Arg's Travel Log

[503Mike]

Do you have a map that shows everywhere you've been, maybe a pinned comment/post somewhere? Hard to go through 103 pages of back posts to catch up (although I've put a fair dent in getting through them). 

[Argonne69]

32 minutes ago, 503Mike said:

Do you have a map that shows everywhere you've been, maybe a pinned comment/post somewhere? Hard to go through 103 pages of back posts to catch up (although I've put a fair dent in getting through them). 

 

Here's a csv file with the courses played, locations, and ratings. I believe Google Maps has a way of displaying locations on a custom map. 

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sxo4bvkpv6g5dl8/ArgsCourseRatings.csv?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

40 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

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.

 

Lol. Do I lay up, or go for it? 

 

 

[503Mike]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Here's a csv file with the courses played, locations, and ratings.

 

 

Thank you, sir!

[Argonne69]

Busy afternoon. I had a video conference with a urologist in Chicago, so no stop at a brewpub today. That's for the best anyway, as the craft beer scene here is awful. The doctor will review my CT images, and we'll have a follow up in the next few days. He said that it's possible that I may not need to do anything immediately, and that regular checkups may be all that's necessary. I'll know more shortly. 

 

I'll be packing up tomorrow morning and heading 2+ hours north to Corpus Christi. The forecast for the next week looks very good with temps in the 70s and 80s. Monday looks iffy with a 60% chance for rain. 'Booked weekend rounds at Lozano, and a nine hole course along the gulf, Palmilla Beach. Hopefully PB isn't too crowded on Sunday so I can sneak back out for a second nine hole loop. I tried booking at Oso Beach Municipal, but they don't allow singles to book. I'll walk on during the week when it's a little less busy. 

 

'Booked an RV park near Galveston for a week arriving next Friday. I'll play courses south of Houston before moving to the north side of the city for 10 days. 

 

I was originally planning to hit Beaumont, Lafayette and New Orleans after Houston, but a couple of snowbirds told me to check out two casino courses in Louisiana after Beaumont, Koasati Pines, and Tamahka Trails. It's a minor detour off of I-10, so adding a week to the schedule won't be a issue. 

 

Broke out my personal stash of good stuff. Enjoying a 2021 Goose Island Bourbon County in Bessie. She's still rocking with the winds still gusting outside. Things should calm down after sunset. 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2022 by Argonne69

[Kent01putt]

I am guessing personal opinion in course architecture is why you rate some of the course much lower then I would have. Maybe the conditions have changed from when I played them as well. I have played about 45% of the courses on your latest list. The one that got my attention the most was Streamsong Black. I thought this place was like miniature golf on a grand scale(4 cows for me). The Blue and Red were much better in IMHO. I have followed your travels from the beginning and really find it interesting. The same for Tabaco Road. I don't se how you could rate that real high if you only played it once. The second time you at least know what your up against and it is a wonderful work of art.  Thanks for taking the time to write your travels as it is very pleasant reading.

 

[Argonne69]

Fairly boring drive up to Corpus Christi this morning. I assumed the gulf coast would be quite populated, but there was a 60 mile stretch with no services whatsoever. Settled into the RV park for a week's stay. CC seems pretty sleepy, so I hope I'm not bored silly in a couple of days. Public golf looks poor. 

 

I booked a 9 night stay at an RV park near The Woodlands two weeks out. I have High Meadow Ranch, Cypresswood Tradition, Cypresswood Cypress, Augusta Pines, and Tour 18 on the to do list. I'll be looking for a couple more recommendations. On my first trip to Houston I played the The Woodlands Oaks, The Woodlands Panther Trail, Blackhorse North and South, and Redstone Tournament. I'll hit the courses south of the city the previous week, including Wilderness at Lake Jackson, Eagle Pointe, Moody Gardens, and Wildcat Highlands. 

 

Headed towards the gulf to Nueces Brewing. Small brewery with 11 taps, but they do have a mighty tasty stout with marshmallows, milk chocolate, and graham crackers. 

