Arg's Travel Log

[Mullenboy]

8 minutes ago, stevopagolf said:

I've seen regional cuisine quite often Utica greens and Chicken riggies and speedies in NY.  An occasional pizza.  An occasional upscale steak but not overly foodie stuff

Ok cool!  So it's just the southern and central parts of CA he has limited himself to such things.  Here's hoping he does not in Carmel/Monterey.  Neither are famous for BBQ but they are for many other things.  Is wine ever considered?  This is a great place for that also.

[Argonne69]

2 hours ago, Mullenboy said:

I confess I have NOT followed the whole saga.  I followed a little at the start, then didn't for a long time, but have religiously followed since you got to CA.  I know these places and it's fun for me to see your impressions of such.  And you are really great at the pictures and descriptions.

 

So I have a question - and if it's been answered elsewhere, or seems rude, I apologize.

 

Do you ever eat anything but BBQ, burgers or Mexican and drink anything but great beer (in all of its forms)?

 

I ask because... you are now in a culinary capital (Monterey/Carmel) and the possibilities of fantastic food and drink outside of those things is nearly endless.  🙂

 

If I eat out, I usually post the review. Most weeks I'm eating out three days a week, so the favorites of BBQ, burgers, and mole top the list. I've had plenty of pizza, and a few steaks and mac and cheese. The duck club in Charleston was great. 

 

Not a huge fan of seafood, but it looks like there are a couple of English style pubs nearby that have highly rated fish and chips. If you consider that seafood. Lol. 

 

[Mullenboy]

33 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

If I eat out, I usually post the review. Most weeks I'm eating out three days a week, so the favorites of BBQ, burgers, and mole top the list. I've had plenty of pizza, and a few steaks and mac and cheese. The duck club in Charleston was great. 

 

Not a huge fan of seafood, but it looks like there are a couple of English style pubs nearby that have highly rated fish and chips. If you consider that seafood. Lol. 

 

Excellent!

Seafood is the main thing, but there are also lots of fine Italian restaurants in the area.  But I can totally understand if going out for fine dining isn't logistically doable or wanted.

 

While inside the 17 Mile Drive, a great lunch can be had at the Spyglass Grill (more or less their halfway house).  Prime Rib Chili.  MMMMMMMM.  

 

 

[Argonne69]

Very pleasant morning. Got lucky with the weather until the 17th hole when a light rain started falling and got everything wet. It got heavier as I pulled out of the parking lot, so at least I dodged the worst of it. Monterey Pines today. The parkland layout is owned by the Navy, but allows public play. Short layout, but still plenty of challenges. Nice piece of property with some small elevation changes on the front. The back is dead flat. No water in play on the front, but the back has four holes with water. Fairway bunkering was light, but greenside was decent. Five holes with left/right movement helped mix it up. Only minor nit was that the course sits at the end of the Monterey Regional Airport runway, so there's a steady stream of small jets buzzing overhead. 

 

Not overly difficult off the tee with moderately wide fairways and light bunkering. The rough was thick, so minor misses could be played, but extracted a bit of a penalty. Plenty of adjacent holes, so a big miss in the right direction could be found and played. However, miss in the wrong direction on the perimeter holes and it's OB. Turns out Bessie's windshield is facing the 14th green. I hope it's far enough left of the green, but a big high hook could be a problem. Ugh. 

 

Approaches were moderately challenging with decent bunkering and fairly firm greens. Greens had gentle contouring, but some decent slope, so putting was anything but easy. Putts from above the hole were slick. Up and downs from the juicy rough were tough. 

 

The five par 3s were benign. Needed a little more variety in the lengths. The long 13th was the best of the bunch with a forced carry over the corner of a pond. The three 5s were mixed. The 1st and 16th were meh, but the short 18th was tough with water right and very good bunkering. The two short 4s were ho hum. 

 

Conditions were excellent. Probably the most well conditioned military course I've played. A couple of fairways had standing water in spots, but overall they were lush. Rough was thick, but cut to a good height. Bunkers were fantastic with a good amount of well groomed wet sand. Greens were firm and looked fine. Speed was at least 10. 

 

Played the Silver tees (tips) at 5888 yds on the par 70 layout (68.7/117). Decent day ballstriking, and the putter wasn't half bad. Two birdies, five bogies, and a double. Highlight of the round was my playing partner, a retired sailor with a solid game. We had plenty of stories to trade. 

