Arg's Travel Log

[Argonne69]

Falcon Crest GC, Kuna, ID 

 

 

 

 

Fun hole. The par 3 5th 

 

 

 

 

 

Par 3 10th 

 

 

Par 5 16th (closed) 

 

 

 

2nd on the 18th. Lol. Laying up left. 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/5i28ujxpoyy0silim2int/ANmBw8dc2MolNTuUCGdwzyU?rlkey=hvsaeh43423vexi4a4ob1bmbi&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

A creature of habit, back to Barbarian Brewing Company. Today's high octane goodie is their 2023 Morrigan (Woodford Reserve Bourbon) barrel aged imperial stout. With an excessive amount of molasses, it's a little too sweet. Not quite a pastry stout, but it's close. Definitely prefer the Conan the Destroyer. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Cloudy, cool, and breezy this morning. A few blue skies at times, but the clouds dominated. It rained off and on near dawn, but I managed to stay dry. As I pulled out of the parking lot it started raining, so I got lucky. 

 

Shadow Valley today. The course looks like it was originally nine holes, but then expanded, as the front and the back look at play differently. The front is a parkland/prairie layout with some gentle elevation changes, including the 8th and 9th that play up and then down a hill. Very nice views from the 7th teebox. The back is dead flat parkland other than the 13th and 14th. Boring, actually. Don't recall seeing a fairway bunker. Greenside was not a lot better on the back, but fairly decent on the front. Water in play on seven holes with a small creek running laterally on a few, and crossing in front of the green on a couple. Four holes with gentle left/right movement. 

 

The front was very easy off the tee with generous fairways. The back was a little tougher with more trees in play, and narrower fairways. Minor misses would catch the generous rough on the front, but might have tree trouble on the back. Approaches on the front were moderately difficult with a few elevated greens. The uphill 8th was a beast with a large front bunker. The back was straightforward with lightly guarded greens sitting at fairway height for the most part. Greens had gentle contouring and slope, so putting was fairly easy. Up and downs on the front were somewhat challenging with some decent side slope to deal with. The back was fairly benign. 

 

Par 3s were decent. Three had water in play. The 11th was tight with a narrow chute between the trees. The short 14th had two ponds in play. 5s were snoozers. The 7th was reachable, but no risk. The two short 4s were mixed. The 1st was meh. The 2nd was tough. Less than driver off the tee with a stream in front of the green, and then a wedge to a small tiered green with no room to miss. 

 

Conditions were very good. Fairways were a little soft front the early morning rain, but looked great. Rough was thick, but cut quite low. Bunkers were sandy and well groomed. Greens looked great, but were a little slow early on due to the rain. As the wind dried them out they picked up speed. Probably 9 to 10. 

 

Played the Blue tees (tips) at 6304 yds (69.4/121). Solid ballstriking, but couldn't buy a putt. Six bogies. Highlight of the round was simply enjoying a nice stroll and managing to stay dry. Donning rain gear seemed to keep the rain away. Lol. 

 

4 cows here. Playable, but very forgettable. A couple of decent holes, but most of the back blended together with the boring greens. Needs plenty of work to become interesting. The $45 senior weekday walking rate was fine. Easily skipped. 

 

[Argonne69]

Shadow Valley GC, Boise, ID (#10 Start) 

 

 

 

 

 

Tough approach on the short par 4 2nd 

 

 

 

Got a chuckle out of this 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/yjtku7e149blsdehcjyso/AOD8Puk8J3cZzLLqPd0YwSQ?rlkey=i3x50pqjttdjd2ndom2emtek7&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Couldn't visit yet another state capital without stopping for a photo. Nice clouds.

 

 

Off to Carey, ID tomorrow, but first another RIS and a visit to the opthalmologist. Mother Earth Brew Company has 20 taps with a nice mix. Their Quit Stalin barrel aged Russian imperial stout is very tasty, and also has a clever name. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Uneventful 3 hour drive east to Picabo, ID. Not much of a town. Carey is a few miles further east. The first hour was backtracking on I-84. Exited at US-20 for a "fun" drive through the mountains/hills. Plenty of grades and curves. Always fun to be driving at 45 to 50 mph in a 65 mph zone with only a single passing lane. Drivers on my tail too afraid to pass when allowed, so I wind up being the lead on the parade. Ugh. After 45 minutes the highway flattens out and it's a straight shot through the farm fields. 

 

Small RV park adjacent to the highway. Hopefully the road noise isn't too bad. Gravel spaces are less than level, but nowhere near as bad as the park I just left in Boise. 

