Arg's Travel Log

[Argonne69]

DeBell GC, Burbank, CA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/93wqrjirngt4yjv3xydlk/h?rlkey=6hy74k763x0bkbt4exgn2z4zn&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Wanted to check out Brews Brothers in Burbank, but I wasn't going to hang around for 90 minutes, and most of the other brewpubs in the area didn't open until late afternoon. So it was back to Finney's Taphouse for a couple more Belgian goodies. Started with the North Coast Pranqster Belgian Golden Strong Ale, and followed up with the Ladyface Blind Ambition Belgian Dubbel. Malty goodness. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Tried booking a Saturday round at one of the county munis. Yeah, right. Their website was just updated to include this "warning":

 

"Updated policy: It is prohibited to use any computer program, bot, offline reader, and site search/retrieval application. Other manual or automatic devices, tools, or processes to retrieve, data mine, or in any way reproduce or circumvent the navigational structure, or presentation of the content or the site itself, for obtaining a City of Los Angeles Golf Reservation Tee Time is strictly prohibited. We are closely monitoring reservations that appear to be using the systems/processes stated above."

 

I've talked with several locals, and they all say the same thing, it's impossible to get a tee time as the bots grab everything within seconds of slots going live. It's nuts because when I've showed up there were plenty of open slots. It has to be brokers buying, and attempting to (unsuccessfully) resell the tee times. Disgusting. 

 

[Mullenboy]

DEBELL!!!

 

God this is fun as you tour the courses of my youth.

 

I have played DeBell way too many times.  Some hate it.  You saw how quirky it is.  One can lose a lot of golf balls.  But there is so much chance for glory... so much risk-reward... yeah conditions are never all that great, but man are there a lot of fun shots to be played.  5 cows is right on.  But I love the place.  So glad you got to play it.

 

Now if you play Hansen Dam I will die a happy man.  HS home course for two years.

 

Hey another fun one near there is El Cariso... executive... some very interesting holes.  

[Mullenboy]

As for tee times... again.. welcome to CA.  Maybe this occurs in other places but what you are facing is sadly normal here.

 

It's the largest reason I finally joined a private club.

[Argonne69]

8 minutes ago, Mullenboy said:

DEBELL!!!

 

God this is fun as you tour the courses of my youth.

 

I have played DeBell way too many times.  Some hate it.  You saw how quirky it is.  One can lose a lot of golf balls.  But there is so much chance for glory... so much risk-reward... yeah conditions are never all that great, but man are there a lot of fun shots to be played.  5 cows is right on.  But I love the place.  So glad you got to play it.

 

Now if you play Hansen Dam I will die a happy man.  HS home course for two years.

 

Hey another fun one near there is El Cariso... executive... some very interesting holes.  

 

Hansen Dam is on my list, but can't get a tee time. I'll keep trying. I expect there will be a few cancelations tomorrow. 

 

After my "official" journey ends this fall, I'll probably spend a month in town before heading east to Arizona and Texas. Anything I miss this month I'll try to pick up during my next visit. 

 

Edited February 22 by Argonne69

[Mullenboy]

Hansen Dam is not special in any way shape or form... it has a few cool holes... it's just another slice of home for me.  Pun intended.  It's a pain in the a** to get a tee time there - like all SoCal publics as you are seeing.  So it goes.  If you can't get on there and can get on El Cariso...  the latter is worth playing.  It's cheap and pretty darn interesting.

 

Another out there is Knollwood but it's harder than Cypress Point to get on.  Meaning... the tee time system seems to be most rigged there.  And it's in the end not worth hassling as they allow fivesomes and thus it's the home of the 6 hour round.  Or at least it used to be!  Been a few years since I braved that place.

 

Another nearby is Angeles National and I bet you CAN get a tee time there.. because it's stupidly overpriced.  It's an interesting course but no way worth the fee.

