Arg's Travel Log

[NCLancer]

Arg, Thank you for taking us along in your travels!  Be safe and be well.

 

 

 

[ThinkingPlus]

Merry Christmas!  Hope the Chinese buffet was OK. Not a super popular item around here, but there seems to be a few places sprinkled around.

[Double Mocha Man]

Merry Christmas to you Arg and to all of your followers. Sending you BBQ and beer in a care package. Oh, and a universal "walking" pass, usable at any course in the world.

[golfwb]

Merry Christmas Arg!! Thanks for letting us join you on your journey. 

[Argonne69]

Merry Christmas, everyone. Once again thanks for sharing in my journey. 

 

Early bed last night after the over-the-top Chinese feast. Lol. Way too much food. Next time I'm simply going to order off the menu.

 

Drove an hour east to the Brownsville area this morning. I managed to get propane on the way, so tonight I won't have to sleep under 4 blankets. I'll play four rounds this week before heading up to Corpus Christi on Friday. It'll be on the cool side tomorrow morning, but the temps will be in the 80's by Thursday. 'Nice.

 

Edited December 25, 2022 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

No surprise, another cloudy and cool morning. The sun popped out briefly as a tease, but then retreated behind the clouds. Still, it felt good to be out playing again after a three day layoff. Unfortunately the course left a lot to be desired. 

 

Sometimes you get what you pay for. Pay $16, and you're likely to get a $16 course. Valley International CC today. Founded in 1910, I assume it had its moment in the sun. However, it's fallen on hard times. Dead flat with no bunkers. Well, there were bunkers but they've allowed them to grow in. Water on 12 holes did add a little spice. There were trees out there, but I wouldn't really call it a parkland layout. Decent mix of left/right holes to keep it from being a total snoozefest. 

 

Other than the water it was pretty open off the tee, minus the handful of holes with overgrown trees pinching the teebox. Miss a fairway and goodness knows what type of lie you'd get. Funny, but the same thing could be said for hitting the fairway. Approaches were fairly easy. Most greens were at or near fairway level, and with no bunkering one could run the ball up if desired. Up and downs were tricky only because the lies around the greens could be awful. Putting was a bit trickier than I expected. Fairly quick greens with a bit of hidden slope. 

 

Par 3s were tough. Three played long, and the 3rd had a narrow chute between the trees. Dead straight teeshot only. Only two par 5s. The 9th could possibly be reached in two, but the palm trees lining the left PA would pose a problem. The green was tucked behind the pond, so a three shot strategy was the safe bet. The 17th had a pond in front of the green, so a bit of risk/reward. Short 4s were actually quite decent. Either water in play, or requiring a precise tee shot to get a clear look at the green. 

 

Conditions tee to green were pretty awful. I do believe there were more weeds and hardpan than turf. Hard to tell where the rough started on many holes. Rough was iffy. Untold amount of debris from the palm trees. Grass bunkers were playable. Greens weren't great, but they were playable. A bit bumpy and rolling 9 to 10. 

 

Played an Orange/Blue combo at 6380 yds (71.3/122) on the par 70 layout. All that room and I had to have a wonky driver today. Two birdies and six bogies. Highlight of the day was a 5h to five feet on the par 3 5th to set up my first birdie. The 21' birdie putt on the 7th was a bonus. 

 

VICC gets 3 cows. Don't want to beat it up given the price tag, but this one can easily be skipped. 

 

Edited December 26, 2022 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Valley International Country Club, Brownsville, TX 

 

 

Hope you can hit a laser. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jo7oud5c844vhea/AAA2v7k0Jevfr40AVT9zY93Sa?dl=0

 

[DoughBack18]

22 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Merry Christmas, everyone. Once again thanks for sharing in my journey. 

 

Arg, on behalf of the many who read and follow this thread, thank you for sharing your journey with us! Happy holidays and all the best to you in 2023!

