Arg's Travel Log

[sabram]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Vicksburg Country Club, Vicksburg, MS 

Looks like they could afford to lose more than a few trees

[Argonne69]

Slight change of plans today. I made the drive from Vicksburg to Philadelphia, MS this morning, and planned to take the afternoon off with tee times at Dancing Rabbit Azeleas and Oaks tomorrow and Wednesday. However, tomorrow's forecast has a 75 percent chance of rain, so I played a rare afternoon round on The Oaks today. Beautiful weather, and a fantastic layout. 

 

The course sits in near perfect isolation on a heavily wooded piece of land with plenty of elevation change that put a big smile on my face. There are a couple of holes that are adjacent to each other, but most sit alone. Bunkering was almost perfect. Of course I'd like to see a few more, but the ones there were very well placed. Helps to be able to work the ball both ways off the tee, as there are plenty of sweepers. 

 

I thought the fairways were on the generous side, but there is little rough before the thick trees. Sail one left or right and you'll likely be reteeing. There is some water on the course, but the trees and bunkers provide the challenge off the tee. Approaches were mostly straightforward, but there were a couple of odd shaped greens with tucked pins. The greens had some decent break, but not enough to make you sweat. 

 

Par 3s were excellent. All had elevated tees and danger lurking. Par 5s were a little ho hum. None were really reachable in two, and the layup areas were fairly benign. The short 4s were a mixed bag. 

 

Conditions were my only real complaint. The overwatered, overseeded fairways were thin and extremely soft. Mud balls all day. On a number of holes I looked back and I was leaving footprints in the soft turf. Don't recall seeing that before. Bunkers were fine. Greens looked great, and were rolling close to 10. No problem there. 

 

Great round today. Maybe I should play more rounds in the afternoon. Lol. Three birdies and four bogies. Highlight of the day was birdieing the first three par 3s. Don't think I've ever done that before. Of course I was licking my chops on the final one and hit one of the worst iron shots of the day. Go figure. 

 

I'm going to give this one 7 cows. It definitely ranks in my top 10 on the trip so far. I can't believe it was only $59. It's a little off the beaten path, but it's definitely worth a play. The course ranks #5 on GolfWeek's Best in State list, and I can see why. The Azeleas course is a couple of spots lower, but with two top 10 courses I don't think you can go wrong. The courses are owned by the casino/resort, so lodging shouldn't be a problem. 

 

Edited March 14, 2022 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

The Oaks at Dancing Rabbit Golf Club, Choctaw, MS 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2fyhkonhtzkfgm7/AACRr49i-BUxNSyut8ZI6ICqa?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

So I called Old Waverly again today trying to get information on lodging. I called the pro shop and spoke to a different person than yesterday. Without mentioning the stay and play, I asked if I could book a round on Old Waverly. She said, "Sure, no problem," and proceeded to give me a morning tee time next Thursday. 

 

Now, I'm either going to be very happy next week that I got to play the course without having to spend $185 on a room, or I'm going to be very upset when I show up and someone tells me that I can't play because I didn't spend the night at the resort. No idea if the person I spoke with yesterday was simply trying to upsell me on the stay and play, or if the person I spoke with today is mistaken. 'Guess I'll find out next week. 

 

[hammergolf]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Slight change of plans today. I made the drive from Vicksburg to Philadelphia, MS this morning, and planned to take the afternoon off with tee times at Dancing Rabbit Azeleas and Oaks tomorrow and Wednesday. However, tomorrow's forecast has a 75 percent chance of rain, so I played a rare afternoon round on The Oaks today. Beautiful weather, and a fantastic layout. 

 

The course sits in near perfect isolation on a heavily wooded piece of land with plenty of elevation change that put a big smile on my face. There are a couple of holes that are adjacent to each other, but most sit alone. Bunkering was almost perfect. Of course I'd like to see a few more, but the ones there were very well placed. Helps to be able to work the ball both ways off the tee, as there are plenty of sweepers. 

 

I thought the fairways were on the generous side, but there is little rough before the thick trees. Sail one left or right and you'll likely be reteeing. There is some water on the course, but the trees and bunkers provide the challenge off the tee. Approaches were mostly straightforward, but there were a couple of odd shaped greens with tucked pins. The greens had some decent break, but not enough to make you sweat. 

 

Par 3s were excellent. All had elevated tees and danger lurking. Par 5s were a little ho hum. None were really reachable in two, and the layup areas were fairly benign. The short 4s were a mixed bag. 

 

Conditions were my only real complaint. The overwatered, overseeded fairways were thin and extremely soft. Mud balls all day. On a number of holes I looked back and I was leaving footprints in the soft turf. Don't recall seeing that before. Bunkers were fine. Greens looked great, and were rolling close to 10. No problem there. 

