Arg's Travel Log

[Argonne69]

Final stop was at Currituck Barbeque Company. Tasty, but the portion size on the two meat "platter" was a bit underwhelming. Ribs were tender, but look like they came off a piglet. Burnt ends were also good, but I don't think there was a quarter pound of meat there. Beans and mac and cheese were OK. The sweet sauce was pretty good. The vinegar sauce was very good. At $28 it didn't break the bank, but in hindsight I should have ordered more. 

 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Decent morning. Mostly sunny and very humid. Yet another OBX course that doesn't allow walking, but at least this time the ranger wasn't a nag about me walking in from the fairways. Actually I never saw a ranger all round. Would have helped with the pace. Joined a threesome as the third group out and this time it was the lead group backing things up. When you're playing a scramble, and the best tee shot is 100 yds, many pickleball is a better idea. Lol. Luckily they picked up the pace and we finished in 4 hours. 

 

Sea Scape Golf Links today. Meh. A little more interesting than The Pointe, but still a snoozer. The course is close to the sound, but no water views. 'Just backyards and trees. It did have some gentle elevation changes, so at least it wasn't dead flat. A handful of good looking holes, but a few too many throw aways. Fairway bunkering was extremely light. Greenside wasn't a lot better. Many holes had no bunkers at all. Water in play on four holes, but most had dense junk that could easily be red staked. Half the holes had left/right movement that added some difficulty. Four doglegs in the bunch. 

 

Fairly easy off the tee with few bunkers and generous fairways. The doglegs did provide some challenge. Minor misses could find trouble with only a thin band of light rough. Big misses were trouble. Lost ball in the dense junk or OB. 

 

Approaches were generally pretty easy, but there were a couple of lowered and elevated greens that added a bit of risk. Greens were fairly benign with gentle contouring and slope. A handful were somewhat large, so putting could get dicey with a long lag. Up and downs were mixed. Had plenty of easy chips and Texas wedges from just off the putting surface, but I also had a few pitches from well below the hole that needed a perfect flop. 

 

The six par 3s were forgettable. Good mix of lengths ranging from PW to FW. The five par 5s were meh. Three were reachable, but zero risk. Layups required zero thought. The three short 4s were blah. 

 

Conditions were very good. A few blemishes on the shaggy teeboxes and fairways, but overall playable. Rough was patchy. Bunkers were fine. Greens looked good from a distance, but up close you saw way too many poorly repaired ballmarks. Pity. Speed was a tad slow early with the morning dew, but rolling at least 10 by the turn. 

 

Played the Black tees (tips) at 6162 yds on the par 71 layout (69.7/124). Solid all around play, but couldn't quite sink the birdie putts. One birdie and six bogies. No real shot of the day, but I did have a couple of mean 9 woods on the par 5s. Highlight of the round was my three young playing partners from Albany. I tell the same old stories from my odyssey, but some players love to hear them. Lol. 

 

Middle of the pack at 5 cows. Not much better than Pointe from the design perspective, but the elevation changes are worth a bovine. Needs the usual stuff starting with bunkers and more interesting greens. Obviously the no walking policy is bogus, and the $155 weekday rate is pure ripoff. If you're going to ride around in a cart, you may as well head to Nags Head. 

 

[Argonne69]

Sea Scape Golf Links, Kitty Hawk, NC (#10 Start) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/m1qk4ohdrr2rbnej741f3/AN2gTzvJnYledP9KoaIxlY8?rlkey=l0avcq4e2p2ahdocasrs48h3u&st=vhfggm66&dl=0

 

Edited June 12 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Short drive north to Growlers To Go Craft Beer in Duck, NC. Very nice taproom with 40 selections that are primarily regional brews. Started with a short pour of Raleigh Brewing Hell Yes Ma'am Belgian Tripel, and followed it up with a half pour of the Lexington Brewing Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. 

 

 

[cassel191919]

20 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Final stop was at Currituck Barbeque Company. Tasty, but the portion size on the two meat "platter" was a bit underwhelming. Ribs were tender, but look like they came off a piglet. Burnt ends were also good, but I don't think there was a quarter pound of meat there. Beans and mac and cheese were OK. The sweet sauce was pretty good. The vinegar sauce was very good. At $28 it didn't break the bank, but in hindsight I should have ordered more. 

 

 

 

That plate was $28, if we keep going in this direction I am never eating out again.

[Argonne69]

Packing up and heading to Virginia Beach tomorrow. Enjoyed the Wright Brothers National Memorial, and seashore yesterday, but the golf left me underwhelmed. Expensive and not overly scenic. Well, Nags Head had some nice views. The no walking policies were annoying, as the last three courses were easily walkable. Glad I stopped for a visit, but I doubt I'll ever return. 

