Arg's Travel Log

[Mullenboy]

Wilson is the other course at Griffith Park - you said you were considering Harding.  They're both cool old time designs, fine municipal golf.... I always preferred Wilson of the two, but I also haven't been to either in over 30 years.  🙂

 

Welcome to SoCal (and NorCal) public golf.  4:40 is considered fast.  Have you been anywhere they allow 5somes yet?  That seems to be a SoCal thing.

 

You are brave to play Chester Washington.  Not the safest area.  Fun course though.

 

 

Edited February 12 by Mullenboy

[tw422]

3 hours ago, Mullenboy said:

Wilson is the other course at Griffith Park - you said you were considering Harding.  They're both cool old time designs, fine municipal golf.... I always preferred Wilson of the two, but I also haven't been to either in over 30 years.  🙂

 

Welcome to SoCal (and NorCal) public golf.  4:40 is considered fast.  Have you been anywhere they allow 5somes yet?  That seems to be a SoCal thing.

 

You are brave to play Chester Washington.  Not the safest area.  Fun course though.

 

 

That area is fine - not even remotely that bad compared to other parts of LA.  I've played there many times and have never felt unsafe in the slightest. 

[tw422]

19 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Short drive today to Dockweiler Beach in Playa Del Ray. They don't allow check in until 1 pm, and I got booted out of my previous RV park at 11 am, so I had time to kill. Stopped at Walmart for groceries. Ugh. Maneuvering Bessie around a crowded parking lot is no fun. I parked in the back so I'd have room to maneuver, but some idiot still tried parking directly in front of me until I hopped out and asked him nicely to park in one of the 200 other available spots. 

 

My spot at the RV park is right on the beach facing the ocean. Well, I thought I'd see the ocean since I paid extra for the front row. However, for some reason they built a 10 foot tall sand dune in front of the entire RV park. Pfffttt. If I look south I can see some water a few hundred yards away. 

 

Plenty of noise from the planes departing LAX. I've had worse, so I'm sure I'll tune it out. 

 

Chesterfield Washington GC tomorrow. Still haven't found a local round for Tuesday or Wednesday. 

 

Edit : I was able to book an early morning round at Los Verdes tomorrow, so I moved Chester Washington to Tuesday. No luck at Rancho Park. 

 

 

Lovely view. 

 

 

 

They build that mound in the winter as precaution for storm swells.  they remove it for the spring and summer months.  

[Argonne69]

4 hours ago, Mullenboy said:

Wilson is the other course at Griffith Park - you said you were considering Harding.  They're both cool old time designs, fine municipal golf.... I always preferred Wilson of the two, but I also haven't been to either in over 30 years.  🙂

 

Welcome to SoCal (and NorCal) public golf.  4:40 is considered fast.  Have you been anywhere they allow 5somes yet?  That seems to be a SoCal thing.

 

 

There were a couple of 5sones out at Coyote Hills. 

 

[Mullenboy]

2 hours ago, tw422 said:

That area is fine - not even remotely that bad compared to other parts of LA.  I've played there many times and have never felt unsafe in the slightest. 

Good to know.  I haven't been there in a long time.

[Argonne69]

Beautiful, sunny day. Should have been a great time out on the course, but I seem to have once again picked up a respiratory virus. Went to bed last night with a massive sinus headache, chest congestion, and a fever. I think the last one was a cold, but this one is probably covid. When I woke up I felt awful, and considered canceling my tee time, but I figured a little fresh air would do me good. I loaded up on Dayquil, and made the 40 minute drive south to Los Verdes. 'Glad I did, but after a hot shower I'm going to take a long nap. Lol. 

 

Beautiful piece of property with views of the ocean. It's not exactly on the water, but the muni is high enough to provide a number of clear views on the back nine. A little disappointed in the design. I'd like to see what a modern architect could do with it. Bunkering was light. No water in play. Plenty of elevation change, especially the side slopes. Nice collection of doglegs and sweepers to keep it from the boring ol back and forth stuff. 

 

Moderately difficult off the tee with the left/right movement and side slope. Hit a number of good drives only to find that the ball had run off into the patchy rough. Minor misses had to deal with the patchy rough, which included some nasty elephant grass, as well as the trees. Almost all of the holes had an adjacent hole, so a big miss could find an adjacent fairway, but it would be OB on a handful. Approaches were also moderately difficult due to the small greens, and decent bunkering. Greens didn't have much contouring, but oh, that slope. Practically everything moves down to the ocean, and you didn't want to be above the cup on a handful of holes. Up and downs from in front of the green were straightforward, but very tricky from around the greens due to some funky lies. 

