Arg's Travel Log

[StoutKing]

4 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Gorgeous morning. First time in ages that I didn't have to wear a wind vest on the opening holes. Unfortunately the course was meh. Dragonfly GC today. While there are trees in play on a few holes, it's more a prairie style layout than parkland. Very flat with minimal mounding. I guess the course's claim to fame is that it's the longest course in California at 7798 yds from the "Way-Back" tees. I laughed every time I walked by them with their "W B" logo on the tee marker as it reminded me of Mr. Peabody's Wayback Machine, and Jack Brickhouse, the old hall of fame announcer for the Chicago Cubs, who would yell, "Way back, back, back, home run! Hey! Hey!" whenever the Cubs would hit one out of Wrigley Field. 

 

Anyway, if you like long courses then you'll enjoy it, otherwise I thought it was bland. Highlight of the day was enjoying the views of the snow capped Sierra Nevada Mountains off in the distance. Fairway bunkering was decent on a few holes, but generally light. Greenside wasn't a lot better. Water in play on six holes. Eight holes with left/right movement, but with few trees positioning wasn't all that important. 

 

Very easy off the tee with very generous fairways. There's really no rough on the course, so even "minor misses" would still be in the short grass. Big misses would have to be huge to find the native areas. Approaches were easy, as greens were lightly guarded and moderate in size. Most were at fairway height, so one could easily run a ball up. Greens were fairly boring with gentle contouring and slope. Putting was only made difficult because the greens were dog slow and bumpy, having been aerated 10 days ago. Up and downs were straightforward given that there was no rough around the greens. The collars were in horrible shape, so I was forced to chip most of the time instead of using a Texas wedge. 

 

Par 3s were meh. The 16th was the best of the bunch with a forced carry over a pond. The five par 5s were mixed. The 6th and short 13th were very good risk/reward holes with plenty of trouble near the green. The 13th was fronted by a pond. The 18th was reachable, but not a lot of risk. Short 4s were meh. 

 

Conditions were mixed. Fairways had a few iffy patches, but were generally good. Bunkers had plenty of compacted sand and a few too many rocks. Needed a proper grooming. Greens were barely playable. Bumpy and rolling 8 at best. Maybe 7. 

 

Played the Way-Back tees at 7798 yds on the par 73 layout (76.9/140). Lol. Just kidding. White tees at 6202 yds (69.9/120) was more up my alley. With fairways that are nearly impossible to miss, I'd say I had a good day driving the ball. Irons and wedges were solid. Had numerous good looks at birdie, but it was like putting on gravel. One birdie and four bogies. 

 

I'll be nice and go with 4 cows, but only because the course had two risk/reward 5s. Otherwise it was a real snoozer. I bet it's got teeth if the wind is blowing with nothing to block it. Definitely enjoyed looking out at the mountains. A little too early in the season to hike them, though. No walking rate, but the $65 weekday senior rate was fine. Could use drinking water on the course. Can't really recommend this one. Playable, and certainly not a goat track, but little to get excited about. 

 

Dang I thought you would enjoy it more than that.  At least it's pretty out there.

[Argonne69]

Dragonfly GC, Madera, CA. Not sure I'd consider it Madera, as it's 15 miles east of CA-99. 

 

 

 

 

 

To stretch the course to close to 8000 yds, they really had to get creative with some of the WB teeboxes. The 10th is located near the 9th green with a carry over the entrance road. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/lz1r58l3hgilbpq8ediyk/AKBRXi_YAoJhwi3LPtvg0cM?rlkey=1zwlj6kkbt0mju2qhzldmjqdg&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

5 minutes ago, StoutKing said:

Dang I thought you would enjoy it more than that.  At least it's pretty out there.

 

Very pretty out there, but they need to move a lot more dirt, especially the green complexes. 

 

[Argonne69]

Disappointimg day on the brewpub front as well. No breweries in Madera. I was open to driving 20 minutes south to Fresno, but almost all brewpubs were closed until late afternoon. A couple that were open had meh tap lists. Might head into Merced later. Looks like there's a brewery that might do the trick. 

