Arg's Travel Log

[stevopagolf]

17 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Kiawah Ocean, Tobacco Road, Streamsong Black, Mid Pines, and Sea Island Seaside.

 

Tobacco Road only value play on that 5!   Enjoying following your adventures!

[DE-ILLINI]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Kiawah Ocean, Tobacco Road, Streamsong Black, Mid Pines, and Sea Island Seaside.

 

Tobacco Road and Kiawah Ocean are both great courses.  Never had a chance to play the others.  Will add them to  my ever expanding list of courses I want to play some day!

[hammergolf]

5 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

The bigger problem is the data caps on the 4G hotspot plans. The largest Verizon plan is the 'Pro' plan with 150 Gb of high speed data. After that they throttle the speed. I generally watch 3 hours of TV a night, with 1 hour of that on the Roku. With golf season underway that's going to be another 3 to 5 hours a day on tournament days. Twenty days into my currently billing cycle I've already used over 80 Gb. If I went 100% streaming I'd probably need 500 Gb a month, so after a few days the speed would drop to unwatchable levels.

 

I asked my buddy, and here is what he uses for unlimited data for his RV:

 

https://unlimitedlteadvanced.com/rv-internet/

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

All this golfing is making me jealous! I took 4 years off due to elbow tendon tears, but I am ready to get back after it. Which way are you headed after Alabama? Straight West through Texas? 

 

 

[Argonne69]

54 minutes ago, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

All this golfing is making me jealous! I took 4 years off due to elbow tendon tears, but I am ready to get back after it. Which way are you headed after Alabama? Straight West through Texas? 

 

 

After a week in Ocala, I'll be heading to Valdosta, GA (3 nights) , Tallahassee (4 nights) , and Destin (4 nights). From there I may head up to the RTJ trail course in Dothan, AL before doubling back to Mobile or Biloxi. 

 

From there I'll probably follow the gulf coast to Brownsville with several stops along the way. 

 

[Argonne69]

A very enjoyable walk this morning at Ocala National. I got very lucky with the weather. It rained most of the day yesterday, and the forecast for this morning called rain at times. One way to ensure that you stay dry is to don full rain gear. Lol. It started raining 5 minutes after I pulled out of the parking lot after my round. I got to the course a bit early, and actually beat the staff in the pro shop. I was the only car in the parking lot. Locals sure don't seem to like 50 degree weather. I headed out and paid at the turn. At that point my car was still the only one in the lot. 

 

Very nice course for $25. Apparently Rees Jones redesigned the course. Similar to Juliette Falls, it had enough elevation change to make things interesting. Fairways were generous. Enough trees to be penal if you got wild. There were homes lining most holes, but they were set back far enough to blend into the background. Bunkering was excellent. Not a crazy amount, but well placed, and very penal with mounding galore. Greens were very good. Most had a decent amount of slope, but weren't crazy. A few had multiple sections that required precise approaches. 

 

Par 5s were long. Good mix on the 3s. The short 4s needed a little more danger. 

 

Conditions were soft after yesterday's rain, and scruffy to say the least. Fairways were thin in spots, but playable. The rough was nasty. A combination of dormant Bermuda, bare patches, and 57 varieties of weeds and other turf grasses. If you miss a fairway you have no idea what you'll get. Bunkers were wonderful. Heavy wet sand in generous quantities. A couple had standing water, though. What was interesting was that the sand didn't extend all the way to the border of the bunkers. It made for some very dicey lies near their edges. Greens had a few bad spots, but were generally in very good shape. Speed was close to 10. 

 

Tough day out there. I've been generally playing around 6200 yds here in Florida, but today I played the gold tees at 6445. The next shortest set was 6000 yds, which I thought was a little too short. With the soft conditions it felt like 6800 yds. I was hitting a ton of hybrid and fairway woods for approaches. Four bogies and one double. Highlight of the day was a par save where my approach hung up on the edge of the deep greenside bunker. A stance in the bunker would have put the ball chest high. I grabbed my sand wedge, and with my back to the flag hit a sweet backwards chip that ran out to within a foot. I actually practice this shot, as I prefer it to a left handed one. 

 

Anyway, I was very pleased with the course. Not going to complain about $25 to walk an empty course on a cool morning. Conditions were spotty, but still very playable. I'll give it four cows, but with the price it's probably closer to five. I'd definitely play it regularly if I was a local. 

