Arg's Travel Log

[highhdcp]

Is Thanksgiving GC a Johnny Miller designed course? His courses are usually quite challenging 

[Argonne69]

8 minutes ago, highhdcp said:

Is Thanksgiving GC a Johnny Miller designed course? His courses are usually quite challenging 

 

Yes, it's a Johnny Miller Signature design. 

 

[Argonne69]

Bummer. Quick tour of SLC, but sadly Union Pacific Depot is closed for renovation. I recall the interior having beautiful murals on the walls. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20 minute wait in the middle of the afternoon. Must be a good sign. 

 

 

Edited June 1 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Well, that was certainly worth the wait. Red Iguana is the #1 rated Mexican restaurant in the area, and I can see why. If you're a fan of mole, it's definitely the place to go. With six available, there's plenty of options. They were kind enough to allow me to choose two, so I went with their signature Coloradito, a sweeter sauce, and the Negro, a spicier sauce. Both were excellent. The pollo was juicy and tender. Can't skip this one, but expect a wait. 

 

 

[TomRUtah]

The Red Iguana is so good.  And Red Iguana 2 is about two blocks away to help ease the lines.  Besides mole, the Puntas de Filete a la Norteña is one of my favorites. 

[Argonne69]

8 hours ago, TomRUtah said:

The Red Iguana is so good.  And Red Iguana 2 is about two blocks away to help ease the lines.  Besides mole, the Puntas de Filete a la Norteña is one of my favorites. 

 

How's the mole at Blue Iguana?

 

[TomRUtah]

4 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

How's the mole at Blue Iguana?

 

It's been a while since I was there, but I remember the food being excellent.  They gave us a sample of their mole sauces to try before we ordered.

[Argonne69]

A very enjoyable morning. A few more clouds than I'd like, but the sun peeked out now and again. Bountiful Ridge today. Very nice looking parkland layout built into the side of a hill. Nice views of the valley to the north and northwest. While most of the holes are perpendicular to the slope of the hill, there were still plenty of elevation changes on the hilly terrain. Fairway bunkering was very light. Greenside was a tad better. Water in play on just 3 holes. Four holes had minor left/right movement, but the short par 4 8th was a dogleg. 

 

Very easy off the tee with wide fairways and light bunkering. There were a couple of holes where the slope of the fairway could kick your ball into the rough. Minor misses would catch the thick rough. Big misses could generally be found and played from the trees, or from an adjacent fairway. Approaches were straightforward. Greens were decent in size and lightly guarded. The greens had minor contouring, but quite a bit of slope. One would think that the holes would play towards the valley, but many holes played towards the hill, regardless of what your eyes were telling you. Tough greens to read. Up and downs were moderately difficult. In addition to the slope on the greens, there were plenty of uneven lies from the thick rough. 

 

Par 3s were meh. Tough, but not much to look at. All four were long. The three 5s were no better. All three shot holes. The 18th was the best of the bunch, as the layup was down in a depression with the shallow elevated green guarded by a PA behind it. The two short 4s were decent. A long hitter might be able to drive the dogleg 8th by cutting the corner, but it was a blind shot with water in play. 

 

Other than the bunkers, conditions were very good. Fairways had few blemishes. Rough was thick, but cut to a good height. Bunkers were near hard pan and in desperate need of sand. Greens looked and rolled great. If you could find a flat spot they were probably 8, but played much quicker on the slopes. 

 

Played a Blue/White combo at 6350 yds on the par 71 layout (70.2/133). Solid day ballstriking, but got clobbered by the greens. By the final hole I could still not figure out the breaks. I had more three putts today than in the last week combined. One birdie and eight bogies. Highlight of the round was my three local playing partners. Great guys. Two had seriously good games, and turns out that they caddie part time for the Epson Tour when they're playing in the area. 

 

5 cows. Beautiful looking parkland layout, but the design needs the usual tweaks. More bunkers, a short and medium length par 3, and a risk/reward par 5. The $42 weekend walking rate was spot on. Certainly not a must play, but if you like hilly parkland layouts with tough greens, it will do nicely. 

