Arg's Travel Log

[Schley]

Ok cool idea. Knowing your affinity for golf, blog like posting and flexibility some suggestions to make widely epic.

 

1. Have a goal of playing a course list. You do have that goal I believe top 100 public for example.
2. Plot out your plan in advance, doesn't have to be exact as these are public's and open to all.
3. Start a blog or twitter specific to your quest. You write, you post photos and have a great story to tell!  Think Jimmie James......https://www.jimmiestop100golfcoursetour.com/about
4. Invite people to play with you from the area, they will. They can kick back afterwards at your home theater and have some beers and regale about golf and life. Document your wingmen/women in your blog for those rounds. Gamble for gas money, you need it!
5. Wrap the RV with your motto or catchy name.... The RV Golfer 🚙.  Golfing Bessie 🐄,  etc.  something, brand it!
6. Combining the above  when playing courses you are targeting can get some publicity and perhaps through a comp green fee your way. Also to match your love of beer, some craft beer place after the round and you can simultaneously.
7. Have a rating system. People don't want to read paragraph after paragraph, they want the down and dirty which is why lists and ratings are popular. I gave this advice to you on your trip to/from AZ and I think it worked much better to crystalize your thoughts into a simple rating. Then if people want the details they can read your expanded writing.  Do it for the beer and the golf.  From there you can make pairings for best golf with best beer in your opinion.

 

Heck you are living a dream few can or would ever do. Just posting on golfwrx here and there seems like an opportunity missed. It is your life and documenting it appropriately I don't think you or the rest of the golfing/beer community would ever regret.

 

Come on now share the IP address and let's get it going!

Edited November 6, 2021 by Schley
bullets

[Argonne69]

I'll primarily use the Top 100 Public Golf course lists when looking for new courses, along with Golfweek's Best in State list. It's a good starting point. I also lurk in the various travel threads here in WRX to pick up a few hidden gems. 

 

Yeah, I need to simplify the ratings. Maybe a one to five "Bessie" system. 

 

Hmmm, the other stuff sounds like a job. I'm retired. 🙂

 

 

[Chanceman]

Arg, will you be going to Black Jacks Crossing in Texas? Seems like the most remote course around and I am sure Bessie would enjoy the trip. Ch

[Argonne69]

3 hours ago, Chanceman said:

Arg, will you be going to Black Jacks Crossing in Texas? Seems like the most remote course around and I am sure Bessie would enjoy the trip. Ch

 

It's on the to-do list. 

 

[StudentGolfer4]

On 11/5/2021 at 8:27 AM, Argonne69 said:

I rented a U-haul trailer yesterday and retrieved my junk, errr, belongings from my storage locker in Chicago. Now I have to figure out if it'll fit in the RV. Downsizing is not easy for a pack rat. Do I need a broom, Swifter, and cordless vacuum? Probably not. Bessie has a good amount of storage below deck, so I have to decide what needs to be in the coach, and what can be stored below.

 

I'm on track for a Sunday morning departure. It'll be a short drive to Indianapolis for a two day stay. I'm going to try to play Hickory Stick, Buffer Park, or Plum Creek on Monday. I've played most of the top courses in town (e.g. Brickyard, Purgatory, Trophy Club, The Fort, Bear Slide, Prairie View), so I'll be looking to pick up another new course. On Tuesday I have to stop at a service center to have them take a look at my cab heater. It's not directing enough hot air to the driver's side of the cab. Hopefully it's a loose vacuum line or cable. After that it'll be on to Cincinnati for a few days.

 

Buffer Park would be my preference of the 3. Often overlooked because it’s 9 holes and in an odd spot but it’s a really enjoyable course. 

[Argonne69]

I made the short trek over to Elkhart, IN to have Bessie's heater worked on in the morning at the manufacturer's service center. It was a beautiful fall day, so I couldn't let the opportunity to tee it up pass. I found a local track that wasn't all that bad, or all that good. Bent Oak GC is a parkland layout on the southeast side of Elkhart. I only managed to get in 14 holes before I had to pack it in unfortunately. It looked like the closing holes were the best of the bunch. There were a handful of tight holes with thick trees guarding the edges of the fairways, but otherwise it was fairly benign. Conditions were rather wet, with a few too many tire ruts from the electric carts. 'Guess nobody walks around here. Better than sitting in an RV in a parking lot.

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wzpb3xgh3hbeiz6/AAAIfH2mt7NSczu--dxHs1tga?dl=0

 

 

Edited November 7, 2021 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

'Got Bessie's heater fixed, and made it to Indy. That deserves a beer, no? A tasty Lost in the Dark imperial stout at Brewdog. I think I'm going to do a mini pub crawl this afternoon. I have a mid-morning tee time at Hickory Stick tomorrow. I'll show up early to see if there's a cancelation, but mid morning is fine if not. It's sunny and 70 here now, and tomorrow's forecast looks to be similar. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Goodwood Brewing (Indy) near Lucas Oil Stadium. 