 

Going with 4 cows here. Another nice looking course that could use some additional trouble off the tee, and a few design tweaks. The $56 weekday walking rate was fine, especially when one considers the price tag for most of the courses in the area. Definitely not a must play, but I'd be out there regularly if I was a local. 

 

[Argonne69]

Monterey Pines GC, Monterey, CA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be safe, Bessie. 

 

 

Not something you see on a golf course often 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/v3l6548rl7fxy6qowtm8o/ALF0Ym_vfQYTUulo0v0mNWk?rlkey=3ki2x1vaklbc3vcywgaju3ump&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

On 3/28/2024 at 11:13 AM, Mullenboy said:

Excellent!

Seafood is the main thing, but there are also lots of fine Italian restaurants in the area.  But I can totally understand if going out for fine dining isn't logistically doable or wanted.

 

While inside the 17 Mile Drive, a great lunch can be had at the Spyglass Grill (more or less their halfway house).  Prime Rib Chili.  MMMMMMMM.  

 

 

I had the prime rib chili at Pebble Beach back in 2017. That was some seriously good stuff. 

 

 

Edited March 30 by Argonne69

[DE-ILLINI]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

 

If I eat out, I usually post the review. Most weeks I'm eating out three days a week, so the favorites of BBQ, burgers, and mole top the list. I've had plenty of pizza, and a few steaks and mac and cheese. The duck club in Charleston was great. 

 

Not a huge fan of seafood, but it looks like there are a couple of English style pubs nearby that have highly rated fish and chips. If you consider that seafood. Lol. 

 

Fish and chips count in for me.  If it lived in the sea, it is sea food!

[Mullenboy]

Monterey Pines is another favorite of mine.  It's typically easy to get a tee time - and you can nearly always get a golfnow special for a fee a lot less than $56.  Have you been using golfnow?

 

I like quirky short courses so... no surprise I love it.  Great conditions as you saw.  It can be ego-building also... lots of birdie opprtunities. 🙂

 

As for this... "Highlight of the round was my playing partner, a retired sailor with a solid game. We had plenty of stories to trade. "  I swear I have been paired with that guy also.  Regular - plays nearly every day.

 

I was hoping for 5 cows but... I can live with four.  🙂

 

In any case I'd much rather play Monterey Pines than either Bayonet or Blackhorse and on the whole I think it's a better golf course than PG Muni.  That ought to elicit some blasphemy claims.  🙂

Edited March 28 by Mullenboy

[Argonne69]

12 minutes ago, Mullenboy said:

Monterey Pines is another favorite of mine.  It's typically easy to get a tee time - and you can nearly always get a golfnow special for a fee a lot less than $56.  Have you been using golfnow?

 

I like quirky short courses so... no surprise I love it.  Great conditions as you saw.  It can be ego-building also... lots of birdie opprtunities. 🙂

 

As for this... "Highlight of the round was my playing partner, a retired sailor with a solid game. We had plenty of stories to trade. "  I swear I have been paired with that guy also.  Regular - plays nearly every day.

 

I was hoping for 5 cows but... I can live with four.  🙂

 

In any case I'd much rather play Monterey Pines than either Bayonet or Blackhorse and on the whole I think it's a better golf course than PG Muni.  That ought to elicit some blasphemy claims.  🙂

 

I usually only use GolfNow when I'm looking for a course in an area where I don't have enough courses on my list to fill my tee sheet. As an early morning golfer, I don't think there are many deals on GN. If you don't mind playing later in the morning there are usually some Hot Deals, but I'm not teeing off at 11 am to save a few bucks. 

 

Bayonet and Blackhorse are both on my list for next week. We'll see how they compare. 

 

The guy's name was Mark. Seems to be a regular walker who tees off at 7 am to 7:20 am. The foursome ahead of us were no slouches in the pace area. I think we waited on only one shot all round, and finished in a hair over 3 hours. Good stuff. 

 

[Mullenboy]

All of that is normal for Monterey Pines.  And that Mark sure sounds like the guy I was paired with.  It was a few years ago though.

I also forgot you are always playing as a single... yeah tough to use golfnow for that.  But man we got $25 or less with cart several times there.  Unbeatable deal.

 

Bayonet and Blackhorse are both fine courses.. lots of trouble off the tee at each... each might be very well your cup of tea.  I find the greens to be over-the-top almost as much as the prices, which is saying something.  🙂

[imkirby34]

38 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I usually only use GolfNow when I'm looking for a course in an area where I don't have enough courses on my list to fill my tee sheet. As an early morning golfer, I don't think there are many deals on GN. If you don't mind playing later in the morning there are usually some Hot Deals, but I'm not teeing off at 11 am to save a few bucks. 

