Arg's Travel Log

[mshills]

22 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

La. Doesn’t have the best courses, but it’s got the best food in the country.

Indeed. The food in LA is great OUTSIDE of New Orleans, then add in the dining scene there, which is like no other place in the country, and you have something really special IMO. 

[hammergolf]

Just now, mshills said:

Indeed. The food in LA is great OUTSIDE of New Orleans, then add in the dining scene there, which is like no other place in the country, and you have something really special IMO. 

If you’ve had bad food in New Orleans you were going to the wrong places. 

[Double Mocha Man]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Oh my, Lord. Blanchard's Barbeque is some seriously good Q. $22 for a three meat platter with two sides, and they don't skimp on the meat. Fatty brisket was definitely in the top 3 on this trip. Tender and juicy. Ribs were excellent. Meaty and tender with a nice rub. Hot link was very good. The green chili corn casserole was wonderful. The smoked beans were probably the best baked beens I've had in years. Thick and definitely smokey. Sauce was the only letdown. The spicy sauce was decent. The root beer sauce was interesting, but a little too much root in the beer. Still, highly, highly recommended. 

 

 

White bread sponge coming up. Lol. 

 

 

 

You should put in a review on Yelp and on Google...

[Double Mocha Man]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Oh my, Lord. Blanchard's Barbeque is some seriously good Q. $22 for a three meat platter with two sides, and they don't skimp on the meat. Fatty brisket was definitely in the top 3 on this trip. Tender and juicy. Ribs were excellent. Meaty and tender with a nice rub. Hot link was very good. The green chili corn casserole was wonderful. The smoked beans were probably the best baked beens I've had in years. Thick and definitely smokey. Sauce was the only letdown. The spicy sauce was decent. The root beer sauce was interesting, but a little too much root in the beer. Still, highly, highly recommended. 

 

 

White bread sponge coming up. Lol. 

 

 

 

I see they gave you an extra slice of white bread for extra sponge work...

[Argonne69]

Lol. Lovely day. Got out on Wetlands and managed 7 holes before the rain starting falling. Currently sitting under the patio roof at the clubhouse drying off. The radar appears to show that the cell will pass in 10 to 15 minutes, and then I'll head back out. Of course if I was smart I'd simply call it a day, but nobody has accused me of being smart recently. 

 

 

Change of plans. Maybe it's possible I'm getting wiser. The rain is still coming down, and it's fairly heavy. There's a small lake on the 18th green. The course was already saturated, so it's going to be unplayable out there. Going to call it a day after nine holes. In 300 rounds in the last 15 months I've had only three previous rounds cut short by rain at the turn. Pretty good batting average. 

 

Going to stay here under the roof until the rain stops. No sense making a mad dash to my Honda and getting soaked again. World of Beer doesn't open until 11 am anyway, so I have time. 🙃

 

Edited February 2, 2023 by Argonne69

[jvincent]

20 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

White bread sponge coming up. Lol. 

 

 

 

I'm curious what was wrong with that one kernel of corn.

[icegator337]

Good decision calling it a day.  The Wetlands might have standing water until the weekend.

[b_smith07]

On 1/29/2023 at 7:50 AM, Argonne69 said:

 

It's still up in the air. I like plentiful good, cheap public golf. I don't mind shelling out $100 on occasion, but that gets pricey when one is playing four or five days a week. I'd like to have a couple of cheap munis nearby, along with a dozen mid-tier and a handful of top-tier courses within 20 miles.

 

Dallas Fort Worth was fun. I like North Carolina, but I don't think there are enough inexpensive courses to keep me interested. I'm going to have to look more closely at Raleigh-Durham and Winston-Salem.

 

One problem I'm going to have is that I'd like to have 3 to 5 acres. That will very likely move me out into the sticks, and travel times to the courses will become an issue. With DFW being a massive sprawl, it would be over an hour to reach half the courses. 