 

I swear man a good way to kill some time is head to WEDDINGTON GOLF AND TENNIS in Studio City.  It's a cool little 9 hole par 3 with a large driving range and is another of my youthful haunts... but more importantly... go hit some balls at the range and you're damn near guaranteed to see some celebs.  It seems to be a frequent haunt for them as well.  🙂

[Argonne69]

Mostly enjoyable round this morning. Beautiful course, but the clouds spoiled many of the pics. Breezy, too. The biggest downer was the mandatory cart, especially when all but three holes were cart path only. Ridiculous. Moorpark Country Club today. I guess it could be considered a housing development course, but most of the homes were up on the ridges with holes mainly playing down in the canyons. The course features three nines, Ridgeline, Creekside, and Canyon Crest. I played the Ridgeline and Canyon Crest. Very nice elevation changes with a handful of elevated tees playing down into the canyons. Canyon Creek #18 was pretty impressive. Fairway bunkering was light. Greenside was quite good, and boy, were they deep. Water in play on just two holes, but still plenty of trouble in the way of the canyons. Only 3 sweepers, but it was rarely monotonous. 

 

A couple of short forced carries, but otherwise it was fairly easy off the tee with generous fairways. A couple did have some side slope that could funnel the ball into trouble. Minor misses could be a problem, as the rough wasn't overly generous. Big misses were goners in the junk. No adjacent holes to bail you out. Approaches were much tougher with plenty of elevation change up and down, and solid bunkering. Greens were a decent size, so one had a bit of room to work with. They had gentle contours, but plenty of slope. Putting required some attention. Up and downs were tough, as the rough was fairly thick, and uneven lies both uphill and downhill were common. 

 

The five par 3s were decent. Nice mix of lengths, and a good amount of trouble. The Ridgeline 9th had a forced carry over a pond. The five 5s were meh. Ridgeline #7 was reachable, but no real risk. The short, downhill Canyon #9 was a bit of a risk/reward hole with water in play if you really sent one out there. The three short 4s were meh. Canyon #6 was uphill with a deep front bunker providing some worry. 

 

Conditions were decent, but overall rather soft. CPO on all but three holes. Rough was juicy. Bunkers were excellent with just enough well groomed sand. Greens looked and rolled great. Speed was at least 10, but was obviously faster on the downhill putts. 

 

Played the Blue/White combo at 6244 yds (70.2/127). Very good day with the driver, but soft conditions were once again stealing distance. One birdie and seven bogies. Highlight of the round was a sweet hybrid to 5' on the par 3 Ridgeline #9 to set up the sole birdie. 

 

Going with 6 cows here. Great looking course with the elevation changes, but I'd like to see more trouble off the tee. After playing numerous cheap munis lately, the $120 weekend rate felt high, but for the area it's probably close to the norm. Would have been a nice walk, but I guess too many out of shape players can't climb a five story ridge. Lol. Definitely worth a play. 

 

[Argonne69]

Moorpark Country Club, Moorpark, CA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/cea9kn17ifv2jx3tacs73/h?rlkey=sidq8tjyl97tnxu1kuwl8gmyr&dl=0

 

Edited February 23 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

A handful of breweries near Moorpark, but they either opened later this afternoon, or didn't have anything that appealed to me, so I headed back to Northridge to one of my favorite go-to's, Yard House. Starting with a "light" house Belgian Amber Tripel, and following up with the good 'ol Ommegang Three Philosophers Belgian Quad. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Still no luck with a tee time for tomorrow. Harding, Wilson, Hansen, Knollwood, and Rustic Canyon are booked solid until mid-afternoon. Plenty of openings at Angeles National, but I played the course back in 2019, and while it's decent, it's not worth $185. 

 

I'll keep trying, but if I can't find one I'll probably head out to Griffith very early tomorrow to see if I can sneak out as a walk-on. Given my experience last week at Rancho Park, and the fact that they have two courses, maybe I'll get lucky. 