 

Booked a round at Virginia Beach National for Saturday morning. Really hate doing this, but their policies didn't leave me much choice. Booked a twosome because they won't book a single with an existing twosome or threesome. I asked if they charge for no shows, and they said no. Well, of course you're going to get groups booking four knowing that they can show up with two or three. I'll arrive very early and hopefully I can join a threesome and open up my later slot. 

 

Probably going to take Sunday off. Father's Day is usually a guaranteed five hour round. Might go visit Fort Monroe and the USS Wisconsin battleship. 

 

[ATXGolferGuy]

5 hours ago, cassel191919 said:

That plate was $28, if we keep going in this direction I am never eating out again.

$28 is highway robbery for that amount.  Although some places are trying to sell brisket at like 29.99 a pound sliced.  I'll just cook my own at that those prices....will probably be way better too. 

[Argonne69]

6 minutes ago, ATXGolferGuy said:

$28 is highway robbery for that amount.  Although some places are trying to sell brisket at like 29.99 a pound sliced.  I'll just cook my own at that those prices....will probably be way better too. 

 

Several of the joints in Austin were charging $38 a pound for brisket. 

 

[ATXGolferGuy]

20 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Several of the joints in Austin were charging $38 a pound for brisket. 

 

Yeah I don't go to Blacks or Franklins because they charge too much, the surrounding towns have better Q I think.  Smitty's in Lockhart or Snow's in Lexington.  If you're gonna charge that much per pound, might as well go to Salt Lick in Driftwood and get all you can eat....not much more.

[caniac6]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

Packing up and heading to Virginia Beach tomorrow. Enjoyed the Wright Brothers National Memorial, and seashore yesterday, but the golf left me underwhelmed. Expensive and not overly scenic. Well, Nags Head had some nice views. The no walking policies were annoying, as the last three courses were easily walkable. Glad I stopped for a visit, but I doubt I'll ever return. 

 

Booked a round at Virginia Beach National for Saturday morning. Really hate doing this, but their policies didn't leave me much choice. Booked a twosome because they won't book a single with an existing twosome or threesome. I asked if they charge for no shows, and they said no. Well, of course you're going to get groups booking four knowing that they can show up with two or three. I'll arrive very early and hopefully I can join a threesome and open up my later slot. 

 

Probably going to take Sunday off. Father's Day is usually a guaranteed five hour round. Might go visit Fort Monroe and the USS Wisconsin battleship. 

 

Nice aquarium in Va. Beach. It’s not far from the Naval air station, and it sounds like the jets take off right over it.

[bcjim]

10 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Sea Scape Golf Links, Kitty Hawk, NC (#10 Start) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/m1qk4ohdrr2rbnej741f3/AN2gTzvJnYledP9KoaIxlY8?rlkey=l0avcq4e2p2ahdocasrs48h3u&st=vhfggm66&dl=0

 

Condos look dangerously positioned. 💀

 

And that $28 plate did look like a kids meal. 🧐

[cassel191919]

12 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Several of the joints in Austin were charging $38 a pound for brisket. 

 

I need to try Franklin BBQ 1 time, but ill be happy to never go back. 38 a pound is just unbelievable. 

[Argonne69]

25 minutes ago, cassel191919 said:

I need to try Franklin BBQ 1 time, but ill be happy to never go back. 38 a pound is just unbelievable. 

 

At least at Franklin one gets a decent sized meal. Iron Works was the worst. $37 purchased a 3 meat combo with one beef rib, 1/3 lb of brisket, and half a link.

 

 

Edited June 13 by Argonne69

[SnowbirdTom]

11 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

At least at Franklin one gets a decent sized meal. Iron Works was the worst. $37 purchased a 3 meat combo with one beef rib, 1/3 lb of brisket, and half a link.

 

 

They certainly have chutzpah on the menu. 😳

[Argonne69]

5 minutes ago, SnowbirdTom said:

They certainly have chutzpah on the menu. 😳

 

M' Jays House of Smoke in Arlington was a treat. Brisket was simply outstanding. Ribs were phenomenal. Jalepeno Cheddar hot link was juicy. Can't say enough about the place. The three meat platter was also priced below the normal rate. Under $30 I believe. 

 

 

[cassel191919]

19 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

M' Jays House of Smoke in Arlington was a treat. Brisket was simply outstanding. Ribs were phenomenal. Jalepeno Cheddar hot link was juicy. Can't say enough about the place. The three meat platter was also priced below the normal rate. Under $30 I believe. 

 

 

Now that is what a meal in the neighborhood of $30 should look like. Unfortunately now I'm starving.

