Arg's Travel Log

[Dancin]

4 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

A room at Firestone seemed "reasonable" at $450, but the greens fee at the South course is $560. What? Is it my imagination, or is paying nearly as much as Pebble Beach for the 91st ranked course a little nuts, not to mention the hotel price? 

 

These stay and play deals have gotten absolutely insane. I have money to burn, but I'm not completely nuts. 

 

Firestone is a private course that happens to allow some outside play to fill rooms and therefore is priced like an unaccompanied private course round. If you were a guest of a member you could play it for $330 without staying in a room.

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

15 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

I'll be in southwest Pennsylvania in mid-August, and Ohio in early September. I was considering a stay and play at Nemocolin (Mystic Rock), and Firestone CC (South), two of the few Top 100 public courses I haven't played. 

 

Cheapest room at Nemocolin is $1000+ a night. No idea what the golf runs. Pass. 

 

A room at Firestone seemed "reasonable" at $450, but the greens fee at the South course is $560. What? Is it my imagination, or is paying nearly as much as Pebble Beach for the 91st ranked course a little nuts, not to mention the hotel price? 

 

These stay and play deals have gotten absolutely insane. I have money to burn, but I'm not completely nuts. 

 

I'll miss you when you come through Ohio as I'll be in Scotland.

 

Check out Golfclevelandohio.com, it has some great reviews on all of the local golf courses. You can also try Pennohio golf trail website, they have stay and play packages and you can use a cheap hotel. Some of their courses are private. The Quarry is a very fun golf course. Firestone is NOT worth those prices. LOL. My guess is it's totally public in a few years without a stay and play requirement. So many BETTER places to play for that pricepoint.

Edited July 13 by BEND OF THE RIVER GC

[dcmidnight]

19 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

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 take flak for it but I said earlier, the Frederick area has maybe the best collection of public golf in such a small Metro area.

[Argonne69]

Uneventful drive to College Park today. Traffic was fairly heavy for a Sunday morning, but manageable. Not much scenery along the way. Light rain starting falling just as I finished setting up camp. 

 

Big RV park. I stayed here three years ago during my first swing through DC. Gravel site could be more level. Thought I might have satellite trouble with the trees across from my site, but so far so good. 

 

 

No plans today. Going to kick back and relax. It's been a tiring week. Weather looks hot and humid again for the next few days with afternoon storms. 

 

I have a round booked at Northwest tomorrow morning, and Enterprise on Tuesday. I have to book an RV park near Allentown for the end of July. 

 

[Argonne69]

Bummer. My favorite nephew passed away at the young age of 54. He had major health issues due to being a heavy smoker for most of his life, so it didn't come as a total shock, but it still hurts. He was an artist, musician, and walking music encyclopedia. He had just retired from Ford after 30+ years on the assembly line. Didn't get a chance to enjoy his early retirement. 

 

Family is having a memorial on Friday, so I'm going to drive to Chicago on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday. Probably be back in DC next Monday. 

 

The bad news just keeps coming. Got a second phone call informing me that another nephew had passed away a short time ago. He was a bit of a black sheep of the family, and I haven't talked with him in years. 48 years old. Sigh. 

 

Edited July 13 by Argonne69

[caniac6]

Very sorry to hear the bad news.

[ThinkingPlus]

37 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Bummer. My favorite nephew passed away at the young age of 54. He had major health issues due to being a heavy smoker for most of his life, so it didn't come as a total shock, but it still hurts. He was an artist, musician, and walking music encyclopedia. He had just retired from Ford after 30+ years on the assembly line. Didn't get a chance to enjoy his early retirement. 

 

Family is having a memorial on Friday, so I'm going to drive to Chicago on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday. Probably be back in DC next Monday. 

 

The bad news just keeps coming. Got a second phone call informing me that another nephew had passed away a short time ago. He was a bit of a black sheep of the family, and I haven't talked with him in years. 48 years old. Sigh. 

 

Tough news. Sorry to hear, especially at such young ages.

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

That's never fun. Sorry about your losses.

[islesmb]

I’m so sorry for your losses.

[Argonne69]

It's a two day drive to Chicago. I'm not cut out for 11 hours straight. I might play a round here on Wednesday morning, and then drive four or five hours on Thursday.