 

Edited February 23 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Disappointing. Wood Ranch BBQ. Brisket was tender, but as dry as the Mojave Desert. Tri Tip was tender, but nearly flavorless. Mac and cheese was very good, as was the BBQ sauce, but they couldn't salvage the $29 meal. 

 

 

[ThinkingPlus]

49 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Disappointing. Wood Ranch BBQ. Brisket was tender, but as dry as the Mojave Desert. Tri Tip was tender, but nearly flavorless. Mac and cheese was very good, as was the BBQ sauce, but they couldn't salvage the $29 meal. 

 

 

Unfortunate.  Wood Ranch BBQ used to be really good. Of course last time I dined there was sometime in the mid-nineties. LOL!

[AzSuperHack76]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Disappointing. Wood Ranch BBQ. Brisket was tender, but as dry as the Mojave Desert. Tri Tip was tender, but nearly flavorless. Mac and cheese was very good, as was the BBQ sauce, but they couldn't salvage the $29 meal. 

 

 

That looks like 3 day old brisket that was reheated in the microwave....

[StoutKing]

4 hours ago, ThinkingPlus said:

Unfortunate.  Wood Ranch BBQ used to be really good. Of course last time I dined there was sometime in the mid-nineties. LOL!

So you were like 10 then ?  But anyways I've never had good Wood Ranch in the last decade or so.  I'm sure it was good in the 90's though.

[Argonne69]

Just arrived at Griffin Park GC. It's early, but there are already 12 players ahead of me on the waiting list. The Harding course has a tournament at 9 am, so that will cut the possible openings in half. They just called three players off the list, so fingers crossed I get out in the next hour or so. 

 

Interesting. Several players sporting staff bags with built-in wheels and an extending handles, similar to rolling luggage. The bags look heavy, but if one rides I guess it makes sense. Never seen that before. Looks like they're all M-U Sports bags, a Japanese clothing and equipment company. 

 

 

Nice. They just called my name for the Wilson course. 95 minute wait. Could have been worse. Glad to be heading out. 

 

Edited February 24 by Argonne69

[hammergolf]

22 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Disappointing. Wood Ranch BBQ. Brisket was tender, but as dry as the Mojave Desert. Tri Tip was tender, but nearly flavorless. Mac and cheese was very good, as was the BBQ sauce, but they couldn't salvage the $29 meal. 

 

 

Is that shoe leather? 

[Argonne69]

Enjoyable morning. The clouds finally lifted, and we got some nice blue skies. Plenty of wildlife, too. The parkland Wilson course wasn't all that exciting, though. Looking across at Harding, it didn't seem much better. A couple of elevated tees, but otherwise pancake flat. Very light bunkering. It did have 8 holes that rewarded working the ball, but six were fade biased for this draw hitter. Got a chance to work on that fade. Lol. Water on one hole. 

 

Very easy off the tee with generous fairways. The sweepers still had plenty of room for error with a str8 ball. Minor misses could be a problem in the inconsistent rough that ranged from thin to uber lush. Big misses could be played from the trees, or an adjacent hole (most of the time). Approaches were also easy with lightly guarded greens that were a bit larger than you'd normally find on a 97 year old layout. Most were at or just above fairway height, so running it up the front was possible on most holes. Greens had light contouring, but had some decent slope. Fun stuff. Had a couple of putts that broke 3 to 4 feet. Above the hole was tricky on quite a few greens. Up and downs were fairly straightforward unless you found yourself chipping/pitching on to a downslope. Lies could also be scruffy. 

 

The three par 3s were meh. Really no danger whatsoever. The three 5s were also snoozers. Nothing reachable, and little danger. Short 4s were a tad better with most being sweepers. 

 

Conditions were better than expected given the recent heavy rains. No restrictions on the carts. Fairways had a few troubled areas, but were generally quite nice, and recently mowed. Rough was very spotty with plenty of weeds, especially clover. Bunkers needed a tad more sand. Greens looked good, but were a little bumpy. Speed was 9 if you could find a flat spot. 