 

I have a round booked at Sun Valley Resort tomorrow. I'm probably going to take a 35 minute drive east this afternoon to Craters of the Moon National Monument. It's over 90 minutes from Sun Valley, and didn't want to make tomorrow an excessively long day. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Enjoyable afternoon at Craters of the Moon National Monument. I believe it's my 25th national park/monument/site visited. Apparently carts are mandatory at Sun Valley GC, so at least I got a little excercise today with a few short hikes. Interesting park, but a little underwhelming. If you've been to Maui or the Big Island of Hawaii, the lava fields there dwarf these. Still cool to see seas of black lava rock. The last volcanos covered the area 8 million years ago, so a lot of the lava rock is covered in vegetation. 

 

Dangerous to hike on, so I was impressed with the (mostly) paved trails. I can see why it's a national monument, and not a park. While the overall area is quite large, the loop road is fairly short with just a handful of viewpoints. Would have been nice if there was a trail to the top of Broken Top. If one is feeling adventurous, the Wilderness Trail is 8 miles out and back. 

 

They're in the process of repaving the roads and parking areas, so parking was tight with sections blocked off for striping. 

 

Glad I knocked it out today. Can't say it's a must visit, but if you find yourself traveling on I-84, it's a short detour to the park, and one can hit the highlight in a couple of hours. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/p6z3w3rp14ahmpfl5ks6n/AM57e1KGR1rfsT37n6Dj-0U?rlkey=vdhg8uibc3a0g0zvgm84koru2&dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Lol. Middle of June and there's a 40 minute frost delay. It was in the upper 90s a few days ago. 

 

 

Nice clubhouse 

 

 

Edited June 19 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Chilly start, but it turned out to be a gorgeous day. Like an idiot I wore pants thinking that buzzing around in a cart would be cold. Duh. Love having to ride and wait on every shot. Would have been a nice walk. 

 

Sun Valley GC today. Played the Trail Creek 18 hole course design by RTJ Jr. The course ranks #5 on GolfWeek's best in state list. The course sits in a valley with the usual cold, fast moving creek running through several holes. There are a few elevation changes, but it's generally flat. The course is a hybrid parkland/prairie layout with plenty of trees and native areas. Nice views of the ski slopes. I was told that the resort was the first ski resort in the U.S., and the first to have a ski lift. The lift is still visible even though they've moved the skiiing away from the course. Fairway bunkering was light, but greenside was quite good, especially on the back. Water in play on six holes with a couple small ponds, and the creek. Five holes with left/right movement. 

 

Moderately difficult off the tee. Most holes were fairly benign, but there were a few forced carries that required a decent poke to clear the creek.. Minor misses would generally catch the rough, but there were a few holes that had the trees quite close to the short stuff. Big misses were goners. Approaches were tough with well defended greens with some odd shapes. Not a lot of room to work with on many holes if you wanted to stick it close. Greens had gentle contouring and slope, aka resort style. Putting wasn't overly difficult, but it wasn't a pushover. Up and downs were mixed depending on the miss. Short was a good miss, otherwise there could be very little green to work with. 

 

Par 3s were very good with plenty of trouble and a nice mix of length ranging from a gap wedge to a fairway wood. Par 5s were disappointing. Nothing reachable and no real trouble. The two short 4s were mixed. The 2nd was meh, but the dogleg 8th was tough with a forced carry over the creek. In theory one could drive the green, but there were tall trees on the inside corner. If you can hit a high draw, go for it. Lol. 

 

Conditions were mixed. Tee to green was fine with lush fairways and low rough. Fairways were a little soft early from the melting frost. Bunkers were mixed. Plenty of sand, but a few needed grooming, as the sand was compacted. Greens were a major disappointment. Looks like they were verticut a couple of weeks ago. Putts were going every which way. They were also slow. 8 at best. 

 

Played the Middle (Blue) tees at 6307 yds (69.9/126). Solid round, but left a few birdie putts short. Two birdies and six bogies. Highlight of the day was the par 5 18th. Best drive of the day. Best fairway wood of the day. A decent sand wedge pin high to 12', and a left to right putt for birdie that hung on the left edge for a few seconds before falling in. Nice finish. 

 

Going with 7 cows. Very nice looking course with great views. Unlike many flat valley courses, it didn't get monotonous. Could use additional fairway bunkering, and a risk/reward par 5. The $210 weekday rate was the biggest downside. Nice course, but sorry, it's not a $200 course. Maybe half of that. Can't say it's a must play, but it's worth a play if you're in the area. It's pretty much in the middle of nowhere with Boise and Idaho Falls over two hours away.

