Arg's Travel Log

[Argonne69]

18 minutes ago, bcjim said:

Those tees look awful, how does it come to that? Not overnight for sure. 

 

 Looks nice otherwise and prices is right for a weekend.

 

The southeast had an awful winter. Not the first course I've played with spotty conditions. Still, it nearly mid-June. Courses should be in decent shape at this point. 

 

My young local member said that the corporate ownership has been bleeding the course dry over the past few seasons with the cutbacks on maintenance. 

 

Edited June 7 by Argonne69

[vernon]

17 minutes ago, bcjim said:

Those tees look awful, how does it come to that? Not overnight for sure. 

 

 Looks nice otherwise and prices is right for a weekend.

Fungus?  Kinda looks that way to me.🤷‍♂️

[Argonne69]

Bah. I spend an incredible amount of time on Google Maps looking at menus. Could have sworn that Los Tres Mexican Restaurant Grill and Bar had mole on the menu, but alas, no pablano. Oy. Wound up with Birria Enchiladas. Meh. The enchiladas were OK, but for $18 they could have tossed in beans and rice. The salsa and margarita were both very good, though. Still, it's an easy pass. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Lol. Got very lucky this week in Raleigh. Booked the RV site at North Carolina State Fairgrounds Campground knowing that the campground didn't have a bathhouse. I really expected to have to haul the beer and cleaning supplies out of Bessie's shower. However, with a washout two days ago, and showers available at the three courses I played, the stash remained firmly rooted in the shower. 

 

 

Edited June 7 by Argonne69

[ThinkingPlus]

54 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Bah. I spend an incredible amount of time on Google Maps looking at menus. Could have sworn that Los Tres Mexican Restaurant Grill and Bar had mole on the menu, but alas, no pablano. Oy. Wound up with Birria Enchiladas. Meh. The enchiladas were OK, but for $18 they could have tossed in beans and rice. The salsa and margarita were both very good, though. Still, it's an easy pass. 

 

 

No beans or rice. That's a ripoff. Cost of goods is nothing. Their goal is purely to empty wallets. Sad.

[ZephyrS4]

That is pretty sad…..I’m so used to Mexican restaurants giving me way too much food….lol

[Argonne69]

Long four hour drive east to Kitty Hawk today. Well, Coinjock actually. The RV park is on the peninsula that stretches north overlooking Carrituck Sound. Uneventful drive on UA-64, US-17, and US-158. Most of the highway was divided four lane road with very few towns along the way. Much of the stretch will become I-87. Very low population this far east in the state. 

 

The RV park isn't bad. Fairly big piece of property with decent spacing between the gravel sites. Not quite level, but they'll suffice. I can see the sound through my back window on the other side of the small cottages.

 

I couldn't find an RV site closer to Kitty Hawk, so I'll be making the 45 minute drive south a few times this week. On the plus side it'll save me 45 minutes of driving time on Friday when I head north to Virginia Beach. 

 

 

 

No plans today. After the long drive I'm not driving another 45 minutes and back to grab a beer. I'll stop for one after my rounds this week if they're open. The fridge has plenty of good options. Lol. Also planning to visit the Wright Brothers monument. 

 

Forecast looks iffy again this week with scattered storms possible. I have a round booked at The Pointe tomorrow, and Kilmarlic on Tuesday. I'll book two additional rounds later. Looking at Currituck Club, Nags Head, Sea Scape Golf Links, and The Carolina Club. Looking at satellite images, I was disappointed in a few of them. I was expecting something along the lines of Kiawah Ocean, but most appear to be housing development layouts. Bah. 

 

Edited June 9 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Booked an RV park in Staunton VA for late June/early July. Planning to play the Cascades and Old Course at Omni Homestead Resort. Thankfully it doesn't appear to be a stay and play resort. Since it's 90 minutes from Staunton, I'll probably grab a room at one of the small hotels near the resort. I'll check the weather forecast before making tee times. 

 

[caniac6]

There is a farm museum that represents the nationalities of people that settled in the Shenandoah Valley in Staunton that was interesting, and Woodrow Wilson’s house is in town.