 

Great round today. Maybe I should play more rounds in the afternoon. Lol. Three birdies and four bogies. Highlight of the day was birdieing the first three par 3s. Don't think I've ever done that before. Of course I was licking my chops on the final one and hit one of the worst iron shots of the day. Go figure. 

 

I'm going to give this one 7 cows. It definitely ranks in my top 10 on the trip so far. I can't believe it was only $59. It's a little off the beaten path, but it's definitely worth a play. The course ranks #5 on GolfWeek's Best in State list, and I can see why. The Azeleas course is a couple of spots lower, but with two top 10 courses I don't think you can go wrong. The courses are owned by the casino/resort, so lodging shouldn't be a problem. 

 

$59 is a great deal for those courses… It’s really nice there late spring when the foliage is beginning to bloom.

Edited March 15, 2022 by hammergolf

[hammergolf]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

So I called Old Waverly again today trying to get information on lodging. I called the pro shop and spoke to a different person than yesterday. Without mentioning the stay and play, I asked if I could book a round on Old Waverly. She said, "Sure, no problem," and proceeded to give me a morning tee time next Thursday. 

 

Now, I'm either going to be very happy next week that I got to play the course without having to spend $185 on a room, or I'm going to be very upset when I show up and someone tells me that I can't play because I didn't spend the night at the resort. No idea if the person I spoke with yesterday was simply trying to upsell me on the stay and play, or if the person I spoke with today is mistaken. 'Guess I'll find out next week. 

 

🤞

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

Wife gave me permission to go to play Mossy Oak and Old Waverly this weekend, will you still be there?  Was thinking a PM round Sat at Old Waverly and Sunday AM round at Mossy Oak.

Edited March 15, 2022 by BEND OF THE RIVER GC

[Argonne69]

11 hours ago, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

Wife gave me permission to go to play Mossy Oak and Old Waverly this weekend, will you still be there?  Was thinking a PM round Sat at Old Waverly and Sunday AM round at Mossy Oak.

 

I won't be there until next week, March 24th and 25th. I'm heading to Prattville, AL (Capitol Hill) in two days, and then on to Anniston, AL (Silver Lakes and FarmLinks) before West Point.

 

[Argonne69]

'Definitely made the right call yesterday. It's been raining heavily for the past two hours, and I would have been out in it. I'm just hoping that the Azeleas course isn't a mud field tomorrow given how soft the Oaks course was yesterday. I have an early tee time, and I assume it'll be cart path only, so hopefully I get out before the masses.

 

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

Greens fees go from $85 at Old Waverly and Mossy Oak to $190! on 3/25/22. If they cant accommodate me I might go to Alabama for the weekend.

[Argonne69]

Fun, but sloppy, morning at the Azeleas course at Dancing Rabbit. Yesterday's rain cleared out, and while the skies were cloudy the slight chance for showers never materialized. 

 

Like its sister course, the Azeleas is a gem. Complete isolation on a hilly piece of wooded land that seems to have been created for a scenic golf course. Given that I'm a sucker for elevated tees, I couldn't have been happier. The course is a little easier than The Oaks, as it doesn't have the sweepers that require working the ball. Practically every hole was more or less straight. There were plenty of elevated greens guarded by deep bunkers, so it was still a challenge. Fairway bunkering was very good. There were a few creeks that come into play. The greens were quite large, and had moderate undulation. Tricky at times, but not punishing. 

 

Par 3s were once again very good with elevated tees on all four. Par 5s were a little ho hum. None were reachable in two today with the conditions. The short 4s had enough trouble to make you think. 

 

Conditions were once again disappointing. As wet as the Oaks was on Monday, it was a real slog out there after a day of rain. The course was playing very long with most drives plugging, or getting a couple of yards of rollout. Most of the bunkers were washed out. The maintenance crew was out today cutting the greens, so at least the putting surfaces were in good shape. 

 

Oof. Great day off the tee, but I don't recall hitting as many 9 woods on my approaches in quite some time. Course was playing crazy long. One birdie and seven bogies. 

 

I'm going to give Azeleas a strong 6 cows. I don't think there's a bad hole on the course, but at the same time there wasn't quite an "Oh, wow" factor either. Solid, entertaining, but not spectacular. It ranks #7 on GolfWeek's Best in State list, which is probably close to right. Of course for $59 you can't go wrong. Grab a room at the resort, and play the two courses here. You won't be disappointed. 

 

Edited March 16, 2022 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

The Azeleas at Dancing Rabbit Golf Club, Choctaw, MS 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/skzb3e8gh0ju8f2/AAC0cJykDBYGGknluKkYwPB4a?dl=0

 

[StudentGolfer4]

Azeleas has to be a Fazio course, right? If not, it appears someone is designing courses to look exactly like his lol 

[tlknight]

7 hours ago, StudentGolfer4 said:

Azeleas has to be a Fazio course, right? If not, it appears someone is designing courses to look exactly like his lol 

Both Dancing Rabbit courses are Fazio with Jerry Pate co-designing. 