 

[Argonne69]

Sun Valley GC, Trail Creek Course, Sun Valley, ID 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/jufmfvor4lx6d9gvstpfm/AKGH8Xe3cZ0Fm9L7CAFpAPA?rlkey=jfb5n4831qafymnnl1lr87jal&dl=0

 

Edited June 19 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Sawtooth Brewery Public House in Ketchum. 20 taps with a decent mix. Enjoying a nice dubbel. 

 

 

First time having an elk burger. Lean and not at all gamey. Their Pioneer burger includes smoked gouda, and crispy onions. Good stuff. 

 

 

Edited June 19 by Argonne69

[Colombiafrank]

Hey, new member here. That's some great journey you're having. I appreciate you sharing all the details with us! Also very nice pictures. Will be following every update.

best,

frank

Edited June 19 by Colombiafrank

[Argonne69]

Well, good news and bad news regarding my upcoming stay near Jackson, WY. The good news is that I was able to book rounds at Teton Pines Sunday) and Jackson Hole GTC (Tuesday). The bad news is that both clubs restrict non-member play to afternoons starting at 1 pm. Since traffic is currently a nightmare heading into Jackson from Alpine, I was hoping to play both courses on the same day to avoid one commute, but that's out of the window. 

 

The two courses are also expensive as all get out. $300 a pop. Ouch. 

 

The weather forecast looks very nice for my stay, so at least I should get some nice weather. Looks like I'll hit Grand Teton National Park on Monday. 

 

[Argonne69]

Another boring drive to Rigby, ID, located 16 miles northeast of Idaho Falls on US-20. The first 40 minutes driving was spent retracing my route to Craters of the Moon, so I got to see the black lava fields for the 2nd time. After that it was fairly flat with mountains off in the distance. Highlight was probably seeing EBR-1 (Experimental Breeder Reactor 1), the world's first breeder reactor. My first job out of college was at Argonne National Lab, the sister lab to Idaho National Lab. 

 

Picked up another chip in Bessie's windshield. String of bad luck the past week. This chip is round, and looks like a BB hole. Definitely going to have to contact a glass repair company about fixing the chips. 

 

RV park is unexciting. Large gravel lots are fairly level, and spaced far enough apart. 

 

I have to book an RV park in Bozeman for early July, and then might take a drive into IF. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Managed to find an RV park in Bozeman. Got the last spot, and the kind young man said that Bessie would be hanging out a couple of feet. Lol. Better than a Walmart parking lot. The next best place was in Three Forks, 30 minutes west. 

 

Short drive south to Idaho Falls. Cruised down Capital Avenue along the Snake River. First stop is Idaho Brewing Company. A dozen taps with a limited selection, but the Highland Scotch Ale is top notch. 

 

 

Saw this beast parked out back. Could have used that back in Chicago for my morning commute. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Lol. I guess I now know why it's called Idaho Falls. It's no Niagara. 

 

 

 

Grrr. Bait and switch. Hate breweries that have their taplist on their website, but then you show up and find out that the brew you wanted was tapped out weeks ago. Snow Eagle Brewing has only 8 taps. Was looking forward to their barrel aged strong ale, but settled for a (non barrel aged) imperial stout. Tasty, but it needs to spend a year in a Buffalo Trace barrel. 

 

 

[DoughBack18]

Arg, if you ever decide to start branding yourself, I think the picture below should be your logo. It’s like your equivalent of the Jordan “Jumpman”… 
 

[Argonne69]

Happy first day of summer! Very pleasant morning. High 50s sure beats a frost delay. Nice day to walk 18. Teton Lakes GC today. The course consists of three nines, North Fork, South Fork, and Middle Fork. I played South to Middle. All three are dead flat, but each is a different design. The North is a parkland layout with rough between the holes. Middle is prairie style with native areas and bunkers with nasty eyebrows. The South is a tight marshland/parkland layout that plays back and forth across Henry's Fork (River/Creek). Fairway bunkering on the South is very light. Greenside was a little better. Overall bunkering on Middle was very good. South has water in play on eight of the holes. Middle has four. Both nines have four holes with left/right movement. 

 

Fairly difficult off the tee on North with a few forced carries, and water or thick junk pinching the fairways. Minor misses would catch the thick rough, but you'd likely have tree trouble. Middle was more open, but there were still a couple of forced carries, and a number of bunkers in the middle of the fairways. Big misses were goners on South, but would likely find an adjacent fairway on Middle. 

