Argonne69

Ah, yes, the dreaded Security Binder. Lol.

I was able to purchase a timed entry pass for Arches for tomorrow morning, so I'm happy that I don't have to get up extra early. I'll try to get there by 7:30 am to beat the crowds, as I expect the limited parking spaces to fill up quickly at the viewpoints and trailheads.

Tough conditions out there late. Heck of a round by So Mi after getting into the field at the last minute. With only the top 50 (and ties) making it into the weekend, a lot of players have their work cut out for them tomorrow.

On a long and lonesome highway, east of Omaha You can listen to the engine moanin' out its one-note song You can think about the woman, or the girl you knew the night before But your thoughts will soon be wandering, the way they always do When you're riding sixteen hours and there's nothing there to do And you don't feel much like riding, you just wish the trip was through Here I am, on a road again There I am, on the stage Here I go, playing star again There I go, turn the page Later in the evening as you lie awake in bed With the echoes from the amplifiers ringin' in your head You smoke the day's last cigarette, remembering what she said Here I am, on a road again There I am, up on the stage Here I go, playing star again There I go, turn the page - Bob Seger

I barely managed to get on. I normally have no problem getting an early tee time, but I tried for weeks before managing to snag a late morning tee time last summer. I definitely think it's possible, but you have to be patient and persistent. It's definitely worth it, though. Wonderful course.

Gabi seems to be adapting to the big tour quite nicely. I wouldn't classify her as a darkhorse pick considering that she lost in a playoff here to Rose last year, but Jennifer is one to watch this week.

Seems like ages since I played an early morning round and then sat down at a proper brewery for a tasty pour from a tap. Alas, it'll have to wait for a few more days at least. I was looking forward to the Scotch Ale and Belgian Tripel at Moab Brewery, but the two beers are only available in (pricey) 20 ounce bottles. Went with the tripel, which is actually very good. Probably try the Scotch Ale tomorrow.

The Moab GC, Moab, UT Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/nhd2gy43vhmjlqqpp19js/AISj2cII_tcKiJ-Fj2N-yes?rlkey=1rvr5hcsi5yx66g030qqqj7hy&dl=0

Wonderful morning. Been on a lucky streak with the weather and pace of play for the most part. The Moab GC today. Another inexpensive muni with a semi-nice piece of property, but a lackluster design. I say semi because the holes near the clubhouse are your typical, boring, flat parkland style holes with zero character. The handful of holes east near the red cliffs are very good with a couple of elevated tees. Fairway bunkering is non-existent. Greenside isn't much better. Water on two holes, and only two holes with any left/right movement. Easy off the tee with generous fairways and zero bunkering. A couple of holes had some side slope that could kick a drive down into the rough. A couple more had trees at the start of the fairway, so if you're a really low ball hitter you could face issues. Minor misses were no problem. Big misses might get lucky in an adjacent fairway, but would most likely be lost in the desert. Approaches were moderately tough only because the greens were tiny. Bunkering was light, and almost all sat at fairway height. The greens had little contouring, but half did have some decent slope. Putts from above the hole were dicey. Up and downs were fairly easy, as the greens weren't raised. Par 3s were mixed. The 4th and 12th were pretty good. Good variety of lengths. 5s were meh. The 5th was reachable, but no real risk. The others were simply long. The sole short 4, the 8th, wasn't bad. Less than driver with a pond at the end of the fairway in play, leaving a short wedge to a small green over the water. Conditions were pretty poor. Must have had a rough winter. Fairways were either bare dirt, dead grass, or shaggy, uneven turf with weeds. Rough was actually decent. Bunkers looked OK. Greens were a little light on grass, but were rolling OK. Speed was 10. Played a Gold/Blue combo at 6420 yds (71.4/130). Driver has been a good boy lately, and the irons were solid, but hitting those tiny greens was a challenge. Luckily getting up and down was straightforward. One birdie and five bogies. Highlight of the round was having an empty course to myself after my two speedy playing partners played ahead on the 6th while I hiked up to the Gold tees. I was originally thinking four, but I have to go with 3 cows. The handful of very good holes don't make up for the rest of the boring ones. Needs the usual stuff to make it interesting. Normally I can overlook a few blemishes in the conditions, but this one needs serious work. The $52 rate wasn't horrible, but I felt it was still overpriced. I believe the closest courses are Green River and Hideout, and each is 55 minutes from Moab. If you're willing to trek an hour north or south, they're probably worth the trip.

My local playing partner this morning said that one can enter the park before 7 am without a timed entry pass. If I don't succeed in getting a pass today, then I'll take a chance with an early arrival. If I can't get in I'll continue on to Canyonlands.

Webb images NGC 1672, the Barred Spiral Galaxy. The galaxy is located ~60 million light years away, and spans ~75,000 light years across. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. Lee, T. Williams, PHANGS Team

Many courses don't allow singles to book in an open four-slot, so at times I have no choice but to book with an existing twosome or threesome. If a course allows singles to book in an open four-slot, I assess the situation. If the teesheet looks wide open, I'll book as a solo player. However, I prefer to not play as a single on a crowded course, so if it looks like more than a few groups ahead, I'll try to join a group. Once I meet my playing partners, I'll try to get a sense of the group dynamics. If it seems that I'll be a 4th wheel, and there's room ahead, I'll ask if I can play ahead as a single. Don't recall being told no recently.

Isn't this piece a few years too late?

Actually I'm heading back west after Grand Junction. I'll be stopping in Wellington, UT for a round at Millsite, and then continuing on to Provo and Salt Lake City. It's amazing how large the country is. There are plenty of areas that I just won't be able to visit on this trip, e.g. northern Arizona. Hopefully I can hit them on future trips. Looking at a map of the western states, Utah is ~50% larger than England. There was a stretch on I-70 that had no gas stations for 105 miles (Salina to Green River, UT).

Decided to stay in today. I'll hit the brewery tomorrow after my round at The Moab. Spent the afternoon paying bills, and booking golf in Grand Junction for early next week (Redlands Mesa and Lakota Links so far), an RV park in Provo, and planning my visit to Arches National Park on Friday. Looks like quite a bit of hiking at Arches, as many of the arches are off the main road. Hopefully Canyonlands is a little more friendly. Lol. Oy. Just looked at the Arches National Park website, and apparently one must reserve an entrance pass. If one doesn't reserve a pass for May in February, then you have to wait until the day before. They note that passes sell out quickly. Hopefully I can snag one tomorrow, or it'll be a long drive for nuttin.