locals with nice views of downtown Dallas, but it can easily be skipped. 

 

[Argonne69]

Irving Golf Club, Irving, TX 

 

Lol. Forget the practice green, I'm warming my hands. 

 

 

 

 

Don't think I've ever played a course that had these many mushrooms growing in the fairways. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Houston, the Eagle has landed. 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/mt37lea6wknhzyq7gf7ev/AI_iYFHNbz2D0vQJKyb2wC4?rlkey=q7d7d6a9cia6kfsbut62bt2ux&st=c6o5kbrm&dl=0

 

Edited December 31, 2024 by Argonne69

[ZephyrS4]

Nice eagle!

[Argonne69]

Well, that was one heck of a year. Played a record 246 rounds. Previous best was 239 rounds in 2022. 'Probably would have hit the 250 mark if I hadn't fallen off the ladder and sprained my wrist. Oh well.

 

I played 243 different courses, with 226 new courses added to the list. Currently sitting at 1391 courses played.

 

Traveled ~9,000 miles in the RV, and another 13,000 in the Honda through a dozen states and two provinces, and tossed in Alaska and Hawaii for good measure.

 

Golf highlight was my day at Pebble Beach back in early April, but the sixteen other Top 100 Public courses were also a treat.

 

Visited 13 national parks and monuments. Highlight was the 13 mile hike to Grinnell Glacier at Glacier National Park, but the four parks in Utah were no slouches.

 

Managed to stay relatively healthy minus a few nagging ache and pains. With the golf and hiking I probably walked 1500 miles this year. My annual CT scan came back clean, so my kidney appears to be holding up.

 

Heading to Mineola tomorrow to drop off Bessie for service, and then I'll be off visiting family in Chicago for 11 or 12 days. 'Probably going to be off the courses for a couple of weeks. Next week's forecast here looks grim anyway with morning lows in the 20s. It should be back in the 40s by the time I return.

 

Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable New Year's Eve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 31, 2024 by Argonne69

[wjets]

Happy New year to you Arg and have  a great 2025 look forward to following your adventures they make my day.

[wjets]

Also it was great that you made up to Alberta to play some of are awesome courses.

[NCLancer]

Happy New Years to you @Argonne69.

 

Thank you for taking us along on your journey and I wish you continued good health and luck!  

[highhdcp]

A Happy Healthy and Fun 2025

 

Thanks for taking us along on the journey 

[hammergolf]

9 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Well, that was one heck of a year. Played a record 246 rounds. Previous best was 239 rounds in 2022. 'Probably would have hit the 250 mark if I hadn't fallen off the ladder and sprained my wrist. Oh well.

 

I played 243 different courses, with 226 new courses added to the list. Currently sitting at 1391 courses played.

 

Traveled ~9,000 miles in the RV, and another 13,000 in the Honda through a dozen states and two provinces, and tossed in Alaska and Hawaii for good measure.

 

Golf highlight was my day at Pebble Beach back in early April, but the sixteen other Top 100 Public courses were also a treat.

 

Visited 13 national parks and monuments. Highlight was the 13 mile hike to Grinnell Glacier at Glacier National Park, but the four parks in Utah were no slouches.

 

Managed to stay relatively healthy minus a few nagging ache and pains. With the golf and hiking I probably walked 1500 miles this year. My annual CT scan came back clean, so my kidney appears to be holding up.

 

Heading to Mineola tomorrow to drop off Bessie for service, and then I'll be off visiting family in Chicago for 11 or 12 days. 'Probably going to be off the courses for a couple of weeks. Next week's forecast here looks grim anyway with morning lows in the 20s. It should be back in the 40s by the time I return.

 

Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable New Year's Eve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

GREAT year Arg! Hope you have an even better 2025.

[cjblake09]

On 12/25/2024 at 11:57 AM, Argonne69 said:

 

Yeah, I'm playing PGA Frisco East on Saturday, and Iron Horse on Friday. 

 

I've played the following courses in the DFW area: Steven's Park,

Texas Star, Grapevine, Cowboys, Cottonwood Valley, TPC Las Colin's, The Tribute, Old American, Fossil Creek, Bear Creek West, Bear Creek East, Riverside, Rockwood Park, Sky Creek Ranch, Tierra Verde, Southern Oaks, Hawks Creek, Tangle Ridge, Texas Rangers, Cedar Crest, and Waterchase. 

 

I was hoping to play Texas Star again, but it doesn't look like they allow singles to book. Gotta give them a call. 

 

Any suggestions for a decent layout that I haven't played would be appreciated. Not sure if I'm going to splurge for the second course at PGA Frisco. 

 

Next time you are in the area i would look at:

 

Sugar Tree-Just west of Ft Worth

Tenison Park-Highlands course 

Pecan Hollow-Plano

 

While in Mineola, Pine Dunes and Links at Lands End are close. 

[aloha b.]

 Happy New Year Arg and it's been great following you, take care and stay safe. Plus I'm really glad that I got to meet with you as well!