 

Bayonet and Blackhorse are both on my list for next week. We'll see how they compare. 

 

The guy's name was Mark. Seems to be a regular walker who tees off at 7 am to 7:20 am. The foursome ahead of us were no slouches in the pace area. I think we waited on only one shot all round, and finished in a hair over 3 hours. Good stuff. 

 

 

I hope most of the home construction is finished at Bayonet/Black Horse.  I was last there about 18 months ago, so I hope it's mostly done by now.

[Argonne69]

Booked Pacific Grove Golf Links for Monday morning. I was hoping to play it on Sunday, but there was nothing available until late morning. I found that odd, because Easter Sunday is generally a quiet day in the morning. Called the course and found out that they have a college tournament that morning. Hopefully the course will be in decent shape on Monday. Given that I drive the ball ~75 yds shorter than the average college player these days, I don't think I have to worry about divot holes. Lol. 

 

I have to keep reminding myself that I'm no longer in SoCal. Sitting outside at Fieldwork again enjoying a nice Russian Imperial Stout, and I'm freezing my behind off. It's 60 degrees and breezy. It won't reach 60 degrees again until Monday. 

 

 

[ThinkingPlus]

22 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Booked Pacific Grove Golf Links for Monday morning. I was hoping to play it on Sunday, but there was nothing available until late morning. I found that odd, because Easter Sunday is generally a quiet day in the morning. Called the course and found out that they have a college tournament that morning. Hopefully the course will be in decent shape on Monday. Given that I drive the ball ~75 yds shorter than the average college player these days, I don't think I have to worry about divot holes. Lol. 

 

I have to keep reminding myself that I'm no longer in SoCal. Sitting outside at Fieldwork again enjoying a nice Russian Imperial Stout, and I'm freezing my behind off. It's 60 degrees and breezy. It won't reach 60 degrees again until Monday. 

 

 

You're lucky it isn't July. You would freeze to death.

[Roc-A-Fella_1]

On 3/16/2024 at 11:42 AM, Argonne69 said:

Fun tee shot on the short par 4 2nd 

 

Is that the back of the tee box or do you have to squeeze your tee shot between those trees? 

[Argonne69]

5 hours ago, Roc-A-Fella_1 said:

Is that the back of the tee box or do you have to squeeze your tee shot between those trees? 

 

I believe I was standing between the tee markers on the back teebox. Squeeze is definitely the right word. It was a short par 4, so an iron or fairway wood off the tee would be plenty.

 

[Argonne69]

Very enjoyable morning. Got lucky again with the weather. The forecast called for showers, but after donning full rain gear, the precipitation stayed away. Heck, even saw a little blue skies near the end of the round. Two groups were kind enough to let me play through, so I had the course to myself after the 9th. 

 

Laguna Seca Golf Ranch today. Another nice piece of property. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Junior and Senior. The course sits in a valley with the pro shop at the high point on the north shelf, and several holes play down and up from the ridge. The back is the better looking half of the course. It's a parkland layout, but the trees are rather sparse. Fairway bunkering was very light. Greenside, however, was quite good. Water in play on just one hole, the par 5 15th. Six holes with left/right movement presented a good challenge, as one had clear the corner to see the green. 

 

Very easy off the tee with generous fairways and light bunkering. Minor misses would catch the generous rough. Plenty of adjacent holes to catch big misses, but of course the perimeter holes had OB lurking. Approaches were very tough, though. Bunkering was solid, and many greens were elevated. Coming in with longer clubs meant coming to a stop in the rough behind the green. Greens were pretty boring with little contouring, and modest slope. Putting was fairly easy except for the slow speeds, which resulted in putts coming up short. Up and downs were tricky with many pitches from well below the putting surface, and fairly juicy rough. 

 

The five par 3s were decent with solid bunkering. Not real lookers, though. Lengths needed more variety. The 17th was a quality short one, but it needs a long one. Par 5s were meh. Nothing reachable. The 15th was a tough hole, however. Fairway ran out at a pond, leaving a downhill lie to hit the 2nd over the water. The 3rd had a forced carry to the shallow green. The sole short par 4 11th was decent. A dogleg right from an elevated tee, it could possibly be driven by cutting the corner, but the green was hidden behind the trees, so I elected to play it safe. 