 

[Argonne69]

Bountiful Ridge GC, Bountiful, UT 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/9hsucvos4hep2281fjx3p/AKtF2YK4U765tgmJrZZ44SA?rlkey=zqpmxgkrhoyoez5jrq98aek9v&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Short drive to Ogden tomorrow. Hoping for a little less stress than the short drive from Provo to SLC. 

 

I have rounds booked at Hubbard Memorial on Tuesday, and Wolf Creek Resort on Wednesday. 

 

Hoping to play Valley View on Thursday, but it's yet another course with a restrictive single booking policy. Singles can only book 48 hours in advance. Hopefully there's an early morning tee time available. 

 

Enjoyed the afternoon watching the USWO with an Epic Brewing Big Bad Baptist Brew Master's Keep imperial stout in hand. 

 

 

Edited June 3 by Argonne69

[Double Mocha Man]

3 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Enjoyed the afternoon watching the USWO with an Epic Brewing Big Bad Baptist Brew Master's Keep imperial stout in hand. 

 

You know, there should be a law that keeps beer names to 3 words or less...

[Argonne69]

Uneventful 45 minute drive to Ogden this morning. Well, except for that expansion joint that shook Bessie to the core. I really do prefer asphalt roads, as they don't have the same problems with uneven joints. 

 

Sitting here listening to fighter jets from nearby Hill AFB buzz overhead. Nice RV park, but very noisy. In addition to the jets, the park is adjacent to I-84, and there's railroad tracks just north. Hopefully it's a little quieter in the evening. 

 

 

 

Booked an RV park in Carey, ID for mid-June. It's approximately half way between Boise and Idaho Falls. That'll save me the nearly 5 hour drive between the two cities. I'll play a round at a local course and visit Craters of the Moon National Monument. 

 

[TomRUtah]

Check out the Hill Aerospace Museum if you have the time. 

[zer0]

On 6/1/2024 at 4:37 PM, Argonne69 said:

Well, that was certainly worth the wait. Red Iguana is the #1 rated Mexican restaurant in the area, and I can see why. If you're a fan of mole, it's definitely the place to go. With six available, there's plenty of options. They were kind enough to allow me to choose two, so I went with their signature Coloradito, a sweeter sauce, and the Negro, a spicier sauce. Both were excellent. The pollo was juicy and tender. Can't skip this one, but expect a wait. 

 

 

 

I'm a sucker for the mole negro.   That plate looks fantastic.   What is under that sauce?  Is that just bone in chicken or is it something else?    

[Argonne69]

28 minutes ago, zer0 said:

 

I'm a sucker for the mole negro.   That plate looks fantastic.   What is under that sauce?  Is that just bone in chicken or is it something else?    

 

Juicy boneless chicken.

 

[Argonne69]

Wonderful morning. Pleasant temps, plenty of sunshine, and light winds. Big thanks to @TomRUtahfor hosting me at Hubbard Memorial, located on Hill AFB. The conversation was great, even if the quality of golf was not. Lol. Hubbard reminded me a lot of Bountiful Ridge. Not quite as hilly, but the parkland layout still had plenty of elevation changes. Bunkering was very light. Water in play on just one hole. Four holes with gentle left/right movement. I've played a handful of courses on military bases, and the conditions here were tops.

 

With light bunkering and somewhat generous fairways it was fairly easy off the tee. A handful of holes had side slope, so a decent drive could find the rough. Minor misses would catch the generous rough, where you might have a little tree trouble. Big misses would likely find an adjacent fairway, or trees. The trees had been thinned out, so balls could still be found and put back into play. Greens were a good size and lightly guarded, so approaches were straightforward. A couple had front bunkers that had to be avoided. Similar to Bountiful Ridge, the greens had gentle contouring, but plenty of slope. Once again ate my me alive. Putting was tough. Up and downs were no easier from the thick rough. 

 

Par 3s were benign. Nice mix of lengths, though. Par 5s were meh except for the short sweeper 5th. A good risk reward hole with a pond pinching the fairway on the inside corner. Risk taking the shorter route and it could be reached in two. The pair of of short 4s were snoozers. 

 

Conditions were excellent. Fairways were lush. Rough was thick but cut to a good height. Bunkers were nicely groomed and had a decent amount of sand. Greens looked spotless and were rolling just shy of 10. 

