Arg's Travel Log

[tw422]

On 11/18/2021 at 2:11 PM, Argonne69 said:

Godfather Death Belgian Quad and Wicked Crone Imperial Pumpkin Ale at OddStory Brewing. Small selection, but a good variety. 

 

 

Hope you don’t have to drive anywhere after those beers. Belgian quads can hit you hard!  Looks great. 

[Argonne69]

It's going to be a long day at Mid Pines. Full tee sheet, windy, and cart path only. Looks like I'm the only one walking. 

 

[Argonne69]

Well, I guess if you're going to slog through a 4:45 round, Mid Pines is a much better choice than your local goat track. Another gem of a course. The area certainly has its share of great courses. More rolling fairways, elevated tees, blowout bunkers, and wicked greens. Actually, the greens are a little tamer than Pine Needles. Sure, there are more false fronts than one can count, but there are a number that look flat. Of course they're not flat, as a putt that looks like it'll break 2 feet will wind up 8 feet away. Oy. Fairways were generous, but much tighter than Pine Needles on a number of holes. 

 

The par 5s were quite short, which was no surprise for a Ross design. The par 3s were a surprise. You generally get beat up with the long 3s, but only one of the four was long. The course was playing very long. Probably a combination of air temperature, elevated greens, and soft fairways. Once again I often needed two more clubs. 

 

Conditions were OK. It rained last night, so it was rather soft. Probably helped with holding the greens. Bunkers were decent, but again I'd like to see either more sand or a good grooming to bust up the compacted sand. Greens were rolling ~10. 

 

Driver was rocking today. 12 fairways. Unfortunately the greens once again ate my lunch. Only 9 greens hit, or should I say, stayed on. One birdie and seven bogies. 'Very humbling two days of golf. Lol. 

 

Mid Pines ranks a few spots in front of Pine Needles. Both courses are fantastic, and both should definitely be played, but I can see why Mid Pines wins by a nose. The course just looks like it belongs here. Even though the greens are challenging, I felt like I had a fighting chance today. Once again, highly recommended. 

 

[Argonne69]

Mid Pines GC, Southern Pines, NC 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6d4r5hven06bcix/AABn7a2YL6ua5kXM6QJ4fSKRa?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Nice selection at Southern Pines Brewing Company. Enjoying a sample of the Belgium Tripel and Quad, and I'll finish with a Candy Bar Breakfast imperial stout. 

 

 

I got an email from Tobacco Road regarding tomorrow morning's round. Frost delay expected, so they'll do a shotgun start an hour after my scheduled tee time. I assume since I'm walking I'll start on the farthest teebox from the clubhouse. Lol. 

 

Edited November 26, 2021 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

'Had a blast at Tobacco Road today! What a course. 18 unique holes that aren't your typical golf course. A few reminded me of Mammoth Dunes. A few reminded me of Prairie Dunes. All were a challenge. Excellent risk/reward fives. Good mix of 3s. A couple of reachable 4s. Waste areas galore! (Don't call them bunkers. Lol). Challenging, but yet fair greens, unlike Sweetens. A few forced carries, but nothing extreme. A handful of blind shots, but nothing overly difficult with a good GPS. Very few flat lies on this quite hilly layout. I just don't see where one could lay any criticism on the course. Is it hard? Yes. Not every course has to cater to the bogie+ golfer, though. Fairways were more than generous, and the greens were large. Undulating, but large enough to hold a shot.

 

The par 5 11th was my favorite hole. Just a monster of a risk/reward hole. With a good drive one has ~200 yards to the green, but come up short and you're in the Devil's pit. 'Not a place to be. 

 

Conditions were fine. Greens were fantastic, and rolling ~11. Pace was on the slow side at 4:30. Unfortunately with a shotgun start everyone is held to the pace of the slowest group. I wound up starting on the 7th hole, but they gave me a ride out/in to start the round, which was nice.

 

Solid all around game today. One birdie and five bogies. A couple of three putts hurt after being above the hole. Don't go there.

 

Anyway, can't say enough good things about the track. This ain't your normal golf course. If you can keep the ball in play you'll have a great time. Eight cows.