 

I detest public golf in the DFW metroplex - average conditions and absolutely packed on weekends and afternoons that Ive experienced - and thats nearly every metro in Texas. I cant help but think with how much golf you play, a membership in an area you like, with say 27 or 36 holes, at a reasonable rate that allows you to play outside golf and not feel slighted would be a better option? 

 

Take for example The Wilderness in Lake Jackson (which youve played). You can own 3-5 acres around there for 300-600k dependent on what kind of house is on the property, and membership there is only $250 a month with cart included. Granted its public - I would think there would be some similar deals around DFW (in the burbs or rural) that would be close. I would be curious what membership is like in the sandhills region of NC, be a decent way to ensure you can walk and play lots of rounds and also hop around some local tracks as well. Just my .02 - as a guy who plays exponentially more golf with a membership and still plays around a lot.

[Argonne69]

3 hours ago, b_smith07 said:

I detest public golf in the DFW metroplex - average conditions and absolutely packed on weekends and afternoons that Ive experienced - and thats nearly every metro in Texas. I cant help but think with how much golf you play, a membership in an area you like, with say 27 or 36 holes, at a reasonable rate that allows you to play outside golf and not feel slighted would be a better option? 

 

Take for example The Wilderness in Lake Jackson (which youve played). You can own 3-5 acres around there for 300-600k dependent on what kind of house is on the property, and membership there is only $250 a month with cart included. Granted its public - I would think there would be some similar deals around DFW (in the burbs or rural) that would be close. I would be curious what membership is like in the sandhills region of NC, be a decent way to ensure you can walk and play lots of rounds and also hop around some local tracks as well. Just my .02 - as a guy who plays exponentially more golf with a membership and still plays around a lot.

 

I generally play weekday mornings, and avoid weekend golf, so crowds don't scare me.

 

I can't even fathom the thought of playing the same course or two several times a week. Even with a reasonable membership rate, playing another course I'd still be thinking about the cost of not playing at my home course. Lol. I spent two summers in Chicago after retirement playing four rounds a week. I had at least eight courses on a regular rotation, and another dozen as fill ins. I typically wouldn't see the same course but twice a month. 
 

I'd prefer to be near a big city with plenty of options for nightlife and medical care. 

 

Edited February 2, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Yeah, I think I made the right call. The rain finally stopped, but the already waterlogged course looked really wet. The wind also started to pick up, and there was definitely a chill in the air. Would have been nice to play the final three holes. They look like fun. 

 

Wetlands GC today. Not quite as picturesque as Farm d'Allie, but a decent layout. More of a prairie style layout with few trees. Still plenty of water, though. Fairway bunkering was light, but greenside was good. Flat with a number of slightly elevated greens. Not a lot of left/right movement. 

 

Fairly wide open off the tee, although water does come into play on half the holes. The rough was quite wide, so minor misses weren't horrible. Approaches were fairly tough. Solid bunkering, and a few greens tucked behind water. Greens were on the small side. Up and downs were moderately challenging coming out of the wet rough. Greens had a decent amount of contouring, but nothing crazy. 

 

The two par 3s on the front were meh. The pair on the back look much better on the scorecard. 5s weren't reachable in two. No short 4s on the front. The 17th on the back looks good with water along the left side. 

 

Conditions = wet. Like Farm d'Allie, it was better than I expected. The Bermuda provided a nice base. Rough was cut to a good height. Bunkers were washed out. Greens looked good, but needed a shave. Rolled 9 at best. 

 

Played the Blue tees at 6348 yds (70.5/126). A little better than yesterday. Ballstriking was decent, but no real looks at birdie. Four bogies. 

 

I'll give it 5 cows. Visually it's not at the same level as Farm, but certainly playable. Needs a reachable 5, and another short 4. Would like to visit again to play the back. 

 

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

You left a LOT of meat on that platter (along with that corn kernel)!!!! 