 

 

Diet starts tomorrow. Promise. 

 

 

Edited November 8, 2021 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Hmmm. Might be a convert. Lol. 

 

 

 

[buckI]

Pictures are awesome.    If you are playing in Ohio you better get that in before Thursday.   Going to rain then get cold.

[Bubb]

You are the envy of us all!

[Argonne69]

10 hours ago, buckI said:

Pictures are awesome.    If you are playing in Ohio you better get that in before Thursday.   Going to rain then get cold.

 

I see that. I'm planning to get out to Lassing Pointe on Thursday morning. Hopefully I'll beat the rain. Aston Oaks on Friday weather allowing. I believe the rain should clear out by then. 

 

[Argonne69]

A bit of a crazy morning. I headed out early to Hickory Stick hoping to get out earlier than my scheduled tee time. I was excited driving along the narrow county roads heading to the course, as the terrain was somewhat hilly with plenty of trees showing their fall colors. I was expecting the course to have a similar feel. Bah. I was disappointed when I turned into a large subdivision leading to the clubhouse. Instead of a rolling parkland layout the course was a relatively flat prairie-style layout in a housing complex. I pulled into an empty parking lot and thought it was a bit weird. When I spoke to the pro shop yesterday they said it was fully booked up to my teetime. Sure didn't look like it. I figured I might just have a chance of getting out early. I grabbed my clubs and headed to the clubhouse where I found it locked with a small sign on the door, "Open at 9 am". Hmmm, well that explains the empty lot. 'Good thing I was walking. Now, do I sit in my car for an hour waiting for the staff to arrive, or do I venture out on the empty course and hope I don't get thrown out, or tossed in jail? What the heck, life is too short to be standing around. I ran into a couple of maintenance workers on the front nine, and they didn't seem to be bothered by me, so I kept playing. It's not like I wasn't planning to pay, or didn't have a tee time. As I finished the 4th hole I saw a foursome on the 1st green, so apparently I wasn't the only one looking to get an early start.

 

Anyway, back to the course. Not quite what I had in mind, but playable. The houses along the course didn't give it a pinched feel, but they were there unfortunately. The fairways were rather generous, and it could use more trouble off the tee. There were a few fairway bunkers, including a handful of long, skinny ones. The big defense was the mounding along the sides of the holes, and the greens. Drives that missed the fairways had a good chance of winding up on a severe sidehill lie, and/or sitting in prairie grass. 'No where near as penal as Purgatory here in Indy, but a little bad luck could spell trouble. The greens were challenging, aka fun. Definitely more twists and turns than you'd expect. I imagine the course could play tough in windy conditions, but there was barely a breeze this morning. A few holes had water, but it didn't really come into play unless one was offline. Biggest complaint was probably the lack of landmarks on the course to frame the holes. The photos are pretty boring as one simply looks out into a see of flat green for the most part.

 

Conditions were decent for mid-November. A few wet spots, but nothing serious. 'Can't complain about the pace of play. Lol.

 

Overall I'd give it 3 out of 10 milk cows. Not a bad local track for an occasional round, but certainly not a destination course for an out of towner. I did appreciate that they gave me a $20 walking rate when I paid for the round after finishing. 

 

Edited November 9, 2021 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Hickory Stick GC, Greenwood, IN. 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sfjba64byfblh38/AACForOSFfBCEpRrK58JSrGia?dl=0

 

[tw422]

22 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

'Got Bessie's heater fixed, and made it to Indy. That deserves a beer, no? A tasty Lost in the Dark imperial stout at Brewdog. I think I'm going to do a mini pub crawl this afternoon. I have a mid-morning tee time at Hickory Stick tomorrow. I'll show up early to see if there's a cancelation, but mid morning is fine if not. It's sunny and 70 here now, and tomorrow's forecast looks to be similar. 

 

 

Now we are talking....please add in some local brewery/gastropub reviews to your travel log.  And yes, with heater fixed it's time for a beer.  

[Argonne69]

'Made it to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky. Lovely shaded campsite, which of course means no satellite TV for 3 days. Grrr. Gotta love Dish. Off to Cincinnati Union Terminal. In addition to being a golf and space nut, I'm also a railfan. After a few photos at the grand old terminal, I'll go for a walk along the riverfront, and then find a couple of brewpubs. 

[Argonne69]

Cincinnati Union Terminal is a real beauty. It had fallen into disrepair when the last passenger trains stopped using it (minus the two triweekly Amtrak trains), but it was recently restored to its former glory. It now houses a couple of museums. 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zvot5n5s4nv0hzr/AAC7V3aPOQ2uhIGoqhDrluLca?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Enjoying a nice imperial stout at Rebel Mettle Brewing just west of the central business district. Not a huge selection, but I sampled a few and they're not bad. 