[Argonne69]

Enjoyable morning. Nice breeze to keep it feeling cooler. Nice to be out early walking, but I'm done with the hilly courses for a couple of weeks. The kind starter was nice enough to send me out as a single in front of three foursomes. I played through a group on the 3rd, and then joined a twosome a couple of holes later. No complaints about the 2:45 pace. 

 

The Pointe GC today. Meh. The coastal layout was designed by Russell Breeden. On the plus side I wasn't staring at homes all round. Pretty open course with dense trees lining just a few holes. A couple of slightly elevated greens, but otherwise it was dead flat. Fairway bunkering was very light. Greenside was a touch better. Water in play on 13 holes. Eight holes with left/right movement including three doglegs. 

 

Very easy off the tee with generous fairways and light bunkering. Plenty of room to work with on the water holes. Minor misses would catch the light rough. Big misses were generally playable minus a couple of holes. 

 

Approaches were straightforward. The smallish greens were really the only obstacle. Greens had very gentle contouring and slope. Putting would have been a cakewalk if the green speeds weren't glacial. Up and downs were straightforward with plenty of easy chips, but there were still opportunities to shortside yourself. 

 

Par 3s were benign. The 11th was the best of the bunch with a PA in play right. Variety of length was decent playing 9i to FW. Par 5s were meh. The 8th was reachable, but not a lot of risk. Water in play on the other 3, but plenty of room to stay out of trouble. The three short 4s had little trouble and zero strategy required. 

 

Other than the speed of the greens, conditions were excellent. Fairways were in great shape. Rough was cut low. Bunkers had sufficient groomed sand. Greens looked great, but speed was no more than 8. 

 

Played the Gold tees (tips) at 6223 yds on the par 71 layout (70.0/126). Not the best day driving, but little trouble. Irons were solid. Short game came in handy, but the putter couldn't get the ball to the hole. A sledgehammer would have been useful. One birdie and five bogies. Shots of the day were a pair of 9 woods that found the putting surface after less than spectacular drives. Highlight of the day had to have been the cool breeze. Lol. Was expecting a slog with the high humidity after I woke up and found my dehumidifier full after less than eight hours even though the AC was cranked. 

 

Getting cranky in my old age, so I'm going with 4 cows. Nice looking, but simply boring. A few mounds wouldn't hurt, but that would just be scratching the surface. Usual complaints. No walking rate, and the $125 weekday rate was probably double what it should be. Welcome to OBX I guess. Easily skipped. 

 

[Argonne69]

The Pointe Golf Club, Powells Point, NC 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/ygi2w3l8gf0n2wtjiwcej/AECmItsrDWTDq-xDPI1YfyI?rlkey=0gmuz1rhgzihy7n15p765ywgm&st=etta7zkp&dl=0

 

Edited June 9 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Enjoyable morning I guess. Weather was cloudy and humid with 15 mph winds and a few light sprinkles, but at least the heavy rain stayed away. Didn't care for the no walking policy, especially since the course sits across the highway from The Pointe, the course I walked yesterday. I shared a cart with another single, and as the second group out we managed a leisurely 3 hour round. I did my usual routine of walking in from the fairways. 

 

Kilmarlic GC today. Even though it's close to The Pointe, the two were rather different. Whereas Pointe was fairly open, Kilmarlic was a marshland layout with plenty of trees. Saw a handful of homes tucked behind the vegetation, but it didn't feel like a housing development course. Located near the Albemarle Sound, but no holes played along the water. No surprise that it was dead flat with only a handful of elevated greens. Fairway bunkering was very light. Greenside was decent. Water in play on half the holes, but pretty much every hole had junk marked as red PAs. Only five holes with left/right movement including two doglegs. 

 

Moderately difficult off the tee with less than generous fairways and several forced carries. Minor misses were no picnic as there was very little rough before the trouble began. Big misses were big trouble. I donated a dozen balls from the Honda's rear hatch to my playing partner after the round after he donated a ball on nearly every hole. 

