Arg's Travel Log

[mci711]

Love the Classic Club. I think it is the 2nd best public course in the area. Surprised to hear about the greens. Never had that issue, I guess bad etiquette has made its way to the pricier courses. 

[Argonne69]

Spent a couple of hours looking for RV parks in the LA area. Ouch. I did manage to find one in Orange. East of the city out near City of Industry (to Fontana) is a ghost town. Pasadena isn't much better. Things are also pretty slim near Simi Valley. Might wind up near Santa Clarita. There are a couple near Ventura. Hopefully there will be availability. 

 

[DoughBack18]

Was the Classic Club part of the rota of the Bob Hope for a stretch? Feel like I remember it from years past.

[Argonne69]

41 minutes ago, DoughBack18 said:

Was the Classic Club part of the rota of the Bob Hope for a stretch? Feel like I remember it from years past.

 

Yes, the course hosted the Desert Classic from 2006 through 2008. It was apparently dropped the following year because of the high winds that are common at the course.

 

[Argonne69]

Sadly the perfect weather came to an end today. Pleasant temps, but cloudy most of the round. A bit of blue skies on the final holes. 

 

PGA West Pete Dye Dunes today. Hoo-hoo that smell. Can't you smell that smell? The course recently reopened after being closed for months to repair the flood damage from the tropical storm last year. Playable, but certainly not in the best shape. The low areas were very wet and the place stank. Lol. On the positive side, I think, they redid the greens to Pete's original design. Wow, tough. I know better than to play a course with new greens. Rock hard. I had five GIRs today. Barely. Not sure why the course is called Dunes, because while there is plenty of mounding and Pete's signature bunkering, it's not really a desert layout. Fairly boring housing development course that would be forgettable if not for the greens and railroad ties. Plenty of water in play both off the tee and around the greens. Shout out to the long par 4 17th that played a bit like the 18th at Sawgrass. While generally flat, the mounding was very good, especially around the greens. Crazy at times. A few sweepers helped mix it up, but far too many dead straight holes. Can't say it's Pete's best, but it's no pushover. 

 

Moderately difficult off the tee with several forced carries and plenty of parallel bunkers. Minor misses would generally be kicked back into play by the mounding, but if not you were looking at a very iffy lie in the dormant Bermuda rough. Big misses would find a backyard on most holes, but there was a little more room on the final 5 holes. Approaches were very difficult. Ignoring the rock hard greens, most of the putting surfaces were raised with soft, overseeded fronts, and plenty of bunkering. Nearly impossible to run a ball up, and landing in the front of the green would generally finish at the back of the green or over. In addition there were plenty of false fronts and sides. Shades of Sweetens Cove. Putting was very tough. Up and downs were harder, as there were some crazy, uneven lies near the greens. 

 

Par 3s were very good. Plenty of trouble, and good mix of lengths. The 8th and 13th were both tough with forced carries over ponds. 5s were a letdown. Only the 9th was reachable, but not much risk/reward. The sole short 4 was meh. 

 

Conditions were poor, but still playable. Played preferred lies with numerous soft areas and thin turf. Rough ranged from bare dirt to nasty, thick Bermuda. Like practically every course in the area, the bunkers had plenty of sand, but it was compacted. Greens were excellent, minus the fact that they were pool tables. The moisture kept the speeds to 10 early, but they were probably closer to 12 by the end of the round. Loved it. 

 

Played the Black/White combo at 6370 yds (71.7/132). Ouch. Pete smacked me today. Decent day with the driver, but little chance holding a green with my low spin approaches. Eight bogies and a double. Highlight of the day was my playing partner from Toronto. Great company to share in the "misery". Lol. 

 

I'm going with 6 cows here. Going to overlook the conditions, as they'll obviously improve over time, and they were still playable. Not a great looking course, especially when compared to Eagle Falls or Classic Club. However, if you like Pete's designs, it'll tickle your fancy. I certainly wouldn't want to play on greens like these every day, but they're a fun test now and again. Course needs a good risk/reward par 5, and a couple of tricked up short 4s. Pricey at $143, but not crazy. A walking rate would be nice, and they could have shaved off $50 due the conditions. Unless you're a big Dye fan, I can't say it's a must play, but if you can block out the homes, it's a tough track. 