Edited March 18, 2022 by tlknight

[Argonne69]

Another change of plans today. I made the drive east to Prattville, and planned to enjoy the afternoon off. However, tomorrow's forecast once again looks grim, with plenty of rain, lightning, and possibly damaging winds, so I moved my tee time on the Senator course at RTJ Capitol Hill to this afternoon. 

 

Interesting course. I have to imagine that they moved a heck of a lot of dirt to sculpt the Senator course. The faux links course has some serious mounding, loaded with nasty grass, that eats golf balls. The mounds do tend to kick drives back into play, but if you land on the wrong side you're pretty much toast. I've played numerous "prairie style" courses, and this one just didn't do it for me. After a few holes they all started to look alike. The only standout hole was the par 5 17th, a short risk/reward hole with a creek running through it. I remember the hole from the years that the LPGA played it. Otherwise it was same old, same old. 

 

Bunkering was very good. I hit a few solid tee shots that managed to get collected. Greenside bunkering was generally deep. Approaches were tough to the well guarded greens. The greens were quite large with multiple sections, so ones irons really have to be dialed in for a good look at birdie. There was enough slope to keep you focused, but not too crazy. 

 

Par 3s were ho hum. Other than the 17th the 5s were snoozers. The couple of short 4s were also benign. 

 

Like Dancing Rabbit, conditions were disappointing tee to green. It was cart path only for the poor souls riding. The saturated fairways were a combination of dormant Bermuda, thin overseeded rye, bare patches, and a ton of poa. Bunkers were sandy and freshly groomed. Greens were excellent. Smooth and rolling at least 11. 

 

Course played very long, and my hybrid and 9 wood worked overtime. Two birdies and five bogies. Highlight of the day was stuffing my 9 wood to 3 feet from 195 yards out on the par 4 11th. 

 

I'll give this one 5 cows. I certainly see what they were trying to do, and it definitely looks different than your typical trail layout. However, it gets monotonous really fast. Maybe a couple of split fairways, or a couple of pot bunkers in the middle of the fairways. 

 

[Argonne69]

RTJ Golf Trail Capitol Hill Senator Course, Prattville, AL 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rxla5d5rihsuhwj/AAD_4HnQc-dWPqHqYH4W0zgOa?dl=0

 

Edited March 17, 2022 by Argonne69

[mci711]

Do you track your walking miles? If you do what's your average walk? What would you consider hard/easy? 

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

I plan on playing the Prattville courses in the Fall. Great pics. 

[Argonne69]

11 hours ago, mci711 said:

Do you track your walking miles? If you do what's your average walk? What would you consider hard/easy? 

 

No, I don't use a pedometer or app to track steps, but I figure I'm probably walking 10,000 to 11,000 steps each round. Even though I play blue or white tees generally, I usually walk to the tips to take a photo. I've read several articles that have done studies, and 10,000+ steps seems to be the magic number. Some people have reported taking over 15,000 steps.

 

So, I've walked nearly 500 miles on this trip, and close to 2700 miles since I retired in November 2019.

 

The easiest walks are your old school, 6200 yd courses with teeboxes near the greens. Fort Myers CC comes to mind. There have been a handful of very hilly courses, too. Vicksburg CC and Eagle Creek in Kentucky were tough. Dancing Rabbit's two courses had a lot of elevated teeboxes, and didn't have walking bridges over many of the ravines, so one is forced to take the long way around on the cart path. 

 

[Argonne69]

Just now, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

I plan on playing the Prattville courses in the Fall. Great pics. 

 

It was 13 years ago that I made my first trip to the trail, playing The Judge here at Capitol Hill. I don't remember much of the course other than the great view on the 1st hole. It's a short par 4 hitting down into a valley. Tough opening hole.

 

 

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Ooh, definitely made the right call playing yesterday instead of this morning. The sky just opened up with the crack of thunder and a torrential downpour. I would have been standing on the 2nd teebox. Hopefully the winds stay somewhat calm. A few forecasts call for strong gusts. The awnings (toppers) that cover Bessie's two slideouts don't like winds over 20 mph. I'll probably have to bring the slides in today. 

 

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by Argonne69

[ShortStick]

I have had fun tracking your retirement - thanks for entertaining us snow-bound friends!
 

Regarding walking distances, I used to just divide the scorecard yardage by 1760 and round up a bit to get an idea of miles walked. But surprisingly it is much more. I put a GPS app in my pocket for the entire round (it was the freeware version of RunKeeper) so I would measure walking around greens, green to next tee, and my zig-zag shot pattern from tee to green. Old style 6600 yard yankee courses come in around 5.5 miles and I hoof 6.5 miles on a newer 7400 yard track.