 

The 11th

 

 

 

 

Edited November 28, 2021 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Tobacco Road, Sanford, NC 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/diwt7nxt3h7yn8b/AACfbJcbgaS7HS0p2XYte8GJa?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

I'm an idiot. I was planning to play Southern Pines tomorrow. When I checked the teesheet a few days ago it looked fairly open. When I looked yesterday it was still open. Then I realized that the course's booking engine starts the week on Monday, and not Sunday, and I was looking at Monday's teesheet. Grrr. 

 

Anyway, the course is booked solid. I was able to grab a spot at Mid South. Not the end of the world. I think I've had my fill of Ross greens for a while. 

 

Off to Myrtle Beach on Monday for 7 nights. Forecast looks great with highs in the 60s. Plenty of good golf coming up. 

 

[Socrates]

19 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Tobacco Road, Sanford, NC 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/diwt7nxt3h7yn8b/AACfbJcbgaS7HS0p2XYte8GJa?dl=0

 

Now there's a course I would love to play a few times.  Looks stunning.

[Argonne69]

Another enjoyable morning out on the links. Chilly start to the round, but with no wind and plenty of sunshine it was a nice walk. That said, walking my 6th round in six days has worn me out. Lol. 

 

Mid South today, an Arnold Palmer "signature" course. I'm not a big fan of Arnold's designs, but this one was fun (minus the 10th through 14th). The front has nine unique holes on rolling terrain that require good tee shots. Water comes into play on a number of the holes. Layup areas are restricted. The final four holes are similar, including the 18th that plays like Bay Hill's baby brother. Unfortunately the opening five holes on the back are just out of place. Dead flat playing through a subdivision. A few thousand pounds of TNT might help them. The entire course is routed through the housing, which is a minor distraction. 

 

Favorite hole was the par 5 9th, a dogleg left that has a generous fairway, but a narrow, well guarded layup area with a bit of a downslope that feeds into the Bermuda rough. The green sits across a creek, so you either lay back to get a full wedge into the green, or hit a delicate half wedge from the rough. 

 

Conditions were good. A little wet in spots. Bunkers were quite fluffy. Greens were fantastic, and rolling close to 11. Pace was wonderful. I went out early as a single, played through a group on the 4th, and had the course to myself after that. 

 

Up and down day. Just running out of gas. Two birdies, five bogies, and one double. Best shot of the day was my approach on the 14th from the waste area at the end of the fairway. I was lazy, and didn't check my SkyCaddie to see that the fairway ran out, so I had a 6 iron to a back pin from the sand. 'Picked it clean and it scooted to the back fringe 12 feet from the pin. 

 

The course is ranked #15 on GolfWeek's Best in State (North Carolina). It doesn't stack up well against the local competition, but 15th is probably about right. Still, I think I would have been better off playing Southern Pines. Hopefully I'll be back in the area in the future. Five cows. 

 

Edited November 28, 2021 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Mid South, Southern Pines, NC 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cpy7eyyq1gqiu7k/AABM6wUMOsXeMsfKB_JW-SmDa?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Enjoying a lighter brew at Pinehurst Brewing Company, built in an old steam plant in Pinehurst, NC. Beer menu is small. 

 

Off to Myrtle Beach tomorrow. I have rounds booked at Ocean Ridge Plantation (Leopards Chase), True Blue, Barefoot Resort (Dye), and TPC Myrtle Beach for the week. I'll probably take the day off on Saturday, and play Heritage on Sunday before heading down to Charleston for a couple of days. 

 

 

[cbbaron]

Id swap Caledonia for Heritage I love Heritage but pace can be a major issue

[postfold]

8 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Hopefully I'll be back in the area in the future. 

 

If you can try to get there in the spring, Mid-April to May sometime.  Mid Pines in particular is spectacularly beautiful when everything is in bloom.

[Chanceman]

How are you handling the schedule, mate? Its a tough gig, all this beer and golf.

[Argonne69]

11 hours ago, cbbaron said:

Id swap Caledonia for Heritage I love Heritage but pace can be a major issue

 

I played Caledonia on a previous visit to MB. Yeah, Caledonia is pretty sweet.