 

Edited January 26, 2022 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Ocala National at Golden Hills, Ocala, FL 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/04juhnqpjvrbhl5/AADtIpMVv4nW0GaApMSkHsHma?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Not much of a brewpub scene in Ocala. Enjoying a nice blueberry wit at Big Hammock Brewery. 

 

 

 

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

Living vicariously thru your golf pics (no golf in Ohio right now) and your craft brews, I have been beer free for 2 months and am down 15 lbs!

 

I could not imagine living in Ocala, there is nothing around there, nothing.

Edited January 26, 2022 by BEND OF THE RIVER GC

[jerebear21]

big fan of ocala national though if the conditions were better i'd recommend it much more. Always a hit and miss there with conditions.  and I always thought no9 is a better finishing hole than 18.  one of the better rees jones design in central florida.  you'll be surprised how special ocala is.  I believe it's the horse capital of the united states. years ago a billionaire built one of the best condition course i've ever walked on but after his death, his daughter canned it. 

[Argonne69]

36 minutes ago, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

Living vicariously thru your golf pics (no golf in Ohio right now) and your craft brews, I have been beer free for 2 months and am down 15 lbs!

 

I could not imagine living in Ocala, there is nothing around there, nothing.

 

"Historic" downtown Ocala is a real treat. Oy. Lol. 

 

[stevopagolf]

1 minute ago, Argonne69 said:

 

"Historic" downtown Ocala is a real treat. Oy. Lol. 

 

That part of Florida is kind of barren of stuff.  Ocala is the city!  My Grandparents used to live in Inverness.  Great place to visit play World Woods and Juliette Falls all week and before it closed El Diablo which was another interesting course...

 

But couldn't see myself setting roots there......

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

I am liking this thread. I have about 3-4 more years until I retire at 59. I already informed the wife unit that I plan on taking 6 months to year off (then I'll teach for a few more years) to go live in England for 2 months, Ireland for 2 months, and Scotland for 2 months. I'll Air BnB it all over and I'll play as many golf courses as I can while living there. I don't want to fly back and forth 20 times.  She was not too amused, but she knows I will do it!

 

 

Edited January 26, 2022 by BEND OF THE RIVER GC

[Argonne69]

The forecast for tomorrow changed quickly. Two days ago it looked clear, but not it looks like a good chance for rain in the morning. Guess I'll don the rain gear again and hope it keeps the rain away. 

 

I've been extremely lucky with the weather on this trip. I think my luck is running out. With travel into the gulf shores area I think the temps are going to be chilly to say the least. 

 

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

Are you hitting anything on the Great Plains once warner weather hits?

[Argonne69]

2 minutes ago, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

I am liking this thread. I have about 3-4 more years until I retire at 59. I already informed the wife unit that I plan on taking 6 months to year off (then I'll teach for a few more years) to go live in England for 2 months, Ireland for 2 months, and Scotland for 2 months. I'll Air BnB it all over and play as many courses as I can while living there. She was not too amused, but she knows I will do it!

 

 

When my full time RV travel is done, my next adventure is a month or more in Ireland. Ireland is roughly the size of Indiana. Play a round in the morning, have a pint in the early afternoon, and then drive an hour to the next town. Lather, rinse, repeat. 

 

[Argonne69]

5 minutes ago, stevopagolf said:

That part of Florida is kind of barren of stuff.  Ocala is the city!  My Grandparents used to live in Inverness.  Great place to visit play World Woods and Juliette Falls all week and before it closed El Diablo which was another interesting course...

 

But couldn't see myself setting roots there......

 

Last winter in Phoenix I met a great guy who recently moved from Ocala to Montana. We teed it up every Monday for the entire winter. He didn't seem to miss Ocala. Montana in the summer and Scottsdale in the winter seemed like a good gig. 

 

[Argonne69]

4 minutes ago, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

Are you hitting anything on the Great Plains once warner weather hits?

 

At some point yes. I did a cross Nebraska trip a few years ago. Omaha to Denver with a side trip to Prairie Dunes and Dismal River. I'll likely skip Nebraska, but the Dakotas and Kansas are very likely. I imagine golf in the Badlands is pretty cool. 

 

[Argonne69]

38 minutes ago, jerebear21 said:

big fan of ocala national though if the conditions were better i'd recommend it much more. Always a hit and miss there with conditions.  and I always thought no9 is a better finishing hole than 18.  one of the better rees jones design in central florida.  you'll be surprised how special ocala is.  I believe it's the horse capital of the united states. years ago a billionaire built one of the best condition course i've ever walked on but after his death, his daughter canned it. 