 

Option 2 is to drive six to seven hours on Wednesday morning, and then play a round early Thursday before driving the rest of the way. 'Looking at The Quarry in Canton, OH. Seems to be the only course on Golfweek's best in state list that I haven't played that's along the way and roughly halfway out.

 

Edited July 14 by Argonne69

[TBD203]

Just reminds us all to enjoy the golf, the mole, and the post round beers a bit more this week... as everything is fleeting. Sorry for your loss Arg.

[Argonne69]

Enjoyable morning, but I should have stuck with Frederick. Lol. Weather wasn't quite as bad today with a few clouds and a light breeze. Got lucky arriving early and joining a threesome a half hour before my tee time. We finished in 3:30. I couldn't see the group behind us. I know they were at least two full holes behind. 

 

Northwest GC today. Meh. The muni is one of nine operated by Montgomery County. Nice piece of wooded property, but they didn't do much with the design. A couple of minor elevation changes, but most holes were dead flat. Bunkering was very light. Water in play one three holes, but practically every hole had thick native areas that should be red staked. Eight holes with left/right movement including three doglegs. 

 

Very easy off the tee with generous fairways, light bunkering, and no forced carries. The rough was very generous, but rather thick. Minor misses were fairly penal. Big misses were goners in the junk/trees. Pretty sure my playing partners donated a couple dozen to the collection. 

 

Approaches were straightforward with moderate sized greens with light bunkering. Greens had gentle contouring and slope. Pretty boring. Putting was stress free. Up and downs were a little tricky due to the thick rough. 

 

Par 3s, 5s, and short 4s were simply boring. By next week I'm pretty sure I won't remember a single hole on the course. Variety of length on the 3s was poor playing 6i to FW. Very little trouble. Par 5s were snoozers. The dogleg 17th was reachable, but no risk. The pair of short 4s were toothless. 

 

Conditions were acceptable for an inexpensive muni. Fairways had numerous iffy patches, but were generally playable. Three holes on the front nine were cart path only with very wet turf. Rough was thick, but mostly consistent. Plenty of clover tossed in. Bunkers were very good. Greens were nice, but slow. Probably a hair over 9. 

 

Played the White tees at 6325 yds (70.0/121). Very good day with the big stick. Irons were solid, but missed a couple right. Wedges didn't hold up their part of the bargain. Other than one putt, the putter was icy. One birdie and five bogies. Shot of the day was finally making a putt, an 18 footer on my 17th hole, the par 5 8th. Highlight of the morning was not having a heat stroke after four grueling rounds in Frederick. 

 

Going to be nice and go with 5 cows, although it's probably closer to four. Definitely enjoyed the isolation of the layout, but the design misses on practically every element. The $50 senior weekday rate was acceptable. If I was a local I'm sure it would be in my regular rotation, but it can be skipped. Probably should have driven an hour to Frederick to play Maryland National. Lol. The nine hole course looked interesting. 

 

Edited July 14 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Northwest GC, Silver Spring, MD (#10 Start) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/t2o6thq51v2bl34ku9qvh/AIZ-UHEnFyyxy_gLUsIZVmU?rlkey=vpnjc2lbrr8qyqxzrryldd272&st=ixgvo778&dl=0

 

Edited July 14 by Argonne69

[tw422]

28 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Northwest GC, Silver Spring, MD (#10 Start) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/t2o6thq51v2bl34ku9qvh/AIZ-UHEnFyyxy_gLUsIZVmU?rlkey=vpnjc2lbrr8qyqxzrryldd272&st=ixgvo778&dl=0

 

I grew up in MD not far from College Park and from the pictures I can just hear the cicadas in the trees buzzing away and see/feel the humidity in the air.   Brings back childhood summer memories. Great reviews and pics from your MD leg.  Who knew that the Frederick area had such great golf courses? 

[Argonne69]

I wasn't planning to hit a brewery today, but I somehow managed to lose one of my rain gloves today. I normally don't play with a golf glove, but I've had to play with rain gloves for pretty much the last week or more. I found a Dick's Sporting Goods in Silver Spring, and swung by to pick up a new pair.

 

Conveniently located a couple of miles away was Silver Branch Brewing. Twenty taps with a less than stellar taplist, but their Gnome de Guerre Belgian Tripel caught my eye. Excellent. 