 

Edited January 18 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

PGA West Pete Dye Dunes Course, La Quinta, CA 

 

 

 

Lol. One of the more benign greens 

 

 

Hit a nice approach just short and left of the pin. The big bowl fed it down into the bunker. Bah. 

 

 

 

 

Donald Ross, eat your heart out 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/pogeux7yixl9viphb5o1q/h?rlkey=l8x7ckpg61y1m83142pju83ug&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Back to the usual hangout, Yard House. Enjoying one of their house brews, a House Belgian Amber Tripel. Very tasty. 

 

 

Edited January 17 by Argonne69

[tw422]

1 minute ago, Argonne69 said:

Back to the usual hangout, Yard House. Enjoying one of their house brews, a House Belgian Amber Tripel. Very tasty. 

 

 

Keep going to the well with this place....I've been here and not sure there is anything else in/near PS that is close in terms of the quality and selection of beers.

[Argonne69]

1 minute ago, tw422 said:

Keep going to the well with this place....I've been here and not sure there is anything else in/near PS that is close in terms of the quality and selection of beers.

 

The chains, e.g. Yard House, Flying Saucer, are usually my backup plan, but there's just not much in the area. I stopped at La Quinta Brewing yesterday, and it was the usual heavy dose of IPAs. At least half of the taps were the hoppy stuff. YH and FS both have a great selection of Belgian brews. 

 

[Bonneville85308]

16 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not a masochist like some others on this forum, so those two photos along with the report that the greens are new/rock hard are all I need to see to decide this is a course I have no interest in playing. Dye is already my least favorite course architect.

Edited January 17 by Bonneville85308

[Argonne69]

5 minutes ago, Bonneville85308 said:

 

I'm not a masochist like some others on this forum, so those two photos along with the report that the greens are new/rock hard are all I need to see to decide this is a course I have no interest in playing. Dye is already my least favorite course architect.

 

Pete is an acquired taste. Lol. If one plays from the "appropriate" tees, and can put the distractions out of one's mind, his courses are playable, albeit tough. I've played over 35 of his courses, and there's rarely a letdown. Whistling Straits, Kiawah Ocean, French Lick, Sawgrass, Kingsmill, Brickyard Crossing, Bulle Rock, PGA West Stadium, etc, are all going to test you, especially the green complexes, but I'd never consider them unfair. 

 

[Argonne69]

Well that was different. Got a tip to check out Stuft Pizza. The ahi tuna was highly recommended, as well as the Popeye pizza. The tuna sits on a bed of guacamole, and the wasabi sure cleared the sinuses. Lol. Not my usual cup of tea, but tasty nonetheless. 

 

 

The Popeye pizza was also out of my normal range, but still tasty. Sausage, spinach, mushrooms, and caramelized onions with a decent pizza sauce and crust. 

 

 

Edited January 18 by Argonne69

[ThinkingPlus]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

Well that was different. Got a tip to check out Stuft Pizza. The ahi tuna was highly recommended, as well as the Popeye pizza. The tuna sits on a bed of guacamole, and the wasabi sure cleared the sinuses. Lol. Not my usual cup of tea, but tasty nonetheless. 

 

 

The Popeye pizza was also out of my normal range, but still tasty. Sausage, spinach, mushrooms, and caramelized onions with a decent pizza sauce and crust. 

 

 

No question about it, you are definitely in CA.

Edited January 18 by ThinkingPlus
Grammer...

[Argonne69]

24 minutes ago, ThinkingPlus said:

No question about, you are definitely in CA.

 

 

 

Edited January 18 by Argonne69

[toypor]

[Argonne69]

8 hours ago, toypor said:

 

Not only are gas prices high, the range is all over the map. Filled up when I got into PS last week, and it was $4.29 a gallon. 'Stopped yesterday at a different station and immediately pulled out after seeing $5.09.