 

Par 3s were OK. Nothing breathtaking. Nice mix of lengths. The three fives were boring. I guess the dogleg 1st could be considered a risk/reward hole off the tee if you elevated to carry the inside corner of the dogleg. The 16th was also reachable, but no risk. Only one short par 4, the downhill 11th. Decent risk/reward hole that could be driven with a good shot. 

 

Conditions were what you'd expect for an inexpensive muni. Fairways could use some TLC. Rough was patchy with various turf grasses. Bunkers needed sand. Greens were very bumpy, but still quick. I'd say 10 if you could find a flat spot, but playing at least 11 with the slope. 

 

Played the White tees at 6211 yds on the par 71 layout (70.0/121). Average round all around. Ballstriking was decent, but too tentative on the putts after watching a few race past the hole early. Eight bogies. Highlight was simply surviving the round after dragging my behind around. 

 

Unfortunately I have to go with 4 cows here. Similar to San Clemente, it's a very nice piece of property with beautiful views that could use a modern architect's touch. The $44 weekday walking rate was shocking. I'd actually like to see it raised, and the proceeds put back into a renovation and some improved conditions. Worthy of a visit if you can somehow manage to get a tee time. 

 

[Argonne69]

Los Verdes GC, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/delz18xx11nkqsbh385xx/h?rlkey=95k0ahwcamomdn66yllacrupp&dl=0

 

[caniac6]

Take care of yourself.

[Argonne69]

1 hour ago, caniac6 said:

Take care of yourself.

 

Just woke up from a nap. Going to bed early tonight. Congestion, headache, sore throat, and fever. Sounds like the symptoms of the Covid JN.1 variant. Oy. 

 

I read that it can take 2 to 14 days to show symptoms. Could have picked it up anywhere, but Disneyland would be a good guess. Always grabbing things to hang on. 

 

[Argonne69]

Lol. $995? 

 

 

[StudentGolfer4]

@Argonne69 what was the net for behind the green in your photo? I’m guessing it’s to stop people from trying to hit it off the cliff into the ocean or is there something down there? 

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

I would NOT even pay $215 for that Trump course either. Jeez, that is More than Pebble Beach!

[Argonne69]

11 hours ago, StudentGolfer4 said:

@Argonne69 what was the net for behind the green in your photo? I’m guessing it’s to stop people from trying to hit it off the cliff into the ocean or is there something down there? 

 

I asked my local  playing partner about the ugly netting, and he said that knuckleheads were teeing up balls next to the green after holing out, and sailing them down into the residentially community below. The players were stupid enough to think they could reach the water which is probably a half mile away. The homeowners complained, and the course was forced to put up the netting. A handful of nitwits is why we can't have nice things. Instead of a beautiful view of the ocean, we get to look at two hundred yards of netting. Pfffttt.

 

[mci711]

750 yards... Must have been some Wrx'ers teeing it up at Los Verdes GC. Haven't seen anyone on here that doesn't carry it 330, take into consideration this has to be downhill, maybe some wind at the back....Totally reachable.  

 

 

[tw422]

16 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Lol. $995? 

 

 

that place is a complete joke - not sure in what dimension they think that course is worth $995?!?

[DavePelz4]

16 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Lol. $995? 

 

 

 

One way or another someone has to pay the lawyers.

[Argonne69]

Ugh. I was hoping that I'd feel a little better today, but I after a good night's sleep I felt worse today. Still have a sinus headache, and a sore throat from the post-nasal drip. Thought a little fresh air would do me good, so I headed out to Chester Washington, but decided to call it quits after 9 holes. Looking out at the back nine from the 6th fairway it didn't look like I was going to miss much, so I opted for rest instead of wearing myself out. Too bad, because it was another gorgeously morning. 

 

As I turned the corner to enter the pro shop I was greeted by broken glass on the ground, and a boarded up window in the pro shop. Walked in to find merchandise scattered across the floor, and two LA county sheriff's deputies conducting an investigation. Appears that thieves ransacked the place last night and grabbed most of the good stuff. Pity. 

 

The course itself was nothing to get excited about. Standard flat, inexpensive, parkland muni. Holes 6 through 9 did have a depression cutting across the fairways, so there was some elevation changes, but otherwise the course was dead flat. Bunkering was very light. Water (barely) in play on just 3 holes. Very little left/right movement. 