 

Approaches were tough. The smallish greens were generally well defended. Greens were more interesting that Pointe, but still not challenging. Putting was straightforward. Up and downs tended to be difficult due to the bunkers that required more than a few high lobs over them. 

 

The five par 3s were OK, but nothing really jumped out. The 2nd and 11th were parallel, and were nearly identical. Variety of length was poor. With five of them, you'd think they could be a little more creative. Four played 7i to 6i, and the 17th was the outlier at FW. The five par 5s were tough with a couple of narrow fairways in the layup areas, but no risk/reward. The serpentine shaped 16th could be a good risk/reward hole with the green tucked behind a marsh, but it plays too long for even a long hitter to reach in two. The four short 4s were boring. The long dogleg par 4 4th was a beast. The inside corner was a marsh, and even a solid drive left a long carry across the junk. 

 

Conditions were decent. Fairways looked OK, but I can't remember when I played on turf that shaggy. A couple had some iffy patches. What little rough there was was cut low. Bunkers were decent. Greens looked fine, but were rolling no more than 9. 

 

Played the Black tees at 6300 yds (69.6/134). Decent day ballstriking, but didn't give myself many good looks at birdie. Drives were getting little rollout on the shaggy fairways. 'Definitely need to invent a little blue pill for old golfers that help get the ball up. Lol. The few birdie putts I had I left way short on the sluggish greens. Did manage to get a putt to the hole on the final hole of the day. One birdie, five bogies, and a double. Like yesterday, the shots of the day were a couple of nice 9 woods that found the putting surface after mediocre drives. Highlight of the round was my young playing partner from Cleveland. Game was a mess, but he was great company. Laugh of the day came during the drive to the course. Heading south on US-158 I noticed a hawk flying across the highway into the wind. He was barely making forward progress as he seemed to be gliding. Behind him came racing a small bird that slammed into its backside. Guessing that the little fellow was a bit upset that the hawk was disturbing its nest area. 

 

Going to be nice and go with 6 cows, although I should take one back for their ridiculous no walking policy. Very nice looking course with plenty of trouble, but still lacking in the design department. Needs a short par 4, a risk/reward par 5, a short par 3, and a few more fairway bunkers. Like Pointe, the $125 weekday rate was overpriced, but not silly. Don't consider it a must play, but it's worth a visit if you're in the Outer Banks area 

 

Edited June 10 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Kilmarlic GC, Harbinger, NC (#10 Start) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/su1bo2ie60hntl7lheefj/AL6wnpoe8lyWqRdpX7tXC5M?rlkey=70x3jwvtdihmtb8lhp4f55f98&st=es0ag8ke&dl=0

 

Edited June 10 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

After the round I drove 25 minutes south to Kitty Hawk to visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Not much to see, but it's an important site if you're an aviation buff. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Workshop and home while on site. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Took a short drive along the ocean in Kitty Hawk. Most of the property is private homes with a handful of access points to the beach with limited parking. 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/gcbpb08f4g9uq45b1p0hh/ADZ8xHMAza43PgHGlD7_RdU?rlkey=2stz0kcj8dzyl6cqr90mc8p6u&st=kfzish4n&dl=0

 

[Double Mocha Man]

14 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

After the round I drove 25 minutes south to Kitty Hawk to visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Not much to see, but it's an important site if you're an aviation buff. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Workshop and home while on site. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Took a short drive along the ocean in Kitty Hawk. Most of the property is private homes with a handful of access points to the beach with limited parking. 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/gcbpb08f4g9uq45b1p0hh/ADZ8xHMAza43PgHGlD7_RdU?rlkey=2stz0kcj8dzyl6cqr90mc8p6u&st=kfzish4n&dl=0

 

 

Obviously Wilbur was the better pilot with 59 seconds.  But Orville's 12 seconds wasn't too bad.  I can't even keep a golf ball in the air that long...

[DavePelz4]

2 hours ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

Obviously Wilbur was the better pilot with 59 seconds.  But Orville's 12 seconds wasn't too bad.  I can't even keep a golf ball in the air that long...