[ThinkingPlus]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

No surprise, another cloudy and cool morning. The sun popped out briefly as a tease, but then retreated behind the clouds. Still, it felt good to be out playing again after a three day layoff. Unfortunately the course left a lot to be desired. 

 

Sometimes you get what you pay for. Pay $16, and you're likely to get a $16 course. Valley International CC today. Founded in 1910, I assume it had its moment in the sun. However, it's fallen on hard times. Dead flat with no bunkers. Well, there were bunkers but they've allowed them to grow in. Water on 12 holes did add a little spice. There were trees out there, but I wouldn't really call it a parkland layout. Decent mix of left/right holes to keep it from being a total snoozefest. 

 

Other than the water it was pretty open off the tee, minus the handful of holes with overgrown trees pinching the teebox. Miss a fairway and goodness knows what type of lie you'd get. Funny, but the same thing could be said for hitting the fairway. Approaches were fairly easy. Most greens were at or near fairway level, and with no bunkering one could run the ball up if desired. Up and downs were tricky only because the lies around the greens could be awful. Putting was a bit trickier than I expected. Fairly quick greens with a bit of hidden slope. 

 

Par 3s were tough. Three played long, and the 3rd had a narrow chute between the trees. Dead straight teeshot only. Only two par 5s. The 9th could possibly be reached in two, but the palm trees lining the left PA would pose a problem. The green was tucked behind the pond, so a three shot strategy was the safe bet. The 17th had a pond in front of the green, so a bit of risk/reward. Short 4s were actually quite decent. Either water in play, or requiring a precise tee shot to get a clear look at the green. 

 

Conditions tee to green were pretty awful. I do believe there were more weeds and hardpan than turf. Hard to tell where the rough started on many holes. Rough was iffy. Untold amount of debris from the palm trees. Grass bunkers were playable. Greens weren't great, but they were playable. A bit bumpy and rolling 9 to 10. 

 

Played an Orange/Blue combo at 6380 yds (71.3/122) on the par 70 layout. All that room and I had to have a wonky driver today. Two birdies and six bogies. Highlight of the day was a 5h to five feet on the par 3 5th to set up my first birdie. The 21' birdie putt on the 7th was a bonus. 

 

VICC gets 3 cows. Don't want to beat it up given the price tag, but this one can easily be skipped. 

 

I wasn't sure it was even still open.  Last few times we played there it was in rough shape so we quit trying.  It used to be a bit nicer, but definitely fell on hard times quite a few years ago and never has recovered.  Where are your next 3 stops?  SPI and River Bend if I remember, but what is the last one you picked?

[Argonne69]

Just now, ThinkingPlus said:

I wasn't sure it was even still open.  Last few times we played there it was in rough shape so we quit trying.  It used to be a bit nicer, but definitely fell on hard times quite a few years ago and never has recovered.  Where are your next 3 stops?  SPI and River Bend if I remember, but what is the last one you picked?

 

River Bend tomorrow, SPI on Wednesday, and I just booked Treasure Hills for Thursday.

 

[ThinkingPlus]

11 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

River Bend tomorrow, SPI on Wednesday, and I just booked Treasure Hills for Thursday.

 

I think you'll like the layout and design of Treasure Hills.  Conditioning has really improved in the last two years as well.

[DoughBack18]

Arg, have you put any thought into some sort of a book or guide on public golf in the US based on your travels? You’re potentially going to be as knowledgable as anyone on that subject as your journey keeps going. I know a google search can find some of those answers, but you have a very unique perspective having actually played all these yourself. 
 

I’ll only ask for a modest fee if thats a fresh idea! 😜

[Argonne69]

Just now, DoughBack18 said:

Arg, have you put any thought into some sort of a book or guide on public golf in the US based on your travels? You’re potentially going to be as knowledgable as anyone on that subject as your journey keeps going. I know a google search can find some of those answers, but you have a very unique perspective having actually played all these yourself. 
 

