Arg's Travel Log

[Argonne69]

And now for something completely different. A bit of bad news, but not unexpected. I spoke with my doctor in Chicago today and he's recommending kidney surgery. If all goes well I can be back out swing a club in three to four weeks. My original plan was to work my way up towards Philly again, and then head back to Chicago in late April before heading north into Michigan. I don't want to push back my northern trip until late May, so I'll had back to Chicago at the end of March.

 

I'll take a look at my calendar and see when and where I'll make the turn back to Chicago. Probably going to be Zion, VA or DC. 

 

Sitting on my rear end for weeks is going to be brutal, but I agree with the doctor in that it's best to take care of this now rather than later. 

 

[TBone0576]

17 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Made it back to Atlanta in one piece, but my poor back is going to need rest. Wouldn't be a drive to Atlanta without running into bumper to bumper traffic at some point. People sure like crashing into each other.

 

Tomorrow looks like a washout, and Friday is a travel day, so after the excitement yesterday, I'll take a two day rest and be back on the links in the late morning on Saturday at Harbor Club on Lake Oconee. 

 

Final thoughts on Pinehurst. If you haven't visited, it's a must. It's almost sensory overload. Just walking in the clubhouse is an experience with the numerous display cases showcasing the major championships. The pro shop is huge. The view from the veranda is special. Excellent practice facilities. I attended a 3 day golf school there in 2008, and remember it fondly. 

 

There are now nine courses there, and two more are being built. Seriously, you could spend a week there are not play all the courses, and that doesn't include the other local courses including Mid Pines, Pine Needles, and Southern Pines. 

 

Pre-season prices aren't bad, and the courses are in playable shape, even though they don't look lush. You can save a few bucks in February. 

 

Many moons ago I played in the Junior College National Championships at Mid-Pines and stayed on property.  Got to head across the street for a round at Pine Needles as well.   I have yet to get back there more than 25 years later.  One of the days we drove over to Pinehurst to see the clubhouse and walked one of the fairways at dawn.   My mother lives in Charlotte so I really have no excuses not to take a day to go over.  

[TBone0576]

Double post

Edited March 1, 2023 by TBone0576
Double Post

[hammergolf]

3 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

And now for something completely different. A bit of bad news, but not unexpected. I spoke with my doctor in Chicago today and he's recommending kidney surgery. If all goes well I can be back out swing a club in three to four weeks. My original plan was to work my way up towards Philly again, and then head back to Chicago in late April before heading north into Michigan. I don't want to push back my northern trip until late May, so I'll had back to Chicago at the end of March.

 

I'll take a look at my calendar and see when and where I'll make the turn back to Chicago. Probably going to be Zion, VA or DC. 

 

Sitting on my rear end for weeks is going to be brutal, but I agree with the doctor in that it's best to take care of this now rather than later. 

 

Hope you heal up soon. When you’re back  in the STL area let me know and we can meet up for a round.

[tw422]

4 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

And now for something completely different. A bit of bad news, but not unexpected. I spoke with my doctor in Chicago today and he's recommending kidney surgery. If all goes well I can be back out swing a club in three to four weeks. My original plan was to work my way up towards Philly again, and then head back to Chicago in late April before heading north into Michigan. I don't want to push back my northern trip until late May, so I'll had back to Chicago at the end of March.

 

I'll take a look at my calendar and see when and where I'll make the turn back to Chicago. Probably going to be Zion, VA or DC. 

 

Sitting on my rear end for weeks is going to be brutal, but I agree with the doctor in that it's best to take care of this now rather than later. 

 

Sorry to hear that and hope you have a quick recovery....there's plenty of time for more golf, beer and BBQ.  We are going to go through withdrawl from not seeing your posts for a few weeks. 

[jjr]

Sorry to hear that Arg, all the best and prayers for a successful surgery and speedy recovery.

[sgolf711]

Get well! When you are back on Long Island, give a shout, would love to host you!
 

