Arg's Travel Log

[So_Cal]

1 hour ago, mci711 said:

Arg, feel a little bit what you were going through recently. Had my first ever surgery this week. Had my appendix removed. It is killing me not being able to get out. Going on a vacation in a couple of weeks, and my only goal is to be able to tee it up then. But man, we have great weather right now and sitting and looking out the window is brutal. Had like 4 months of s*** weather and it happens now 😂

 

Glad you liked Pfau, very good addition to the midwest golf scene. Pfau and Yale are the top 2 campus courses in my limited opinion. 

Need to play Pfau.  Any course that long is going to need to be really charming to top UM. 

[Argonne69]

Frustrating afternoon trying to find an RV park near Pontiac. Wound up further north than I'd like, so morning drives to the courses will be long. 

 

Booked The Players Club at Foxfire in Columbus for next Wednesday. GC of Dublin is out. Maintenance on Wednesday and and an outing on Thursday pushes the first available tee times to the late afternoon. Booked Champions for Thursday. 

 

Tuesday looks to be a washout at this point. Hopefully the weather forecast changes. 

 

[SnowbirdTom]

@Argonne69

 

Proud Lake SP is a nice campground in Milford.  So is Pontiac Lake SP, near Pontiac, MI.

[Argonne69]

1 hour ago, SnowbirdTom said:

@Argonne69

 

Proud Lake SP is a nice campground in Milford.  So is Pontiac Lake SP, near Pontiac, MI.

 

Looked at both. Too many trees, no sewer hookups, very few 50 amp sites, and a reservation system that needs to be tossed in the trash. Don't know what's so difficult about having a site map that actually looks like the layout. Can't figure out which sites have trees, and which are in the open. 

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

13 Below Brewery. Another tasty Belgian Tripel. I was planning to have a salad and sandwich back at Bessie, but the BBQ food truck out front is tempting me. Lol. Must. Resist. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Another enjoyable day. Didn't care for the light sprinkles that fell given that there was a 4% chance for rain, but they passed quickly. Nuemann GC today, a local muni. The course has three short nines, but the length is deceiving. The slopey greens put up a heck of a defense. The parkland layout has some very nice elevation changes. Side hill lies are plentiful. I played the White and Red nines. No real doglegs, but there are a few sweepers, and a couple of the par 5s bend both ways. There may have been a couple of bunkers on the course, but most have been allowed to grow in. No water that I saw, but the perimeter trees are very dense. 

 

Fairly tough off the tee. Fairways aren't narrow, but they sure aren't wide. The side slopes can easily funnel drives into the rough or worse. Minor misses in the wrongs spot can leave tree trouble. Big misses are a no no. Approaches were fairly straightforward, as the short length allowed for plenty of wedges and short irons. Up and downs were very tough though. The slope on the greens combined with patchy rough spelled trouble. I had one chip from a pin high lie that I landed a foot on the green, and it still managed to roll off the front of the green. Putting was very difficult. Don't be above the hole. For that matter, don't be pin high. 

 

Par 3s were tough. Three were pushing 200 yds. The three 5s were very good, but no real risk/reward. A couple could be reached in two, but trees required shaping the approach. Short 4s were plentiful, but no real danger off the tee. The greens once again provided the test. 

 

Conditions were better than expected. Fairways were very nice. Rough was a little inconsistent in height, but still penal. Greens were slightly bumpy, but had a good pace at nearly 11. They were probably 10, but the slope made them feel like 13.. Played the Black tees at 5857 yds on the par 71 layout (67.7/108). Bah. Classic example where length isn't the entire story. Good day ballstriking, but putting was a train wreck. Eight bogies. With firm greens, I had way too many knee knockers from above the hole. Highlight of the day was the three senior locals that let me join them. Great company, and very helpful with theirs local knowledge. 

 

I'll give this one 4 cows. Add some bunkers and it would be 5 easily. Wonderful, inexpensive muni for $49 riding on a weekend. Would have been $35 to walk. Certainly not a must visit, but I'd have no problem playing it regularly as a local. Just gotta learn to stay below the hole. Lol. 