I’ll only ask for a modest fee if thats a fresh idea! 😜

 

I've thrown around the idea of writing a book after my journey is over. 

 

[Argonne69]

Beautiful morning. Very cool early, but with plenty of sunshine it warmed quickly. River Bend Resort and Golf Club today. Umm, not quite what I was expecting from a "resort." It's actually an RV park for full timers and seasonal snowbirds. The course is located along the Rio Grande River with six holes running along it. A handful of holes route through the RV park, and a few more are out in the open along a farm field. If there was any elevation change I missed it. Lol. About as flat as one can get. OK, the 17th teebox is up on a drainage berm. Zero bunkers. Other than the river, water is on play on a few holes with a couple of forced carries. A couple of holes work right/left. 

 

Very generous off the tee, especially with a lack of bunkers. The rough was cut low, so minor misses weren't problematic. Trees were thin, and errant shots could be found and played. Approaches were a bit tougher given that the greens were rather small. Not much danger, just postage stamps. Up and downs were straightforward. With the rough cut, chips and pitches stress free. Putting was also easy, as the greens had very little movement. 

 

Par 3s were decent. Two were quite long, with the 13th playing 233 from the tips, and the 7th playing 223. The 17th was short, but had a largish island green. 5s were meh. The 3rd was reachable by cutting the inside corner of the dogleg. The others were benign three shot holes. Short 4s were also meh. 

 

Conditions were better than yesterday, but not ideal. Fairways were a bit shaggy with some bare spots. Rough was cut low. Greens were similar to yesterday, bumpy and rolling 9 to 10. 

 

Played the Blue tees at 6276 yds (69.4/118). Solid day off the tee, but the small greens stressed my iron play. Three birdies and five bogies. Highlight was a sweet 30' birdie putt on the 12th that barely rolled in. 

 

I'll give RB 4 cows. Nicely priced at $33, but you're not getting much. Actually thought Valley International was a tougher track, but conditions here were better. Some nice views of the Rio Grande, including a stretch that was covered in water plants. Not what I was expecting. 

 

[Argonne69]

River Bend Resort and Golf Club, Brownsville, TX 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xglfozp6n2gkm03/AAAjxIdCBF5mekJmrie5kXcXa?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Well, this was disappointing. No brewpubs within 20 miles of Brownsville, so I decided to have an early lunch. It's been over a week since I had barbeque, but Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q didn't quite hit a home run. The "Moist Brisket" was dry. Ribs were anything but meaty, and overcooked. Jalepeno hot link was decent. Creamed corn was very good, but the green chili stew was bland. White bread was probably the highlight. Lol. 

 

 

[stevopagolf]

1st BBQ served in a laundry bin!

 

I was figuring I'd see Mexican fare being so close to the border.

 

This meal 1 cow?  Given white bread is the highlight.....

[ThinkingPlus]

12 minutes ago, stevopagolf said:

1st BBQ served in a laundry bin!

 

I was figuring I'd see Mexican fare being so close to the border.

 

This meal 1 cow?  Given white bread is the highlight.....

Not saying it doesn't exist, but my hubby and I haven't found a good Mexican food place in the lower valley.  There are a couple of decent ones in the upper valley (Delia's in the upper valley has great tamales, but that's all they make!).  There is a Mexican restaurant in Progreso that the Winter Texans rave about, but that is on the wrong side of the border so a no go.

[Argonne69]

Gorgeous morning. Warm with plenty of sunshine. It was breezy, but it'll get downright windy this afternoon. Unfortunately the day was spoiled by the inane policies at South Padre Island GC. I was told that I'd have to get permission from the director of golf to walk the course. What they didn't tell me was that he doesn't get in until an hour after my tee time. So I wound up zipping around the pancake flat housing development course in near record time. What makes it even more frustrating is that I played through one group the entire round. If I was going to be a pace of play problem, it certainly wasn't going to be on an empty course. Felt like I was transported back to Florida where everyone was is deathly afraid of a little exercise. 