 

Played the White tees at 6445 yds (69.8/112). Ugh. Simply awful round. I tweaked my back yesterday, but can't use that as an excuse, as my ballstriking wasn't all that bad. Short game was a dumpster fire. Wedges were awful, and I simply couldn't figure out the greens. Three putt city again. One birdie, seven bogies, and three doubles. Highlight of the round was teeing it up with a fellow WRXer. That never gets old, as we had plenty to talk about when we weren't three putting. Lol. The birdie on the par 3 3rd was pretty sweet. The ball danced around the cup before coming to rest 18 inches from the cup. 

 

Going with 5 cows here. Another nice looking parkland layout that could use some additional bunkering. The $30 walking rate was sweet. If you like military aircraft, it has the added bonus of watching a steady stream of F-35s take off, land, and fly over the course. Wow, they're loud. Lol. 

 

[Argonne69]

Hubbard Memorial GC, Hill Air Force Base, UT (#10 Start) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/5zoq3p9f5lplzmyncj8xl/AAqEa3VL8rXEktFe4q-nyeA?rlkey=7k7smyjh2dl2fsstvjbifmsik&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Something a little different today. Short visit to the Hill Aerospace Museum. Not as big as the one in Tucson, but a very nice collection nonetheless. Worth a visit if you're an aviation buff. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/m9kqzngxry4t4crw1u8gx/AIvWfMHZhfxQo-0Bj3ZBbKk?rlkey=2aspw1bf0i5428utnus1pp1bj&dl=0

 

[TomRUtah]

I had a great time @Argonne69.  Thanks for teaching me the importance of lag putting.  I've got serious work to do. lol.  Hoping your back settles down before your next round. 

[Argonne69]

Simply gorgeous morning. Nice day for a walk. Unfortunately the back was no better, and it was a bit of a struggle. The pinched sciatic nerve was send shooting pains down my right thigh. Ugh. Nice to be out, though. 

 

Wolf Creek Resort in Eden today. Not to be confused with WC in Mesquite. Lol. Decent piece of property, especially the front nine, but they did little with it. Almost seems that the two nines were designed/built at different times. The prairie style front had rolling hills, and a handful of interesting greens. The back played down into a low area, and other than the teeshot on the 10th, and the elevated green back up near the clubhouse on the 18th, it was pretty flat. I guess the 11th and 12th had a slight change of elevation. The back's greens were boring as sin. Fairway bunkering was very light. Greenside was decent on the front, but very light on the back. Water in play on seven holes, but a few of these were a small stream crossing the fairway. Only 3 holes with minor left/right movement. 

 

Very easy off the tee with generous fairways. The teeshot on the opening hole had a short forced carry over the junk, but otherwise it was stress free. Minor misses would catch the generous rough. Big misses would find the native areas on the front, and OB on the back with homes lining several holes. Approaches were tough on the front. The well guarded greens weren't overly large, and several had some fun shapes with tucked pins. Approaches on the back were easy with little bunkering and big, round greens. Greens had very little contouring, and most had little slope. A handful did have some decent slope, but overall putting was fairly straightforward if one could get the ball to the hole. Up and downs were fairly easy with light rough and a number of closely mown areas. 

 

The five par 5s were mixed. The three on the front were very good with a pair having a forced carry over a pond, and the 6th having a club drop to a small green. The pair on the back were meh. Could use a short one. The three fives were meh. The 2nd could be reached in two with a good drive, but not much risk other than a shallow bunker. No short 4s. The 18th was a tough finishing hole with the elevated green that had a surprising amount of slope. 

 

Conditions were mixed. They gave the course a thorough soaking this morning, so fairways were soft and rollout was minimal. Rough was thick, but cut to a good height. Bunkers were in dire need of sand, and many had small ponds in them from the watering. Greens were still healing from an aeration, and were still bumpy, and dog slow. 8 would be a stretch. 

 

Played the Blue tees at 6399 yds on the par 71 layout (70.8/136). Similar to yesterday, I had a reasonable day ballstriking, but the short game was again MIA. Biggest problem was that I couldn't get the ball to the hole on the shaggy greens. Left several downhill putts 6 feet short. Chips weren't much better. Ugh. If I took a big enough backswing, I couldn't keep it on my line. One birdie, eight bogies, and a double. Highlight of the day was actually the drive to and from the course on a twisty road through a narrow canyon with a fast moving stream. Very pretty. Golfwise the gold star was awarded for getting the ball to the hole on the par 3 16th for the sole birdie. 