 

[Mullenboy]

Huh.  I sure remember Dragonfly differently.  But it's been many years.  Anyway I too thought Arg would enjoy it more.  Oh well.

 

Do they really claim to be the longest course in CA?  That's not even close to true.  There's one quite near where you were last staying that tips out over 8000.  There have to be many others over 7800.  Strange.

 

Good luck in Merced.  😉

[Lobby]

“…water in play on six holes…”

 

How in the world do you remember that?  I couldn’t tell you how many holes have water on them on the courses I regularly play

 

:-)

[Argonne69]

1 hour ago, Lobby said:

“…water in play on six holes…”

 

How in the world do you remember that?  I couldn’t tell you how many holes have water on them on the courses I regularly play

 

🙂

 

Lol. I make notes on the scorecard for water holes (e.g. W2, water on 2nd shot), left and/or right movement (L/R/S/Z), forced carries (FC), and risk reward (RRT, RR2). 

 

Of course it's a lot easier if the course has a nice, detailed map of the layout on the scorecard. 

 

Edited April 10 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

It's out of the way places like this that I continue to take chances with, as one never knows when I'll strike gold. Sugar Ray's BBQ in Chowchilla. Mighty fine Q. 

 

The brisket was excellent, fatty and tender. Not going to go head to head with the best from Austin, but certainly better than average. The ribs were meaty and tender. I don't recall the last time I had pork ribs with that much meat on the bone. When I looked down I thought they had given me 6 small bones. The hot link was just that, hot. Very juicy and a real kick. Mac and cheese was delicious. The apple slaw was very tasty, some of the best in recent memory. Heck, even the garlic bread was good. Sweet sauce was decent. 

 

As a bonus there was a lot of food there for $30. I barely ate half, and the leftovers will be a full dinner tomorrow. Most of the 3 meat platters I've had recently are single meal servings. Definitely recommended if you're passing by on CA-99. 

 

 

 

Edited April 10 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Lol. I usually stop for BBQ after hitting a brewpub, but today's schedule was a little wack. Almost headed back to the RV park, as I was stuffed. Glad I made the drive to Merced. The Tiago Sequoia Merced Taproom has 28 taps with a decent selection, but the four imperial stouts caught my eye. Enjoying a flight consisting of their Midnight Lightning, Midnight Lightning w/ Toasted Almonds and Coco Nibs, Barrel Aged Midnight Rush 19', and '22 BA Rye Gigawatts. 

 

 

Edited April 10 by Argonne69

[aloha b.]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

It's out of the way places like this that I continue to take chances with, as one never knows when I'll strike gold. Sugar Ray's BBQ in Chowchilla. Mighty fine Q. 

 

The brisket was excellent, fatty and tender. Not going to go head to head with the best from Austin, but certainly better than average. The ribs were meaty and tender. I don't recall the last time I had pork ribs with that much meat on the bone. When I looked down I thought they had given me 6 small bones. The hot link was just that, hot. Very juicy and a real kick. Mac and cheese was delicious. The apple slaw was very tasty, some of the best in recent memory. Heck, even the garlic bread was good. Sweet sauce was decent. 

 

As a bonus there was a lot of food there for $30. I barely ate half, and the leftovers will be a full dinner tomorrow. Most of the 3 meat platters I've had recently are single meal servings. Definitely recommended if you're passing by on CA-99. 

 

 

 

That looks really good and it’s making me hungry.😋

[StoutKing]

7 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Very pretty out there, but they need to move a lot more dirt, especially the green complexes. 

 

Did you see Bryson's personal shaded area on the range?  Yes, they said it's for him.

 

Have you been or are you going to Sequoia NP?  Pretty cool IMO.

[Argonne69]

9 hours ago, StoutKing said:

Did you see Bryson's personal shaded area on the range?  Yes, they said it's for him.

 

Have you been or are you going to Sequoia NP?  Pretty cool IMO.