 

Anyway, fairly benign course. A few holes on the front have a nice view of Laguna Vista Cove, but otherwise it's mostly wetlands and people's backyards. Probably no more than 6 feet of elevation change on the course. There are a number of ponds that come into the play to mix it up a bit. A couple of sweepers, but most holes are dead straight. Bunkering was extremely light. At $52 it won't break the bank, but the baked in cart fee is still a slap in the head. 

 

Fairly generous off the tee with light bunkering. There are a couple of tough shots, though. The short par 4 5th is basically blind off the tee over the cove. Several holes have large ponds left, so don't go left. Lol. However, there was no room for wild misses. The wetlands were dense. 

 

Approaches were moderately difficult due to the smallish greens. Most were at ground level, so run ups would be possible if the fronts weren't horribly soft from the overwatering. Overseeded at its worst. Up and downs were benign. The rough was very light around the greens. Putting was not much of a challenge, other than getting the ball to the hole on the shaggy greens. 

 

Par 3s were awful. The 3rd was decent because it had the cove as a backdrop. Otherwise the other 3 were wedges or a 9 iron with little danger. Par 5s were a little better. The 9th was a good risk/reward hole with the green tucked slightly behind the pond. The 13th was a right to left sweeper with water along the entire length. Flirt with the PA and it could be reached in two, but a shallow bunker guarded the front. Other than the 5th there weren't any short 4s. 

 

Conditions tee to green were playable. Fairways had some bare patches, but nothing serious. Rough was very light. Bunkers were poor. Very little sand and most have grass starting to grow in them. Greens were awful. Shaggy, bumpy, overseeded shag carpeting. Speed on the front was probably 7 to 8. Give me speedy, dormant Bermuda any day. I spoke with a member at the turn, and he said I should be thankful I didn't play the course a few weeks ago, as the greens were worse. 

 

Played the Blue tees at 6291 yds (70.8/127). Another solid day tee to green, but I'd need a bazooka to get a putt to the hole. Probably should have chipped the ball. One birdie and four bogies. Highlight of the day was actually seeing a bobcat on the 10th. Couldn't have been for than 50 yds away peacefully strolling across the fairway. Did manage to get an 18 footer to the hole on the 13th for my sole birdie. 

 

I'll be nice and give the course 4 cows. Better looking than River Bend Resort, but RB was tougher, especially the par 3s. I'll never figure out the no walking policy on these ridiculously easy to walk courses, but I guess they think they're special. You won't miss much if you skip this one. 

 

Edited December 28, 2022 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

South Padre Island Golf Club, Laguna Vista, TX 

 

 

 

The 5th from the tips. The blue tees weren't much better. Lol. 

 

 

 

 

#13 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/56qbaidqnaqygqv/AAAkf0XZV1rlU9mTizJCaWTDa?dl=0

 

[DE-ILLINI]

When you said you saw a bobcat I was hoping for a photo.  You did not disappoint.  The bobcat looked healthy.

 

I lived it Victoria Texas for five years in the later 90s.  The flat courses you are describing are pretty par for the course in that part of Texas.  Seeing your photos brings back some memories.

[Argonne69]

Drove out to South Padre Island. Not a lot of activity in late December. I'm sure it's bustling in the summer. Enjoying a nice Speckled Trout stout at Padre Island Brewing. Unfortunately it's a small one with only five taps. 

 

 

 

[Double Mocha Man]

3 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Gorgeous morning. Warm with plenty of sunshine. It was breezy, but it'll get downright windy this afternoon. Unfortunately the day was spoiled by the inane policies at South Padre Island GC. I was told that I'd have to get permission from the director of golf to walk the course. What they didn't tell me was that he doesn't get in until an hour after my tee time. So I wound up zipping around the pancake flat housing development course in near record time. What makes it even more frustrating is that I played through one group the entire round. If I was going to be a pace of play problem, it certainly wasn't going to be on an empty course. Felt like I was transported back to Florida where everyone was is deathly afraid of a little exercise. 