[Argonne69]

The Wetlands GC, Lafayette, LA 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/w569oarp41lgrkr/AACbTpeSledS7IS3fbj83fVwa?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Not quite the selection at this World of Beer, but they do have a couple of stouts, and two very nice Belgians. With 50 taps there should be something for everyone. 

 

 

[Double Mocha Man]

3 hours ago, jvincent said:

 

I'm curious what was wrong with that one kernel of corn.

 

Thinking Argonne might want to start ranking courses (or restaurants) by corn kernels.  Inverse order: Zero being the best... the more corn kernels (left on the plate) the worse the establishment.

 

 

 

Edited February 2, 2023 by Double Mocha Man

[Argonne69]

Amazing. Is that the sun? Haven't seen that golden orb in over a week. Packing up and heading to Morgan City today. Tomorrows weather should be very nice, although I expect the course to be soggy. 

 

[Argonne69]

O.M.G. That was the worst drive I've had in the 15 month journey. The roads in Louisiana are pretty bad, but US-90 really takes the cake. I think I shrank an inch as my spine was compressed a millimeter every time I hit an expansion joint. The fillings in my teeth are loose from the BAM, BAM, BAM, BAM. Every 15 feet you hit another uneven expansion joint in the concrete and listen for a crash behind you. I'd really like to meet the highway engineers who think concrete is the best surface for a road. Makes a great base, but stick a couple of inches of asphalt on top of it, OK? 40+ miles of pounding was just brutal. When I did run across a short stretch of asphalt, it was littered with pot holes and patch upon patch. Not looking forward to the trip to New Orleans on Sunday, as it's primarily on US-90 again. Ugh. 

 

Time to book rounds for early next week on NOLA. Monday looks great, but Tuesday and Wednesday will see the reappearance of the rain. 

 

Edited February 3, 2023 by Argonne69

[hammergolf]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

O.M.G. That was the worst drive I've had in the 15 month journey. The roads in Louisiana are pretty bad, but US-90 really takes the cake. I think I shrank an inch as my spine was compressed a millimeter every time I hit an expansion joint. The fillings in my teeth are loose from the BAM, BAM, BAM, BAM. Every 15 feet you hit another uneven expansion joint in the concrete and listen for a crash behind you. I'd really like to meet the highway engineers who think concrete is the best surface for a road. Makes a great base, but stick a couple of inches of asphalt on top of it, OK? 40+ miles of pounding was just brutal. When I did run across a short stretch of asphalt, it was littered with pot holes and patch upon patch. Not looking forward to the trip to New Orleans on Sunday, as it's primarily on US-90 again. Ugh. 

 

Time to book rounds for early next week on NOLA. Monday looks great, but Tuesday and Wednesday will see the reappearance of the rain. 

 

The New Iberia overpass almost gets your car airborne…. Driven that road many a times. It’s tough to build a smooth road on swamps. Funny story, we were building our golf store in Kenner, and you have to drive pilings to get a stable foundation because the water table. The construction crew hit the pilling, it disappeared! Welcome to the swamp. Same reason people are buried in vaults above ground. The road from Morgan City to N.O. isn’t near as bad as the stretch from Broussard to Morgan City and much smoother. But as a rule La. Roads are bad because there is nothing solid to build a road on., 

Edited February 3, 2023 by hammergolf

[Argonne69]

Reading through several NOLA threads, there's just not a ton of good, cheap golf near the city. Many of the courses look like your typical housing development layouts.

 

I booked Bayou Oaks South for Monday. Paying $100 for an uninspiring muni is going to hurt. English Turn on Tuesday when it's likely going to rain. They're closed Monday mornings for maintenance, and as you know I'm not a fan of afternoon golf, so I'll take my chances on Tuesday. Booked Lakewood on Wednesday. 

 

I wanted to play Tiger Point near Pensecola when I was in Destin, but it's just too far. So, I split my stay between Pensecola and Destin, so I'll be able to shave some time off the commute. I'll be looking for a 2nd round in the Pensacola area. I'm planning to play Eglin GC (Eagle), Kelly Plantation, and Emerald Bay near Destin. KP and EB both required carts when I was in the area last winter. Hopefully the policy has changed, but if not it looks like I'll be riding for a couple of rounds. 