 

Didn't see his personal shaded area, but the range and putting green has several small canopies. It must get very hot there in the summer. I've seen many large, rolling canopies on ranges before, but not small ones like these.

 

Yeah, I visited Sequoia and Yosemite NPs years ago. Beautiful places.

 

[Argonne69]

Lovely day. Sunny skies and quite warm for an early morning tee time. Pheasant Run GC today. After driving 115 miles yesterday, it was nice to have a course adjacent to the RV park. Not much of a course, though. The greens fee was included in the price of the RV, so at least it was cheap. Lol. The housing development layout felt like a Florida course, flat with plenty of palm trees and ponds. No alligators that I could see, however. The front nine wasn't all that bad looking, and had a few interesting holes, but the back was rather bland other than the finishing hole. Fairway bunkering was very light. Greenside was decent. Water in play on 10 holes. With only 3 gentle sweepers, it was more than a bit monotonous. 

 

Fairly easy off the tee with generous fairways and light bunkering. The rough was cut quite low, so minor misses were no problem unless you rolled one into a lateral pond. The homes were set back quite a way, so a big miss would have to be really big to find the OB stakes approaches were a bit tougher with a number of small greens with decent bunkering. The greens on the front had some character with moderate contouring and slope, but the back ones were rather boring. Curious if the course started out as a nine hole layout. Putting was moderately difficult. Up and downs were fairly straight if you missed in the right spot. Still plenty of opportunities to shortside yourself, and with closely mown rough the lies could be tight. 

 

Par 3s were mixed. The 4th and 11th were solid with forced carries over water. The other two were meh. Yardages were poor, as all basically played the same short iron distance. Other than the 18th, the par 5s were meh. The 1st and 9th were reachable, but little risk on the 1st, and only moderate risk on the 9th. The short 18th was a true risk reward hole with an island green. No short 4s. 

 

Conditions were playable. Fairways had quite a few iffy areas. Rough was cut very low. Past the rough was hardpan dirt. Bunkers were very nice with plenty of well groomed wet sand. Greens looked fine, and were rolling nicely, but the early morning dew didn't want to burn off. Might have been 9.5. 

 

Played the fairly long White tees at 6405 yds (71.4/123). With short par 3s and 5s, the 4s played very long. One birdie and six bogies. Highlight of the round was a nice 27' birdie putt on the 5th. Also had another 27' par putt on the 15th. Lowlight was the covid golfer blasting music from his cart who let me play through on the 10th while he sat under a tree looking at his phone, but then skipped the par 3 11th while I was on the green, and proceeded to make me wait for the next few shots until he finally got ahead. Oy. If you're going to skip ahead, get far enough ahead to avoid holding up the players behind you. 

 

Going with 3 cows here. Playable, but forgettable. Not terribly difficult unless you're wild off the tee. Would like to see a little more risk on the short 5s, and a couple of short 4s. The regular walking rate is $42, which is about right. Convenient if you're staying at the RV park, but otherwise it can safely be skipped. 

 

[Argonne69]

Pheasant Run GC, Chowchilla, CA 

 

 

The par 4 2nd is a beast playing 484 from the tips 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go or no-go on the par 5 18th 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/pqt3le9x1czv1f5i5gnxx/AJFs74-KtSmzVu89dxrmfTA?rlkey=lfvd154qca742q1p1jsoymg6q&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Quiet afternoon. Nice hot shower after the round. Followed that with a nice nap. Whether a course is flat or hilly, walking takes its toll on the body. A good 30 minute nap recharges the body. After taking care of a few todos online, I plopped in the recliner to watch the Masters. Honestly, not quite the same when it's 80 degrees outside. Back in Chicago the Masters was officially the start of Spring. For the past 3+ months in California it's felt like Spring nearly every day. 

 

Enjoying a Bosque Brewing Scotia Scotch Ale. I believe I picked up a 4-pack in Santa Fe. Tasty alternative to a Belgian or an imperial stout. 