 

So you are walking 20-25 miles a week if you play four times. Your doctor will be pleased - at our age that’s a good sign that your parts are working well.

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

Have you looking into playing  the Mississippi State Univ golf course? I decided on playing there instead of Old Waverly this weekend. Never heard back from Old Waverly about the lodging, so I decided to skip it altogether and added the  Miss St course as well as Mossy Oak. We were close to crossing paths!

[Argonne69]

Just now, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

Have you looking into playing  the Mississippi State Univ golf course? I decided on playing there instead of Old Waverly this weekend. Never heard back from Old Waverly about the lodging, so I decided to skip it altogether and added the  Miss St course as well as Mossy Oak. We were close to crossing paths!

 

No, but I probably should. My next stop after West Point is Memphis, and I could add another day if the course is worth a visit.

 

[CHNchilla]

15 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Like Dancing Rabbit, conditions were disappointing tee to green. It was cart path only for the poor souls riding. The saturated fairways were a combination of dormant Bermuda, thin overseeded rye, bare patches, and a ton of poa.

 

 

Golfing in the South (or Georgia at least) has been awful this winter. Every month has been incredibly rainy and the bermuda just never has enough time to dry out when it's raining every 3 days or so

[Argonne69]

Not much to do on a rainy day in Montgomery. Took a drive downtown to see the old Union Station and Riverfront Park. Currently enjoying a nice Belgian Tripel and Belgian Strong Ale at Common Bond Brewers near the station. 16 taps with a little bit of everything. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Fat Boy's Bar-B-Que Ranch in Prattville. Honestly, I'm disappointed. It's funny, but Google Maps shows the place as 'Busier than usual', but I'm the only customer in the joint. Ribs were very good. Tender and juicy. Smoked sausage was OK. Brisket was mediocre at best, semi moist and chewy. Brisket should not be chewy. Pales in comparison to the Austin joints. 

 

Now, the plate was nearly half the price of the places in Austin, so I'll cut them a little slack. However, I'd skip the brisket and sausage, and stick to the ribs. 

 

 

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Bummer. I have a 10:40 am tee time on the Legislator course, but I arrived early hoping that there would be a cancelation given that it's cart path only today. Unfortunately the GolfWeek Amateur Tour has a tournament on the course until 10:15, so there's no chance for an early start. Between the cart path only and the tournament, I'm sure I'll be looking at a 5 hour round. Ugh. 

 

Plenty of time to snap picks. Love the look of Judge #1. 

 

 

 

Brutal. Just brutal. 50 minutes into the round and we've just finished the 3rd hole. Three groups now on the 4th tee. 

 

Finished the front in 2:45. I want to meet the Einstein who thought that sending an amateur tour out on a Saturday morning was a great idea. 

 

Lol. Pace be like... 

 

 

 

Edited March 19, 2022 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Well, at least the weather was nice. It's hard to get excited about a 5:15 round, but my playing partners were great, and we suffered through it together. 

 

I'd have to say that the Legislator course is the best of the three at Capitol Hill. It's almost three courses in one. The front is a hilly parkland layout. Nice mounding like the adjacent Senator course, but with trees. The back nine starts down in the valley adjacent to the Judge, and the six holes down there are watery, with tight, tree lined fairways. The 6th hole tees off back up on the ridge (heck of a climb), but plays back down. The final three holes are once again adjacent to the Senator, and are faux links. 

 

Solid layout with a good mix of holes. The front was more open off the tee, but the bunkering was definitely in play. The back left little room for error. Miss a fairway and you were most likely in the swamp. Approaches were challenging on both sides. Elevated greens with plenty of protection. The greens had multiple sections and plenty of slope. 

 

Par 3s were decent. Nothing really shined. Par 5s were similar, solid but unspectacular. Short 4s didn't have much danger. 

 

Conditions were much better than I expected given yesterday's storm. It was cart path only for the riders. Fairways were soft, but not quite as mushy as Senator on Thursday. Bunkers were wet and compacted. Greens were rolling great at ~10. 

 

Surprisingly good round considering the amount waiting. One birdie and five bogies. Highlight of the day was finally finishing the round. If I had to play 5 hour weekend rounds regularly I'd quit the game. 

 

I'll give the course 5 cows. A handful of memorable holes, and a few snoozers. Solid, like most of the trail courses, but nothing Earth shattering. 

 

[Argonne69]

RTJ Golf Trail Capitol Hill Legislator Course, Prattville, AL

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jhbw62k4u8184j2/AAD-XcnKJO-IBhzHYNavXp2Ca?dl=0