[highhdcp]

Take care and get well there’s another 1000 courses you need to play and breweries to visit.

[Double Mocha Man]

7 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

And now for something completely different. A bit of bad news, but not unexpected. I spoke with my doctor in Chicago today and he's recommending kidney surgery. If all goes well I can be back out swing a club in three to four weeks.

 

Well, that sucks.  You can post about your surgery and give it the appropriate number of cows, but no photos.

[So_Cal]

8 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

And now for something completely different. A bit of bad news, but not unexpected. I spoke with my doctor in Chicago today and he's recommending kidney surgery. If all goes well I can be back out swing a club in three to four weeks. My original plan was to work my way up towards Philly again, and then head back to Chicago in late April before heading north into Michigan. I don't want to push back my northern trip until late May, so I'll had back to Chicago at the end of March.

 

I'll take a look at my calendar and see when and where I'll make the turn back to Chicago. Probably going to be Zion, VA or DC. 

 

Sitting on my rear end for weeks is going to be brutal, but I agree with the doctor in that it's best to take care of this now rather than later. 

 

Oh man I’m bummed to hear that.  Is there a natural way to fix without surgery?  Just sounds very challenging.   Thoughts and prayers for your health.  

[imkirby34]

I hope everything goes well and you have a speedy recovery.  Even though it's been almost exactly 40 years, I still remember (vividly) when I had surgery on one of my kidneys.   I  hope the procedure can at least be performed laparoscopically.  

Edited March 2, 2023 by imkirby34

[Chanceman]

Bless you, mate!! Good luck from here.

[AltC]

Arg good luck with the surgery- get well soon

[DE-ILLINI]

Congratulations on hitting 1000 courses played.  Good luck with the surgery and speedy recovery.

[ishank1]

Glad you got the 1000th course in and glad it was in Pinehurst (we honeymooned there 38 years ago and had a condo on #3 for many years).  Hope your surgery goes well and you have a speedy recovery.  Taking care of your health is priority #1.  Thoughts & prayers.

[mci711]

16 hours ago, hammergolf said:

Hope you heal up soon. When you’re back  in the STL area let me know and we can meet up for a round.

 

I'd be happy to have you both at my course. When/if you're in Stl. 

 

Good luck with the surgery Arg.  

[Argonne69]

Spending some time today looking at my schedule for the month, along with the long range weather forecast. Hmmm. Primland and Omni Cascades don't open until April, so they're off the list. Northern Virginia, Maryland, and DC are looking at morning temps in the low 30s. Not sure it's worth heading up there. 

 

I was going to stop in Charlotte, and Winston-Salem before moving north, but I'll probably stay in NC. I think another visit to Pinehurst and Raleigh after Charlotte is in the cards. I'd like to play Southern Pines, Pinehurst #9, and one of the other Pinehurst courses (1, 3, 4, 5, or 6).

 

[mci711]

14 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Spending some time today looking at my schedule for the month, along with the long range weather forecast. Hmmm. Primland and Omni Cascades don't open until April, so they're off the list. Northern Virginia, Maryland, and DC are looking at morning temps in the low 30s. Not sure it's worth heading up there. 

 

I was going to stop in Charlotte, and Winston-Salem before moving north, but I'll probably stay in NC. I think another visit to Pinehurst and Raleigh after Charlotte is in the cards. I'd like to play Southern Pines, Pinehurst #9, and one of the other Pinehurst courses (1, 3, 4, 5, or 6).

 

 

I think #3 is a must play once at pinehurst. It is pinehurst #2 if you shrunk it down to 5000 yards, fun little walk. 

[Argonne69]

Drove to Madison, GA this morning. I think I'm setting myself for a frustrating day tomorrow with a late morning round at Harbor Club on Lake Oconee. They have a tournament in the early morning, and then the members head out. I won't tee off until 11:45 am, and I was reading a Google Maps review that complained about a six hour round on a Saturday after getting stuck behind a morning tournament. Hope not. I'll get there a bit early and hopefully I can join some members at an earlier time. 