 

For $25 I was more than pleased with the conditions. As noted previously, I'll give a pass to a cheap course as long as the greens are in good shape. 

 

Was that Golden Ocala? The LPGA played a couple of tournaments at GO. Looked great. 

 

Edited January 26, 2022 by Argonne69

[jerebear21]

it was adena.  lots of land movement.  Along with sugarloaf which is north of orlando that's also defunct.  big loss for florida.

[hammergolf]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

A very enjoyable walk this morning at Ocala National. I got very lucky with the weather. It rained most of the day yesterday, and the forecast for this morning called rain at times. One way to ensure that you stay dry is to don full rain gear. Lol. It started raining 5 minutes after I pulled out of the parking lot after my round. I got to the course a bit early, and actually beat the staff in the pro shop. I was the only car in the parking lot. Locals sure don't seem to like 50 degree weather. I headed out and paid at the turn. At that point my car was still the only one in the lot. 

 

Very nice course for $25. Apparently Rees Jones redesigned the course. Similar to Juliette Falls, it had enough elevation change to make things interesting. Fairways were generous. Enough trees to be penal if you got wild. There were homes lining most holes, but they were set back far enough to blend into the background. Bunkering was excellent. Not a crazy amount, but well placed, and very penal with mounding galore. Greens were very good. Most had a decent amount of slope, but weren't crazy. A few had multiple sections that required precise approaches. 

 

Par 5s were long. Good mix on the 3s. The short 4s needed a little more danger. 

 

Conditions were soft after yesterday's rain, and scruffy to say the least. Fairways were thin in spots, but playable. The rough was nasty. A combination of dormant Bermuda, bare patches, and 57 varieties of weeds and other turf grasses. If you miss a fairway you have no idea what you'll get. Bunkers were wonderful. Heavy wet sand in generous quantities. A couple had standing water, though. What was interesting was that the sand didn't extend all the way to the border of the bunkers. It made for some very dicey lies near their edges. Greens had a few bad spots, but were generally in very good shape. Speed was close to 10. 

 

Tough day out there. I've been generally playing around 6200 yds here in Florida, but today I played the gold tees at 6445. The next shortest set was 6000 yds, which I thought was a little too short. With the soft conditions it felt like 6800 yds. I was hitting a ton of hybrid and fairway woods for approaches. Four bogies and one double. Highlight of the day was a par save where my approach hung up on the edge of the deep greenside bunker. A stance in the bunker would have put the ball chest high. I grabbed my sand wedge, and with my back to the flag hit a sweet backwards chip that ran out to within a foot. I actually practice this shot, as I prefer it to a left handed one. 

 

Anyway, I was very pleased with the course. Not going to complain about $25 to walk an empty course on a cool morning. Conditions were spotty, but still very playable. I'll give it four cows, but with the price it's probably closer to five. I'd definitely play it regularly if I was a local. 

 

Sorry to hear the conditioning has went downhill, but I really enjoyed playing there with my dad.

[hammergolf]

56 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

When my full time RV travel is done, my next adventure is a month or more in Ireland. Ireland is roughly the size of Indiana. Play a round in the morning, have a pint in the early afternoon, and then drive an hour to the next town. Lather, rinse, repeat. 

 

You’ll get PLENTY of elevation changes there…. Went in October and I’m addicted to Ireland golf now. Already planning my next trip to the NW of Ireland for that trip.

[st997777]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

The forecast for tomorrow changed quickly. Two days ago it looked clear, but not it looks like a good chance for rain in the morning. Guess I'll don the rain gear again and hope it keeps the rain away. 

 

I've been extremely lucky with the weather on this trip. I think my luck is running out. With travel into the gulf shores area I think the temps are going to be chilly to say the least. 

 

You're a Chicago guy, you can handle the chilly weather. Plus, it'll keep the locals away.

[TK3]

On 11/27/2021 at 3:00 PM, Argonne69 said:

'Had a blast at Tobacco Road today! What a course. 18 unique holes that aren't your typical golf course. A few reminded me of Mammoth Dunes. A few reminded me of Prairie Dunes. All were a challenge. Excellent risk/reward fives. Good mix of 3s. A couple of reachable 4s. Waste areas galore! (Don't call them bunkers. Lol). Challenging, but yet fair greens, unlike Sweetens. A few forced carries, but nothing extreme. A handful of blind shots, but nothing overly difficult with a good GPS. Very few flat lies on this quite hilly layout. I just don't see where one could lay any criticism on the course. Is it hard? Yes. Not every course has to cater to the bogie+ golfer, though. Fairways were more than generous, and the greens were large. Undulating, but large enough to hold a shot.