 

Edited May 6, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Neumann GC, Cincinnati, OH 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ixqtz9d4gdwl8k7/AACXCZPHXyzKsrCddwRLvjNha?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Headed into the city for a few brews and an early dinner. Northern Row Brewery. Only 14 taps, but a couple of interesting ones. The Rabble Rouser Barrel Aged Abbey Ale is very nice. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

This is going to be a fun afternoon. Rhinegeist Brewery. Excellent selection with 30 taps in a fantastic old industrial building with a very nice rooftop beer garden. The place is hopping. Enjoying a nice sampling of malty goodness. The Double Oaked Mastadon bourbon and wine barrel aged Belgian style dark ale is very interesting. Boozy yet sweet. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 6, 2023 by Argonne69

[ThinkingPlus]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

This is going to be a fun afternoon. Rhinegeist Brewery. Excellent selection with 30 taps in a fantastic old industrial building with a very nice rooftop beer garden. The place is hopping. Enjoying a nice sampling of malty goodness. The Double Oaked Mastadon bourbon and wine barrel aged Belgian style dark ale is very interesting. Boozy yet sweet. 

 

 

 

 

 

Sounds like a post surgery kidney challenge.

[jvincent]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

They need an Oompa band on a stage and frauleins serving pretzels and schnapps to complete the vibe.

[Argonne69]

Good news and bad news. Good news is that Cincy has some very good Q. Lucius Q is mighty fine. Brisket is moist and tender. Ribs are meaty and tender with a very tasty rub. The hot link is better than most. The turkey was very moist and smokey. Cajun corn was very good. Red beans and rice were above average. The sauce was thinner than I prefer and more hot than sweet and tangy. 

 

On the negative side, why does it take 20 minutes to get out an order when there are 5 tables filled? Typical mid afternoon service with the servers more interested in shooting the S than serving the patrons. Normally I wouldn't mind, but Cincy is another one of those towns that insist on gouging the tourists with parking fees. Rather than encourage people to hang out and spend money, they'd rather get your quarters so you bail from the local businesses rather than risk a hefty parking ticket. 

 

Definitely worth a visit, but be prepared to feed the parking meters. 

 

 

 

Edited May 6, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Looks like it's going to be a wet one today. The forecast call for a chance of rain for an hour in the early morning, but I wake up to the sound of thunder and heavy rain. Looking at the radar it sure looks like there will be heavy showers most of the morning. Fingers crossed. I was planning to ride, so I assume it'll be cart path only.

 

Cincinnati doesn't like me. Lol. The heavy rain is going to continue until 2 pm at least. Course will likely be a swamp. On my first swing through the area in November 2021 it was near freezing. 

 

Spent some time researching RV parks and courses for the next few weeks. I was planning to play The Bear and A-Ga-Ming when I was in Gaylord, but I don't know what I was thinking. The drive is just too far. I'm going to add a 3 night stop in Traverse City, and then head up to Petoskey to play Belvedere, Hidden River, Boyne Highlands Heather, and a possible lengthy drive back to Treetops to play the Fazio course. 

 

Edited May 7, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

And just like that the rain stopped. I expected a washout today, but I got lucky. I called Miami Whitewater Forest, and they said the course was fairly wide open, so I made a mad dash. Wound up playing through three groups on the opening holes before having the course to myself until I ran into a group of diehards on the 18th who teed off in the middle of the storm. 

 

Nice looking parkland course along the MWF Lake. Nice elevation changes on the front, but the back is pretty flat. Not a lot of left/right movement on the holes. A couple of slight sweepers. Not much water in play. I think the creek in front of the 9th green was it. Bunkering was very light. Looks like a number were allowed to grow in. 

 

Fairly easy off the tee. The trees aren't very dense, so even big misses can be played for the most part. Rough was generous. Approaches were straightforward. A couple of pins were tucked behind the handful of greenside bunkers. Up and downs were a bit trickier coming out of the wet rough. Putting was easy peasy. Not much slope on the greens. 

 

Par 3s were meh. Decent mix of lengths, but no eye candy. The three par 5s were OK, but no risk/reward. I guess a real long hitter could have a go at the 9th, but today's soft conditions took away that option. Short 4s were boring. 