 

[Argonne69]

Simply gorgeous day. Sunny, warm, and light winds. After three days off, and two days of wind and rain, I was looking forward to starting my quest for course #2000. Lol. Got lucky this morning with my tee time. Arrived early and spoke with the starter, and he found three members who welcomed me with open arms. The only downside was that I was schooled by a 15 year old AJGA player. Amazing how some players make it look so effortless. I expect to see her in a top college program in a few years. 

 

Harbor Club on Lake Oconee today. It's a Tom Weiskopf design that ranks #9 on GolfWeek's Best in State list. Beautiful parkland layout on rolling terrain with a couple of peeks at Lake Oconee. It's a housing development course, but for the most part the homes are tucked back in the trees. Plenty of uneven lies. Solid bunkering. Water on a few holes. Good mix of left/right and long/short holes. 

 

Moderately difficult off the tee with somewhat narrow fairways, and slopes that can kick the ball into trouble. Not a lot of rough to keep misses in play. Approaches were tough. Plenty of elevated greens with solid bunkering or PAs. Up and downs were tough off the side slopes and soft green fronts. Greens had a good amount of slope, but unfortunately the greens had been punched and sanded, so they were bumpy and slow. 

 

Par 3s were very good. Nice mix of lengths and difficulty. 5s were very good. Three were reachable with good drives. The 14th was a hook shaped hole, with a long carry left if one wanted to risk it. Short 4s were excellent. Weiskopf likes his driveable 4s, and HC had two. The 7th had a long carry over water with a tough green. 

 

Conditions were soft after a couple of days of rain. Cart path only for the riders. Rough was cut low. Bunkers had plenty of sand, but it was compacted and needed a proper grooming. Greens were sandy and slow. 

 

Played the Green tees at 6234 yds (70.6/130). Tough day out there with a wonky driver and mediocre iron play. One birdie, eight bogies, and a double. Highlight of the day was watching my three playing partners carve up the course. Some days you're the windshield, but today I was the bug. 

 

I think HC warrants 7 cows. Beautiful property with a lot of quality holes. Only a couple that were meh. Not quite Great Waters (I assume), but at $75 it was a solid value. Definitely worth a visit. 

 

Edited March 4, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Harbor Club on Lake Oconee, Greensboro, GA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ykjn5v352vyepbu/AAC66jadcm5QUATVKSe8_-6da?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

44 Draft House Growler Bar in Eatonton. 30 taps with a good mix. Enjoying a nice Yard House Belgian Amber Tripel. I'll follow that up with one of the two imperial stouts. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

BTW, 200k+ views on the thread?! Thanks a ton for following my 16 month journey! Hope there's another 2+ years worth of courses to play. 

 

[caniac6]

3 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

BTW, 200k+ views on the thread?! Thanks a ton for following my 16 month journey! Hope there's another 2+ years worth of courses to play. 

 

It’s been a lot of fun. I look forward to reading the course reviews everyday. 

[Double Mocha Man]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

Simply gorgeous day. Sunny, warm, and light winds. After three days off, and two days of wind and rain, I was looking forward to starting my quest for course #2000. Lol. Got lucky this morning with my tee time. Arrived early and spoke with the starter, and he found three members who welcomed me with open arms. The only downside was that I was schooled by a 15 year old AJGA player. Amazing how some players make it look so effortless. I expect to see her in a top college program in a few years. 

 

Harbor Club on Lake Oconee today. It's a Tom Weiskopf design that ranks #9 on GolfWeek's Best in State list. Beautiful parkland layout on rolling terrain with a couple of peeks at Lake Oconee. It's a housing development course, but for the most part the homes are tucked back in the trees. Plenty of uneven lies. Solid bunkering. Water on a few holes. Good mix of left/right and long/short holes. 