 

 

[Double Mocha Man]

32 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

I have High Meadow Ranch, Cypresswood Tradition, Cypresswood Cypress, Augusta Pines, and Tour 18 on the to do list. I'll be looking for a couple more recommendations. On my first trip to Houston I played the The Woodlands Oaks, The Woodlands Panther Trail, Blackhorse North and South, and Redstone Tournament. I'll hit the courses south of the city the previous week, including Wilderness at Lake Jackson, Eagle Pointe, Moody Gardens, and Wildcat Highlands. 

 

Arg, do you remember every hole of every course you've played?  Until I hit about 100 courses I remembered 'em.  After that they all began to run together.

[Argonne69]

1 minute ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

Arg, do you remember every hole of every course you've played?  Until I hit about 100 courses I remembered 'em.  After that they all began to run together.

 

Lol. No, not every one, but it's weird how I'll have flashbacks to certain courses. I can generally remember my rounds for a few days. If the course is highly rated, I can usually remember it for a while. 

 

[Argonne69]

Had a hankering for a burger, but somehow I seem to be on a seafood binge at the moment. U & I Steak and Seafood. Not a top of the line seafood joint, but the grilled scallops, shrimp, and crab stuffed flounder was mighty tasty. Could have used another scallop and shrimp, but seafood prices are nuts at the moment. 

 

 

[ThinkingPlus]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

Fairly boring drive up to Corpus Christi this morning. I assumed the gulf coast would be quite populated, but there was a 60 mile stretch with no services whatsoever. Settled into the RV park for a week's stay. CC seems pretty sleepy, so I hope I'm not bored silly in a couple of days. Public golf looks poor. 

 

I booked a 9 night stay at an RV park near The Woodlands two weeks out. I have High Meadow Ranch, Cypresswood Tradition, Cypresswood Cypress, Augusta Pines, and Tour 18 on the to do list. I'll be looking for a couple more recommendations. On my first trip to Houston I played the The Woodlands Oaks, The Woodlands Panther Trail, Blackhorse North and South, and Redstone Tournament. I'll hit the courses south of the city the previous week, including Wilderness at Lake Jackson, Eagle Pointe, Moody Gardens, and Wildcat Highlands. 

 

Headed towards the gulf to Nueces Brewing. Small brewery with 11 taps, but they do have a mighty tasty stout with marshmallows, milk chocolate, and graham crackers. 

 

 

You were driving past the longest and nearly the last undeveloped coastline in the continental US. Much of it was contained within the old King ranch which has now been broken into smaller (still very large) ranches owned by the Yturria family, et al. Some pretty large wildlife refuges as well as PINS (Padre Island National Seashore).  Some unbelievable fishing between CC and Port Mansfield in the bays and along the Intracoastal Waterway.  Folks surf fish PINS for large shark too.  Essentially no development though.

[Double Mocha Man]

18 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Had a hankering for a burger, but somehow I seem to be on a seafood binge at the moment. U & I Steak and Seafood. Not a top of the line seafood joint, but the grilled scallops, shrimp, and crab stuffed flounder was mighty tasty. Could have used another scallop and shrimp, but seafood prices are nuts at the moment. 

 

 

 

Good work.  Nary a brisket in sight.  Looks tasty.

[SnowbirdTom]

Arg, be happy to join you at Cypresswood if you would like company.  I have a monthly membership there and know you like early dew-kicker rounds.

[Double Mocha Man]

15 minutes ago, SnowbirdTom said:

Arg, be happy to join you at Cypresswood if you would like company.  I have a monthly membership there and know you like early dew-kicker rounds.

 

Brisket and beer afterwards...

[sratacik]

This is an awesome thread living the dream.

[Argonne69]

Enjoyable morning. Cool and humid, the forecast called for heavy fog. While it was less than perfect visibility, the fog mostly stayed away. Strangely, on the 9th tee it rolled in, but cleared by the time we finished the hole. Adding to the enjoyment was joining the first group out and finishing in less than three hours. Ready golf at its finest. Lol. 

 

Lozano Golf Center today, one of of the local munis. Not much to look at, but similar to Olmos Basin in SATX, the greens made it play better than it looked. Flat with mild mounding and plenty of water coming into play. Bunkering was light. A couple of doglegs and sweepers, but with few trees corners could be easily cut. 

