Arg's Travel Log

[eddiecut]

11 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Thanks. Added Chalk Mountain to the list.

 

Yeah, after Monterey I'll head to San Martin, and then south again as I work my way towards Las Vegas. 

 

I'll be in the bay area this fall as I conclude my trip heading down the west coast from Vancouver. 

 

Yes, I played Pasitiempo in 2017, along with Pebble Beach, Spanish Bay, Spyglass, and Poppy Hills. 

 

More than happy to provide some local knowledge if you head through Bend Oregon on that leg of your trip. 

[Mullenboy]

11 hours ago, jjr said:

I can't wait to read your review of Bayonet and "Combat Corner" 11-15, I hope it's in good condition!

Combat corner sadly no longer exists... at least not as it once was.  The course was renovated - emasculated - several years ago.  11 and 12 are mere shadows of their former toughness.

[Mullenboy]

12 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Thanks. Added Chalk Mountain to the list.

 

Yeah, after Monterey I'll head to San Martin, and then south again as I work my way towards Las Vegas. 

 

I'll be in the bay area this fall as I conclude my trip heading down the west coast from Vancouver. 

 

Yes, I played Pasitiempo in 2017, along with Pebble Beach, Spanish Bay, Spyglass, and Poppy Hills. 

 

Got it.  Cordevalle?

[Argonne69]

Just now, Mullenboy said:

Got it.  Cordevalle?

 

Yes, it's definitely on the list. San Martin will be the next stop after Monterey.

 

[mci711]

What dates will you be in Vegas? I have a few trips there over the next few months. Have you done any of the mesquite or St George courses? 

 

the new Black Desert looks awesome - https://www.blackdesertresort.com/

[Mullenboy]

12 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Yes, it's definitely on the list. San Martin will be the next stop after Monterey.

 

Cordevalle is the only course in San Martin.  Nearby would be Eagle Ridge (hard and expensive and not worth your time); The Institute (very very very private); Gilroy GC (9 holes, cheap, kinda fun) and Gavilan GC (9 holes, very raw, bare bones golf_.

 

If you are willing to go a little farther north you have Cinnabar Hills (three nines, all cool, worth playing); and Coyote Creek (two 18s, both overpriced, both OK at best).

 

It's not a great area for golf.  I live here.  San Jose.

Edited February 20 by Mullenboy

[Argonne69]

7 minutes ago, Mullenboy said:

Cordevalle is the only course in San Martin.  Nearby would be Eagle Ridge (hard and expensive and not worth your time); The Institute (very very very private); Gilroy GC (9 holes, cheap, kinda fun) and Gavilan GC (9 holes, very raw, bare bones golf_.

 

If you are willing to go a little farther north you have Cinnabar Hills (three nines, all cool, worth playing); and Coyote Creek (two 18s, both overpriced, both OK at best).

 

It's not a great area for golf.  I live here.  San Jose.

 

I was considering Cinnabar Hills, Coyote Creek, and Eagle Ridge. Looks like I'll skip Eagle Ridge and possibly pick up the 2nd course at Coyote. 

 

[Mullenboy]

1 minute ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I was considering Cinnabar Hills, Coyote Creek, and Eagle Ridge. Looks like I'll skip Eagle Ridge and possibly pick up the 2nd course at Coyote. 

 

That's a wise plan.  At Coyote Creek... Tournament is a little more interesting, and more expensive.  It also would be a very painful walk as it has two long stretches between holes going from one side of the freeway to the other.   Valley is flat and less interesting and cheaper but also a frustrating walk due to the routing.. you pass by several tees you thin should be your next only to be taken to what is your next which is miles away.

 

Cinnabar is also a difficult walk only due to hills and lots of ups and downs.

 

This is the land of cart golf.  🙂

[Argonne69]

14 minutes ago, mci711 said:

What dates will you be in Vegas? I have a few trips there over the next few months. Have you done any of the mesquite or St George courses? 

 

the new Black Desert looks awesome - https://www.blackdesertresort.com/

 

Right now I'm looking at a mid-April arrival in Vegas. I'll likely spend two weeks there. Really depends on the forecast for Utah, as I'll head north when the weather allows. 

 

Yeah, I have Black Desert on the list, along with Coral Canyon, Copper Rock, and Falcon Ridge. 

 

I made one previous trip to St Georges and Mesquite. Played Sky Mountain, Sand Hollow, Conestoga, Coyote Springs, Wolf Creek, and Casablanca. 

 

[sunbeltgolfer]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Right now I'm looking at a mid-April arrival in Vegas. I'll likely spend two weeks there. Really depends on the forecast for Utah, as I'll head north when the weather allows. 