 

 

[Dancin]

{city}gasprices.com can be your friend

[Looper34]

On 1/10/2023 at 7:21 AM, Argonne69 said:

 

I tend to play Callaway Chrome Soft and TaylorMade TP5 balls. If it's very cold, I'll start the round with a Callaway Super Soft, as they're soft as marshmallows. 'Good ball in the cold. I also have a couple of lower spinning balls in the bag for windy days, e.g. AVX.

 

I have dozens (hundreds?) of Titleist Pro V1s, so if I have a forced carry that might cost me a ball I pull one of those out. Lol. 

 

 

As for the cost, no, I don't really worry about it. I'm on the ultimate golf trip, so I'm not going to skip a top course because of the price. That said, I have been refusing to pony up for hotel rooms at courses that require an overnight stay. I'll pay a few hundred dollars for a round of golf, but I'm not spending $400+ on a room just to play a course when I'm already paying for an RV park. 

 

Sorry to reference something that's a year old but that's a classic photo. I noticed a lot of balls in there marked with a circle and a dot in the middl, is that your standard mark? Very similar to how I mark my ball. Thanks for a very enjoyable read.

[Argonne69]

2 hours ago, Looper34 said:

Sorry to reference something that's a year old but that's a classic photo. I noticed a lot of balls in there marked with a circle and a dot in the middl, is that your standard mark? Very similar to how I mark my ball. Thanks for a very enjoyable read.

 

Yeah, small circle with a dot in the center. One above the logo, and one below on the other side. 

 

[Argonne69]

Nice to have the sun back. Gorgeous day. Should have been a perfect day for my last round in the valley on this trip, but unfortunately Desert Willow doesn't allow walking. Bah. Wound up riding from the teebox to the fairway, and then carrying from there. That'll show them. Lol. Of course our group still waited for on every shot with several open holes ahead of the group holding us up. Doesn't anyone have any concept of letting faster groups play through? 

 

Anyway, played the Mountain Views course at Desert Willow Golf Resort. Not great, but not bad. Quite the sea of green with the beautiful overseeded rough. Not quite as lush as Classic Club, but pretty close. Very nice looking course with a few condos off behind the trees. Side mounding was pretty good, but it was fairly flat down the middle. Water in play on 7 holes, including two risk/reward par 5s. Fairway bunkering was on the light side, but greenside was quite good. Only two holes with any real left/right movement, and it was small. 

 

Resort course, so pretty tame off the tee. A couple of short forced carries and light bunkering. The rough was very wide, so minor misses were no trouble. Big misses were big trouble with the thick desert and OB stakes. On the other hand, approaches were tough. Greens weren't quite as firm as Dye Dunes yesterday, but boy, they were close. Add in the solid bunkering and it was tricky. Greens were contoured better than most resort courses, so putting was fairly tough. Up and downs were mixed. Miss short on most holes and chipping was straightforward. Miss pin high and you'd be shortsided more times than not. 

 

Par 3s were pretty good. Could have used a short and long one, but still plenty of trouble. The 11th was the best of the bunch with a forced carry over a pond. 5s were very good with two risk/reward holes, the 6th and 18th. The 6th had a creek in front of the green, and a pond left. The 18th's green was tucked close to a pond left. If one elected to lay up on the 18th a crossing creek came into play. Short 4s were meh. Not a ton of trouble. 

 

Conditions were excellent. Fairways lush. Overseeded rough was almost like cheating with the ball sitting up nicely. Somehow they managed to keep sand in the bunkers. Nice. Greens were firm and fast. Probably 10 to start with a little early morning dampness, and at least 11 late. 

 

Played the Purple/White combo at 6316 yds (70.3/126). Decent round off the tee, but once again tough holding greens. One birdie and seven bogies. Highlight was my cart partner from South Carolina who winters in PS with his family. Great guy. 

 

Going with a solid 6 cows here. Nice looking course with some moderately tough greens. Could use more trouble off the tee, but given that it's a resort I'm not surprised that it's fairly open. Would like to see a tough, short par 3, and a little more danger on the short 4s. The cart only policy stinks, obviously. $174 is steep. Worth a one time visit, but no way I'd pay that again. I'd head back to Eagle Falls in a heartbeat. 

