Arg's Travel Log

[hammergolf]

3 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Blustery day again. At least the sun made an appearance. I parked Bessie on the way to Baton Rogue, and drove down to Carter Plantation. It's ranked #3 on GolfWeek's Best in State list for Louisiana, but I just don't see it. Is public golf in the state that hard pressed? Another course routed through a housing development. With few memorable holes it's easily forgotten. Unlike The Oaks, there are no trees blocking the homes. While the course does have a bit of up and down, it's basically flat. Greens were raised a bit. Fairways were very generous. Bunkering was acceptable. Water on a couple of holes. 

 

With wide fairways and practically no trees it was straightforward off the tee. Approaches were a little tougher with a few well guarded greens. Many of the greens had sections, so being in the same one as the flag was necessary to have a legit birdie chance. In addition to the sections, the greens had a good amount of break, and combined with their speed offered a good test. 

 

A couple of the 3s had water in play. The other two were snoozers. The 5s were benign. The short 4s had little danger. If it wasn't for the green complexes I might have fallen asleep out there. 

 

Conditions were generally good. The dormant fairways were wet from two days of rain, and I was picking up plenty of mud. The turf was in good shape, though. Bunkers were sandy, but a little compacted. Greens were excellent. Not quite as fast as Lakewood, but probably 11 to 11.5. Definitely fast enough to get your attention. 

 

Good day out there with two birdies and five bogies. Once again the course was playing long with the wind and the soft turf. Green speeds had me on the defensive most of the day. Highlight was a 7 iron to 18 inches on the par 3 12th. 

 

This one is getting 4 cows. Decent course for the homeowners, but the nice greens don't make up for its relative blandness. You're not going to miss anything if you pass on it. 

 

 

Golf in Louisiana isn’t good. I wouldn’t put CP at #3 in the state. I can think of 5 public courses that are better. Unfortunately, none of them are in the N.O./B.R. area. The better courses in that area are private. 

[Argonne69]

8 hours ago, hammergolf said:

Golf in Louisiana isn’t good. I wouldn’t put CP at #3 in the state. I can think of 5 public courses that are better. Unfortunately, none of them are in the N.O./B.R. area. The better courses in that area are private. 

 

Speaking of private, I see that LSU's home course, University Club, is private. I called to see if I could get on, but they said "No dice". 'Pity that a public university plays at a private course. I like to play university courses when I can. I'm sure there are other public schools that have private courses, but I imagine it's in the minority.

 

[geauxtigers777]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Speaking of private, I see that LSU's home course, University Club, is private. I called to see if I could get on, but they said "No dice". 'Pity that a public university plays at a private course. I like to play university courses when I can. I'm sure there are other public schools that have private courses, but I imagine it's in the minority.

 

This is a bit of a misnomer. LSU has a course at the University, but it is awful. Legitimately a pasture at this point. With the lack of an acceptable University owned course, they needed somewhere else to practice/play. Baton Rouge has almost zero college level public courses. That number truly goes to zero if you consider distance to the University. Hence, the team practicing/playing at a private course. Technically it is owned by Tiger athletic Foundation which is basically the LSU booster club for sports. So there is some overlap there. 

Edited February 19, 2022 by geauxtigers777

[Young Provolone]

13 hours ago, hammergolf said:

Golf in Louisiana isn’t good. I wouldn’t put CP at #3 in the state. I can think of 5 public courses that are better. Unfortunately, none of them are in the N.O./B.R. area. The better courses in that area are private. 

[hammergolf]

5 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Speaking of private, I see that LSU's home course, University Club, is private. I called to see if I could get on, but they said "No dice". 'Pity that a public university plays at a private course. I like to play university courses when I can. I'm sure there are other public schools that have private courses, but I imagine it's in the minority.

 

Yeah, as already stated The University Club technically isn’t the property of LSU. La is just not a great golf state. Lived there for 15yrs so I’ve seen the golf scene go from not good to worse. You’re just so limited in suitable land for golf in Southeastern La. I understand the difference in public golf up here in the Midwest. I have 30 golf courses in my area within 70 miles (Annbriar, Missouri Bluffs, Tapawingo, Spencer Olin, Stonewolf,  and Far Oaks to name a few) that are better than anything I played public or private within 70 miles of New Orleans. Pre Katrina there were at least a few privates that were good, but golf in the city has never recovered. I used to play at Eastover, which was a good facility but it was destroyed by Katrina, Lakewood was a great tree lined course that used to host a PGA tour event, but also has gone well down, English Turn also was good and hosted the PGA event, but also has went down since the tournament was moved. 