 

4 cows here. Boring resort course. The views of the valley and the mountains are very nice, but the design is a snooze. A couple of memorable holes, but much more meh. Needs bunkering, a good risk/reward par 5, and at least one short 4. Drinking water on the course would have been nice. The $48 weekday walking rate was very good. Can't see this one going for double the price. Playable, but it can be skipped. 

 

[Argonne69]

Wolf Creek Resort, Eden, UT 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 7th is probably the best looking hole on the layout 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/vncx06oz4qvdsusxpamse/AGw5RTnR7VFawIv-YoUaxWI?rlkey=f6r4nsk7itqwlr5kp242dph89&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Lol. OK, this makes me feel better. Uber big thanks for the recommendation, @TomRUtah. Slackwater Pizza in Ogden. It doesn't show up on a Google Maps search for "brewpubs", but it's a winner. 28 taps if you like the low ABV stuff, but they've got an incredible selection of the good stuff in bottles, including Belgian tripels and strongs, imperial stouts, and IPAs for the fans of hoppy brews. Starting with an incredibly flavorful Red Rock Brewery (SLC) Marvella Belgian Tripel. One of the imperial stouts is very likely on deck. Definitely going to drop by tomorrow. Umm, and Friday. Lol. 

 

 

Since one has to order food at a restaurant in Utah, the Mulligatawany soup is excellent. Yellow curry cream soup with roasted chicken, Granny Smith apples, carrots, celery, and onions. It pays delicious homage to Seinfeld’s famous soup episode. 

 

 

Edited June 5 by Argonne69

[CDM]

19 hours ago, TomRUtah said:

I had a great time @Argonne69.  Thanks for teaching me the importance of lag putting.  I've got serious work to do. lol.  Hoping your back settles down before your next round. 

 

@TomRUtah are you saying he pulled the "back issue" on you........he did that to me also   🙄    JK  @Argonne69

 

Have to admit @Argonne69 did putt well when we played.  He did not have a 3 putt all day and the greens are known to be a bit difficult. 

[TomRUtah]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

Lol. OK, this makes me feel better. Uber big thanks for the recommendation, @TomRUtah. Slackwater Pizza in Ogden. It doesn't show up on a Google Maps search for "brewpubs", but it's a winner. 28 taps if you like the low ABV stuff, but they've got an incredible selection of the good stuff in bottles, including Belgian tripels and strongs, imperial stouts, and IPAs for the fans of hoppy brews. Starting with an incredibly flavorful Red Rock Brewery (SLC) Marvella Belgian Tripel. One of the imperial stouts is very likely on deck. Definitely going to drop by tomorrow. Umm, and Friday. Lol. 

 

Since one has to order food at a restaurant in Utah, the Mulligatawany soup is excellent. Yellow curry cream soup with roasted chicken, Granny Smith apples, carrots, celery, and onions. It pays delicious homage to Seinfeld’s famous soup episode. 

 

That's great news.  I forgot about their Mulligatawny soup.  That's a good reason to visit again soon. 

[TomRUtah]

12 minutes ago, CDM said:

 

@TomRUtah are you saying he pulled the "back issue" on you........he did that to me also   🙄    JK  @Argonne69

 

Have to admit @Argonne69 did putt well when we played.  He did not have a 3 putt all day and the greens are known to be a bit difficult. 

Our greens frustrate a lot of players.  As we played, @Argonne69 was quickly figuring out the slope and speed. 

[Argonne69]

The day keeps getting better, that's to @TomRUtah. 😋 Again, great recommendation. 

 

Next stop was The Angry Goat Pub N Kitchen for an Angry Goat Burger. Wow, that was good. One of the tastier burgers in recent months. It was also filling as heck. The selection of bottles beers rivaled Slackwater, so I have another solid option for the next two days in Ogden. Angry Goat is a must visit if you like a great (big) burger and a great selection of brews. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

2 hours ago, CDM said:

 

@TomRUtah are you saying he pulled the "back issue" on you........he did that to me also   🙄    JK  @Argonne69

 

Have to admit @Argonne69 did putt well when we played.  He did not have a 3 putt all day and the greens are known to be a bit difficult. 