 

Took a nice stroll along the riverfront. The two stadiums really take a chunk out of the real estate. With no games during the week it feels isolated. Can't be too harsh, though. With the pandemic shifting many workers home, most downtown areas feel like ghost towns. 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ndy7psalw63svvb/AADTr9WBPr5mzRnNFlb7jC9ra?dl=0

 

Edited November 10, 2021 by Argonne69

[Socrates]

If I had a little more cash, this is exactly what I envision doing in a couple of years.  Might still do it, but not in a stately RV although things might change by then.  In the meantime, I will vicariously enjoy your journeys.  Maybe less golf and more National Parks, but still some golf will be had.

[Argonne69]

Braxton Brewing Company across the river in Covington, KY. They have several brewpubs in the area. Good selection with at least 25 taps. This is tasty cinnamon and vanilla imperial stout. 

 

 

Lol. I've lost 30 lbs since I retired. At this rate I'll have the weight back on in two weeks. Oy. 

 

[Argonne69]

36 minutes ago, Socrates said:

If I had a little more cash, this is exactly what I envision doing in a couple of years.  Might still do it, but not in a stately RV although things might change by then.  In the meantime, I will vicariously enjoy your journeys.  Maybe less golf and more National Parks, but still some golf will be had.

 

Bessie isn't bad, but I wouldn't call her "stately". My first choice in RV's was a little classier. 

 

 

 

[tw422]

19 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Bessie isn't bad, but I wouldn't call her "stately". My first choice in RV's was a little classier. 

 

 

 

what more could you ask for?  Comfortable place to sit, Direct TV, Kitchen, bathroom and your view changes daily....looks pretty nice to me.  

[Argonne69]

Wooden Cask Brewing Company in Newport, KY. 'Very nice selection, including several barrel aged brews. 

 

 

The pizza wasn't too shabby, either. 

 

 

 

Edited November 10, 2021 by Argonne69

[Cousin]

Wow, such a cool thread. Thank you for sharing @Argonne69, will look forward to seeing your adventures.  With 2 kids under 2 I have a bit of a ways to go until I get a taste of that freedom!  Enjoy the ride!

[Argonne69]

Sitting inside the RV listening to the pitter patter of rain on the roof. I got out early enough this morning to beat it, so I'm quite happy. Sunrise is just after 7 am, so why do the courses in these parts open at 9 am? Planning for frost delays? 

 

Anyway, it was a fairly pleasant morning at Lassing Pointe in northern Kentucky, ~30 minutes south of Cincinnati. With the approaching front the winds were quite strong, gusting up to 30 mph. My straw hat was in mortal danger at times. 'Started out sunny, but the clouds quickly rolled in. There were peeks of sun at times, though. 'Very enjoyable course. It's ranked #1 on Golfweek's Best in State (Kentucky). I haven't played any other courses in the state, so I'm not sure how it stacks up, but I was impressed for the most part. It's built on rolling terrain with plenty of elevated tees to give one a good look at the holes. I guess you'd categorize it as a parkland layout, although many holes have prairie grasses and are fairly wide open. Whatever it's type, it's an excellent layout. Good mix of holes. No real trickery. There were a few split fairways with slope and/or rough separating them, but I never felt in danger of being in the wrong spot. The course didn't have much bunkering, which I dislike. A couple of penalty areas came into play, including the par 3 14th with a forced carry to a wide, shallow green. Greens were fairly benign. A few had tiering, but for the most part the slopes were gentle. 

 

Conditions were playable. Fairways were a bit shaggy. Greens were soft, and only rolling 9 at best. Late fall conditions. Bunkers were awful, though. What little sand was compacted. Definitely loses a couple of stars for that. Pace was great. I joined another single as the first twosome out. Since he was riding, he went ahead on the 2nd hole, and I had the course to myself until the closing few holes when a few players must have decided to start on the back nine, or play a few practice holes. Luckily they didn't hold me up.

 

Decent round with one birdie and five bogies. I was pleased with my driver in the windy conditions, but playing into the wind left a few tough approaches. I hit plenty of greens, but I couldn't quite adjust to the slower greens. 

 

Overall I'd give it 6 out of 10 cows. It's best in state, but doesn't make the national top 100. If you're in the area I'd say it's definitely worth a round, but I wouldn't consider it a destination courses. Still, it's not often one plays a best in state course for $30. 'Definitely ranks high on the value meter. 

 

Edited November 11, 2021 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Lassing Pointe, Union, KY. 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4sonw7uii1ln97z/AABYjXRPyFkbPGIJ8xZpLa7Ya?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

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. 

 

[Roc-A-Fella_1]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

The course didn't have much bunkering, which I dislike.

You dislike bunkering or dislike the lack of bunkering? 

[exgolfpro]

Arg, sorry I missed you when you were passing thru southeast Missouri a few weeks ago, could have met you and played somewhere nice.  But, I will be following your journey.  Good luck and I will be living vicariously thru your blog.

[Argonne69]

1 hour ago, Roc-A-Fella_1 said:

You dislike bunkering or dislike the lack of bunkering? 

 

I dislike the lack of bunkering. Bunkers add an element of risk without being overly penal, and help frame the holes.