 

Next stop after Destin will be Albany or Macon, Georgia. It's a 6 hour drive to Macon, so I'll probably wind up near Albany unless there's a must play course near Macon. Columbus, GA might be a better option. Seems to be a more direct route to Atlanta. 

 

I'd love to play one or more of the courses at Lake Reynolds, but with a mandatory stay at the Ritz costing $825 it's just not going to happen. 

 

I was checking out flights to Vegas and Punta Cana. I think PC is off the list. There are cheap flights out of Atlanta, but when you tack on the baggage fees they go through the roof. Then there's the two hour drive to Teeth of the Dog. Maybe another time. 

 

Shadow Creek seems more doable. Three night stay at an MGM property, allowing an extra day for snafus. Skip the rental car and take a taxi to the hotel. The course provides a limo to the course. Timing is going to be difficult. My 1000th course should fall just as I get to Atlanta, but any missed days due to weather are going to complicate things. Can't really book a flight until I'm fairly certain it's going to line up. Lol. First world problems. 

 

Edited February 3, 2023 by Argonne69

[hammergolf]

21 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Reading through several NOLA threads, there's just not a ton of good, cheap golf near the city. Many of the courses look like your typical housing development layouts.

 

I booked Bayou Oaks South for Monday. Paying $100 for an uninspiring muni is going to hurt. English Turn on Tuesday when it's likely going to rain. They're closed Monday mornings for maintenance, and as you know I'm not a fan of afternoon golf, so I'll take my chances on Tuesday. Booked Lakewood on Wednesday. 

 

I wanted to play Tiger Point near Pensecola when I was in Destin, but it's just too far. So, I split my stay between Pensecola and Destin, so I'll be able to shave some time off the commute. I'll be looking for a 2nd round in the Pensacola area. I'm planning to play Eglin GC (Eagle), Kelly Plantation, and Emerald Bay near Destin. KP and EB both required carts when I was in the area last winter. Hopefully the policy has changed, but if not it looks like I'll be riding for a couple of rounds. 

 

Next stop after Destin will be Albany or Macon, Georgia. It's a 6 hour drive to Macon, so I'll probably wind up near Albany unless there's a must play course near Macon. 

 

I was checking out flights to Vegas and Punta Cana. I think PC is off the list. There are cheap flights out of Atlanta, but when you tack on the baggage fees they go through the roof. Then there's the two hour drive to Teeth of the Dog. Maybe another time. 

 

Shadow Creek seems more doable. Three night stay at an MGM property, allowing an extra day for snafus. Skip the rental car and take a taxi to the hotel. The course provides a limo to the course. Timing is going to be difficult. My 1000th course should fall just as I get to Atlanta, but any missed days due to weather are going to complicate things. Can't really book a flight until I'm fairly certain it's going to line up. Lol. First world problems. 

 

You are correct, there just isn’t much good public golf in New Orleans. I think you would enjoy Audubon. It’s a par 62 at 4,200yds but it’s fun and challenging to play. TPC is priced ridiculously, and prob the next best option is English Turn, but it’s not worth $90. City Park had a great opportunity to rebuild the 4 courses into two great ones. But as always the New Orleans political machine and corruption got in the way.  I would cancel city park and play Audubon instead. It’s worth $30 no doubt, not a chance I would pay $100 to play city park.

Edited February 3, 2023 by hammergolf

[Argonne69]

33 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

You are correct, there just isn’t much good public golf in New Orleans. I think you would enjoy Audubon. It’s a par 62 at 4,200yds but it’s fun and challenging to play. TPC is priced ridiculously, and prob the next best option is English Turn, but it’s not worth $90. City Park had a great opportunity to rebuild the 4 courses into two great ones. But as always the New Orleans political machine and corruption got in the way.  I would cancel city park and play Audubon instead. It’s worth $30 no doubt, not a chance I would pay $100 to play city park.