[SnowbirdTom]

53 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

M' Jays House of Smoke in Arlington was a treat. Brisket was simply outstanding. Ribs were phenomenal. Jalepeno Cheddar hot link was juicy. Can't say enough about the place. The three meat platter was also priced below the normal rate. Under $30 I believe. 

 

Oh, heck. That's three meals and no waste for me. 😍

[Argonne69]

Mostly uneventful 2 hour drive north to Virginia Beach today. You'd think that after three and a half years I'd be leery of Google Maps directions. It's pretty good at finding the shortest and quickest route, but it'll take you on a few rural adventures. My Garmin RV GPS was suggesting a slightly different route, but hey, 10 minutes is 10 minutes. Lol. Didn't get into any trouble, but narrow, uneven rural roads with no shoulders are never fun. Managed to arrive unscathed. 

 

Large RV park adjacent to Naval Air Station Oceana. Going to get to see and listen to F/A-18s buzzing overhead for five days. The heavily wooded park only had a few satellite friendly spots, and my considerable satellite image analysis skills came in handy picking out one of the better ones. The gravel/grass/dirt site is uneven, but I've been on worse. My T-Mobile 5G Home Internet router is basically useless. I normally get 100+ Mbps, but I'm getting 4 Mbps here. Oy. My Verizon Hotspot is worse. 

 

 

Booked an RV park in Winchester, VA for early July. 

 

Going to take a short nap, and then head out for a drink and a bite to eat. Morning round at Virginia Beach National tomorrow. 

 

[Argonne69]

Enjoying a tasty Polaris Winter Tripel at Reaver Beach Brewing Company. Don't recall ever having a winter tripel. It is a tad darker than usual. Small brewery with the usual suspects on 18 taps. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Short drive over to New Realm Brewing Company. Fairly large selection with 30 taps, but sadly they ran out of their Russian Imperial a day ago. Went with the Oaxaca Choca Mexican Imperial Chocolate Stout. The chocolate is nice, but a bit too heavy on the chili peppers. 

 

 

 

Edited June 13 by Argonne69

[Double Mocha Man]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Mostly uneventful 2 hour drive north to Virginia Beach today. You'd think that after three and a half years I'd be leery of Google Maps directions. It's pretty good at finding the shortest and quickest route, but it'll take you on a few rural adventures. My Garmin RV GPS was suggesting a slightly different route, but hey, 10 minutes is 10 minutes. Lol. Didn't get into any trouble, but narrow, uneven rural roads with no shoulders are never fun. Managed to arrive unscathed. 

 

Large RV park adjacent to Naval Air Station Oceana. Going to get to see and listen to F/A-18s buzzing overhead for five days. The heavily wooded park only had a few satellite friendly spots, and my considerable satellite image analysis skills came in handy picking out one of the better ones. The gravel/grass/dirt site is uneven, but I've been on worse. My T-Mobile 5G Home Internet router is basically useless. I normally get 100+ Mbps, but I'm getting 4 Mbps here. Oy. My Verizon Hotspot is worse. 

 

 

Booked an RV park in Winchester, VA for early July. 

 

Going to take a short nap, and then head out for a drink and a bite to eat. Morning round at Virginia Beach National tomorrow. 

 

 

Looking on the bright side... you have a picnic table!  Bring some of that BBQ back to the RV park to devour.  Make your neighbors drool.

[ThinkingPlus]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

Short drive over to New Realm Brewing Company. Fairly large selection with 30 taps, but sadly they ran out of their Russian Imperial a day ago. Went with the Oaxaca Choca Mexican Imperial Chocolate Stout. The chocolate is nice, but a bit too heavy on the chili peppers. 

 

 

 

Mole in a glass!

[Argonne69]

5 minutes ago, ThinkingPlus said:

Mole in a glass!

 

Needed more peanuts. 

 

[Argonne69]

2 hours ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

Looking on the bright side... you have a picnic table!  Bring some of that BBQ back to the RV park to devour.  Make your neighbors drool.

 

Lol. I was eyeing the smashburger at New Realm, but I stumbled across Windy City Pizza a mile down the road. Always suspicious about a pizzeria claiming to have Chicago style pizza, but I was willing to give it a chance. I had Lou Malnati's back in January when I was visiting family, and I wasn't expecting much. Pleasantly surprised. The crust was very Lou's-like. Sauce wasn't quite as good, but it was decent. Sausage and pepperoni were both very good. It doesn't stack up to Chicago's best, but I'd be a regular customer if I was a Virginia Beach local. 

 

 

The restaurant had a nice collection of Chicago memorabilia. Killed some time waiting for the deep dish to come out of the oven. 