 

Very easy off the tee with little danger. There were enough trees to pose a problem if you were slightly offline. The rough was fairly thick. Big misses might be better, as they'd find an adjacent hole most of the time. Approaches were fairly tough because the greens were tiny. Old school. They had practically no contouring, but they did have a decent amount of slope. Best to be putting from below the hole. Up and downs from short of the green were straightforward, but from the sides they were tricky due to the thick rough. 

 

The front's par 3s were ho hum. No par 5s on the front, but the two on the back look benign on the scorecard. Short 4s were also snoozers. 

 

Conditions were pretty good. A notch or two better than Los Verdes. Fairways were wet from the morning dew, but fairly lush. Rough was decent. Very thick in the areas that hadn't been mowed, and fairly dense in the freshly cut areas. Bunkers were playable. Greens were soft, bumpy, and had a few too many unrepaired ballmarks. Shame. Speed was very good at 10. 

 

Played the Blue tees at 6286 yds on the par 70 layout (69.9/119). So so day ballstriking, and the putter was ice cold. Four bogies in nine holes. 

 

Gotta go with 3 cows here. Driving along the 8th hole heading to the parking lot the course looked very nice, but the design is totally lackluster. Needs a complete redo. For $39 it's a nice course to learn the game, but it's not for the serious player. Easily skipped. 

 

[Argonne69]

Chester Washington GC, Los Angeles, CA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/3clmafrhf2bms98qwprfi/h?rlkey=zpx0zm1jktu13ofpctpr1h0jd&dl=0

 

[tw422]

13 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Chester Washington GC, Los Angeles, CA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/3clmafrhf2bms98qwprfi/h?rlkey=zpx0zm1jktu13ofpctpr1h0jd&dl=0

 

Sorry to hear you are not feeling good - get some rest.  This is a fair/accurate review of the course and unfortunately this course typifies what you will find the Western/South Bay Area of LA.   I guess our standards and expectations are set low due to the lack of quality courses.  Los Verdes is probably the best of the bunch.  The only other one to play would be Alondra but it's not much better than Chester Wash/Los Verdes in terms of layout and conditioning.  

Edited February 13 by tw422

[Argonne69]

No luck with a tee time for tomorrow at anything nearby. I know it's the start of the evening rush, but traffic can be a nightmare here. Feeling under the weather, I don't want to venture too far. Saw an opening at Encino that's 22 miles away. Current travel time is over 1 hour. Industry Hills GC is 38 miles east, and currently taking close to 2 hours one-way. 

 

I'm going to keep trying Rancho Park. If I can't get a tee time I'll probably still drive there in the morning and try to walk on. I noticed a handful of threesomes this morning at Chester Washington, so it's possible I could get lucky. If not I'll take the day off. Might swing by Santa Monica. 

 

[mmoran]

People watching around Venice Beach is an interesting way to spend an afternoon.

[Argonne69]

Managed to find a tee time for Friday morning at Industry Hills on the Babe course. I also booked the Ike course for next Monday morning, President's Day. Slim pickings for tee times. Monday's forecast looks wet, so hopefully I'll be able to move it to Saturday. 

 

Also tried Santa Anita and Alhambra, but both are booked solid for the weekend. Once again I'll keep trying over the next few days. 

 

[Looper34]

Hope you feel better and get out at Rancho Park. I played there quite a while ago and back then it was definitely on the rugged side but I do recall that it's in the shadow of the famous Nakatomi Plaza. If you know, you know.

Hit 'em good.

[tw422]

18 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

No luck with a tee time for tomorrow at anything nearby. I know it's the start of the evening rush, but traffic can be a nightmare here. Feeling under the weather, I don't want to venture too far. Saw an opening at Encino that's 22 miles away. Current travel time is over 1 hour. Industry Hills GC is 38 miles east, and currently taking close to 2 hours one-way. 

 

I'm going to keep trying Rancho Park. If I can't get a tee time I'll probably still drive there in the morning and try to walk on. I noticed a handful of threesomes this morning at Chester Washington, so it's possible I could get lucky. If not I'll take the day off. Might swing by Santa Monica. 

 

You should be able to show up and waiting for an opening to get on at Rancho.  They have a good range with launch monitors/Trackman type screens.  