 

Yeah, I have Black Desert on the list, along with Coral Canyon, Copper Rock, and Falcon Ridge. 

 

I made one previous trip to St Georges and Mesquite. Played Sky Mountain, Sand Hollow, Conestoga, Coyote Springs, Wolf Creek, and Casablanca. 

 

We are in Santa Clara, UT, and have been here since early January. We walk along the lava field trail in the mornings and get a nice view of several holes at Black Desert. It looks to be in great condition. If the whole course is as good as the few holes we can see I don't think you'll  be disappointed.

[Argonne69]

Dreary day. Rain continues, and is heavy at times. Thankfully it was an uneventful drive to Northridge this morning. Still boggles my mind that driving from one suburb of the city to another takes 90 minutes. Only two accidents on the way slowing things down. Seems a lot of people wisely stayed home today, as traffic was relatively light. I just don't understand why some drivers have a death wish by driving in heavy rain with no headlights on. Take a black, grey, or silver vehicle, throw in some spray kicked up by the trucks, and you simply can't be seen. I don't know if the state mandates headlights when wipers are on, but it's just common sense to be seen in poor visibility. 

 

The RV park is small, but cozy. Decent amount of width to park Bessie and the Honda. I'll be here until next Wednesday when I head to Ventura. Certainly hope things dry out there by next week. 

 

I moved tomorrow's tee time at Los Robles Greens to next Monday, as it'll probably still be raining off and on. Booked a tee time at Balboa for tomorrow. Just received an email from them stating that it will be walking only tomorrow. Should help with the pace as I expect most players to cancel. 

 

 

[Mullenboy]

"Still boggles my mind that driving from one suburb of the city to another takes 90 minutes. "

That's LA.. be thankful it was only 90 minutes.

 

Ahhhhh Balboa... one of my former home courses as a kid.  It is nothing special whatsoever.  But I am truly looking forward to your report.

[Argonne69]

1 hour ago, Mullenboy said:

"Still boggles my mind that driving from one suburb of the city to another takes 90 minutes. "

That's LA.. be thankful it was only 90 minutes.

 

Ahhhhh Balboa... one of my former home courses as a kid.  It is nothing special whatsoever.  But I am truly looking forward to your report.

 

It looks rather ho hum, but given the weather it's probably a good course to play in the rain. 

 

[Mullenboy]

41 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

It looks rather ho hum, but given the weather it's probably a good course to play in the rain. 

 

Ho hum is a compliment.  🙂

It's just a bit of home for me... I grew up playing that course.

Now if you go to Weddington Golf & Tennis (9 hole par 3) or Van Nuys GC (18 hole par 3, 9 hole executive) and post pics of those... I might die happy.  Those were the first courses I ever played... ahh the memories.

 

None of these are truly worth playing.  

[Argonne69]

7 minutes ago, Mullenboy said:

Ho hum is a compliment.  🙂

It's just a bit of home for me... I grew up playing that course.

Now if you go to Weddington Golf & Tennis (9 hole par 3) or Van Nuys GC (18 hole par 3, 9 hole executive) and post pics of those... I might die happy.  Those were the first courses I ever played... ahh the memories.

 

None of these are truly worth playing.  

 

Lol. The courses I starting playing back when I was 12 years old wouldn't win any beauty contests, but they too hold a special place in my heart. Well, except for the one that drove me away from the game for 15 years after another 6 hour round in 103 degree heat. Oy. 

 

[Argonne69]

Wow, it actually stopped raining. At least for an hour or so. Got out for a beer at Blue Palms Brew House. 20 taps with a decent mix of regional brews. Enjoying a Common Space Brewery Tripel Dragon Belgian Tripel. 

 

 

[imkirby34]

6 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Dreary day. Rain continues, and is heavy at times. Thankfully it was an uneventful drive to Northridge this morning. Still boggles my mind that driving from one suburb of the city to another takes 90 minutes. Only two accidents on the way slowing things down. Seems a lot of people wisely stayed home today, as traffic was relatively light. I just don't understand why some drivers have a death wish by driving in heavy rain with no headlights on. Take a black, grey, or silver vehicle, throw in some spray kicked up by the trucks, and you simply can't be seen. I don't know if the state mandates headlights when wipers are on, but it's just common sense to be seen in poor visibility. 

 

 

Yes, that is in the California Vehicle Code.  IIRC, it went into effect in 2005.  Of course, common sense isn't all that common.  I take a company bus to-and-from work 5 days-a-week with nothing much else to do other than "people watch" on the ~60 minute ride and it's enough to make shake your head almost constantly at the stuff you see drivers do - or don't do.  LOL.