 

Orville was known for flighting everything.

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

Carillon Park in Dayton, Ohio also has a Kitty Hawk plane replica. Their bike shop was purchased by Henry Ford and relocated to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. 

 

That course looked tight!

[TBD203]

Will you be passing through New England this year at all Arg? Was talking to some others and it reminded me to extend the invite again this year if you're passing through CT!

[Argonne69]

1 hour ago, TBD203 said:

Will you be passing through New England this year at all Arg? Was talking to some others and it reminded me to extend the invite again this year if you're passing through CT!

 

Probably not. I'll likely get as far north as Philadelphia before turning west. 

 

[TBD203]

Alas, my course remains cowless. Maybe 2026!

[Mullenboy]

1 minute ago, TBD203 said:

Alas, my course remains cowless. Maybe 2026!

You're probably better off.  Out here in CA he gave 7 cows to a course I hate and the dreaded 4 to several I love.

 

🙂

[Argonne69]

Not the most pleasant round today. Weather wasn't bad with mostly sunny skies. Bummer was another walkable course that only allows members to walk. I had a cart partner, so I walked in from the fairways as usual. What was frustrating was the pace. Second group out and we unfortunately got stuck behind four clowns who had no concept of ready golf or allowing a faster group to play through. I can live with waiting on a couple of shots, but walking on the the teebox and meeting the group ahead on nearly every hole was very frustrating. The fact that the ranger didn't appear until the 16th hole didn't help. 

 

Nags Head Golf Links today. Designed by Bob Moore. Tough seaside layout with a handful of holes along the sound. Plenty of homes to look at, but this time I actually enjoyed the rainbow of colors. Certainly something to do while standing around with my hands on my hips. Played as tough as Kilmarlic, but felt more open even though it was still very tight. Fairway bunkering was almost nonexistent. Greenside was pretty good. Water in play on 11 holes, but almost every hole had OB or red staked junk. Five holes with left/right movement including one dogleg. 

 

No doubt this one was tough off the tee with several forced carries and less than generous fairways. Minor misses would have to be very minor to catch the ribbon of light rough before finding trouble. Big misses were goners in the junk or OB. 

 

Approaches were also tough with smallish well defended greens. Bet the course is a brute in heavy winds. Greens had gentle contouring and slope. Putting should have been easy, but the greens were rolling like quicksand. Up and downs were moderately difficult. Had several easy chips from short of the green, but also a few tough pitches. 

 

The five par 3s were decent sufficient trouble. The long 10th was tough with a forced carry. We started on the 10th, so it was a rude first hole. Variety of length was very good ranging from GW to driver. Yup, the scenic 15th along the sound was playing 230 into the wind to a back pin. Par 5s were meh. Nothing reachable. The 5th had a wicked layup with a very narrow landing area. The long 18th was a real test playing into the wind. The five short 4s were challenging. A couple actually required some thought off the tee with trouble looming if you elected to try driver. The dogleg 11th was tough with a forced carry, and it didn't help that it was the first driver of the round after the #10 start. 

 

Conditions were decent, but not quite pristine. Fairways were fine, but a handful of teeboxes were in sad shape. Rough was decent. Bunkers needed an extra inch of sand. Greens looked great, but they couldn't have been rolling 8. Left one 3 foot par putt a foot short. 

 

Played the Black tees (tips) at 6019 yds on the par 71 layout (69.9/132). Sure didn't feel like a 6000 yd course. Horrible round. Standing on every teebox for 5 minutes is not a recipe for a good round. Ballstriking was meh. Wedges were decent, but I needed a sledgehammer to get putts to the hole. One birdie, seven bogies, and two doubles. Shot of the day was the 6' birdie putt on the par 5 5th that I actually managed to get to the hole. Lol. Highlight of the round was my cart partner from Toledo. In town visiting family, his day job is the owner of a brewery. We definitely had plenty to chat about. Low-light of the round was being given grief by the ranger after the round after he saw me walking on the 16th hole. Didn't seem to bother him that the lead group of clowns were holding up the course, and that our group was waiting on every single shot, but somehow me carrying my clubs to the green was the #1 problem for the course today. Buffoon. 