 

Conditions were quite wet, but better than I expected. Cart path only. Standing water in spots, but I could always find a dry lie. Rough was on the juicy side. Bunkers had plenty of wet sand, but were compacted. Greens looked nice, but the rain kept the speed at no more than 9 early on, and possibly 10 late in the round. 

 

Played the Blue tees at 6298 yds on the par 71 layout (70.3/123). Course played long with little rollout in the fairways, so not many approaches within birdie range. Six bogies. Highlight of the day was simply getting out to play, and seeing some sunshine after a gloomy morning. 

 

MWF gets 4 cows. Neumann may be shorter, but it's a much more challenging layout with the tough greens. $45 with cart was very reasonable. I'd probably play it regularly as a local, but I'd pick Neumann 2 out of 3 times. 

 

[Argonne69]

Miami Whitewater Forest GC, Harrison, OH 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/m5kwm6pf6nlmjek/AACpyqgDZYMD2L17JBtixeWya?dl=0

 

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

Did you par number 9 at Miami Whitewater? Cincinnati has a LOT of decent enough, cheap golf. Never heard of Lucious Q, but I don't go downtown all that often either. I will have to check them out later on this week! The City of Cincinnati golf courses are all decent and fun, nothing to write home about. Avon Field is without any par 5's, mostly postage stamp greens and the oldest "municipal" golf course West of Pittsburgh. Glenview has 3 nines and it's decent as well. If my kid didn't have soccer today I would have met you, even though I still can't play!

 

 

[Argonne69]

1 hour ago, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

Did you par number 9 at Miami Whitewater? Cincinnati has a LOT of decent enough, cheap golf. Never heard of Lucious Q, but I don't go downtown all that often either. I will have to check them out later on this week! The City of Cincinnati golf courses are all decent and fun, nothing to write home about. Avon Field is without any par 5's, mostly postage stamp greens and the oldest "municipal" golf course West of Pittsburgh. Glenview has 3 nines and it's decent as well. If my kid didn't have soccer today I would have met you, even though I still can't play!

 

 

Yeah, fairly easy par on the 9th. I was on the left half of the fairway off the tee, so no chance to even think about going for the green with the trees on the corner. Hit a low drawing 7 iron to 120 yds out, and an easy gap wedge to the middle of the green. Even if I managed to stay right off the tee I'd probably still have been laying up. 

 

Would have been great to get together for a beer in the clubhouse. Hopefully I'll be back in town in the future. Once I settle down somewhere, I'll likely keep Bessie and take shorter trips around the country. Still plenty of places and courses that I've had to bypass. 

 

Off to Columbus tomorrow. Tuesday's forecast has improved, and I was able to get an early morning tee time at GC of Dublin. 

 

[Argonne69]

Well, that was quite the workout. Lol. It's been 6+ weeks since I last walked a round. I dug out my ClicGear, and quickly realized why it's been nearly 2 years since I last used it. Pushing a cart through wet rough and tall(ish) grass is exhausting. On top of that, I replaced my cart bag with a stand bag, and the thing simply doesn't want to sit nicely in the bracket. Constant hassle trying to keep it from rolling over. Ugh. 

 

More rain last night, but it cleared up before my early tee time. Cool and wet, but otherwise a pleasant morning. The Golf Club of Dublin today. I think it's trying to be a links course, but it's more marshland. Plenty of native areas, but a lot more water than your typical links course. I believe water is on play on 16 holes. It's a housing development course, so expect to be staring at backyards all round. Very little elevation change, but there are a few mounds that attempt to make it interesting. No real doglegs, but there are a couple of sweepers. Bunkering was better than average. Very good on a few holes, and too light on others. 

 

Rather straightforward off the tee. There were a couple of forced carries, but each was short. Minor misses weren't bad, as the rough was thick enough to stop a ball dead in its tracks. Wild misses would be wet or OB. Approaches were benign. Greens were a good size, and there was almost always a safe play. Up and downs were somewhat challenging due to the rough. Greens were meh. Not pushovers, but few with any significant break. 

 

Par 3s were forgettable. Good mix of lengths, but no real knee knockers. 5s were meh. The short 5th was reachable, but no risk. The 12th was the best of the bunch. Right to left sweeper with a pond on the inside. Could be reached in two if one wanted to carry the wet corner. Short 4s were benign. 