 

[Argonne69]

Pleasant morning. Almost a repeat of yesterday. Madera Municipal today. Ho hum. Typical flat, scruffy, parkland muni surrounded by farms. Probably started life as an orange orchard. Don't think there was more than 3 feet of elevation change on the course. Unlike Pheasant Run yesterday, at least there were no homes on the layout. Water on 7 holes, but realistically it was in play on only 4 of them. Two gentle sweepers and one dogleg didn't help break up the back and forth monotony. Fairway bunkering was almost nonexistent. Maybe four on the entire course? Greenside was a bit better. 

 

Very easy off the tee with generous fairways. The rough was very light and patchy, so minor misses were no issue unless you caught a bad break and found yourself begins a patch of weeds. The front nine played clockwise around the perimeter, so big misses left could find OB. Right misses would find the sparse trees or adjacent hole. Plenty of bare areas between the holes, so you might be hitting off of hardpan. Approaches from the flat lies were straightforward with only a few well guarded greens. Greens were actually decent with a modest amount of contouring and slope. Putting wasn't easy, but it also wouldn't get your heart rate up. Up and downs were fairly easy from the light rough. 

 

Par 3s were boring. Little variety in length with all playing mid iron. 5s were much better. The dogleg 17th was halfway decent with a pond and a couple of trees on the inside corner. Get aggressive on the inside corner and the green might be reachable. The sole short 4 was meh. 

 

Conditions were scruffy, but playable. Fairways had a number of iffy areas. Rough was cut low, but was patchy with plenty of weeds. Bunkers we're decent with just enough groomed sand. Greens were very good other than the large number of unrepaired or poorly repaired ball marks. Sigh. Nice to see nice greens at a cheap muni, but the players have to do their part. Speed was a good 10. 

 

Played the White tees at 6355 yds (70.5/119). Spotty day with the driver. I've been experimenting with a weaker grip to try to cure the low lefts, and I'm sending a few too many straight out to the right. Guess I have to start aiming down the middle. Lol. Irons were spotty. Two birdies and six bogies. Highlight was finally getting a couple of putts to drop late in the round. 

 

Another 3 cow course. Playable, but also forgettable. Needs the usual design improvements. The $33 walking rate was perfect. Skip this and head east to Dragonfly. 

 

[Argonne69]

Madera Municipal GC, Madera, CA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/pm0goxlf7aa89ytnml01b/AOLB-zQ4jMJPTB-lBDiJ-W8?rlkey=e8x90u3nbdgahhspl2t8rbgnj&dl=0

 

Edited April 12 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Not a lot of options in Madera for brewpubs, and don't feel like driving 25 miles southeast to Fresno, so it's a Modern Times Black House coffee stout at The Tap House. It's not an imperial, but it's not bad. The place is more of a pizza place than a taproom with 15 taps. 

 

 

Decided to try the pizza. Lol. Wish I hadn't. OK, but probably a notch better than Pizza Hut. Crust was soggy, and the sauce tasted like it came pre-made out of a can. 

 

 

Edited April 12 by Argonne69

[carrera]

Enjoying the journey.  Can I ask as a late-50's guy....does your golf walking offset the cumulative effects of BBQ, pizza...imperial stouts...etc?   I assume so, but just wanted to ask.

[Bonneville85308]

6 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Decided to try the pizza. Lol. Wish I hadn't. OK, but probably a notch better than Pizza Hut. Crust was soggy, and the sauce tasted like it came pre-made out of a can. 

 

 

 

I see they have patterned the outer edges of their crust to match the modern style of frilly-edged bunkers at such famous courses as LACC and Sand Hills...🤣

[Argonne69]

1 hour ago, carrera said:

Enjoying the journey.  Can I ask as a late-50's guy....does your golf walking offset the cumulative effects of BBQ, pizza...imperial stouts...etc?   I assume so, but just wanted to ask.

 

Lol. Yeah, I'm actually ahead of the game. I continue to lose weight, albeit very slowly. Probably a quarter to a half pound a month. Since retiring in November 2019, I've lost over 45 pounds. Walking over 900 rounds since then has been a huge part, but cutting out the daily fast food lunches has been a bigger factor. 