 

I'll go with 6 cows. Tough course that's probably a real beast on a windy day. Probably too tight for most players. Usual design tweaks are needed. The $158 weekday rate was goofy. Nice looking course, but a $100 would be more like it. I don't think it's a must play, but it's probably one of the better layouts on the Outer Banks. 

 

Edited June 11 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Nags Head Golf Links, Nags Head, NC (#10 Start) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/zgptc6k1br4cg1bytilza/ADrHPogM2OcnRMFYbtAuPE4?rlkey=k1fqpaf8fzneddkqant25r7v3&st=kk8vb4fy&dl=0

 

Edited June 11 by Argonne69

[caniac6]

Bob Moore was the architect for our renovation, and it’s not good. I will avoid Nags Head at all costs. We had a meeting prior to the renovation, and he started the meeting by saying he would not answer questions about specific holes. It went downhill from there. He took a fun Ellis Maples course, and ruined it.

[Argonne69]

23 minutes ago, Mullenboy said:

You're probably better off.  Out here in CA he gave 7 cows to a course I hate and the dreaded 4 to several I love.

 

🙂

 

 

[Argonne69]

Can't imagine that I'll be out near the Outer Banks again, so I had to take a short drive along the barrier islands through the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Drove for a half hour south to Pea Island before turning around with stops at Bodie Island Lighthouse, and Oregon Inlet Life Saving Station. The road to the station was closed, so I hiked over and along the sand dunes to the station before heading back to the Honda. Beautiful area. I was originally thinking about driving to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, but it's currently undergoing renovation, and is surrounded by scaffolding. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/3plaiw592iq2bofn62rux/APMg3gjvVOojab6Fy85e_IY?rlkey=2vvsn6qblz93mimmqh5i8g9o2&st=kart7s7x&dl=0

 

[me05501]

6 minutes ago, caniac6 said:

Bob Moore was the architect for our renovation, and it’s not good. I will avoid Nags Head at all costs. We had a meeting prior to the renovation, and he started the meeting by saying he would not answer questions about specific holes. It went downhill from there. He took a fun Ellis Maples course, and ruined it.

 

Renovations must be tough. You can do too much or too little and hitting "just right" is probably a moving target depending on who's in charge. 

 

The course nearest me is kind of a parkland layout on a mountaintop site. It's compromised in a lot of ways, pinched in from every angle by private property and built across broad slopes with solid rock about 15" below the turf.

 

I recently saw a sketchbook of a redesign proposed by King Collins Golf (Sweetens, Landmand, etc.).

 

I was fascinated by all the proposed changes, some of which were very jarring on paper. It made me wonder if they were bidding to get the project or bidding not to get it. 

 

From aggressive tree removal to moving the club's entrance to creating multiple shared greens and even back-to-back par threes, there were so many ideas that any number of members could object to. It was an epic rerouting concept that would have made the club incredibly unique and interesting in this area, yet the way it was presented seemed designed to irritate as many members as possible. 

 

The other mountain across town (Lookout Mtn) did a restoration project a couple of seasons ago and there have been plenty of influencers who visited and filmed their rounds there. As interesting as the new layout will be to traditionalists, the general membership is feeling kind of beat up by the difficulty and there seems to be a lot of buyer's remorse. 

 

With that in mind I doubt the course near me will do anything so bold. 

[me05501]

1 minute ago, Argonne69 said:

Can't imagine that I'll be out near the Outer Banks again, so I had to take a short drive along the barrier islands through the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Drove for a half hour south to Pea Island before turning around with stops at Bodie Island Lighthouse, and Oregon Inlet Life Saving Station. The road to the station was closed, so I hiked over and along the sand dunes to the station before heading back to the Honda. Beautiful area. I was originally thinking about driving to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, but it's currently undergoing renovation, and is surrounded by scaffolding. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/3plaiw592iq2bofn62rux/APMg3gjvVOojab6Fy85e_IY?rlkey=2vvsn6qblz93mimmqh5i8g9o2&st=kart7s7x&dl=0

 

 

 

Great pics Arg!