 

 

The brewery is located at the entrance of the Silver Springs (Red) Metro station entrance. I've probably ridden the DC Metro a hundred times. My first job out of college brought me to DC monthly. In addition I've taken dozens of Amtrak trains that passes through DC Union Station. I'd say the Metro is the 2nd best public transit system in the country next to NYC. If my parking meter didn't expire in a half hour I'd probably hop on the train for a ride down to the Mall. 

 

Edited July 14 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

1 minute ago, tw422 said:

I grew up in MD not far from College Park and from the pictures I can just hear the cicadas in the trees buzzing away and see/feel the humidity in the air.   Brings back childhood summer memories. Great reviews and pics from your MD leg.  Who knew that the Frederick area had such great golf courses? 

 

Yeah, toss in Little Bennett, Maryland National, Raspberry Falls, Black Rock, and Richland in addition to Musket, PB Dye, Worthington, and Whiskey, and it's a heck of golfers paradise. 

 

 

[bcjim]

5 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Enjoyable morning, but I should have stuck with Frederick. Lol. Weather wasn't quite as bad today with a few clouds and a light breeze. Got lucky arriving early and joining a threesome a half hour before my tee time. We finished in 3:30. I couldn't see the group behind us. I know they were at least two full holes behind. 

 

Northwest GC today. Meh. The muni is one of nine operated by Montgomery County. Nice piece of wooded property, but they didn't do much with the design. A couple of minor elevation changes, but most holes were dead flat. Bunkering was very light. Water in play one three holes, but practically every hole had thick native areas that should be red staked. Eight holes with left/right movement including three doglegs. 

 

Very easy off the tee with generous fairways, light bunkering, and no forced carries. The rough was very generous, but rather thick. Minor misses were fairly penal. Big misses were goners in the junk/trees. Pretty sure my playing partners donated a couple dozen to the collection. 

 

Approaches were straightforward with moderate sized greens with light bunkering. Greens had gentle contouring and slope. Pretty boring. Putting was stress free. Up and downs were a little tricky due to the thick rough. 

 

Par 3s, 5s, and short 4s were simply boring. By next week I'm pretty sure I won't remember a single hole on the course. Variety of length on the 3s was poor playing 6i to FW. Very little trouble. Par 5s were snoozers. The dogleg 17th was reachable, but no risk. The pair of short 4s were toothless. 

 

Conditions were acceptable for an inexpensive muni. Fairways had numerous iffy patches, but were generally playable. Three holes on the front nine were cart path only with very wet turf. Rough was thick, but mostly consistent. Plenty of clover tossed in. Bunkers were very good. Greens were nice, but slow. Probably a hair over 9. 

 

Played the White tees at 6325 yds (70.0/121). Very good day with the big stick. Irons were solid, but missed a couple right. Wedges didn't hold up their part of the bargain. Other than one putt, the putter was icy. One birdie and five bogies. Shot of the day was finally making a putt, an 18 footer on my 17th hole, the par 5 8th. Highlight of the morning was not having a heat stroke after four grueling rounds in Frederick. 

 

Going to be nice and go with 5 cows, although it's probably closer to four. Definitely enjoyed the isolation of the layout, but the design misses on practically every element. The $50 senior weekday rate was acceptable. If I was a local I'm sure it would be in my regular rotation, but it can be skipped. Probably should have driven an hour to Frederick to play Maryland National. Lol. The nine hole course looked interesting. 

 

 The local munis are good filler for us DC area folk between rounds in Frederick.  10-15 min drive or 45min to an hour...and we get a decent discount 25 or 50% depending on how much we want to fork over on Jan 1.  I think for $750 (?) upfront, its 50% off fees and carts. And I think older guys get 30% off for just being old. 😂  Fair review though. 

 

[Argonne69]

Booked a hotel room in Canton for tomorrow night, and a round at The Quarry on Thursday morning. It's ~5 hours to Chicago from there, but I'll gain an hour, so I should arrive in time for a Lou Malnati's pizza. Lol.

 

'Looking forward to the golf, but not the drive. I'm OK with four hours, but my 'ol back doesn't like longer drives. The seats in the Honda aren't the greatest.