 

 

[bcjim]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Lol. I was eyeing the smashburger at New Realm, but I stumbled across Windy City Pizza a mile down the road. Always suspicious about a pizzeria claiming to have Chicago style pizza, but I was willing to give it a chance. I had Lou Malnati's back in January when I was visiting family, and I wasn't expecting much. Pleasantly surprised. The crust was very Lou's-like. Sauce wasn't quite as good, but it was decent. Sausage and pepperoni were both very good. It doesn't stack up to Chicago's best, but I'd be a regular customer if I was a Virginia Beach local. 

 

 

The restaurant had a nice collection of Chicago memorabilia. Killed some time waiting for the deep dish to come out of the oven. 

 

 

What even is that?  😄 If the weather wasn't reason enough not to visit Chicago. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

8 hours ago, bcjim said:

What even is that?  😄 If the weather wasn't reason enough not to visit Chicago. 

 

 

Summer weather is beautiful. Well, except for the rare storm. 

 

 

 

Edited June 14 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Very enjoyable morning. Cloudy and extremely humid. The showers that passes through before dawn didn't help. The sun popped out a couple of times, but it was cloudy most of the round. Arrived two hours early, and sure enough there was a threesome for me to join, allowing me to cancel my later twosome. Don't know why the course can't simply book a single. It was cart path only, but the course allowed walking. I didn't expect speed golf, but I was somewhat surprised that we finished in a hair over four hours. 

 

Virginia Beach National GC today. Disappointing. The Pete Dye and Curtis Strange design was underwhelming to say the least. This was my 42nd Dye course played, and if I didn't see his name on the scorecard it would have been just another layout. No railroad ties. No lateral waste bunkers. No pot bunkers. No undulating greens. I did notice a handful of low grassy areas adjacent to the fairways that may have been waste bunkers at one point, they they were all grown in. Very nice piece of open property, but they didn't do a whole lot with it. Overall it was pretty flat minus a couple of slightly raised greens. A few homes visible off property on the back. The back had a couple of tree lined parkland holes, but otherwise it was a meadow style layout. Fairway bunkering was very light. Greenside wasn't much better. Again, very un-Pete-like. Water in play on ten holes. Half the holes had left/right movement, but only two I'd consider doglegs. 

 

Pretty easy off the tee with wide fairways, light bunkering, and no forced carries. Minor misses would catch the very generous rough. Other than on the couple of parkland holes on the back, big misses were playable from adjacent fairways if they didn't find water or the couple of thick native areas. 

 

Approaches were straightforward. Had a couple of tucked pins with bunkers to be carried, but most were fairly benign. Greens had modest contouring and slope. Can't say putting was easy, but there were no knee knockers. Up and downs were fairly easy. Plenty of closely mown areas and few bunkers meant options with with chances of being shortsided. 

 

Par 3s were rather forgettable. A pair had water in play. The 7th was the best of the bunch. Variety of length was meh. Played PW to 6i. Par 5s were benign. Nothing reachable and little danger. The 5 short 4s were total snoozers. No thoughts required off the tee. 

 

Other than the bunkers, conditions were OK other than being soft and wet. Fairways were pretty lush. Rough was a little patchy in spots, but generally good. Bunkers were trash. Zero sand and standing water in many. Greens were decent. Looked good and were rolling 10 once the morning dew eventually burned off. 

 

Played the Blue/Green combo at 6275 yds (70.6/126). Another decent day driving spoiled by soft, wet conditions. Gotta learn to hit a high fade. Lol. Irons were spotty, but the wedges made up for them. Putter was stone cold. Six bogies. Rare round with no shot of the day. Just plodded along staying out of trouble. Highlight of the day was once again my three local playing partners. Decent players and great company. 

 

Going to be stingy again and go with 5 cows. Nice looking piece of property that could be special if Pete was allowed to do his thing. If he did, and someone messed it up during a renovation, then shame. Needs everything that I look for in a top course. Walking allowed, but no walking rate. Looks like I was charged $20 for a cart. The $100 rate wasn't crazy, but I sure wouldn't pay that again. Weekdays appear to be the same rate. Probably worth a play, but I wouldn't be in a hurry to return. 

 

[Argonne69]

Virginia Beach National Golf Club, Virginia Beach, VA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/7qstsrd5dj5fc3o1yiraq/AB1gc8aiLbueiitOKygekDw?rlkey=ka9xs54q5tr1tilnp7ni8a5d7&st=kf9bc4bn&dl=0

 

 

Edited June 14 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

The Casual Pint Craft Beerstro. 36 taps with a very good mix. Started with a tasty Hardwood Brewing Peach Tripel. On deck is a Big Ugly Ape Hanger RIS. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Last, but not least, was a stop at Las Palmas. It appears to be a local chain, but don't let that stop you. The mole pablano was excellent. Not quite the thick stuff I prefer, but it sure packed a punch. The salsa was meh, but the margarita wasn't bad.