Arg's Travel Log

[ThinkingPlus]

SParms shawls are the way to go. Pretty much as cool as sleeves and much more comfortable. 

[caniac6]

54 minutes ago, ThinkingPlus said:

SParms shawls are the way to go. Pretty much as cool as sleeves and much more comfortable. 

I use the SParms sleeves, and love them.

[me05501]

1 hour ago, ThinkingPlus said:

SParms shawls are the way to go. Pretty much as cool as sleeves and much more comfortable. 

 

Interesting. I'm assuming the fabric across your shoulders stretches and moves naturally as you swing? 

 

Being a guy, I typically don't wear a bra when I play (though maybe I should). 

[ThinkingPlus]

45 minutes ago, me05501 said:

 

Interesting. I'm assuming the fabric across your shoulders stretches and moves naturally as you swing? 

 

Being a guy, I typically don't wear a bra when I play (though maybe I should). 

Very stretchy material. It is a little like a compression shirt on the arms, but the shawl part behind your neck is loose (bra - chuckle).

[Argonne69]

Looks like Pinehurst still requires a resort stay to play the courses other than 1, 3, and 5. Those three can only be booked a day in advance. I played #3 on my last visit, so I guess I'll try to knock out 1 or 5. Preference? 

 

Would love to play #10, but I believe it's a 2 night stay minimum this time of the year. The cheapest two night package is $1460. Ouch. 

 

Did Talamore Mid South go private recently? I played Mid South in November 2021 during my first swing through Pinehurst. 

 

Edited May 16 by Argonne69

[islesmb]

14 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Looks like Pinehurst still requires a resort stay to play the courses other than 1, 3, and 5. Those three can only be booked a day in advance. I played #3 on my last visit, so I guess I'll try to knock out 1 or 5. Preference? 

 

Would love to play #10, but I believe it's a 2 night stay minimum this time of the year. The cheapest two night package is $1460. Ouch. 

 

I would play 1 since it's a DR course. 5 isn't too bad though.

[Argonne69]

Booked Pinewild CC Magnolia for next Tuesday, and Tot Hill Farm GC for next Thursday. Nice to see courses that allows walking. 

 

Edited May 16 by Argonne69

[postfold]

3 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Looks like Pinehurst still requires a resort stay to play the courses other than 1, 3, and 5. Those three can only be booked a day in advance. I played #3 on my last visit, so I guess I'll try to knock out 1 or 5. Preference? 

 

Would love to play #10, but I believe it's a 2 night stay minimum this time of the year. The cheapest two night package is $1460. Ouch. 

 

Did Talamore Mid South go private recently? I played Mid South in November 2021 during my first swing through Pinehurst. 

 

 

I have only played #1, it was fine if entirely unremarkable.  It wasn't really worth whatever inflated twilight rate they charged us.

 

To my knowledge Mid South has always been private but allows a certain amount of outside play.  Never had any trouble getting on either there or Talamore but we always booked through Tobacco Road Travel.

 

3 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Booked Pinewild CC Magnolia for next Tuesday, and Tot Hill Farm GC for next Thursday. Nice to see courses that allows walking. 

 

 

You'll definitely earn an extra beer or two if you walk Tot Hill Farm.  Maybe three.

[Argonne69]

1 hour ago, postfold said:

 

You'll definitely earn an extra beer or two if you walk Tot Hill Farm.  Maybe three.

 

When I called Tot Hill Farm to book my round I asked if they allowed walking. The staffer said it was a tough course to walk, but that they allow walking. I mentioned that I had walked Tobacco Road before, and he laughed. Said I should have no problem then. 

 

[Argonne69]

Mostly enjoyable morning. Don't think I'll ever be completely happy when I'm required to take a cart on a walkable course. No walking allowed on weekend mornings. Bah. The forecast called for mostly sunny skies, but it was cloudy all round. The clouds did help keep the temperature down. Arrived 45 minutes early and was able to join a threesome on the first tee as the third group out. Nice when the lead groups play ready golf. 3:10 on a Saturday morning is fantastic. 