 

Edited July 15 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

11 hours ago, bcjim said:

 The local munis are good filler for us DC area folk between rounds in Frederick.  10-15 min drive or 45min to an hour...and we get a decent discount 25 or 50% depending on how much we want to fork over on Jan 1.  I think for $750 (?) upfront, its 50% off fees and carts. And I think older guys get 30% off for just being old. 😂  Fair review though. 

 

 

That pretty much describes the Chicago area. There are over 200 public courses within 90 minutes of The Loop, which includes southeast Wisconsin, Rockford, northwest Indiana, and southwest Michigan. We all like playing Top 100 courses, but the $50 rounds fill out the schedule.

 

[JungleJimbo]

6 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Booked a hotel room in Canton for tomorrow night, and a round at The Quarry on Thursday morning. It's ~5 hours to Chicago from there, but I'll gain an hour, so I should arrive in time for a Lou Malnati's pizza. Lol.

 

'Looking forward to the golf, but not the drive. I'm OK with four hours, but my 'ol back doesn't like longer drives. The seats in the Honda aren't the greatest.

 

@Argonne69 Have you considered a bells-and-whistles Drivers Seat upgrade for your Honda, via a custom upholstery shop and/or via a truckers accessories shop? (given the number of miles you're enduring, during this road-trip... i'm guessing that seat upgrade = very worthwhile?) 

 

  

[dcmidnight]

11 hours ago, bcjim said:

 The local munis are good filler for us DC area folk between rounds in Frederick.  10-15 min drive or 45min to an hour...and we get a decent discount 25 or 50% depending on how much we want to fork over on Jan 1.  I think for $750 (?) upfront, its 50% off fees and carts. And I think older guys get 30% off for just being old. 😂  Fair review though. 

 

 

Before I joined a club in VA I would play Northwest a couple times a month. The MoCo/Fairfax Co public options really are quite excellent. Unfortunately since Covid they are no longer as cheap or empty as they used to be.

[Argonne69]

7 minutes ago, JungleJimbo said:

@Argonne69 Have you considered a bells-and-whistles Drivers Seat upgrade for your Honda, via a custom upholstery shop and/or via a truckers accessories shop? (given the number of miles you're enduring, during this road-trip... i'm guessing that seat upgrade = very worthwhile?) 

 

  

 

Probably too late for that. The vehicle will have 120,000 miles on it after the drive to Canton. 

 

Most of my drives are short, so as a daily driver it's fine.

 

[Argonne69]

Oy. Arrived an hour early hoping to get out before the heat gets crazy and it turns out that my 8 am tee time is the first of the day. Apparently they push times back an hour on Tuesdays, two hours after sunrise. Bah. 

 

Walked into the pro shop and it had to be 90 degrees in there. Seems that the AC is broken. 

 

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

The Quarry (OH). When you get to the "canyon hole" you should be able to see a wrecked golf cart way, way down at the bottom. As the story goes, a really drunk guy rode it off the edge (now there is a fence/rail) and he actually lived to tell about it. He ended up with just a broken leg IIRC. Amazing. They didn't even bother to bring the cart back up. Lol. It's a fun golf course overall. Here is the hole.

Edited July 15 by BEND OF THE RIVER GC

[Argonne69]

Another day, another inexpensive muni. The clouds helped keep the temperature down, but it sure didn't do anything for the humidity. Glad I stopped to buy a pair of rain gloves yesterday. Joined another single as the first group out, and we finished in 2:40. I told him that he could play ahead if he wanted given that he was riding, but he hung around and we had a good time. 

 

Enterprise GC today. This parkland muni is operated by The Maryland-National Park and Planning Commission, and sits on the old 

property that was formerly the old Newton White Dairy Farm. I wouldn't call it hilly, but it does have a few ups and downs, as well as some side slopes. Didn't think the design differed all that much from Northwest. The front was a little too much back and forth, but the back had a few gems. Bunkering was once again light. Water in play on six holes with several more that should have red staked native areas. Eight holes with left right movement including four doglegs. 

 

I'll say moderately difficult off the tee due to a couple of forced carries, too many trees on the right "penalizing" us right to left ballstrikers, and the doglegs that requires good teeshots to clear the trees on the inside corners. Minor misses would catch the generous, thick rough. Pretty penal, though. Big misses were a mixed bag. Plenty of adjacent fairways, and pinestraw under many of the trees, so one could find and play an errant shot. The 10th through 16th holes had no room for error with dense junk under the trees, and OB left on 12 and 14. 