 

Moderately difficult off the tee with somewhat narrow fairways, and slopes that can kick the ball into trouble. Not a lot of rough to keep misses in play. Approaches were tough. Plenty of elevated greens with solid bunkering or PAs. Up and downs were tough off the side slopes and soft green fronts. Greens had a good amount of slope, but unfortunately the greens had been punched and sanded, so they were bumpy and slow. 

 

Par 3s were very good. Nice mix of lengths and difficulty. 5s were very good. Three were reachable with good drives. The 14th was a hook shaped hole, with a long carry left if one wanted to risk it. Short 4s were excellent. Weiskopf likes his driveable 4s, and HC had two. The 7th had a long carry over water with a tough green. 

 

Conditions were soft after a couple of days of rain. Cart path only for the riders. Rough was cut low. Bunkers had plenty of sand, but it was compacted and needed a proper grooming. Greens were sandy and slow. 

 

Played the Green tees at 6234 yds (70.6/130). Tough day out there with a wonky driver and mediocre iron play. One birdie, eight bogies, and a double. Highlight of the day was watching my three playing partners carve up the course. Some days you're the windshield, but today I was the big. 

 

I think HC warrants 7 cows. Beautiful property with a lot of quality holes. Only a couple that were meh. Not quite Great Waters (I assume), but at $75 it was a solid value. Definitely worth a visit. 

 

 

Argonne, love your template for course descriptions.  Everything included, nothing left out.  And paragraph breaks.  Same format every time, making the reviews easy to read.

 

(I'm an architectural fan of clubhouses.  Do you ever spend much time in or around those after your rounds?)

[Argonne69]

2 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

Argonne, love your template for course descriptions.  Everything included, nothing left out.  And paragraph breaks.  Same format every time, making the reviews easy to read.

 

(I'm an architectural fan of clubhouses.  Do you ever spend much time in or around those after your rounds?)

 

Rarely spend time in the clubhouse. Too many brewpubs whispering to me. Lol. Honestly, most are decent, but not worth hanging around for. 

 

[Double Mocha Man]

Just now, Argonne69 said:

 

Rarely spend time in the clubhouse. Too many brewpubs whispering to me. Lol. Honestly, most are decent, but not worth hanging around for. 

 

 

Next time you run across a great-looking clubhouse... 📷.

[Argonne69]

5B's Barbecue and Brews. Pleasantly surprised. Portions were on the small side, but prices were reasonable. Brisket was tender and juicy, but Austin has no worries. Ribs were very good. Juicy and tender. Brunswick Stew was excellent. Mac and cheese was very good. The original sweet and smokey BBQ sauce was very good, and the Angry Ray's A Bit of a Kick was an excellent balance of sweet and tangy. Worth a visit. 

 

 

[crcraig]

Ok, @Argonne69, here's a question I've been meaning to ask for a while. All who read this thread regularly know that you (always? almost always?) play a course once and only once. You're always off to the next one. My question is -- have you ever been tempted to say "you know what, time to change plans and take another shot at this course tomorrow"? Maybe the course was that good, or the weather was that bad, or something else. Could it ever happen, or do you think you're always going to be one-and-done with each course?

 

[Argonne69]

5 hours ago, crcraig said:

Ok, @Argonne69, here's a question I've been meaning to ask for a while. All who read this thread regularly know that you (always? almost always?) play a course once and only once. You're always off to the next one. My question is -- have you ever been tempted to say "you know what, time to change plans and take another shot at this course tomorrow"? Maybe the course was that good, or the weather was that bad, or something else. Could it ever happen, or do you think you're always going to be one-and-done with each course?

 

 

I'm sure it will happen at some point. Early in the trip I played The Ocean Course at Kiawah for the 2nd time. 'Just too many new courses out there, though. 

 

Next winter I'll likely be in the Phoenix area for a few weeks. I've played almost all of the public courses in the area, so I wont' have much choice but to tee it up at an old favorite.