 

Bayonet at Puppy Creek today. The rolling parkland layout was designed by Willard C Byrd. Nice to not be staring at backyards. While not super hilly, it had its share of up and down. Fairway bunkering was very light. Greenside was a tad better. Water in play on eight holes. Nice collection of 10 holes with left/right movement including eight doglegs. The stretch of short 4s from 11 through 13 were a little monotonous, though. 

 

Fairly easy off the tee with generous fairways having light bunkering and only a couple of short forced carries. Minor misses would catch the generous low rough. Big misses were a no-no with dense junk under the trees. 

 

Approaches were straightforward. Greens were on the large side, and only a couple had front bunkering. Greens had moderate contouring, tiering, and slope. Putting did require some work. Up and downs were mixed. Had several easy chips/Texas wedges from closely mown areas, but there were still plenty of spots to short side yourself. 

 

Par 3s were OK. No real standouts. Sufficient trouble. Variety of length was very poor. 7i to 6i. Ugh. Par 5s were meh. Two were reachable, but little risk. No real trouble off the tee or on the layups. The four short 4s were benign. The dogleg 7th was the best, as one could try to launch one over the trees on the corner. 

 

Conditions were pretty good. Fairways were in nice shape, but a little shaggy. Rough was low. Bunkers had sufficient sand. Greens looked great, but a tad slow. Probably a hair over 9. 

 

Played the Championship (Blue) tees at 6281 yds (71.2/138). No idea where that slope came from. Up and down round. Decent day off the tee, but I wasn't getting a ton of rollout. Irons were good. Wedges and putter were very warm. Three birdies, four bogies, and a double. Shot of the round was the goofy 63' Texas wedge from 12' off the back of the long par 4 17th's green to save par. Swore it broke three ways. Lol. Highlight of the day was my three young playing partners. The locals had solid games, and made me feel welcome when I joined them at the last minute. 

 

I'm thinking 5 cows. Lovely piece of property that unfortunately needs a lot of design improvements. Variety in the par 3s? Risk on the 5s? A handful of bunkers? The $74 weekend rate wasn't horrible, but c'mon, don't insult me by listing the $23 cart fee as a separate line item unless I choose to take the stupid cart. It's not a must play, but unless you're willing to drive an hour to the Pinehurst area it's probably the best public course you'll find in Fayetteville. 

 

[Argonne69]

Bayonet at Puppy Creek, Raeford, NC 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/sr20ihx0z5aqdf8a23igh/ACp9STevWEGLXGlqU6DALNw?rlkey=d5z025b7qosq1zcg5un30x35g&st=siu8zain&dl=0

 

Edited May 17 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

It really is a home away from home. Lol. World of Beer in Fayetteville. 40 taps with a nice mix, and a 100+ different bottles and cans in the cooler. Starting with a Lexington Brewing Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Imperial Milk Stout. Always tasty. The Boulevard Espresso Martini Stout is on deck. I was eyeing a Belgian Tripel, but they have the AC cranked to the max, and a tripel is only good when it's hot. 🙃

 

 

Edited May 17 by Argonne69

[Double Mocha Man]

32 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

It really is a home away from home. Lol. World of Beer in Fayetteville. 40 taps with a nice mix, and a 100+ different bottles and cans in the cooler. Starting with a Lexington Brewing Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Imperial Milk Stout. Always tasty. The Boulevard Espresso Martini Stout is on deck. I was eyeing a Belgian Tripel, but they have the AC cranked to the max, and a tripel is only good when it's hot. 🙃

 

 

 

I always love it when the heating / cooling level is set for the employees, not the customer. I also love it when the music level and the music choices are set for the employees, not the customer.

[Argonne69]

13 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

I always love it when the heating / cooling level is set for the employees, not the customer. I also love it when the music level and the music choices are set for the employees, not the customer.

 

Lol. The bartender was complaining that the AC was too high. The vents were blowing towards the bar. 

 

[Double Mocha Man]

10 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Lol. The bartender was complaining that the AC was too high. The vents were blowing towards the bar. 

 

 

Apparently he/she did not have the authority to turn the air conditioning down.