 

Thanks. 'Had my doubts about Bayou Oaks. Canceled it, and moved Lakewood to Monday morning. Booked Audubon for Wednesday morning. 

 

[hammergolf]

7 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Thanks. 'Had my doubts about Bayou Oaks. Canceled it, and moved Lakewood to Monday morning. Booked Audubon for Wednesday morning. 

 

Lakewood is a really great layout. Old school tree lined that used to be in great condition when I lived there. Watching Seve win there when I was a high schooler was awesome. Conditions can be hit and miss but it’s fun. Used to be private, but after Katrina I think the New Orleans Firemen’s retirement fund bought it.

Edited February 3, 2023 by hammergolf

[Argonne69]

Wonderful day. After a week of cold, cloudy, and wet, it was nice to be playing in cold, sunny, and wet. Lol. Actually, it wasn't that bad out there. Chilly start, but the layers came off a few holes into the round, and the course was surprisely playable. The Atchafalaya at Idlewild today. The Audubon Trail course ranks #5 on GolfWeek's Best in State list. I could see it higher, at least ahead of Contraband Bayou. Lovely piece of parkland/bayou property with some really nice mounding. Water on 12 holes is a solid defense. The dense trees are primarily on the perimeter of the course, so there is a little room for error on some holes. Nice mix of left/right and short/long holes. Bunkering was excellent. Plenty of small pot bunkers on some of the holes. 

 

Moderately difficult off the tee with the water in play. The majority of it was on the left side, so faders get a bit of a break unless you're pulling your tee shots. Rough was fairly generous, and the mounds helped keep balls in play. Approaches were mixed. I'd say half the holes were fairly straightforward, but the remainder were well guarded. Greens were a good size, so there was some room to work with. Up and downs were mixed. A few greens were elevated, and one could catch a dicey lie in the rough on the upslope. Putting was also challenging. Greens had a good amount of contouring, but the slow speed was the biggest obstacle. 

 

Par 3s were decent. Three had water in play. Par 5s were very good. The two on the front were long, and required well executed shots to clear the corners. The 6th was a tough Z shaped hole with 2 doglegs that required a big draw on the 2nd to have a short iron into the green. The two on the back were both good reachable risk/reward holes. The 13th had a tucked green with water in front. The 16th was a little less dangerous with a very large bunker guarding the front. Short 4s were very good. Narrow with water in play or sprinkled with bunkers. 

 

Conditions tee to green were very good. Much firmer than I was expecting with a good Bermuda base. Rough was a good height. No idea how they do it, but the bunkers were very sandy. Greens were a letdown unfortunately. Most looked fine, but a number had some bare patches. Speeds were awful. Probably haven't been cut in a week. Might have been rolling 7 or 8 tops. 

 

Played a Blue/White (Eagle/Owl) combo at 6300 yds (70.8/127). Solid round once the layers started coming off. Two birdies and five bogies. Highlight of the round was actually getting a putt to the hole. Lowlight was nearly soiling myself on the 18th hole. As I walked off the teebox I caught movement out of the corner of my eye, and heard rustling in the grasses near the water. Two gators were scrambling to get into the water. Of course my initial thought was that they were coming for me. Lol. 

 

I'm giving this one 7 cows. We've been beating up the Louisiana courses, but this was good fun. Great piece of property, and a solid design. The $45 weekend walking rate was a bargain. Highly recommended. 

 

Edited February 4, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

The Atchafalaya at Idlewild, Patterson, LA 

 

Big sweeping par 5 3rd 

 

 

 

 

 

I could get used to living on a course. Beats driving an hour each way. 

 

 

Go or no go on the 13th 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0fetb04sw3o4pmh/AAB--8zXCSx5Oxbw0wU1sfCVa?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Pleasant drive to New Orleans this morning. US-90 had a few rough spots, but overall it was a much smoother drive than two days ago. Glad I drove into the city on a Sunday, as traffic was fairly light. Still a little hairy at times. 