 

Approaches on both nines were moderately tough with fairly small greens. Greens had gentle contouring, but plenty of slope. Putting wasn't difficult, but a two putt required attention. Up and downs were mixed. Short was generally a good miss leaving an easy chip, but wide could leave a short sided pitch over a bunker. Several holes had water directly in front of the green, so missing short was not an option. 

 

The pair of par 3s on South were tough with water in play on both. The long 8th was extra difficult due to the large tree on the right that had to be cleared if you hit a draw. The 3s on Middle were benign. Good mix of lengths. 5s on both nines were meh. Nothing reachable and not a lot of danger. South #6 had a berm along the river in front of the green, blocking the view of the lower half of the flagstick. Short was wet. Short 4s were decent with sufficient trouble. South #5 had trees narrowing the chute. Middle #7 was a dogleg that could be driven by a long hitter, but bunkers awaited. 

 

Conditions were mixed. Apparently the South was underwater a couple of weeks ago as the river created. It was walking only today, and while playable, it was very soft and shaggy. Not sure when it was last mowed. Middle was in good shape. The rough was fairly thick on both nines. Bunkers had plenty of black sand, but needed grooming. Greens looked and rolled fine, but were slow. Maybe 9. 

 

Played a Blue/White combo at 6430 yds (69.7/121). Decent day ballstriking, but couldn't get a putt to the hole. When I did the ball dived below the cup as it ran out of steam. Four bogies and a double. Highlight of the day was the drive on the final hole, a dogleg left. Hit a nice high draw that skirted the treeline, and ran out to short iron distance. 

 

Going with 5 cows. Plenty tough with the water and bunkers. A handful of memorable holes on South, but Middle was a little monotonous. Needs a good risk/reward par 5. The $34 weekend walking rate was crazy good. Not a lot of quality public options in the area, but this one is worth a play if you're passing through. 

 

Edited Friday at 05:49 PM by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Teton Lakes GC, South Fork/Middle Fork, Rexburg, ID 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/9dwdtkjniocejskf95y5m/ACjPYD2AqJs0KJ_6W7pwr9M?rlkey=7jfirepr4xna9okbv3poo6gcj&dl=0

 

[spud3]

Minor suggestion, Arg:

Might want to include the designer's name in all your reviews, mainly for us architecture nerds.  You recently played a course by RTJ Jr and there's several of his courses here in Oregon.  It was cool to see the similarities in design.

 

Still really enjoying the tour, so thanks for putting in the effort for us all to live vicariously!

[Argonne69]

1 minute ago, spud3 said:

Minor suggestion, Arg:

Might want to include the designer's name in all your reviews, mainly for us architecture nerds.  You recently played a course by RTJ Jr and there's several of his courses here in Oregon.  It was cool to see the similarities in design.

 

Still really enjoying the tour, so thanks for putting in the effort for us all to live vicariously!

 

If I happen to know the designer's name, or it's printed on the scorecard, I usually mention it. Unfortunately most courses don't list the architect on the scorecard.

 

[Double Mocha Man]

19 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

If I happen to know the designer's name, or it's printed on the scorecard, I usually mention it. Unfortunately most courses don't list the architect on the scorecard.

 

 

Arg, did you ever think about becoming a golf course architect?  You've probably been on more courses than most designers and you know what makes a good course.  Just a thought... if not for this life then for the next.

[Argonne69]

1 hour ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

Arg, did you ever think about becoming a golf course architect?  You've probably been on more courses than most designers and you know what makes a good course.  Just a thought... if not for this life then for the next.

 

Sounds like work. Lol. 

 

It would be cool, but there are very few new courses being built these days. The ones that are being built are generally part of resorts, or major renovations, and the big names seem to get most of the work. Coore and Crenshaw, Nicklaus, and Doak seem to stay busy. 

 

[caniac6]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Sounds like work. Lol. 

 

It would be cool, but there are very few new courses being built these days. The ones that are being built are generally part of resorts, or major renovations, and the big names seem to get most of the work. Coore and Crenshaw, Nicklaus, and Doak seem to stay busy. 

 

Our course is closed until late fall for a big renovation. Watching the crew installing irrigation and drainage makes me realize that there is a lot more to golf course architecture than just drawing pretty golf holes. They are making our course a lot more difficult. I sure hope it’s going to be fun to play when it’s finished.

[Argonne69]

Headed back into Idaho Falls for a drink and dinner. Tap-N-Fill has 40 taps with a very nice selection of regional brews. Enjoying a half pour of the Breakside Brewery Finder's Keepers barrel aged imperial stout. 'Nice black licorice taste. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

I don't know if this merits an lol or an oy veh. Idaho drivers are twice as polite as Canadian drivers. Timid as all get out. Rarely exceed the speed limit. Make complete stops at stop signs even when there's absolutely no hint of traffic. Don't know how to use a traffic circle. Are a royal PITA at 4 way stops because they keep deferring to other drivers even though they have the right of way. 