 

Played the White tees at 6382 yds (70.3/119). Finally seemed to have figured out the driver, and was actually getting some rollout. However, putting was very defensive. One birdie and six bogies. Highlight of the day was gouging a gap wedge out of the rough to kick in birdie distance. 

 

I'd really like to go with four cows here, but it's getting 3. Nice park setting, but the holes are underwhelming. Needs a ton of trouble added to be somewhat interesting. It's a couple of notches better than Chester Washington and Balboa, but miles behind Rancho Park. The $55 walking rate was fine. The 4:40 pace wasn't great, but it was better than I expected. Nice course for beginners, but it can safely be skipped. 

 

[Argonne69]

Griffith Park GC, Wilson Course, Los Angeles, CA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/k7x4kzetd4fj77u6mxmha/h?rlkey=hpvum9114z8dkfybzgsv2p8nt&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Finally made it to Brews Brothers. 36 taps with a heavy dose of Belgian goodness. Twelve are their own brews, and the others are guest taps. Starting with short pours of their Gin Barrel Aged Barr Hill Belgian Blonde, and Stille Nacht Belgian Strong Ale. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Who doesn't like a good salsa? However, it's rare to stumble across a nice, spicy bean dip. Los Amigos in Burbank. 

 

 

Very good mole. Not the best, but definitely better than most. More impressive was the huge, juicy chicken breast. Been complaining about the shredded chicken lately, but here we have a large portion that actually had enough for leftovers. Nice. Lol. 

 

 

Edited February 25 by Argonne69

[jjr]

On 2/20/2024 at 7:06 AM, Mullenboy said:

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.

I disagree, still difficult holes 11-15, I will always refer to it as "Combat Corner" I can still see the sign walking to the 11th, yes the course has been renovated but the whole track is a shadow if its former self, my thought, is it was named Bayonet because you felt like you had a bayonet up your a** when you stood on the tee, trees limbs encroached all fairways and it played much tighter than it was. Still a very difficult track, no one tears Bayonet up! Except Andres Gonzales 62 in 2010. 

[StoutKing]

Hard to believe but WIlson and Harding used to be amazing when opened.  George Thomas design I believe.

 

[Mullenboy]

2 hours ago, jjr said:

I disagree, still difficult holes 11-15, I will always refer to it as "Combat Corner" I can still see the sign walking to the 11th, yes the course has been renovated but the whole track is a shadow if its former self, my thought, is it was named Bayonet because you felt like you had a bayonet up your a** when you stood on the tee, trees limbs encroached all fairways and it played much tighter than it was. Still a very difficult track, no one tears Bayonet up! Except Andres Gonzales 62 in 2010. 

My point is it's nothing like it used to be.  And it isn't.  The entire course was emasculated but in particular 11 and 12 were ruined.... in terms of being uniquely stupidly difficult golf holes - which is what they used to be.  I'm not arguing if the course is better or not now.  Nearly everyone likes it better now.  I just miss how uniquely bitchly hard it once was... hardest course in our state.  Yeah it was because of the tree encroachment leading to claustrophobic tightness.  It was stupid.  It was not "fair" in any way.  But it sure as hell was unique.

 

And Combat Corner used to be the most unique part of it.  Now it's just a few hard holes on a course full of them.

 

So for me...continuing to call it Combat Corner these days is a large stretch.

 

 

[Argonne69]

Enjoyable hike this morning. Probably a good 500 to 600 ft climb from the Innsdale Trailhead. 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/3w9xz7jn5cg2e65yhxaex/h?rlkey=nadh1nc4cwh245h3tqj8srfgz&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

After the 4 mile hike this morning, it was another 4 mile trek on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Crazy walking up and down Hollywood and Vine starring at the ground for nearly 2 hours. Lol. Not much to look at in Hollywood besides the countless souvenir shops, so looking down trying to spot my favorite celebrities was the plan. You get really good reading names upside down, as the stars are not aligned in a single direction. Unfortunately they had a half block closed as they were setting up some type of rigging for an outdoor performance, so I probably missed a good number of my favorites. 