 

What you don't see are the nights when it's a salad, a sandwich, or a small Lean Cuisine. If I was downing large meals every day I'd be packing on the pounds. 

 

Edited April 13 by Argonne69

[eboettne]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Lol. Yeah, I'm actually ahead of the game. I continue to lose weight, albeit very slowly. Probably a quarter to a half pound a month. Since retiring in November 2019, I've lost over 45 pounds. Walking over 900 rounds since then has been a huge part, but cutting out the daily fast food lunches has been a bigger factor. 

 

What you don't see are the nights when it's a salad, a sandwich, or a small Lean Cuisine. If I was downing large meals every day I'd be packing on the pounds. 

 

 

The death defying hikes probably don't hurt either

[Argonne69]

10 hours ago, eboettne said:

 

The death defying hikes probably don't hurt either

 

It's been a while. I believe Yuma back in January was the last decent climb. Looking forward to better hiking when I hit Utah in May.

 

[Argonne69]

Uneventful drive south to Bakersfield today. Only interesting thing along the way was the large elevated concrete structures just off the highway. Didn't know what they were at first, but then I realized that they're sections of the California High Speed rail line being built. Don't think it'll ever be finished, but it would be cool to ride actual high speed rail in the U.S. from Los Angeles to San Francisco. I believe the current plan has it starting in Bakersfield, and then one would have to take a local train into Union Station. 

 

One doesn't quite get the sense for the amount of agriculture in the state until one drives through the valley. The state has 23.8 million acres in operation. There are 515,000 acres of rice grown in the state, nearly double the acreage of tomotoes. By comparison Illinois has 26 millions acres. 

 

It's very windy, but luckily it was a headwind for the most part. As I got closer to town the visibility was poor, as the wind was kicking up quite the dust storm. Sitting inside Bessie with the living room slide in. With winds this strong I don't want to risk damaging the topper on the slide. Hopefully the wind dies down later. 

 

I was going to record the Masters and watch it later, but the crummy Dish satellite doesn't have CBS in the local channel lineup. Grrr. Currently watching it live using the over the air antenna, but no option to record. 

 

Small RV park along the Kern River. Crushed gravel might be messy if we get the rain later today and tomorrow as forecast. Nice pull through site meant not having to back in. 

 

Probably head out in a while for a drink and an early dinner. 

 

 

Edited April 13 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Figured out the issue with the Dish satellite, so I was able to start recording the Masters on the local CBS station and head out for a beer. Turns out the brewery has the tournament on the big TV behind the bar, so I get to enjoy a beer and golf. My lucky day. Lol. 

 

I turned 61 today, so I'm celebrating. Lol. Enjoying a tasty Belgian Tripel at Tremblor Brewing. 21 beers on tap with the usual suspects. 

 

 

Edited April 13 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

I don't have a tee time tomorrow morning, as the course I might play, Buena Vista, doesn't book singles. Probably for the best, as the weather looks iffy. I'll check the radar in the morning and make the call. 

 

I was planning to play Kern River, but they have a tournament in the morning, and are booked until mid afternoon. Monday is also out as they have league play until late morning. Booked Riverlakes Ranch. 

 

[hammergolf]

9 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Figured out the issue with the Dish satellite, so I was able to start recording the Masters on the local CBS station and head out for a beer. Turns out the brewery has the tournament on the big TV behind the bar, so I get to enjoy a beer and golf. My lucky day. Lol. 

 

I turned 61 today, so I'm celebrating. Lol. Enjoying a tasty Belgian Tripel at Tremblor Brewing. 21 beers on tap with the usual suspects. 

 

 

Happy birfday Arg! 

[StoutKing]

Happy birthday Arg.  And sorry for the weather when in Cali.  Probably the coldest winter since I've been here.  Should be good from here out though.

[Double Mocha Man]

Happy Birthday Mr. Argonne.  You're going to have to find a good and thick stout they can put some birthday candles on!

[aloha b.]

Happy Birthday Arg.! 🎂 🥂 🍺