 

[Argonne69]

Desert Willow Golf Resort, Mountain View Course, Palm Desert, CA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go or no-go on the par 5 18th 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/j2hh7t6s5o3tbp826yxcq/h?rlkey=meld6o5bwlpkpsl65nhtdfe26&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Closing out the stay with a final visit to Yard House. Another sweet tasting Belgian, a Chimay Blue Grande Reserve. 

 

 

Seven rounds in the valley, and it was a great time. Expensive, but still fun. I definitely broke the bank here with an average green fee of $165. Nice place to visit, but no way I could live and play here. Obviously it's cheaper, and hotter, in the summer, but it's not the place for a budget golfer. I didn't seek out the inexpensive munis, but I'm sure they're meh and hard to get on. My playing partner today was a local, and said it's pretty much a 3 day booking window for residents, and most days he's not playing because he can't get a decent tee time. No thanks. 

 

[Argonne69]

Anybody have a link, or any definitive information on the availability of tee times at Torrey Pines? I called the course a dozen times and they never answer the phone. Their website has a maintenance schedule, but I haven't found any information on the days they're closed for the Farmers. Don't expect to grab a tee time, but I'd like to queue up early one morning when I'm in the area, but don't want to show up and find that the course is closed. 

 

BTW, when did prepaid tee times become a thing? I understand securing a tee time with a credit card, but sorry, I'm not prepaying for a tee time and then having to deal with the hassle of getting a refund if I have to change my plans a few days out. Tried booking Enagic for next week, and it's prepaid only. Same with Steele Canyon. 

 

Edited January 18 by Argonne69

[Dancin]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

BTW, when did prepaid tee times become a thing? I understand securing a tee time with a credit card, but sorry, I'm not prepaying for a tee time and then having to deal with the hassle of getting a refund if I have to change my plans a few days out. Tried booking Enagic for next week, and it's prepaid only. Same with Steele Canyon. 

 

That's becoming pretty common anywhere tee times are hard to come by, plus a lot of courses implemented prepaid during covid so people wouldn't have to come inside and they decided to keep that policy. If you want to play good courses you will need to accept that unless you are willing to walk on hoping for no shows.

[tlknight]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Anybody have a link, or any definitive information on the availability of tee times at Torrey Pines? I called the course a dozen times and they never answer the phone. Their website has a maintenance schedule, but I haven't found any information on the days they're closed for the Farmers. Don't expect to grab a tee time, but I'd like to queue up early one morning when I'm in the area, but don't want to show up and find that the course is closed. 

 

 

Found an article about last year’s Farmer’s Open. Tournament finished on 1/29, course didn’t open back up for play until February 2nd. 

[NDSwim]

I probably missed it somewhere…..with all

of your walking…..what bag do you carry?

[Argonne69]

Just now, NDSwim said:

I probably missed it somewhere…..with all

of your walking…..what bag do you carry?

 

I have a Ping Hoofer Lite. Bought it back in July to replace my Ping Hoofer. 

 

 

[NDSwim]

9 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I have a Ping Hoofer Lite. Bought it back in July to replace my Ping Hoofer. 

 

 

Awesome, thank you.

 

Trip this summer with all walking and need to pick up something lighter.

[mshills]

I think the Hoofer and Hoofer Lite are still the gold standard for carry bags. @Argonne69 I know it's not much time with that bag but lots of rounds there and I can't spot any wear.

 

I aim to walk as much as I'm able to this season and I'm not immune to the bag ho disease, so I'm looking at a Sun Mountain 2.5 and a Vessel VLS in addition to the Hoofer Lite standby.

[Argonne69]

2 hours ago, mshills said:

I think the Hoofer and Hoofer Lite are still the gold standard for carry bags. @Argonne69 I know it's not much time with that bag but lots of rounds there and I can't spot any wear.

 

I aim to walk as much as I'm able to this season and I'm not immune to the bag ho disease, so I'm looking at a Sun Mountain 2.5 and a Vessel VLS in addition to the Hoofer Lite standby.

 

That photo was taken back in July when it was new. It's definitely showing the dirt on the white fabric after 120+ rounds. The fabric itself and the zippers are still fine, though.

 

 

Edited January 19 by Argonne69