 

The par 5 11th was my favorite hole. Just a monster of a risk/reward hole. With a good drive one has ~200 yards to the green, but come up short and you're in the Devil's pit. 'Not a place to be. 

 

Conditions were fine. Greens were fantastic, and rolling ~11. Pace was on the slow side at 4:30. Unfortunately with a shotgun start everyone is held to the pace of the slowest group. I wound up starting on the 7th hole, but they gave me a ride out/in to start the round, which was nice.

 

Solid all around game today. One birdie and five bogies. A couple of three putts hurt after being above the hole. Don't go there.

 

Anyway, can't say enough good things about the track. This ain't your normal golf course. If you can keep the ball in play you'll have a great time. Eight cows.

 

The 11th

 

 

 

 

My buddy and I played TR on our trip to Pinehurst.  TR is a blast to play!  Tough?  Yes, but a blast.  Safe travels my friend and keep us posted!

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

I have played Pineneedles, Mid Pines, Tobacco Road, Talamore, Southern Pines CC and Tot Hill Farm. Tobacco Road was the best one so far. I love it, great course!

[Argonne69]

A bit of a disappointing morning at Ocala GC. The good news is that the (light) rain held off again until after the round. Another win for rain gear. Lol. I didn't quite have the course to myself this time, but the three groups out ahead of me played quickly, so no waiting. Nice. 

 

The course left me wanting on several levels. My first impression was that it reminded me a little of Harding Park. One big contiguous swath of land with tree lined holes running back and forth. That's where the similarities ended. The back of the course sits on a ridge, so the holes heading up play to elevated greens, and the ones coming back down have elevated tees. Decent enough. Fairways were generous, although a few were sloped enough side to side to kick drives into the "rough". Like Ocala National (ON) the turf off the fairways was very patchy. Not much in the way of bunkering. What little there was was very good, but it needed more. Most holes had no fairway bunkers, and a few of the green complexes were bunkerless. Water came into play on a few holes, but otherwise it was fairly benign off the tee. Green complexes were decent, and similar to ON. Most were elevated, and missing short or left/right often left a tough up and down. 

 

The five par 3s were very good. Three had forced carries over water, with two being fairly long. The 5s were rather straightforward. The 13th was short, but the right to left sweeper had trees along the left side, so only a big drive would give a green light to go for it. The dogleg 18th was a tough finishing hole. While fairly short, there was a huge overhanging tree on the inside corner. You really need to poke a drive out there to have a clear look at the flag. Today's pin position was front right behind a deep bunker, which made for a tough approach. 

 

Conditions were the reason for the disappointment. The overseeding barely came in. Most of the fairways were patchy, dormant Bermuda. More importantly, the fairways had been slit some time ago, but haven't fully healed. I had more lousy lies in slit seams than I've ever experienced. Bunkers were fine. Plenty of sand, but apparently the locals don't know how to pick up a rake. Greens were poor. They looked like the surface of the Moon due to the number of poorly repaired ball marks. Speed was barely 9. 

 

My driver forgot to set an alarm this morning. Ugh. Way too many shots out of the scrubby "rough". One birdie, four bogies, and a double. Highlight of the day was a nice 27 foot double breaking putt on the 12th to save par after a horrid approach. 

 

On the one hand I shouldn't kvetch about teeing it up in January for $33. As I said yesterday, I don't expect perfect conditions on the cheap. However, the fairways were brutal, and the greens were mediocre. OGC seems to be the preferred muni in the area, but I'd likely take ON 8 out of 10 times if the conditions were like this. Three cows. 

 

[Argonne69]

Ocala GC, Ocala, FL 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/aojhershkeyaij5/AADGezIzo21Z8-tjMq71sBPAa?dl=0

 

Edited January 27, 2022 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Infinity Ale Works in Ocala. This is going to be fun. Lol. 

 

 

[caniac6]

3 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

A bit of a disappointing morning at Ocala GC. The good news is that the (light) rain held off again until after the round. Another win for rain gear. Lol. I didn't quite have the course to myself this time, but the three groups out ahead of me played quickly, so no waiting. Nice. 