 

[Argonne69]

3 hours ago, Chanceman said:

How are you handling the schedule, mate? Its a tough gig, all this beer and golf.

 

It's rough, but someone has to do it. Lol. I'm settling into a routine. I need to take a day off now and again to let the body (slightly) recover. Planning is tougher than I expected. Many RV parks are family owned, and their office hours are limited, or they don't answer the phone when they're open. I don't want to plan too far out into the future to give myself some flexibility, but on the other hand waiting until the last minute has already left me struggling to find an RV site. 

 

[StudentGolfer4]

I read through the reviews. Am I correct in saying Mid Pines was your favorite of the pinehurst area courses? How would you rank the difficulty between the 3? 

[Argonne69]

55 minutes ago, StudentGolfer4 said:

I read through the reviews. Am I correct in saying Mid Pines was your favorite of the pinehurst area courses? How would you rank the difficulty between the 3? 

 

I'd say Tobacco Road was my favorite, followed by Mid Pines, and then Pine Needles. 

 

They're all tough, but I thought Pine Needles was the toughest due to the greens. Mid Pines would rank 2nd, and then TR. 

 

Of course a lot depends on how one's driver is behaving. Tobacco Road would be the hardest if one was spraying the ball off the tee. 

 

[Argonne69]

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Already start to plan for my stay in Charleston next week. I'm planning to play The Links at Stono Ferry, but should I stay another day and play The Ocean Course? I played the OC years back, and even at this late point in the season they're charging $308. Ouch. I'm trying to keep things within reason, but the course is calling out to me. Lol.

 

[tw422]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I'd say Tobacco Road was my favorite, followed by Mid Pines, and then Pine Needles. 

 

They're all tough, but I thought Pine Needles was the toughest due to the greens. Mid Pines would rank 2nd, and then TR. 

 

Of course a lot depends on how one's driver is behaving. Tobacco Road would be the hardest if one was spraying the ball off the tee. 

 

Interesting perspective and agree with you on Tobacco Road in terms of placing a premium on accuracy off the tee.  I did not like TR for that reason.  You seem to hit a lot of fairways (as you describe in round summaries) so you may have had a better experience.  I thought Pinehurst #2 was the best of the bunch followed by #7 and #8.  I liked the Duke course too but felt like Mid Pines was better overall.  

 

More importantly - what is the best beer and/or brewery you've encountered?

Edited November 29, 2021 by tw422

[Argonne69]

15 minutes ago, tw422 said:

 

More importantly - what is the best beer and/or brewery you've encountered?

 

Even though I'm primarily an imperial stout drinker, I'd have to say Thirsty Monk in Asheville has been my favorite brewpub up to this point. Belgians are quickly becoming my 2nd favorite beer. Wooden Casket in Newport , KY wasn't bad. 

 

I was very disappointed that I didn't get a chance to play Pinehurst #4. Crowds on Thanksgiving Day are generally small. The vast majority of the Top 100 courses in the US don't require a stay at the resort, including Pebble Beach. They should have some (limited) provision for non-guest play. 

 

Edited November 29, 2021 by Argonne69

[hammergolf]

22 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Already start to plan for my stay in Charleston next week. I'm planning to play The Links at Stono Ferry, but should I stay another day and play The Ocean Course? I played the OC years back, and even at this late point in the season they're charging $308. Ouch. I'm trying to keep things within reason, but the course is calling out to me. Lol.

 

If you can get on, I would highly recommend Cassique at Kiawah. It’s private, but if someone can make a call it’s definitely worth it. Great Tom Watson design…

[Argonne69]

A bit of a frustrating morning at the Leopards Chase course at Ocean Ridge Plantation. It's a 45 minute drive from the midpoint of the Grand Strand. It's one of four courses at the complex routed through a large residential development. Flat, and very walkable, but I was told that I had to take a cart. That's just the way it is. No matter that I prefer to walk, or that I'd be going out solo as the first player on the course 30 minutes ahead of the foursome behind me. Oy. Seriously, I just can't wrap my head around these courses that require carts. 