 

Lol. I'd love to blame it on the back, but it was all poor speed control. Too many long approaches that couldn't hold the firm greens. Long lags and chips from the back of the greens were death. You'd put a gentle stroke on the ball and watch it casually roll by the hole and wind up 9' below the cup. Brutal. @TomRUtah said that the greens were rolling slower than usual. Ugh. It would have been a nightmare putting on them rolling 11+.

 

Edited June 5 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Finished the day with a visit to the historic Ogden Union Station. It saw it's last passenger train over 30 years ago. In addition to a small collection of locomotives and rolling stock, the station houses a model train exhibit, a classic car collection, a small western museum, and the Browning museum. Only drawback is that most of the outdoor collection is tightly bunched under a canopy, so photos are in the shade. 

 

 

 

The Union Pacific gas turbine loco was the most interesting piece in the collection. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They sure don't make them like they used to. 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/of36g7udgx168wewgexxb/APf-JDAkBdlxIzMzBQBqkro?rlkey=ou26ip2nv79ujc9tngrupyhmc&dl=0

 

[TomRUtah]

6 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

The day keeps getting better, that's to @TomRUtah. 😋 Again, great recommendation. 

 

Next stop was The Angry Goat Pub N Kitchen for an Angry Goat Burger. Wow, that was good. One of the tastier burgers in recent months. It was also filling as heck. The selection of bottles beers rivaled Slackwater, so I have another solid option for the next two days in Ogden. Angry Goat is a must visit if you like a great (big) burger and a great selection of brews. 

 

 

 

So glad you enjoyed.  It's my favorite burger in the entire state. 😁  Good to know their brew selection was tops as well.  Live music on the weekends. 

 

[Argonne69]

Wonderful morning, but it really started getting hot near the end of the round. Heat + hills + elevation = one pooped Arg. Lol. The back was still sore, but at least the shooting pains down the right leg were gone.

 

Valley View today. Yup, very nice views of the valley. Plenty of elevation changes on this parkland layout with the clubhouse sitting on the high point. Water in play on seven holes. Fairway bunkering was light. Greenside was a little better. Only two holes with left/right movement. The holes were split evenly between very good, and meh. 

 

Very easy off the tee with generous fairways and light bunkering. The 15th was tricky with a pond pinching the fairway. A couple of fairways slanted, so a drive down the middle might funnel down to the rough. Minor misses would catch the very generous rough. Big misses would be playable from the trees, or an adjacent fairway. Approaches were also straightforward with lightly guarded greens that had decent size for the most part. A couple of holes had elevated greens, and were a little tougher. Greens had modest contouring, but once again, plenty of slope. Toss in speedy, sanded greens, and putting was less than easy. Up and downs were tricky due to the greens, and the inconsistent rough. 

 

Par 3s were decent, but needed more variety in length. All played mid iron or longer. The 7th was the best of the bunch with a pond front right. 5s were meh. Nothing reachable, and just a little trouble (water) on three of them. The pair of short 4s were meh. 

 

Conditions were generally good. Fairways were getting decent rollout. The rough was inconsistent. Some areas were low, but others were deep. Bunkers were decent. Greens were mixed. More than a few had aeration holes. Most had a light sanding. Speed seemed inconsistent, but generally quite quick. I'd say 10 if you could find a flat spot, but in practice downhill putts were dicey. 

 

Played a Blue/White combo at 6485 yds (70.7/127). Same ol, same ol. Decent day ballstriking, but a struggle on the greens. Uphill putts left short, and a few downhill putts that just wouldn't stop. One birdie, six bogies, and a double. Highlight of the day was probably the approach on the long par 4 18th. A decent drive still left 205 to the back right pin. Smoked the 9 wood that skirted the right front bunker, and rolled past the pin before settling on the back fringe. 

 

Was initially thinking six, but once again going with 5 cows. Sound like a broken record, but another beautiful piece of property that needs design tweaks. Usual stuff, a short par 3, a risk/reward 5, and a tough short par 4. Greens were the strong point. The $30 weekday walking rate was ridiculously good. If I was a local I'd be teeing it up here every week. Not a destination course, but certainly worth a visit if you're in town. 

 

Edited June 6 by Argonne69