 

Conditions were generally playable. Fairways had a few iffy patches, but were otherwise decent. Rough was consistent, and a good height. Bunkers were atrocious. Don't think there was any actual sand it them. More wet dirt and rocks. Greens were lightly sanded, wet with morning dew, and slow. 8 maybe. 

 

Played a Black/Blue combo at 6120 yds on the par 71 layout (70.1/126). So so day ballstriking, but thank goodness for the cooperative wedges. One birdie and five bogies. Highlights of the day were the up and downs. Came up short of the green several times, and hit plenty of high lob wedges to within a few feet of the cup. Staying dry was a bonus. 

 

Going with 4 cows again. Nice looking course that could use some teeth off the tee, a risk/reward 5, and another tough short 4. The greens could use some contouring. The $75 weekend walking rate was fine. Not a must play, but worth a visit if you're not planning to drop big bucks on the iconic courses in Monterey. 

 

Edited March 29 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Laguna Seca Golf Ranch, Monterey, CA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/lce0dwai2tsjacbedx4ei/AG2JVuZdn05W0NGXqDZOJ-0?rlkey=lrolbiziprkooavzhx63x9vvq&dl=0

 

[Mullenboy]

Another fine write up and great pics.

 

I've always enjoyed Laguna Seca.  There are some definitely weird holes but 15 alone is worth the price of admission.  Again you as a single are paying more than you possibly could (this is another that nearly always has better deals on golfnow) but yeah, $75 is still kid's stuff compared to the nearby big boys.

 

Bummer about the weather lately.  So it goes.  The forecast is better for Sunday onward.

 

 

[Argonne69]

I was originally planning to take Sunday off, but tomorrow's forecast looks poor with rain off and on most of the day, gusty winds, and chances for hail. Sunday looks much better, so I booked an early morning round at Black Horse. I'll hit Bayonet later in the week. 

 

After a nice hot shower and a short nap, it's off to town. First stop is Dust Bowl Brewing Company. If you like IPAs, this is the place for you. 25 taps with 13 IPAs. Decent Black Blizzard Russian Imperial Stout, but it could use barrel aging. Sitting here watching the rain fall outside. 

 

 

Edited March 29 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Restaurant food prices have gone insane. I know Monterey is a tourist town, but $9 for a cup of chowder, and $23 for fish and chips? 

 

London Bridge Pub. Chowder is tasty. F&C aren't half bad. Feels like an authentic pub. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 29 by Argonne69

[Mullenboy]

Welcome to tourist NorCal.  🙂

 

That being said.. prices in our state are pretty insane all over.  But they are the worst in the tourist areas.  Do NOT go to San Francisco.

[jjr]

I've played every track in Monterey, several dozens of times, I've never played Monterey Pines! Nice write up, it looks to be in good shape and fun.

 

Mullenboy and I tend to disagree somewhat often, I'm a huge fan of Bayonet and  holes 11-15, previously known as Combat Corner, though the holes have changed they are still a good test.

 

I would highly recommend you eat at Casanova's in Carmel, have the Gnocchi's, amazing, I wouldn't stay in town without stopping by!

Edited March 29 by jjr

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

I was originally planning to take Sunday off, but tomorrow's forecast looks poor with rain off and on most of the day, gusty winds, and chances for hail. Sunday looks much better, so I booked an early morning round at Black Horse. I'll hit Bayonet later in the week. 

 

After a nice hot shower and a short nap, it's off to town. First stop is Dust Bowl Brewing Company. If you like IPAs, this is the place for you. 25 taps with 13 IPAs. Decent Black Blizzard Russian Imperial Stout, but it could use barrel aging. Sitting here watching the rain fall outside. 

 

 

Have you played Back Horse or Bayonet yet? There are some doozy cross camber fwys on a few holes you’ll enjoy. They are both a tough but fair tests of golf, except for a couple of the cross camber fwy holes. Looking forward to reading your thoughts. 

[hammergolf]

47 minutes ago, jjr said:

I've played every track in Monterey, several dozens of times, I've never played Monterey Pines! Nice write up, it looks to be in good shape and fun.

 

Mullenboy and I tend to disagree somewhat often, I'm a huge fan of Bayonet and  holes 11-15, previously known as Combat Corner, though the holes have changed they are still a good test.