 

Conditions were very good. Fairways were lush, and freshly cut. Unfortunately that meant dealing with wet grass clippings all round. Rough was freshly cut to a challenging height. Bunkers were a mess. Washed out and very little sand. Greens rolled nicely, but the rain killed the speed. 9 maybe. 

 

Played the Green tees at 6363 yds (70.3/130). Another wet course playing long, but the greens were quite receptive. One birdie and six bogies. Highlight of the day was walking a round again. Felt good. 

 

Dublin gets 4 cows. Decent enough, but very forgettable. A few too many benign holes. If you're wild off the tee, it's going to be a tough day. Keep the ball in play and it's scoreable. First official senior round at $43. Don't know whether to smile or cry. Lol. 

 

[Argonne69]

The Golf Club of Dublin, Dublin, OH (10th tee start) 

 

 

 

 

Go or no-go on the 12th 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xmt1ks1a5g93qqz/AACYnuTpoxaYmQXG5IyLs7nXa?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Crooked Can Brewing Company in Hilliard. 16 taps with a better than expected lineup. A couple of decent imperial stouts, but the Domestic Bliss Belgian Strong Golden Ale is a winner. 

 

 

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

WOW, the GC of Dublin certainly wasn't in that shape when I played it! I actually graduated from high school in Dublin (Coffman HS), since my father passed, I rarely go up there all that often.

[crcraig]

7 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

On top of that, I replaced my cart bag with a stand bag, and the thing simply doesn't want to sit nicely in the bracket. Constant hassle trying to keep it from rolling over. Ugh. 

Hopefully you won't need to use the push cart long enough to bother, but for anyone else who might wonder, this is the solution to that problem:

 

https://www.clicgearusa.com/products/clicgear-bag-cozy

 

Of course, it's out of stock half the time. Before I was able to find one, I MacGyvered one out of some pieces of foam and some duct tape. Worked pretty well.

 

[Argonne69]

11 hours ago, crcraig said:

Hopefully you won't need to use the push cart long enough to bother, but for anyone else who might wonder, this is the solution to that problem:

 

https://www.clicgearusa.com/products/clicgear-bag-cozy

 

Of course, it's out of stock half the time. Before I was able to find one, I MacGyvered one out of some pieces of foam and some duct tape. Worked pretty well.

 

 

Thought about that. A big problem with being on the road is trying to time package deliveries. Some RV parks don't accept packages. Using Amazon is generally best because with Prime I can see roughly when the item will arrive. Generally need to give myself a one day grace period, so I'm often cutting it tight on a 2 or 3 night stay.

 

Anything shipped UPS or USPS is pretty much a no-go unless I'm in a town for a week or more.

 

I have a bungy cord in my SUV. 'Going to try wrapping it around the bottom or top of the bag today to see if it'll keep the bag in place. If not, the foam and duct tape might do the trick until I can carry again.

 

[caniac6]

I haven’t checked in a long time, but the local Golf Galaxy sold some Clicgear accessories.  Seems wrong to spend a fair amount on a push cart, and have to buy something to make the bag fit properly.

[Tyrus Webb]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Thought about that. A big problem with being on the road is trying to time package deliveries. Some RV parks don't accept packages. Using Amazon is generally best because with Prime I can see roughly when the item will arrive. Generally need to give myself a one day grace period, so I'm often cutting it tight on a 2 or 3 night stay.

 

Anything shipped UPS or USPS is pretty much a no-go unless I'm in a town for a week or more.

 

I have a bungy cord in my SUV. 'Going to try wrapping it around the bottom or top of the bag today to see if it'll keep the bag in place. If not, the foam and duct tape might do the trick until I can carry again.

 

 

Understand that you're not in one place for more than a day or two, but have you looked into deliveries to Amazon package lockers?  

[Argonne69]

3 hours ago, Tyrus Webb said:

 

Understand that you're not in one place for more than a day or two, but have you looked into deliveries to Amazon package lockers?  

 

Yeah, but they're few and far between. 