 

Approaches were straightforward with moderate sized greens and light bunkering. One could run the ball up on most holes. Like Northwest, the greens were pretty meh. The par 3 15th and par 4 18th were the exceptions, with plenty of slope. Putting was pretty stress free. Up and downs were a little trickier coming out of the thick, wet rough 

 

 

Par 3s were real snoozers. Very little trouble. Variety of length was poor with three playing 9i to 8i. The 8th was a FW. Par 5s were meh. The 14th was reachable, but other than being narrow it didn't have much trouble. The dogleg 10th played downhill, and could likely be reached if your drive caught the speed slot, but again, little risk near the green. The two short 4s were sleepers. Special mention to the par 4 11th and long dogleg 16th. The 11th had an intimidating teeshot with a forced carry over a pond to a basically hidden fairway. The 16th required a solid drive to clear the corner, and then you were still left with a very long approach. 

 

Conditions were better than I expected after heavy rain last night. Surprised that it wasn't cart path only. Fairways were freshly cut, looked great, but very wet. Rough was thick but cut to a good height. Bunkers had plenty of sand, but it was wet and compacted. 'Just needed a grooming. Greens looked nice, and while the moisture kept the speed in check, they were still rolling 10. 

 

Played the White tees at 6335 yds (69.8/116). Very good day off the tee, but the soft conditions were stealing rollout. Irons were solid. Wedges meh. Putter was hot and cold. Made a few midrange par putts, but birdies missed low. One birdie and five bogies. Shot of the round was sticking a lob wedge to 3' on the par 5 9th to set up the birdie. Highlight of the day was my playing partner. Solid game and good company. Picked my brain about my travels. 

 

Same as yesterday, going with 5 cows. Quality inexpensive muni that needs the usual Arg renovation starting with the greens and the addition of bunkers. The $32 senior walking rate was silly. I'll take it. Another decent local course for knocking a ball around, but it can be skipped. 

 

[Argonne69]

Enterprise GC, Mitchellville, MD 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/qd2rk5hcw714t12nfxl5x/AJXIYvCYS_1dk-duswQJJDc?rlkey=0jlmo3pz1hpu1wn0dbaapj6db&st=k8c3bjia&dl=0

 

Edited July 15 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Very surprised that there isn't many brewpubs northeast of the city, especially near the University of Maryland in College Park. The handful that exist don't open until late afternoon on a Tuesday. Wound up heading back to the RV park to grab a cold one from the fridge. 

 

I was considering stopping at a Metro station to take a train ride to the Mall, but honestly, I've been there over a dozen times. Long two days ahead, so I decided to relax today. Might play golf and visit Mt Vernon next week. 

 

[Shankyouverymuch]

On 7/12/2025 at 5:28 PM, Argonne69 said:

I'll be in southwest Pennsylvania in mid-August, and Ohio in early September. I was considering a stay and play at Nemocolin (Mystic Rock), and Firestone CC (South), two of the few Top 100 public courses I haven't played. 

 

Cheapest room at Nemocolin is $1000+ a night. No idea what the golf runs. Pass. 

 

A room at Firestone seemed "reasonable" at $450, but the greens fee at the South course is $560. What? Is it my imagination, or is paying nearly as much as Pebble Beach for the 91st ranked course a little nuts, not to mention the hotel price? 

 

These stay and play deals have gotten absolutely insane. I have money to burn, but I'm not completely nuts. 

 

I will keep an eye on your schedule. I would love to join you for a round in Central OH if you are in the area. Last time I played Nemacolin I paid $180 but looks like over $300 now. Of course, my round also had to include the reciprocal Spa day for my wife which bumped it up. I still remember checking out and them sliding a bill for $1,800 over to me and me thinking what the h@ll did we do last night 😲

[ZephyrS4]

Great looking course for $32…..but man, I can just feel the humidity in those pics…..crazy! Have a safe trip back to Chicago……sorry to hear about why you have to go back 🙁

[ZephyrS4]

Also…..looking forward to a pic of Lou’s