 

Anyway, fairly benign course. A few holes on the front have a nice view of Laguna Vista Cove, but otherwise it's mostly wetlands and people's backyards. Probably no more than 6 feet of elevation change on the course. There are a number of ponds that come into the play to mix it up a bit. A couple of sweepers, but most holes are dead straight. Bunkering was extremely light. At $52 it won't break the bank, but the baked in cart fee is still a slap in the head. 

 

Fairly generous off the tee with light bunkering. There are a couple of tough shots, though. The short par 4 5th is basically blind off the tee over the cove. Several holes have large ponds left, so don't go left. Lol. However, there was no room for wild misses. The wetlands were dense. 

 

Approaches were moderately difficult due to the smallish greens. Most were at ground level, so run ups would be possible if the fronts weren't horribly soft from the overwatering. Overseeded at its worst. Up and downs were benign. The rough was very light around the greens. Putting was not much of a challenge, other than getting the ball to the hole on the shaggy greens. 

 

Par 3s were awful. The 3rd was decent because it had the cove as a backdrop. Otherwise the other 3 were wedges or a 9 iron with little danger. Par 5s were a little better. The 9th was a good risk/reward hole with the green tucked slightly behind the pond. The 13th was a right to left sweeper with water along the entire length. Flirt with the PA and it could be reached in two, but a shallow bunker guarded the front. Other than the 5th there weren't any short 4s. 

 

Conditions tee to green were playable. Fairways had some bare patches, but nothing serious. Rough was very light. Bunkers were poor. Very little sand and most have grass starting to grow in them. Greens were awful. Shaggy, bumpy, overseeded shag carpeting. Speed on the front was probably 7 to 8. Give me speedy, dormant Bermuda any day. I spoke with a member at the turn, and he said I should be thankful I didn't play the course a few weeks ago, as the greens were worse. 

 

Played the Blue tees at 6291 yds (70.8/127). Another solid day tee to green, but I'd need a bazooka to get a putt to the hole. Probably should have chipped the ball. One birdie and four bogies. Highlight of the day was actually seeing a bobcat on the 10th. Couldn't have been for than 50 yds away peacefully strolling across the fairway. Did manage to get an 18 footer to the hole on the 13th for my sole birdie. 

 

I'll be nice and give the course 4 cows. Better looking than River Bend Resort, but RB was tougher, especially the par 3s. I'll never figure out the no walking policy on these ridiculously easy to walk courses, but I guess they think they're special. You won't miss much if you skip this one. 

 

You need to start deducting a cow (they never take carts) for these courses that won't let you walk.

[Argonne69]

Well this was certainly different. Can't remember the last time I had ceviche. Ceviche Ceviche in South Padre Island prepares a custom helping while you wait with plenty of ingredients available. I went with the traditional fish and shrimp with added mango. Very tasty. Definitely recommended. Service is very slow, though. Two workers making it fresh with a long line out the door. Avoid the lunch hour if you can. 

 

 

Edited December 28, 2022 by Argonne69

[mshills]

Ceviche is the best! When I lived in south FL, we’d put in at 4am and if we got snapper in the boat, we’d make it right there on the water and have it mid morning with a cold one. 🤤
 

My family always wondered why I came back with grouper, wahoo, and kingfish, never snapper. 🤔 

 

Can’t get fish that fresh most places. Enjoy that!

[Argonne69]

Warm and mostly cloudy this morning. Winds were brisk, and grew stronger as the round progressed. I'm currently sitting in Bessie getting rocked to sleep, as the winds are hitting her side with gusts up to 40 mph. Glad I finished the round before the winds really picked up. 