 

Moderately difficult off the tee on the driving holes with water in play. Otherwise it was bombs away. Misses weren't overly penal if one stayed away from the wet stuff. Approaches were also moderately difficult due to the slightly elevated greens with false fronts and sides. Saw more than a couple of nice shots disappear off the green. Up and downs were tough out of the fairly thick Bermuda rough. Putting was tricky, as the greens had more than a fair share of slope, along with some good pace. 

 

Par 3s were meh. Good mix of lengths, but little danger. 5s were also meh. The 8th was reachable, but no risk. The 12th was interesting. A creek cut diagonally across the fairway at the layup point. Play safe short, and it was a mid iron into the green. Try to play it down the narrowing right side and it could be a wedge. Short 4s were decent. The 2nd doglegged around a pond, so one could risk a longer carry and be rewarded. The 14th was less than driver to avoid a pond, but a long hitter could carry the PA and have a half wedge approach. 

 

Conditions were quite good. Nice to play on dormant Bermuda. Gold, not green, but the ball sat up nicely in the fairway. A few iffy patches, but overall much better than in recent rounds. Rough was a good height. Bunkers could use a good grooming. Greens looked nice, and were rolling at least 10. As the fog burned off they probably got closer to 11. 

 

Played a Green/Blue combo at 6386 yds (71.1/116). Course played a bit longer at sealevel. Decent day tee to green, but I was a little too defensive on the greens. Four bogies and a double. Had a few good looks at birdie, but burned too many edges. 

 

I'll give it 4 cows. Nice to play a round without staring at homes. The $37 walking rate was fair. Didn't blow me away, but challenging nonetheless. Good course for weekly rounds. 

 

[Argonne69]

Lozano Golf Center, Corpus Christi, TX 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gk82h81ed09mur7/AAD7jSRysZuLYdz8KxkUHm56a?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Well, this has certainly been an interesting year. 239 rounds on 239 new courses. That's a new record for me, and probably one that I won't be able to match in the upcoming years. As my travels take me out west I'm probably looking at more driving, and slightly fewer rounds. I was hoping to reach 240, but the freeze out late last week tripped me up. Alas. Guess I'll have to go drown my sorrow in a beer. Now, if I could just find a place with a decent selection. 

 

I forgot that Monday is the official New Year's Day holiday. Oso Beach Municipal is fully booked until late morning. Since they don't allow singles to book, I have to decide if it's worth driving out there and taking a risk that I'll be standing around for hours. I could take the day off, but Tuesday looks rainy. Tough decisions. 

 

 

[Double Mocha Man]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Well, this has certainly been an interesting year. 239 rounds on 239 new courses.

 

But how many brisket days?

[Argonne69]

37 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

But how many brisket days?

 

A lot fewer than beer days. Lol. 

[DoughBack18]

What is your low round on your trek so far? Looks like you’ve been within a couple shots of par on numerous occasions

[Argonne69]

50 minutes ago, DoughBack18 said:

What is your low round on your trek so far? Looks like you’ve been within a couple shots of par on numerous occasions

 

I think I shot par once, maybe twice. Morris Williams in Austin comes to mind. Keep sniffing at it, but the birdies never seem to overcome the inevitable bogies. 

 

Playing a new course everyday, I'm really not trying to go low, as that entails taking chances that I'm unlikely to get away with. My target on a new course is five over or less. Keep it in play off the tee. Safe approach shots, trusting my putter to make par. If I get out of position, take my medicine and get it back into play with a chance for an up and down, but no worse than bogie. I can live with a bogie on a long and/or tough par 4. Playing for par with a chance for birdie on the 5s. Par 3s are middle of the green. Pars are always good. 

 

Boring golf is good golf. I played with two young guys today, and an older player. The young guns were crazy long, but probably hit 6 fairways combined. The older player was short but straight. I'm certain he cleaned their clocks. At my age I don't have the strength to be muscling shots out of the rough. Being a huge LPGA fan, I've learned that fairways and greens are the key to scoring when one is a short knocker. Play the right tees. Swing at 80 percent and put it in the fairway. Miss in the right spots, playing away from trouble. Give yourself a chance for par to or bogie at worst. 