[Argonne69]

Woke up at 3:30 am to the sound of heavy rain on Bessie's roof. The forecast called for rain through the morning, so I figured it was going to be a soggy round. It still turned out to be extremely wet, but at least I played under blue skies. Balboa today. I didn't have high expectations, and they were clearly met. It sure ain't no Rancho Park. The flat parkland muni is about as boring as they come. Only thing that kept it interesting was the huge splashes as tee shots hit the lakes in the fairways. Lol. Light bunkering. No water in play other than a couple of small concrete drainage channels that cross a couple of the fairways. Only one sweeper, the par 4 16th. That said, it was probably the right course to play after several days of rain. Just a handful of diehards out there, so it was nice to have a quick round. 

 

Very easy off the tee with generous fairways and light bunkering. Minor misses were no problem other than the inconsistent height of the rough. Big misses might find an adjacent fairway, or be played out of the trees. Approaches were easy as the greens were moderately sized with light bunkering. The ground was saturated, so no chance running a shot up the throat. Greens had little contouring, and gentle slope. Putting was easy peasy, but the slow speeds proved difficult to overcome. Up and downs were straightforward. 

 

The three par 3s were meh. Decent mix of lengths, though. The three 5s were also ho hum. The 3rd could be reached in two on a dry day, but no risk. The three short 4s were benign. 

 

Conditions were barely playable. Walking only. Small lakes littered the fairways. Geese were having a grand time. Every step brought water to the surface when you weren't actually walking through a puddle. I gave up trying to find a somewhat walkable path through the wet minefield. Turf obviously hadn't been cut in days, and was a mix of heights. Same with the rough. Bunkers were washed out, but looked like they had sand. Greens looked quite nice, but they were very soft and slow. 8 would be generous. 

 

Played a Blue/White combo at 6240 yds (68.8/113). Got off the tee well, but drives were going nowhere. Two birdies and five bogies. Stuck a pair of wedges to kick in birdie distance on the first two par 5s. Highlight of the day was the 30' par putt on the long par 3 17th. There was a ballmark halfway to the hole that I was too lazy to fix, but I planned to go high (right) of it. Pulled my putt, and hit the ballmark, which redirected the putt right and into the hole. Just like I drew it up. Lol. 

 

Going with 3 cows here. Not going to ding it on the conditions. The course, along with its sister course Encino, are built on a flood plain. No surprise it was sloppy. The $35 walking rate was about right. Nice course to learn the game, but it can safely be skipped. It did remind me of a couple of the munis I grew up playing, so there was a positive side to the round in addition to simply getting out to walk after a couple of days. 

 

Edited February 21 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Balboa GC, Encino, CA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/w3dpsai73dru7gla6l2fx/h?rlkey=ffv00q90y50q3gf58wousy1sc&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Finished my round this morning before the brewpubs opened, so it was back to Bessie for a shower and a nice nap. Headed out to Finney's Taphouse. 30 taps of local brews with a nice mix. Starting with the 818 Gravity Hill Belgian Tripel. Debating if I'll follow that with a Belgian Golden Strong or a nitro imperial stout. 

 

 

No luck finding a tee time for Saturday. Harding, Wilson, and Hansen Dam are all booked until mid-afternoon. Will keep trying. Hopefully something opens up on Friday afternoon when the cancelations start rolling in. 

 

Probably going to take a day off on Sunday. Thinking about visiting the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It's been 34 years since I last visited the area. 

 

[mmoran]

Go for the whole experience.  Hollywood on Saturday night.

[Mullenboy]

Balboa!!!!  Love it.  Yeah I thought it might only get two cows.  You described it perfectly.  It was a fine course to grow up on.  But even I rarely go back.. and I have nostalgia reasons.

 

My gosh it looks wet but you're right, it's in a flood plain.

 

Be careful in Hollywood.  It's not awful nor highly dangerous but.. just keep your eyes open.

[Kurtis4K]

On 2/19/2024 at 11:36 AM, Argonne69 said:

Planning ahead, there aren't any RV parks near San Luis Obispo, so I'm probably going to split the stay between Pismo Beach (Cypress Ridge, Monarch Dunes, Morro Bay, Avila Beach, Sea Pines) and Los Robles (Paso Robles, Hunter Ranch) before heading up to Monterey. 

 

Monterey looks even less promising for RV parks. There's one in Carmel, but it's $140 a night. Another only has one spot that can fit a 35' motorhome. Ouch. Looks like I'll have to stay north of the peninsula, and drive 40 minutes each day. 