 

Bit of a frustrating morning at Treasure Hills GC. I get my butt up early to beat the crowds, but then the course starts sending out mid morning groups on the back nine because there's an outing on the front. Hmmm. Maybe get up earlier? Caught the first group on the 15th, so it could have been worse I guess. The course is a tale of two nines. The front is nicely isolated in the Texas scrub with a bit of elevation change. Nice mounding on several holes. Unfortunately the back is your typical housing development course. Flat with just a couple of nice holes. Water comes into play on a number of holes with a couple of forced carries. Decent mix of left and right sweepers. Bunkering was almost non-existent. I spoke with the ranger, and he said that the cost of sand has forced the course to replace them with grass bunkers. Pity. 

 

The course played very similar to South Padre Island. Generous fairways with light bunkering, lateral water on a few holes, and dense scrub if you miss the small patch of closely mown rough. Approaches were also similar with most greens at fairway level and little bunkering. A couple of watering PAs near them added a bit of trouble if your irons are off. Up and downs were straightforward. Little movement on the putting surface and light rough. There were some sketchy areas around the greens, so one could find a tough lie I guess. 

 

Par 3s were mixed. The 3rd had a nice forced carry over a pond, and the two on the back played long. 5s were also mixed. The 8th could be reached in two, but no real risk. The 15th was also reachable, but the green was tucked behind the pond on the left, so definitely some risk going for it. Short 4s were meh. No danger. 

 

Conditions were spotty. They had the sprinklers going, and it was making a muddy mess. I had to stop several times to clean my shoes, as I couldn't see my spikes. Fairways were decent in some areas, but thin and muddy in others. Rough was cut low. What few bunkers with sand were barely playable as they get ready to sod them. Greens looked decent, but with the sprinklers going they were wet and slow. Maybe 8 on the stimp. 

 

Played the White tees at 6360 yds (70.9/126). Decent front, but the wind started taking its toll on the back. Two birdies and seven bogies. 

 

TH also gets 4 cows. Much better value than SPI at $22 to walk. Didn't particularly care for the policy of sending late groups off on the back. Enjoyable front, but the back isn't going to win any beauty awards. Ignore the homes, though, and there are a few nice holes on the closing nine. 

 

Edited December 29, 2022 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Treasure Hills GC, Harlingen, TX 

 

 

Love a tough par 3 playing directly into the early morning sun. Lol. 

 

 

 

 

The 2nd into the par 5 15th 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9fnxojlqwklu8kh/AACpyrLyc3D_2j7ozagT9YLRa?dl=0

 

[Double Mocha Man]

4 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Unfortunately the back is your typical housing development course.

 

You seem to be playing a lot of those lately.  I understand that development makes the course viable, but for me, no thanks. 

 

I have roughly 15-20 courses in my immediate area to choose from.  Unfortunately, I will not choose courses that have too many houses on the fairway.  There are two courses nearby that I reject.  One of them a beautiful course designed by Arnold Palmer with very upscale homes along the fairways.  But still can't bring myself to play it anymore... quit in 2019.  Felt like I was playing golf out of folks' back yards.

[Argonne69]

14 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

You seem to be playing a lot of those lately.  I understand that development makes the course viable, but for me, no thanks. 

 

I have roughly 15-20 courses in my immediate area to choose from.  Unfortunately, I will not choose courses that have too many houses on the fairway.  There are two courses nearby that I reject.  One of them a beautiful course designed by Arnold Palmer with very upscale homes along the fairways.  But still can't bring myself to play it anymore... quit in 2019.  Felt like I was playing golf out of folks' back yards.

 

Not a lot to choose from in the Rio Grande Valley, at least as far as public courses go. I expect Corpus Christi to be similar. Hopefully the Houston area will be better.

 

I think the private courses in this area are much better, but I'm a high plains drifter. 

 

[Double Mocha Man]

12 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

I think the private courses in this area are much better, but I'm a high plains drifter. 

 

I can just see you smoking a skinny Chinook cigar, gunslinging and looking like a young Clint Eastwood as you squint into the distance sizing up a par 4 hole.