[Argonne69]

Long drive back to the RV park, so I had to stop at Swells's Brewing Beer Company. Small brewery with a dozen taps, but their Grapes of Wright Belgian Strong Golden Ale is top shelf. 

 

 

[Nels55]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

Not the most pleasant round today. Weather wasn't bad with mostly sunny skies. Bummer was another walkable course that only allows members to walk. I had a cart partner, so I walked in from the fairways as usual. What was frustrating was the pace. Second group out and we unfortunately got stuck behind four clowns who had no concept of ready golf or allowing a faster group to play through. I can live with waiting on a couple of shots, but walking on the the teebox and meeting the group ahead on nearly every hole was very frustrating. The fact that the ranger didn't appear until the 16th hole didn't help. 

 

Nags Head Golf Links today. Designed by Bob Moore. Tough seaside layout with a handful of holes along the sound. Plenty of homes to look at, but this time I actually enjoyed the rainbow of colors. Certainly something to do while standing around with my hands on my hips. Played as tough as Kilmarlic, but felt more open even though it was still very tight. Fairway bunkering was almost nonexistent. Greenside was pretty good. Water in play on 11 holes, but almost every hole had OB or red staked junk. Five holes with left/right movement including one dogleg. 

 

No doubt this one was tough off the tee with several forced carries and less than generous fairways. Minor misses would have to be very minor to catch the ribbon of light rough before finding trouble. Big misses were goners in the junk or OB. 

 

Approaches were also tough with smallish well defended greens. Bet the course is a brute in heavy winds. Greens had gentle contouring and slope. Putting should have been easy, but the greens were rolling like quicksand. Up and downs were moderately difficult. Had several easy chips from short of the green, but also a few tough pitches. 

 

The five par 3s were decent sufficient trouble. The long 10th was tough with a forced carry. We started on the 10th, so it was a rude first hole. Variety of length was very good ranging from GW to driver. Yup, the scenic 15th along the sound was playing 230 into the wind to a back pin. Par 5s were meh. Nothing reachable. The 5th had a wicked layup with a very narrow landing area. The long 18th was a real test playing into the wind. The five short 4s were challenging. A couple actually required some thought off the tee with trouble looming if you elected to try driver. The dogleg 11th was tough with a forced carry, and it didn't help that it was the first driver of the round after the #10 start. 

 

Conditions were decent, but not quite pristine. Fairways were fine, but a handful of teeboxes were in sad shape. Rough was decent. Bunkers needed an extra inch of sand. Greens looked great, but they couldn't have been rolling 8. Left one 3 foot par putt a foot short. 

 

Played the Black tees (tips) at 6019 yds on the par 71 layout (69.9/132). Sure didn't feel like a 6000 yd course. Horrible round. Standing on every teebox for 5 minutes is not a recipe for a good round. Ballstriking was meh. Wedges were decent, but I needed a sledgehammer to get putts to the hole. One birdie, seven bogies, and two doubles. Shot of the day was the 6' birdie putt on the par 5 5th that I actually managed to get to the hole. Lol. Highlight of the round was my cart partner from Toledo. In town visiting family, his day job is the owner of a brewery. We definitely had plenty to chat about. Low-light of the round was being given grief by the ranger after the round after he saw me walking on the 16th hole. Didn't seem to bother him that the lead group of clowns were holding up the course, and that our group was waiting on every single shot, but somehow me carrying my clubs to the green was the #1 problem for the course today. Buffoon. 

 

I'll go with 6 cows. Tough course that's probably a real beast on a windy day. Probably too tight for most players. Usual design tweaks are needed. The $158 weekday rate was goofy. Nice looking course, but a $100 would be more like it. I don't think it's a must play, but it's probably one of the better layouts on the Outer Banks. 

 

Sounds like that ranger is the head nag.