 

Edited December 31, 2022 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

That was a lot of work for a beer. Oy veh. Lol. Drove 20 minutes to a brewpub to find it closed on a Saturday. Apparently they're closed for the season. Thanks Google Maps for an up to date hours of operation. Found another brewpub 15 minutes away, and Google Maps lead me to a closed bridge with a 15 minute detour. Sigh. Pass. Finally found Tapology. 40 taps with a nice selection of stouts. Started with a tasty Founders French Toast bastxxx bourbon barrel aged Scottish ale. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

When I stopped at U & I yesterday, I was eyeing the country fried options. Decided to stop back today and I was not disappointed. Wow. That's probably the best chicken fried chicken I've ever had. Ignoring the crazy shape, it was juicy, and the batter was light and tasty. The gravy was near perfect. Good stuff. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Happy New Year, Y'all. I see what I did there. Lol. Interesting night last night. I went to bed at my usual (early) hour, but was awaken by the sound of fireworks and gunshots at midnight. Probably more gunshots than fireworks. Made me a little homesick for Chicago. Woke up this morning at 5:30 am, and was enjoying my morning coffee when more gunshots rang out. Guess they missed the midnight party. Oy. 

 

Fun drive out to Port Aransas in a thick fog. Speed limit was 60 along the coastal highway, but I was down to 35 mph in spots. I figured there would be a fog delay, but it was barely clear enough to head out. Given that I was the first one out, at least I didn't have to worry about beaning anybody. Palmilla Beach is a 9 hole course with a couple of holes along the gulf, not that I could see it. It was a peaceful walk with the sounds of waves crashing on the beach. One of the staffers told me that the course was originally an 18 hole layout, but the hurricane a few years back wiped out half of it. Still a fine layout, and definitely worthy of a visit. The coastal layout has some nice mounding, and plenty of dense native areas that eat golf balls. I managed to find at least 15 premium ones strolling along the grassy areas. It's a par 32 layout with four 3s and six five 4s. Everything is dead straight. No water in play, but there are a couple of forced carries over junk. Bunkering was light. 

 

Moderately difficult off the tee. A couple of the fairways are on the tight side. There was a light breeze this morning, but I bet the course really has teeth in the wind. Not much rough before the junk, so wild swings are costly. Approaches were also on the tough side. A few of the greens had odd shapes, and greenside bunkering was in play. Rough was thick enough to make up and downs challenging. Putting was tricky as well, as the greens had a decent amount of slope and speed. 

 

Par 3s were decent. Good mix of lengths, and a couple of greens hidden behind grass covered mounds. The 4s were fairly bland. 

 

Conditions were excellent. Overseeded fairways were lush. Rough was thick. Bunkers were wonderful with plenty of groomed, wet sand. Greens were smooth and rolling at least 10. 

 

Solid round off the tee, but struggled with the approaches. Four bogies. Highlight was a nice 9w to the front of the 5th green, but the invisible pin was in the back, and a three putt on the deep green was almost a foregone conclusion. 

 

I'd like to give PB six cows, but 5 is more like it. Needs a lot more variety in the holes. Pretty course, though, and worth a visit. The $30 weekend walking rate was fine. 

 

I was planning to play the two nines twice, but the fog was showing no sign of burning off, and with multiple groups out ahead I decided to call it an early day, and treat myself to a New Year's Day breakfast feast. 

 

Edited January 2, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Palmilla Beach Resort and Golf Community, Port Aransas, TX. Sorry, not much eye candy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/u4bxrx00dtydwzt/AABU5fPOtW_8rtVAwVqd8T6Ra?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Quality grub at Coach's Southern Breakfast in Port Aransas. The biscuit gravy was fantastic, and the big fluffy pancake was perfect. Small joint with only a handful of tables, so expect a wait. 

 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Queued up for the Aransas Pass ferry. Don't recall ever being on a car ferry before. I'm looking at a 30 minute trip to go a couple of miles. Looks fun, but I'd refer a bridge. 

 

[stevopagolf]

only time I did a car ferry was in Ireland.  I think we were going to play Ballybunion and took the ferry but drove the way back.  I'm with you prefer a bridge....

[highhdcp]

Arg

 

A Happy and Healthy 2023 to you.

 

I look forward to your travel, beer, and food post in the new year.

 

Fairways and Greens

 

Hdcp