 

After the walk I took a drive west on Sunset Boulevard to snap a pic of Whiskey A Go-Go, and then continued west through Beverly Hills and the UCLA campus. 

 

Pretty boring stuff flipping through an eclectic collection of Hollywood and music stars, but if you're bored,.... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/yamkvucat33owg9flf6b1/h?rlkey=8lzzhmehk87ffc55n6fuee4y3&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Los Robles Greens tomorrow morning. Rain forecast for tomorrow, but it should arrive after I've finished. Hopefully. 

 

Done with the LA munis for now. Booked a Tuesday morning round at Rustic Canyon. I played it back in 2019, but certainly worth a 2nd visit. Might be a wet round. 

 

Heading to Ventura on Wednesday for a 5 night stay. Booked Soule Park for Thursday. Not sure about my other rounds there. Might wind up playing a course or two that I've played before, e.g. Olivas Links. 

 

Edited February 26 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Another pleasant day. Cloudy again, but I managed to dodge the rain that seemed to be falling just south of the course. Los Robles Greens GC today. Very nice parkland layout with some decent elevation change on a third of the holes. Fairway bunkering was light, but greenside was very good, and very good looking. Nice deep, blowout style bunkers. Water on four holes, but it really only came into play on two. Only one dogleg on the course, the brutish par 5 14th. Only real complaint was that the course runs adjacent to US-101, and the din of highway traffic is present on almost all holes. 

 

Thought this one was fairly difficult off the tee with less than generous fairways and plenty of trees encroaching on my preferred line of play (draw). Faders would have a little easier time. Minor misses were no picnic with the cabbage patch rough. Not as bad as Torrey Pines South, but still quite penal. Big misses would find the trees or adjacent holes, but several perimeter holes had OB. Approaches were also tough with solid bunkering, and a handful of uphill approaches. Greens had moderate contouring and slope, so putting was less than easy, but not crazy. Up and downs were tough given the thick rough. 

 

The five par 3s were OK. Nothing shouted "Wow", but weren't boring. Three played long. Could have used a shorty. The three 5s were meh. Two were reachable, but not much danger. The 14th was 611 from the tips, and 593 from the Blues. Short 4s were decent. The 9th might be driveable if you're very long off the tee, but the green was guarded by water left. The uphill 13th had a tree in the middle of the fairway, and solid greenside bunkering. 

 

Conditions were soft and wet, but playable. Cart path only on several holes for the riders. Not a ton of rollout. Rough was nasty. Bunkers were pretty good, but could have used a touch more sand. Greens were soft and receptive. Probably rolling 10. 

 

Played a Black/Blue combo at 6152 yds on the par 70 layout (69.6/124). Driver was behaving, but course played long. Didn't have any decent looks at birdie. Eight bogies. Highlight was a few wedges stuffed close to save par. 

 

Going with 6 cows here. Would like to see more trouble on the par 3s and reachable 5s. Bunkering was great, but still needs a few more in the fairways. Still can't believe the $37 walking rate. A crazy bargain. Can't say it's a must play, but it's certainly worth a visit if you're in the Simi Valley area. 

 

[Argonne69]

Los Robles Greens GC, Thousand Oaks, CA 

 

Tough opening tee shot 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tough tee shot on the long, dogleg par 5 14th 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/4rdkohn5ov1xzp9g3tsha/h?rlkey=8yhl78vct8oqqislpd7ai6dqa&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Nothing open near Los Robles, so back to the usual hangout, Yard House. Something a little different today, a New Holland Dragon's Milk Tales of Gold barrel aged golden ale. I've had their imperial stout, but not this golden ale. Very flavorful.