You are, unfortunately, experiencing the reality of LA traffic and the sheer volume of people and cars.  Can't really know it until you've been in it.  I used to commute 12 miles each way from Manhattan Beach to an office in Century City (2 blocks from Rancho) and it would take me a min of hour each way to there/get home.  We moved offices to Santa Monica and while my commute distance went down (from 12 to 10 miles each way) it took me longer to get there and home.  People live in mini bubbles here because of the traffic. 

Trying to get to Industry Hills or Encino from where you are in Playa can be a nightmare.  Ike and Babe courses are good although the Babe course will be an eccentric layout and very much target golf.  The Ike is the better of the two.  Hope you are feeling better.  

[Argonne69]

Beautiful morning. Almost decided to stay in, but glad I got out to Rancho Park. Very little wait, and got paired with three local walk-ons. Crazy that the tee sheet is full, but plenty of openings. The 3:40 pace was sweet, and getting to play with three walkers with solid games was a treat. Definitely enjoyed this parkland muni with its mature trees and rolling terrain. Fairway bunkering was light. Greenside pretty good. No water in play that I can recall. Several sweepers kept it interesting. 

 

Moderately difficult off the tee with trees pinching a number of holes, and side sloping fairways funneling balls down into the rough. Minor misses would catch the generous rough, but trees could be a problem on the approach. Big misses would generally find an adjacent fairway, but OB lurked on the perimeters holes. Approaches were tough. A handful of greens were a good size, but most were small and well guarded. Also, plenty of uneven lies in the fairways. Greens didn't have much contouring, but did have plenty of slope. Putting was fairly straightforward. Up and down were tricky with plenty of tough lies around the greens from patchy rough. 

 

Par 3s were tough, but needed a little variety in length. All were mid iron or longer. The three 5s were meh. The sweeper 18th could be reached in two if you could sling a big draw around the corner. No short 4s on the layout. 

 

Conditions were very good. Fairways had a couple of thin areas, but were generally playable. Rough was patchy in spots, but overall pretty consistent. Bunkers could use more sand. Greens were bumpy, but the pace was decent. I'd say 10. 

 

Played a Blue/White combo at 6225 yds on the par 71 layout (70.0/123). Off and on day. One birdie, six bogies, and a double. Highlight of the round was chipping in for birdie on the par 4 14th. Also chipped in for par on the long par 4 11th. 

 

Going with 5 cows here. Very nice looking muni that could use some additional bunkering and a couple of ponds. Loved the rolling terrain, which was much better than Chester Washington. The $39 was a bargain. Again, they could easily charge more and put the money into a few changes. Got a kick out of the Arnold Palmer plaque on the 18th teebox. It won't blow you away, but it's a very respectable muni worthy of a visit. 

 

Edited February 14 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Rancho Park GC, Los Angeles, CA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/vmb2bpg610964x38908xq/h?rlkey=le6kxqau7nrjs4u9odv764e9d&dl=0

 

Edited February 14 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Still under the weather, and running out of gas, but I battled the traffic to visit Santa Monica and and Venice Beach. Don't know when I'll be this close. Pretty much what I expected with plenty of souvenir shops and opportunities for people watching. Bet it's wild on summer weekends, but it was on the tame side today. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/xrf27c7anch6bq93l9phu/h?rlkey=ptchni8o18pqbmcri41d167xc&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Final stop on this leg is Brewport Tap House in El Segundo, a self serve taphouse with 40 taps. Pretty disappointed with the selection, but at least they had one of my favorites, Delirium Tremons. 

 

 

Packing up tomorrow morning and heading east of downtown to San Dimas. Should be an hour drive if traffic cooperates. 

 

[@_the_crook]

4 hours ago, tw422 said:

  I used to commute 12 miles each way from Manhattan Beach to an office in Century City (2 blocks from Rancho) and it would take me a min of hour each way to there/get home.  We moved offices to Santa Monica and while my commute distance went down (from 12 to 10 miles each way) it took me longer to get there and home.  People live in mini bubbles here because of the traffic. 

 

that's a whole lot of 'car time'.

[Argonne69]

Conveniently localed kitty corner from Brewport was Rock and Brews. Burger Wednesday offers a delicious Oklahoma Smash Burger with grilled onions, cheddar cheese, dill pickles, mustard sauce, and a sunny side up egg for $9.98. A bargain that I just could pass up after eating in for the past three days. Lol. 

 

 

Edited February 14 by Argonne69