[Argonne69]

A very enjoyable walk this morning at Santa Maria GC. Once again it was very cool to start the round, but it quickly warmed under the sunny skies. First time playing in a fivesome in quite some time. Not sure if there was a mix up, or if the starter simply wanted to get the other single out with a group, but it worked out fine. It's nice when five decent players can get around in 3:45. 

 

Santa Maria is a Robert Trent Jones design, and it shows, especially with the nice bunkering. Only drawback was that the course is surrounded by homes. Nice homes. Lol. Never felt pinched, and much nicer than than Carter Plantation, but they were there. The course is generally flat, but RTJ did a great job sculpting the holes, so it never felt pancake flat. Water on a number of holes actually came into play. 

 

Bunkering was excellent. Made you think standing on the teebox. Otherwise fairways were somewhat generous. Approaches were somewhat tricky with greens that were on the small side. The greens themselves were rather benign. Carter's were much more challenging. 

 

Par 3s were very good, with water coming into play on a pair. Par 5s were very good. The closing hole was an excellent risk/reward par 5 with a long carry over water if you choose to go for the green in two. Otherwise the layup is tough with two big trees pinching the fairway. Short 4s were also decent with enough trouble off the tee to require a precise teeshot unless you lay back. 

 

Conditions were very good. Dormant fairways had plenty of turf, with some decent rollout. Rough was a bit penal. Bunkers were sandy. Greens were rolling 10.5 to 11, but they did have a bit of a problem with poa. Had a few putts knocked offline by the small clumps. 

 

Solid round with two birdies, three bogies, and a double. Highlight was the back to back birdies on the par 5 7th, and the par 4 8th. Stuck a 9 iron on the 8th to two feet.

 

I'll give it a solid 5 cows. Definitely better looking off the tee than Carter Plantation. CP has the better greens, though. Value is excellent. $44 weekend walking is solid. 

 

Edited February 20, 2022 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Santa Maria GC, Baton Rouge, LA 

 

 

 

#18. Go for it? 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/16b9nl7g7y4bfe5/AAB-2Mv6foiCZ1A-n6SPZFmga?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Mid Tap in Baton Rogue. 48 self serve taps with a good selection. A little heavy on the IPAs, but if they're your preference you'll be at home. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Mid City Beer Garden. It's a bit like heaven. 53 taps with plenty of good stuff. Nice outdoor seating area. 

 

 

Edited February 19, 2022 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

A 2nd slice of heaven, please. Oy. The Bulldog in Baton Rogue. 61 taps, and a heck of a fountain. 

 

 

 

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

A 2nd slice of heaven, please. Oy. The Bulldog in Baton Rogue. 61 taps, and a heck of a fountain. 

 

 

 

At least the beer selection and food is good…

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

Hey Arg, did you play the Charleston Muni? This was my day!

[jerebear21]

That looks like the pork belly from swig and swine. Great place. Love the muni. 

[KBong]

7 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

A 2nd slice of heaven, please. Oy. The Bulldog in Baton Rogue. 61 taps, and a heck of a fountain. 

 

 

 

Seriously, I'm not sure if you're enjoying the craft beer or golf more on this road trip.🤣

[Argonne69]

10 hours ago, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

Hey Arg, did you play the Charleston Muni? This was my day!

 

No, didn't get a chance. I played The Ocean Course and The Links at Stono Ferry while I was in the area. 'Looks decent, and the brisket looks fantastic. Or is that pork belly?

 

 

Edited February 20, 2022 by Argonne69

[jerebear21]

55 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

No, didn't get a chance. I played The Ocean Course and The Links at Stono Ferry while I was in the area. 'Looks decent, and the brisket looks fantastic. Or is that pork belly?

 

 

 

M, that's definitely Pork belly from swig and swine.  Probably the best single item food in all of charleston from my humble opinion.  

 

I played the UF course yesterday and my buddy got his first hole in 1 on hole no. 2.  The greens complex there is so good and felt very "pinehurst" like.  It's definitely a course the more you play it the more you understand the little quirks and strategy.  Going for the flag is never ideal.  

[Argonne69]

1 hour ago, jerebear21 said:

 

M, that's definitely Pork belly from swig and swine.  Probably the best single item food in all of charleston from my humble opinion.  

 

I played the UF course yesterday and my buddy got his first hole in 1 on hole no. 2.  The greens complex there is so good and felt very "pinehurst" like.  It's definitely a course the more you play it the more you understand the little quirks and strategy.  Going for the flag is never ideal.  