 

The course left me wanting on several levels. My first impression was that it reminded me a little of Harding Park. One big contiguous swath of land with tree lined holes running back and forth. That's where the similarities ended. The back of the course sits on a ridge, so the holes heading up play to elevated greens, and the ones coming back down have elevated tees. Decent enough. Fairways were generous, although a few were sloped enough side to side to kick drives into the "rough". Like Ocala National (ON) the turf off the fairways was very patchy. Not much in the way of bunkering. What little there was was very good, but it needed more. Most holes had no fairway bunkers, and a few of the green complexes were bunkerless. Water came into play on a few holes, but otherwise it was fairly benign off the tee. Green complexes were decent, and similar to ON. Most were elevated, and missing short or left/right often left a tough up and down. 

 

The five par 3s were very good. Three had forced carries over water, with two being fairly long. The 5s were rather straightforward. The 13th was short, but the right to left sweeper had trees along the left side, so only a big drive would give a green light to go for it. The dogleg 18th was a tough finishing hole. While fairly short, there was a huge overhanging tree on the inside corner. You really need to poke a drive out there to have a clear look at the flag. Today's pin position was front right behind a deep bunker, which made for a tough approach. 

 

Conditions were the reason for the disappointment. The overseeding barely came in. Most of the fairways were patchy, dormant Bermuda. More importantly, the fairways had been slit some time ago, but haven't fully healed. I had more lousy lies in slit seams than I've ever experienced. Bunkers were fine. Plenty of sand, but apparently the locals don't know how to pick up a rake. Greens were poor. They looked like the surface of the Moon due to the number of poorly repaired ball marks. Speed was barely 9. 

 

My driver forgot to set an alarm this morning. Ugh. Way too many shots out of the scrubby "rough". One birdie, four bogies, and a double. Highlight of the day was a nice 27 foot double breaking putt on the 12th to save par after a horrid approach. 

 

On the one hand I shouldn't kvetch about teeing it up in January for $33. As I said yesterday, I don't expect perfect conditions on the cheap. However, the fairways were brutal, and the greens were mediocre. OGC seems to be the preferred muni in the area, but I'd likely take ON 8 out of 10 times if the conditions were like this. Three cows. 

 

I think I’d rather play a course with all dormant bermuda than a patchy course.

[hammergolf]

4 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

A bit of a disappointing morning at Ocala GC. The good news is that the (light) rain held off again until after the round. Another win for rain gear. Lol. I didn't quite have the course to myself this time, but the three groups out ahead of me played quickly, so no waiting. Nice. 

 

The course left me wanting on several levels. My first impression was that it reminded me a little of Harding Park. One big contiguous swath of land with tree lined holes running back and forth. That's where the similarities ended. The back of the course sits on a ridge, so the holes heading up play to elevated greens, and the ones coming back down have elevated tees. Decent enough. Fairways were generous, although a few were sloped enough side to side to kick drives into the "rough". Like Ocala National (ON) the turf off the fairways was very patchy. Not much in the way of bunkering. What little there was was very good, but it needed more. Most holes had no fairway bunkers, and a few of the green complexes were bunkerless. Water came into play on a few holes, but otherwise it was fairly benign off the tee. Green complexes were decent, and similar to ON. Most were elevated, and missing short or left/right often left a tough up and down. 

 

The five par 3s were very good. Three had forced carries over water, with two being fairly long. The 5s were rather straightforward. The 13th was short, but the right to left sweeper had trees along the left side, so only a big drive would give a green light to go for it. The dogleg 18th was a tough finishing hole. While fairly short, there was a huge overhanging tree on the inside corner. You really need to poke a drive out there to have a clear look at the flag. Today's pin position was front right behind a deep bunker, which made for a tough approach. 

 

Conditions were the reason for the disappointment. The overseeding barely came in. Most of the fairways were patchy, dormant Bermuda. More importantly, the fairways had been slit some time ago, but haven't fully healed. I had more lousy lies in slit seams than I've ever experienced. Bunkers were fine. Plenty of sand, but apparently the locals don't know how to pick up a rake. Greens were poor. They looked like the surface of the Moon due to the number of poorly repaired ball marks. Speed was barely 9. 

 

My driver forgot to set an alarm this morning. Ugh. Way too many shots out of the scrubby "rough". One birdie, four bogies, and a double. Highlight of the day was a nice 27 foot double breaking putt on the 12th to save par after a horrid approach. 

 

On the one hand I shouldn't kvetch about teeing it up in January for $33. As I said yesterday, I don't expect perfect conditions on the cheap. However, the fairways were brutal, and the greens were mediocre. OGC seems to be the preferred muni in the area, but I'd likely take ON 8 out of 10 times if the conditions were like this. Three cows. 

 

Sorry to hear about the conditions. They both used to be in such good shape when I played them in the past.