 

Anyway, after a 30 minute frost delay it was out on the links. Challenging course off the tee, but totally forgettable. Plenty of water and waste bunkers to deal with. Good mix of holes, but the par 5 11th should be blown up. I hit a solid drive, and was left with two choices, a) lay up with a pitching wedge short of the junk, or hit a 200 yd shot over the junk to have a wedge into the green. I love good risk reward 5s, but one shouldn't have to hit a wedge or fairway wood for a 2nd. Pfffttt. 

 

Greens were benign. Bunkers were nice. 

 

Conditions were iffy. Explains why they gave me a discount in the pro shop. The greens were in rough shape. Not sure if it was some type of late season fungus, or he bent grass simply calling it quits for the year. Speed was 9 at best. Teeboxes were spotty. Fairways and bunkers were fine. 

 

Up and down day. Mostly down. Irons were a mess. Two birdies and eight bogies. I blame the cart. I'm a fast player, but a cart on an open course encourages me to play much too fast. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it. Lol. 

 

The course ranks 14th on GolfWeek's Best in State (North Carolina). I just don't see it. Playable? Yes. Challenging? Yup. Worthy of a visit? Meh. Plenty of quality courses closer to Myrtle Beach that don't require a long drive. Four cows. 

 

Edited November 30, 2021 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

Ocean Ridge Plantation Leopards Chase, Ocean Isle Beach, NC 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/k6fpn7o19j2b66s/AACjgeM_PkIgIypYyn3CoooLa?dl=0

 

 

 

[Argonne69]

OK, I know it's not a local brewery, and not a local beer, but how could I pass up my first taste of the 2022 Goose Island Bourbon County imperial stout? No question it's one of the best barrel aged imperial stouts available. Liberty Tap Room & Grill in Myrtle Beach. Any establishment that has BCS on tap gets a big thumbs up from me. Lol. 

 

 

Oooh. Ouch. It simply kills me to be sitting at a brewpub/taproom and hear someone order a Miller Lite. The horror. 

 

Edited November 30, 2021 by Argonne69

[ode]

23 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Belgians are quickly becoming my 2nd favorite beer.

I've grown to love the Quads....and I'd say they are my #2 behind Stouts as well and the bigger the stout the better.  Just like with barrel aged stouts, it took a while for me to come around to them, as well as Belgian Quads!  Not as keen on Strong Ales or Tripel's, but I do enjoy a Dubbel from time to time.  Some kind of a "funk" aftertaste that I cannot get past with the Strong and Tripel....but I'm not throwing in the towel yet!

 

My local brewery/taproom does an amazing Quad every year and this year was barrel aged!

[Argonne69]

Ah, now that's more like it. 'Walked True Blue on a gorgeous morning. I was the first one out as a single, so once again I had the course to myself. Doesn't get much better. 

 

Very nice course, but if I recall correctly Caledonia is a better test. Fairways here are huge, except for a couple of them. There are plenty of waste bunkers if you do somehow manage to miss one. Water comes into play on a few holes, including the challenging par 5 4th. The fairway wraps around a pond, and the tee shot and layup allow you to bite off as much as you want. The hole wouldn't be out of place at Bay Hill. Overall there was a good mix of holes, with the majority having a unique look. No cookie cutter stuff here. 

 

Biggest test are the greens. Not the slope or speed, but the shape. A number of them have strange shapes, so being on the putting surface is no guarantee of a line to the hole. 

 

Conditions were good. The sand could use a good grooming, but again the sandy areas are not bunkers, but waste areas, so lies can be iffy. Greens looked fine, but were on the slow side. I'd say 9.

 

Much better round today. Amazing what walking can do for the game. I managed to hit every fairway for only the 2nd time. Lol. One birdie and five bogies. 

 

If you're in the area for a few days, by all means play the course. However, if you had to play one round I'd head to Caledonia next door. Six cows. 

 

The look for your 2nd at the 4th hole. 

 

 

Edited December 1, 2021 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

True Blue GC, Pawleys Island, SC 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/aqzac1ut1j3rmt6/AAAEvs8UCGD8rz-7x1T_EYcra?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

A nice Chocolate Pumpkin Porter at Quigley's Pint & Plate in Pawleys Island. Only nine taps, but a nice selection.