 

 

 

Edited May 17 by Double Mocha Man

[@_the_crook]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

It really is a home away from home. Lol. World of Beer in Fayetteville. 40 taps with a nice mix, and a 100+ different bottles and cans in the cooler. Starting with a Lexington Brewing Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Imperial Milk Stout. Always tasty. The Boulevard Espresso Martini Stout is on deck. I was eyeing a Belgian Tripel, but they have the AC cranked to the max, and a tripel is only good when it's hot. 🙃

 

 

That stout looks so good, I might have to hit Binnys on the ride home....

[Argonne69]

32 minutes ago, @_the_crook said:

That stout looks so good, I might have to hit Binnys on the ride home....

 

Pick me up a few 4-packs of Deth's Tar. Lol. 

 

I'll probably be in Chicago in mid-September. 

 

[Argonne69]

Places like this continue to give me hope that there's good mole everywhere. Lol. El Cazador in Fayetteville. Wonderful mole pablano. Thick, rich, and a good kick. Pleasantly surprised by the size of the pollo portion. Margarita wasn't bad. The salsa was also very good. 

 

 

[Double Mocha Man]

20 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Places like this continue to give me hope that there's good mole everywhere. Lol. El Cazador in Fayetteville. Wonderful mole pablano. Thick, rich, and a good kick. Pleasantly surprised by the size of the pollo portion. Margarita wasn't bad. The salsa was also very good. 

 

 

 

What was the item in the foil wrap?

[ThinkingPlus]

11 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

What was the item in the foil wrap?

Probably hot tortillas. Could be corn or flour.

[@_the_crook]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Pick me up a few 4-packs of Deth's Tar. Lol. 

 

I'll probably be in Chicago in mid-September. 

 

Please let me know when you're coming to the area. Be glad to have another round with you.

 

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

I sent you a message about Ryder GC. Also, number Pinehurst #1 was a nice walk. Make sure they know you are walking, those clowns charged me for a cart when I told them I was walking.

[Argonne69]

Wonderful morning. If more Sunday rounds were like this I'd probably tee it up on the weekends more often. Weather was perfect. A little cooler and not as humid. Nice morning to walk 18. The lead twosome allowed me to jump ahead of them, so once again I had the beautiful course to myself on a Sunday morning. Nice 2:30 round. 

 

Took a chance with Ryder GC on Ft Bragg. Unlike Stryker, this one is on the base, so plan for a few extra minutes to stop at the visitors center for a pass. The rolling parkland layout was designed by C.C. McCusion, and opened in 1930. I was told that the course underwent a recent renovation. Looked great. Simply beautiful piece of property with plenty of elevation change. Not sure if he knew Donald Ross, but the turtleback greens were much more severe than Ross' Stryker. Fairway bunkering was almost nonexistent. Greenside was on the light side, but a handful of holes were pretty decent. Water in play on seven holes. Seven holes with left/right movement including one dogleg. 

 

Pretty easy off the tee with generous fairways and few bunkers. However, rollout was minimal on several holes hitting into the upslope. Minor misses would catch the light rough. A few bare areas, but overall much better than Stryker. Big misses were generally lost in the dense trees, but one might get lucky finding an adjacent fairway. The back nine played clockwise, so a miss right stayed on the course. 

 

Approaches were moderately tough due to the tiny greens. I thought Stryker's were small, but a few here were smaller. The turtleback dropoffs and several downhill lies certainly didn't help. A handful had deep front bunkers. Greens had gentle contouring, but plenty of slope. A couple of downhill putts from above the flag were dicey. Up and downs were mixed. Plenty of closely mown areas gave options, but still opportunities to shortside yourself. 

 

Par 3s were mixed. The long 5th was a beauty with all carry over a pond. The other three were meh. Variety of length was lacking. Two played FW, and the other pair played 7i. Par 5s were meh. All four were three shot holes. The 15th did have a creek crossing the fairway that had to be carried on the 2nd from a downhill lie. The three short 4s were benign. 

 

Conditions weren't perfect, but they were miles ahead of Stryker. Fairways had a couple of thin areas and a tad shaggy, but overall playable. Rough was low. Bunkers had sufficient groomed sand, but unfortunately a few players yesterday decided it was too much work to bend over and pick up the rakes while they stepped over them getting out of the sand. Greens were in very nice shape and rolling close to 10. 