 

[Argonne69]

Oy. Would it kill a course that allows walking to mow walking paths between the teeboxes and fairways? I'm spent pushing that ClicGear through the wet rough. If I wasn't planning to ditch the pushcart in a few days if probably toss the Ping Hoofer in a lake. What an absolutely awful bag to have on a pushcart. The club tangle is bad enough when you can stand the bag vertically, but it's downright maddening when the bag is strapped down on an angle. The bungy cord did help keep the thing (mostly) upright, though. 

 

Anyway, gorgeous morning. Got out early and had the course to myself again. There was a single ahead of me, but I never same him/her. The Players Club at Foxfire today. When I pulled into the housing development I thought I'd be staring at aluminum siding all day, but there were actually very few homes on the course. Sure felt like the course was an extension of an old nine hole course. The opening and closing holes are fairly narrow parkland holes, but the middle are prairie/marshland style with plenty of water and native areas, and few trees. Felt and played much different. Course was relatively flat, but the prairie holes had a bit of mounding, and the par 5 14th and 15th had some nice up and down movement. Bunkering was decent. Water on eight holes. The 6th through 9th were watery fun. No real doglegs, but the 6th and 8th swept right around ponds, and played like them. 

 

Moderately difficult off the tee. The trees, bunkers, water, and native areas gave one concern. The parkland holes were somewhat narrow. Rough was fairly wide, so minority missed could be played, but big misses were very penal. Approaches were also moderately tough. A few elevated greens, along with some nice bunkering provided a solid challenge. Up and downs were tricky due to the rough around the greens. Putting was tougher than average. Much more interesting greens than GC of Dublin. The 1st's green was a fantastic multi tier beast. 

 

Par 3s were OK. Needed a long one, as the longest was a mid iron. 5s were good. The 14th and 15th were narrow and playing long. The 5th could be reached with a good poke off the tee, but not much risk. The sweeper/dogleg 8th was excellent. Nice risk reward off the tee with a forced carry over a pond. Bite off a big chunk and it was a long iron into the green. Other than the 6th, the short 4s were meh. Like the 8th, the 6th had a forced carry that could leave a half wedge if one pulled off a solid drive. 

 

Conditions were mixed. Not quite as nice as Dublin, but playable. Fairways were fine. Rough was thick. Bunkers were trash. A number were marked as GUR. Greens were decent, but had a few stressed areas. Speed was probably close to 10. 

 

Played the White tees at 6209 yds (69.7/133). Oof. Wonky driver didn't do me any favors today. Five fairways. Ran out of gas, and the swing was all over the place. Seven bogies and a double. Can't recall a highlight. Lowlight came on the par 5 5th. Had a half SW to a center flag, and landed the ball a yard on the green. Clipped it nicely, and expected some spin to check it up near the hole. Instead it hit the flagstick after one hop and clanged into the right rough. Sign of things to come. Lol. 

 

I'll give Foxfire 5 cows. Should take off one for having no drinking water on the course. It's an out and back design, and the halfway house was closed. The water fountain on its porch didn't do much good, as the water was shut off. Sorry, the pandemic excuse has expired. The $39 senior walking rate was very nice. Liked the variety of the holes with the parkland/prairie mix. Plenty of trouble, and some nice greens. Worth a play. 

 

[Argonne69]

Tye Players Club at Foxfire, Commercial Point, OH 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4hhszlp6q9n3imb/AABlAJJ1vZ9X8WUR8XiAyylea?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Grove City Brewing Company. 20 taps with the usual stuff. Decent imperial stout, and a very nice Belgian Strong Ale. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Columbus doesn't appear to be a big Q city, but I thought I'd give it a try. Smokehouse Brewing Company. Not a huge fan of wings, but hey, it's Wings Wednesday, and for 85 cents a piece I thought I'd give them a try. Very meaty, but the Gates of Hell sauce was a tad too much for my buds. Can't imagine the pain from the 5 hotter sauces. Lol. 

 

 

The BBQ was good, but not great. Brisket was tender, but a little too lean. Link was tasty. The ribs were very juicy and tender, but the rub had a little too much black pepper. Sweet sauce was very good. Beans were excellent with bits of brisket and a whole lotta molasses. Jalapeño corn bread was good, but too dry.