 

I dunno. The Duck Club at Tattooed Moose is pretty tasty. 

 

[Argonne69]

Bah. Sometimes things just don't work out as planned. I rolled into Westlake, LA this morning. There are two courses in the area that are #1 and #5 on GolfWeelk's Best in State list, Country Club at the Golden Nugget, and National GC of Louisiana. I was hoping to play them tomorrow and Tuesday. I called the GN, and they're closed for a President's Day tournament tomorrow. On Tuesday the course is closed completely. 'No idea why. The RV park I'm staying in said I could check out late on Wednesday before heading to Houston, so it's possible I may be able to play it early in the morning weather allowing.

 

As for National GC, they don't give tee times to singles, so I'll head out there at daybreak tomorrow and hope there's an opening. Right now it looks fairly open, but being a holiday it's possible it may fill up quickly.

 

As I crossed into Louisiana on Friday I checked off my 15th state on this trip. 'Crazy how time has flown by. I started in Texas in October when I picked up Bessie, and have traveled through Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. That covers the entire southeast, and then some. I played golf in 11 of them. 

 

It looks like I may head to Austin after Houston for 4 days before starting back north to Tyler, TX. 

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

22 hours ago, jerebear21 said:

That looks like the pork belly from swig and swine. Great place. Love the muni. 

It was!!!!!!  Amazing too!!!!!

[Argonne69]

Dreary day in Westlake. Cloudy, windy, and a few sprinkles. On a positive note at least I got to wear shorts for the first time in weeks. Temps were in the mid 60s. I got to National GC of Louisiana early enough to beat the holiday crowds, so it was a quick round. 

 

Another course routed through a new housing development. However, only a handful of homes are finished, so it felt much more open than Carter or Santa Maria. The "new" back nine is more isolated than the starting holes. Apparently they just opened a new clubhouse, and flipped the nines. Much better stretch of holes to close out the round now. 

 

Not sure how one would categorize the course. It's not a parkland layout. While there are a handful of trees, it's more open than wooded. In the Midwest we'd call it prairie style, but there isn't much in the way of prairie grasses here. There is enough water on the course, so maybe it's bayou style? While flat, there is plenty of nice mounding to give you more than a few odd lies. A handful of greens were elevated. Bunkering was very good. Swallowed a few of my tee shots that I thought were good. 

 

Par 3s were better than average, with water in play on a pair. 5s were benign. Short 4s were ho hum. 

 

A little tight off the tee on a few holes, while the others were pretty wide open. Greens were generally large, but bunkers were well placed to snag a mishit. Greens were fairly boring. On par with Santa Maria. 

 

Conditions were playable. Fairways looked like they were overseeded, but they had enough dormant Bermuda to provide some cushion. Rough was fairly thick. Bunkers were unfortunately wet and compacted. Greens were a bit bumpy and slow. I passed the mower on the opening holes, so the groups behind me were getting to play on freshly cut greens. 

 

Nice round in the windy conditions. One birdie and five bogies. Driver was off, and hitting out of the rough was a challenge. Greens were a little too bumpy and slow to have good chances. 

 

Another course worth 5 cows. Very similar to Santa Maria. Not sure why this course ranks 5th in the state, while SM doesn't make the list. 

 

[Argonne69]

National Golf Club of Louisiana, Westlake, LA 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qd75nl97w8juo08/AAD-_y4T15aRVCIv0DYqbKI0a?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Looking ahead to Houston later this week, I'm curious why Golfweek has Clubs of Kingwood (Deerwood) on its public Best in State list when it's a private course? 

 

Weather forecast for my four days in Houston looks wet, wet, and more wet. Pfffttt. 

 

Wow. I was hoping to play Memorial Park in Houston on Sunday, as it looks like the day with the lowest chance for rain. I called the course, and the earliest tee time available was 3:50 pm. 'Same for Friday and Saturday. Popular place. I was able to get a 10:10 am tee time for Thursday, but it will likely be played in a steady rain. 

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Well, at least it was warm and dry this morning. The winds were also a lot calmer than forecast. The two casino courses worth playing in Lake Charles were closed for a tournament today, so I was told to check out Frasch Park in Sulphur, LA. Meh. This inexpensive muni is very flat, short, and relatively benign. There are a few doglegs with large trees, so a couple of well positioned tee shots are required. Water comes into play on a number of holes in the form of small ponds, and a canal that cross cuts the course. I don't recall seeing a fairway bunker. Greenside bunkers were minimal. Very forgettable. 