 

Played a Commando/Sky Train (Red/White) combo at 6250 yds (70.5/130). Solid day off the tee, but those upslopes were killing me. Irons were decent. Wedges were golden. Putter was useless. One birdie and five bogies. Shot of the day was a ridiculous 57' Texas wedge from 9' off the green for birdie on the par 4 13th. Must have broke 3 feet. The sandy on the 4th wasn't too shabby either. Highlight of the day was being out on a beautiful course on a gorgeous day hiking up and down the hills. Got a pat on the back from a group of retired soldiers after the round when they saw me carrying my clubs. 

 

Going with a solid 5 cows. Beautiful looking course that's a bit of a hidden gem. Don't know why it was so empty on a lovely weekend morning, but I'm guessing that stopping for a visitor's pass is too much work for the locals. Glad I didn't skip this one. I'd like to see the usual modern design elements, but for an old school layout it's certainly entertaining. The $20 military walking rate was silly. Don't think the public rate is much higher. I'd say it's a must play if you're in town. 

 

Edited May 18 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Ryder Golf Course at Ft Bragg, Fayetteville, NC 

 

 

 

 

 

Par 3 5th 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lol. I really do need to trademark this. 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/ut4ehxjncuue9179gtxj7/ACCG2e4ngQldo780ojT5lnM?rlkey=pwxzxwewp3tj7n29ajgge8u6y&st=5p9i75ud&dl=0

 

Edited May 18 by Argonne69

[caniac6]

Looks very nice. Can’t believe I missed it when I lived in Fayetteville. On a side note, just west of Pope Airfield, off of highway 87, used to be Overhills. It was a Ross course owned by the Rockefellers. It had its own railroad spur. I believe they also did fox hunts there. The public really wasn’t supposed to go there, but I stopped one day, and could still see where greens and bunkers were, but that was about it. I’m not 100% sure, but I think a couple other wealthy families may have had an interest as well. I’m pretty sure the land was donated to the military.

[Atwsc7]

On 5/16/2025 at 4:05 PM, Argonne69 said:

Booked Pinewild CC Magnolia for next Tuesday, and Tot Hill Farm GC for next Thursday. Nice to see courses that allows walking. 

 

I liked the Magnolia Course. It has a great collection of Par 5's.

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

Ryder was my favorite round this year so far. I only paid $14 to walk 18 holes myself! I am glad you went through the process of getting on base to ply there, it's worth it.

[Argonne69]

Uneventful short drive to the Pinehurst area. Staying in the small town of Cameron 20 minutes northeast of Pinehurst. 

 

Stopped at a Ford Dealer in Fayetteville before heading out this morning to take care of a couple of issues. When I had the oil changed three weeks ago they noticed grease on the rubber protective boot that covers the front ball joints. Thought it might be damaged. Turned out to be OK. Seems that the factory may have over lubricated the joint. 

 

They also checked the error code that caused the check engine light to come on. As suspected it was emissions related, probably due to a leaky gas cap. They slapped a new gas cap on Bessie and I was on the road. 

 

Fairly small RV park, but it should suffice. Nice to see the new gravel sites level. I was lucky to get the last site available with the Memorial Day weekend coming up, but unfortunately I'm backed up to the treeline, and it's blocking the satellite. Had to dig out the portable dish and set it up near the road. 

 

 

No big plans today. I have to book an RV park in Kitty Hawk, and the one I wanted to stay at doesn't have a site available for my first night. I'll have to find a park along the way for one night. 

 

Weather forecast looks iffy this week. Cloudy tomorrow. Rain on Wednesday and possibly Thursday. When I booked Tot Hill Farm for Thursday the forecast looked great. Now it might be a wet round. 

 

[Argonne69]

Bummer. I called Pinehurst to get a tee time on #1 or #5 tomorrow, but they're not allowing non-guest play due to #4 being closed. All play on #4 has been shifted to the other courses. 

 

Weird coming to Pinehurst and not being able to play one of the 11 resort courses. 

 

[Looper34]

Did you ever play Quail Ridge or Hyland? They're nice enough tracts if you're looking to get out.