 

Once I made the right turn on to US-90 coming out of the RV park I fired up my tunes on shuffle play, and the first song played couldn't have been more fitting for a drive to NOLA. Lol. Probably my favorite zydeco record, and the topic made me hungry for some gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, and of course cornbread. I'll probably stop for gumbo tomorrow, and a full meal on Tuesday. 

 

 

 

[Argonne69]

My kind of place. Zony Mash Beer Project. 25 taps with 4 imperial stouts, including three bourbon barrel aged goodies. Like drinking pure motor oil. Lol. 

 

 

Edited February 5, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Beautiful morning again. Warm with plenty of sunshine. Lakewood New Orleans today. Given that the course has several signs referencing past champions, I assume that the course hosted the PGA at one point. It reminded me a bit of TPC Louisiana, which isn't a big surprise given that TPC is only 14 miles away. It's a flat bayou style layout with the usual water and native areas. While there is water on 13 holes, I thought it only really came into play on a handful. While there are a number of gentle sweepers, there's only one real dogleg on the course. Fairway bunkering was fairly light. There were a number of waste bunkers, but again, I didn't really see them being in play. 

 

Very forgiving off the tee. I let a couple of drives get away from me and but they found no trouble. Rough was generous, and the majority of the holes were adjacent to other holes. Approaches were a little tougher. There were some very benign green complexes, e.g. #16, but a few were small and well guarded. Up and downs were straightforward. Not much break on the greens, and the rough around them was cut quite low. Putted with my 9 wood on a few holes. Putting was also fairly easy, although getting the ball in the hole proved to be a challenge. Subtle breaks had me baffled. 

 

Par 3s were simply too short. Longest club was a 9 iron I believe. Two had forced carries over water, but the other two were meh. Par 5s were also meh. Two were reachable with solid drives, but with little risk. Short 4s were boring. The dogleg 14th could be interesting I guess if one could bomb a drive over the trees on the inside corner. 

 

Conditions were very good. It was nice to get some rollout after more than a week of soft. Fairways looked decent. Rough was cut low. Bunkers were excellent. Greens looked good, and were very firm. Didn't have to fix a ballmark all day. Speed was at least 10. 

 

Played a Blue/White combo at 6221 yds (69.8/119). With a bit of rollout, it was nice to be hitting some short irons and wedges into the greens. Couldn't get a ball close to the hole, though. Firm greens were tough. Four bogies. 

 

Going to give this one four cows. $50 isn't going to break the bank, but seriously, no walking rate on a very walkable course? Green complexes could use some oomph. Nice piece of property, but I'd make numerous changes to the design, including lengthening a couple of the par 3s. 

 

[Argonne69]

Lakewood GC, New Orleans, LA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9vf7yk7d564fn7f/AABk_4JJ-NqZ8TG0k-ZRAwETa?dl=0

 

[hammergolf]

28 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Lakewood GC, New Orleans, LA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9vf7yk7d564fn7f/AABk_4JJ-NqZ8TG0k-ZRAwETa?dl=0

 

Wow, they either lost a ton of trees in Katrina or took them out with the redesign. Looks nothing like it used to. It used to be heavily tree lined and if you missed the fwy you were punching out. Before they moved the tournament to English Turn to TPC, Lakewood hosted it for decades. 

[Argonne69]

Just now, hammergolf said:

Wow, they either lost a ton of trees in Katrina or took them out with the redesign. Looks nothing like it used to. It used to be heavily tree lined and if you missed the fwy you were punching out. Before they moved the tournament to English Turn to TPC, Lakewood hosted it for decades. 

 

There were numerous dead trees that will likely be removed. I think Katrina really took its toll on the place. 

 

[hammergolf]

6 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

There were numerous dead trees that will likely be removed. I think Katrina really took its toll on the place. 

 

Yeah, it really must have. The fairways were lined by huge oaks trees on both sides.