 

Conditions tee to green were fine for a $30 course. At least I was getting some rollout on the dormant fairways. Bunkers were good. Most of the greens were decent, and rolling at least 10. Unfortunately a number were infested with poa, and basically unplayable. 

 

A very good round on a short course with little danger off the tee. Three birdies and four bogies. Highlight of the day was sticking a 9 wood to within 12 inches on the long par 4 17th playing into the breeze. 

 

3 cows. Easy course to walk, but not much else going for it. 

 

[vandyfan]

A bit of topic @Argonne69 but you seem to be a fan of bunkers in golf course design. What are your thoughts on waste bunkers (like Tobacco Road) vs typical resort style soft sand filled bunkers for fairway hazards? I am finding more and more that I prefer waste bunkers (a) because of the randomness of the lie and (b) I assume they require less maintenance and cost to maintain. Fairway bunkers where I play (not high end courses) have so much degradation in the bunkers and sand loss that it seems like they would be better off letting them grow in. Personally, as someone who has not played near the amount of golf courses you have, find fairway bunkers left and right on the majority of holes to be a lazy golf course design move but, then again, maybe I just don't like the 1/2 shot penalty on repeat?

[Argonne69]

Frasch Park GC, Sulphur, LA 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7t5bioor67xm1tr/AADgwe5Qu5iDG2YMNALCVWG9a?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

1 minute ago, blackbdmillsaps said:

A bit of topic @Argonne69 but you seem to be a fan of bunkers in golf course design. What are your thoughts on waste bunkers (like Tobacco Road) vs typical resort style soft sand filled bunkers for fairway hazards? I am finding more and more that I prefer waste bunkers (a) because of the randomness of the lie and (b) I assume they require less maintenance and cost to maintain. Fairway bunkers where I play (not high end courses) have so much degradation in the bunkers and sand loss that it seems like they would be better off letting them grow in. Personally, as someone who has not played near the amount of golf courses you have, find fairway bunkers left and right on the majority of holes to be a lazy golf course design move but, then again, maybe I just don't like the 1/2 shot penalty on repeat?

 

Waste bunkers are fine. Certainly better than a poorly maintained bunkers. However, I can live with a less than perfect fairway bunker. For most players a little less sand is easier to hit from than the fluffy stuff. 

 

A good waste bunker generally protects the ball from continuing into worse junk. The 10th at Tobacco Road is a good example. The waste bunker runs nearly the entire length of the right side of the fairway. To the right of that is thick, wet junk. Much rather be hitting my 2nd from the sand than have it run through into the junk. 

 

I agree that many fairway bunkers are poorly designed/placed. The worst are the ones that catch the short hitters, but don't come into play for the better players. The game is hard enough for the 20+ capper. If one hits a poor, short drive, the penalty should be the longer approach from the rough, not a 200+ yd bunker shot. 

 

The best fairway bunkers present risk/reward opportunities. Carry the bunker and have a short iron or wedge into the green. Come up short, and possible lose a stroke. Lay back, or hit left/right, and lengthen the hole. 

 

[Argonne69]

Not much of a craft beer scene in Port Charles. Crying Eagle Brewing Company seems to be the only one. Twenty taps, but a few too many IPAs. The Belgian pale ale isn't bad. 

 

 

 

 

[mkuether]

Wow, great thread, I somehow just found this and have enjoyed reading through it. I've got a ways to go before retiring, but my wife and I have talked about doing something similar for a few years as we both love traveling and golf.

 

Outside of the golf, how has the RV worked out for this experience? Are you happy with the purchase and that style of living? Any major issues? I've noticed in the thread that finding RV parks is one issue, but curious how the experience has been overall. As mentioned, I am very curious about trying something like this, but also not so sure about living out of an RV for months on end. Anyway, appreciate all of your updates, keep us informed!

[Argonne69]

Just now, mkuether said:

Wow, great thread, I somehow just found this and have enjoyed reading through it. I've got a ways to go before retiring, but my wife and I have talked about doing something similar for a few years as we both love traveling and golf.

 

Outside of the golf, how has the RV worked out for this experience? Are you happy with the purchase and that style of living? Any major issues? I've noticed in the thread that finding RV parks is one issue, but curious how the experience has been overall. As mentioned, I am very curious about trying something like this, but also not so sure about living out of an RV for months on end. Anyway, appreciate all of your updates, keep us informed!

 

The overall RV experience has been very good. It certainly beats hotels for convenience. I have a home on wheels, with my favorite channels on the TV, my favorite foods and beverages in the pantry/fridge, my wardrobe hanging in the closet, and a washer/dryer. No packing/unpacking, or doing laundry at a laundromat. I can't imagine doing an extended trip living out of hotels.