 

When are you going to be in Pismo?

 

Cypress and Monarch are our go to's around here

[Argonne69]

8 minutes ago, Kurtis4K said:

When are you going to be in Pismo?

 

Cypress and Monarch are our go to's around here

 

Tentative arrival date is Friday, March 15th. Plan is 6 nights. 

 

[Argonne69]

Excellent burger at Finney's. The Jalepeno Egg Burger with white cheddar, bacon, and chipotle aioli was delicious. The nitro imperial stout was a worthy addition. Burgers are a la carte, so I passed on the fries/o-rings. Gotta watch my figure. Lol. 

 

 

Edited February 21 by Argonne69

[StoutKing]

Balboa Encino would do well to cut down 60% of the trees.  Many are diseased and overgrown.  They keep the greens/turf shaded and in bad shape.  These courses will never be Riv but they could be somewhat better.  

Edited February 22 by StoutKing

[Mullenboy]

1 hour ago, StoutKing said:

Balboa Encino would do well to cut down 60% of the trees.  Many are diseased and overgrown.  They keep the greens/turf shaded and in bad shape.  These courses will never be Riv but they could be somewhat better.  

Whoa.  I played  the course in the late 70s / early 80s and we were saying that THEN.  Must be scary now.

[StoutKing]

4 minutes ago, Mullenboy said:

Whoa.  I played  the course in the late 70s / early 80s and we were saying that THEN.  Must be scary now.

It's bad.  They literally just planted a tree in a fairway on Balboa; head scratcher.  In fact I'd rather not play golf than play there.  Still, it seems fairly busy.

[Mullenboy]

Bad courses that are always busy... that's California!  🙂

[Argonne69]

Lovely day. Sunny skies and cool temps. Teeing off early and finishing in 3:30 never gets old. Lol. Celebrated my 1200th course today. DeBell GC today, an inexpensive Burbank muni. Odd course, but still quite enjoyable. The front nine reminded me of the Zaharias course at Industry Hills. Plays 2682 from the tips with five par 4s ranging from 244 yds to 302 yds. Very tight, though, with four sweepers. The back has a pair of short 4s, but is generally more wide open. Nice elevation changes as the course plays down on the front, and then up to start the back. No water on the course, but plenty of red staked areas with thick junk. I believe there's a creek tucked in the junk between the 10th and 13th holes. Fairway bunkering was very light. Greenside was decent. Eight of the holes are sweepers than are evenly split left/right. 

 

Fairly straightforward off the tee. The short 4s don't really require driver, so a hybrid for position was all that was needed. Minor misses on the back would catch the rough. A little less room for error on the front. Big misses might find an adjacent fairway on many holes, but there was also plenty of thick junk to lose a ball. Approaches were moderately difficult. Greens were on the small side, and had decent bunkering. A few had some odd shapes with pins tucked in the fingers. Greens had some moderate tiering, but plenty of (hidden) slope. Most putts wanted to break towards downtown Burbank. Putting was less than easy. Up and downs were mixed. Short was a good miss with a fairly straight uphill chip. Anything off the short grass was an iffy lie with plenty of short siding opportunities. 

 

The five par 3s were unexciting, but still tough. Three played over 200 yds, with the 7th maxing out at 232 yds. Par 5s were meh. Two were reachable, but no real risk. Short 4s were a little disappointing. Very little risk off the tee with less than driver. However, approaches were moderately difficult. 

 

Conditions were spotty. I was surprised that there were no cart restrictions, as plenty of fairways were rather wet, and had tire tracks to boot. The par 4 2nd was shortened to a par 3s as they were rebuilding the hole after mudslides last year wiped out big chunks of the fairway. Turf was quite good. Rough was rather thick, and obviously needed a shave. A couple of bunkers were washed out, but most were fabulous. Plenty of fresh, damp, groomed sand. Greens looked great, but were in need of a cut. Rolling 9 at best. 

 

Played the Blue (tips) tees at 5608 yds (69.0/120). Nice to occasionally play a course where the driver sits in the corner. Plenty of opportunities to let the wedges shine. Two birdies and five bogies. Highlight of the round was simply making the two birdie putts. Had several other good looks at birdie, but the slope and slow greens resulted in too many putts dive bombing below the hole. 

 

Going with 5 cows. Nice looking course with a few tough holes, but a little too short without the danger. Needs more fairway bunkers, especially on the short 4s. Par 3s need a little danger as well, as do the reachable 5s. The shocker of the day was the $20 senior weekday walking rate. Can't pass up a deal, but they should double that and invest in some upgrades. It's not a must play, but it's worth a visit if you're in the area.