 

[Argonne69]

Grandpa's Southern Bar-B-Q in Idaho Falls. The reviews said that they have excellent gumbo. Can't argue with that. Fantastic stuff with a very nice kick. For over 25 years "Grandpa" has been serving up southern cooking. 

 

 

Very good Q. Not a Top 10, but certainly worth a visit in town. Baby back ribs were meaty and tender, and required a little gnaw to get the meat off the bone. A little too lean for my tastes. Surprised by the amount of meat for a combo. Brisket was very good, but again, a little lean and could use a spicy rub. Hotlink was very good. Juicy and tender. Beans were very tasty. Mac and cheese was good, but needed to be creamier. Cornbread wasn't bad. Just one saucy, and while tasty, it was a little think. I prefer a thicker, sweeter sauce. Overall it was very good, and definitely recommended for the area. Didn't break the bank, and I have a decent portion of leftovers for Monday. 

 

 

Edited Friday at 11:20 PM by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Relatively pleasant drive to Alpine, WY today. Back in the Cowboy state for 4 days. The town sits just across the Idaho border along the Snake River and the southeast tip of the Palisades Reservoir. US-26 was quite scenic as it followed the river and then reservoir. Plenty of curves and ups and downs along the way with heavy traffic due to the closure of Teton Pass. A bit stressful with dozens of vehicles backing up behind me as I navigated the curves 10 to 20 mph below the speed limit. Very few passing lanes, and drivers once again seemed afraid to pass on my left even though there were plenty of opportunities. Thankfully there were a handful of paved pullouts where I pulled over briefly to allow the vehicles to get around me. 

 

The RV park is a little dumpy with uneven gravel spots. Bessie's front wheels are once again 8 inches off the ground. I expected better for $100 a night. I do have a great view of the river valley, though. 

 

 

 

Not much to do in town. No breweries and few restaurants. It's a 45 minute drive to Jackson, and I bet traffic coming back will add an hour to that late in the afternoon. I'll hang out and watch the KPMG. 

 

Jackson Hole Golf and Tennis Club at 1 pm tomorrow. Mornings are reserved for members, and there's league play just in front of my group, so it's probably going to be a very long day tomorrow. 

 

Hmmm, stumbled across Melvin Brewing on the reservoir. Might take a short drive over later. 

 

Edited Saturday at 07:12 PM by Argonne69

[rooski]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

Relatively pleasant drive to Alpine, WY today. Back in the Cowboy state for 4 days. The town sits just across the Idaho border along the Snake River and the southeast tip of the Palisades Reservoir. US-26 was quite scenic as it followed the river and then reservoir. Plenty of curves and ups and downs along the way with heavy traffic due to the closure of Teton Pass. A bit stressful with dozens of vehicles backing up behind me as I navigated the curves 10 to 20 mph below the speed limit. Very few passing lanes, and drivers once again seemed afraid to pass on my left even though there were plenty of opportunities. Thankfully there were a handful of paved pullouts where I pulled over briefly to allow the vehicles to get around me. 

 

The RV park is a little dumpy with uneven gravel spots. Bessie's front wheels are once again 8 inches off the ground. I expected better for $100 a night. I do have a great view of the river valley, though. 

 

 

 

Not much to do in town. No breweries and few restaurants. It's a 45 minute drive to Jackson, and I bet traffic coming back will add an hour to that late in the afternoon. I'll hang out and watch the KPMG. 

 

Jackson Hole Golf and Tennis Club at 1 pm tomorrow. Mornings are reserved for members, and there's league play just in front of my group, so it's probably going to be a very long day tomorrow. 

 

Hmmm, stumbled across Melvin Brewing on the reservoir. Might take a short drive over later. 

 

 

I don't think I'm cut out for life on the road like you, but man would sitting outside in a lawn chair drinking a beer with that view and weather sure might make it all worth it

[Argonne69]

37 minutes ago, rooski said:

 

I don't think I'm cut out for life on the road like you, but man would sitting outside in a lawn chair drinking a beer with that view and weather sure might make it all worth it

 

Yeah, days like this are special. Enjoying a honey blonde at Melvin Brewing. 

 

 

The Harvest Moon dark ale isn't bad. 

 

 

Edited Saturday at 08:55 PM by Argonne69