 

I would highly recommend you eat at Casanova's in Carmel, have the Gnocchi's, amazing, I wouldn't stay in town without stopping by!

I second the suggestion of Casanova’s….

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

Restaurant food prices have gone insane. I know Monterey is a tourist town, but $9 for a cup of chowder, and $23 for fish and chips? 

 

London Bridge Pub. Chowder is tasty. F&C aren't half bad. Feels like an authentic pub. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fish & Chips look good..

[Argonne69]

10 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

Have you played Back Horse or Bayonet yet? There are some doozy cross camber fwys on a few holes you’ll enjoy. They are both a tough but fair tests of golf, except for a couple of the cross camber fwy holes. Looking forward to reading your thoughts. 

 

No, haven't played either. 

 

[hammergolf]

7 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

No, haven't played either. 

 

It’s tough, but right in front of you. #12 is one of my favorite holes but when it’s firm really tough to keep it in the fwy. I think you’ll really like it, but I’ll be interested to hear your opinion.

[Double Mocha Man]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

Restaurant food prices have gone insane. I know Monterey is a tourist town, but $9 for a cup of chowder, and $23 for fish and chips? 

 

Wait until you dine in Carmel.  Gotta do it though... quaint, clever little town.  Clint Eastwood used to be Mayor.  A good tee shot from the beach can reach the 10th hole at Pebble Beach.

[imkirby34]

6 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Very enjoyable morning. Got lucky again with the weather. The forecast called for showers, but after donning full rain gear, the precipitation stayed away. Heck, even saw a little blue skies near the end of the round. Two groups were kind enough to let me play through, so I had the course to myself after the 9th. 

 

Laguna Seca Golf Ranch today. Another nice piece of property. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Junior and Senior. The course sits in a valley with the pro shop at the high point on the north shelf, and several holes play down and up from the ridge. The back is the better looking half of the course. It's a parkland layout, but the trees are rather sparse. Fairway bunkering was very light. Greenside, however, was quite good. Water in play on just one hole, the par 5 15th. Six holes with left/right movement presented a good challenge, as one had clear the corner to see the green. 

 

Very easy off the tee with generous fairways and light bunkering. Minor misses would catch the generous rough. Plenty of adjacent holes to catch big misses, but of course the perimeter holes had OB lurking. Approaches were very tough, though. Bunkering was solid, and many greens were elevated. Coming in with longer clubs meant coming to a stop in the rough behind the green. Greens were pretty boring with little contouring, and modest slope. Putting was fairly easy except for the slow speeds, which resulted in putts coming up short. Up and downs were tricky with many pitches from well below the putting surface, and fairly juicy rough. 

 

The five par 3s were decent with solid bunkering. Not real lookers, though. Lengths needed more variety. The 17th was a quality short one, but it needs a long one. Par 5s were meh. Nothing reachable. The 15th was a tough hole, however. Fairway ran out at a pond, leaving a downhill lie to hit the 2nd over the water. The 3rd had a forced carry to the shallow green. The sole short par 4 11th was decent. A dogleg right from an elevated tee, it could possibly be driven by cutting the corner, but the green was hidden behind the trees, so I elected to play it safe. 

 

Conditions were generally playable. Fairways had a few iffy patches, but were otherwise decent. Rough was consistent, and a good height. Bunkers were atrocious. Don't think there was any actual sand it them. More wet dirt and rocks. Greens were lightly sanded, wet with morning dew, and slow. 8 maybe. 

 

Played a Black/Blue combo at 6120 yds on the par 71 layout (70.1/126). So so day ballstriking, but thank goodness for the cooperative wedges. One birdie and five bogies. Highlights of the day were the up and downs. Came up short of the green several times, and hit plenty of high lob wedges to within a few feet of the cup. Staying dry was a bonus. 

 

Going with 4 cows again. Nice looking course that could use some teeth off the tee, a risk/reward 5, and another tough short 4. The greens could use some contouring. The $75 weekend walking rate was fine. Not a must play, but worth a visit if you're not planning to drop big bucks on the iconic courses in Monterey. 

 

 

Great write-up as usual!  Much appreciated since I haven't played there, but will in late-April for a tournament.

[Argonne69]

2 hours ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

Wait until you dine in Carmel.  Gotta do it though... quaint, clever little town.  Clint Eastwood used to be Mayor.  A good tee shot from the beach can reach the 10th hole at Pebble Beach.

 

I visited back in 2017. Fun place. Hoping to grab dinner there tomorrow.