 

As much as I'd like a larger RV for the additional kitchen counter space, storage, sofa, and general living space, the FR3 is sufficient. Everything I really need without feeling cramped. At some point I may move to a diesel pusher, but for now I'm fine with Bessie.

 

There are minor annoyances. RV Park wi-fi is generally poor. 'Not much different than my experience in hotels. What's particularly frustrating are the sites that don't use standard security protocols, e.g. WPA, but rather redirect you to a login page. I have a central wif-fi gateway in the RV, and since it doesn't have a built-in browser, it can't log in to these networks. That forces me to use my 4G hotspot, which in turn eats up my data.

 

Then there are the trees. I guess a nice shady tree over the RV might be nice in the summer, but it plays havoc with the satellite. Also, trees can make it difficult to park the rig, especially with a back-in site. Some of the RV parks are really not suited to host large class A's. 

 

There's also the sites that have the sewer hookups in the far back corner of the site, rather than in the middle. Bessie's sewer connection is in the middle, so I have to connect multiple sewer hoses together. One site had the electrical box in the front, which is odd given that the vast majority of RVs have the electrical connection in the back. My electric cord couldn't reach, and luckily my neighbor had a 50 amp extension cord. 

 

As noted, booking RV parks is often painful. The best ones allow you to book directly online, similar to a hotel booking engine. A lot of the smaller parks have phones only, and may not answer during normal business hours. Forget Sundays and holidays.

 

A few of the RV parks have been on the seedy side. Many have full time residents living in mobile homes or old travel trailers. For the most part the neighbors are fine. A lot of RV parks are also located close to highways or railroad tracks. Now, I happen to love trains, but it does get a little tiring to hear train horns at 3 am. 

 

Then there's the driving. Lets just say it can be stressful at times. With my Honda in tow I can't back the rig up, so I have to be extra careful about not getting into a spot where I can't make a turn around. Some of the gas stations can be very tight around the pumps, and exiting requires precision driving. Construction zones are awful. Narrow lanes with concrete Jersey barriers, uneven pavement, poorly marked lines, etc. Highway signage can be bad. Nothing like not giving one sufficient notice that the right lane is ending, and then trying to merge over with drivers who won't budge an inch. Crosswinds are fun, especially when being passed by a semi. Poor pavement is no fun. I hit a small pothole that jolted the RV so hard it knocked open my two pantry doors, causing half of the contents to crash to the floor.

 

I never gave much thought to parking the RV when in route. I've had to bypass a few rounds of golf while traveling because I couldn't find a place to park the rig for four or five hours where I thought it would be safe, and not be towed. 

 

Anyway, the annoyances are generally minor, and certainly wouldn't derail the rest of my trip.

 

[Argonne69]

A somewhat enjoyable morning at the Country Club at The Golden Nugget. On the plus side it only rained on me for two holes, and the winds were calm. Unfortunately there was a dense fog all round. Photos don't do the course justice. Difficult playing the opening holes, but it burned off enough so that I could somewhat make out the target line off the tee. Having a handheld GPS definitely came in handy. 

 

The course is very nice looking, although as a resort course it's more style than substance. Plenty of water, sawgrass, and waste bunkers. Few trees, and views in all directions. Well, if there wasn't the fog. Quite natural looking. The closing holes along Lake Charles are cool. It's fairly flat, but a number of holes have been sculpted nicely. Loved the bunkering, but with very generous fairways they didn't really come into play on most holes. A couple of the short 4s had a little danger off the tee. 

 

The greens were moderate in size, and very benign. Pity, because with some decent greens the course might have some teeth. 

 

Conditions were excellent. Overseeded fairways were fairly lush. Bunkers were fluffy. Greens were almost perfect, but the dampness kept the speed down. The course hosted the South Texas PGA Pro-Pro Am-Am tournament the past two days, so I imagine that had something to do with the conditioning. 

 

Two birdies and four bogies today. I couldn't see the flag on the opening nine, which was probably a good thing, so I was simply firing at the middle of the greens. Highlight of the day was a nice sand save on the par 3 16th. Greenside bunkers and me don't always get along. 

 

The course ranks #1 on GolfWeek's Best in State list. I dunno. I'd definitely move TPC Louisiana ahead of it. Nice looking, but no bite. I'd say it's definitely worth a stop if you're passing by, but I wouldn't classify it as a destination course. I'll give it a solid 5 cows. Toughen up the greens and it would be an easy six.