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Rio Grande Oeste
by Doug Quillen
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1009 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2002-08-21 |
39,337,864 bytes |
72 |
7142 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
DESERT |
RioGrandeOeste.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 38cb6f9a886841799cd725970e96b035 |
a7cdd651a595fb8852ead6e2c038561d |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Joe Turner `Loner'
September 2002
Before you read on and don't think that I liked the course I did very much. The tee boxes and the greens were a light shade of green and the patterned fairway and the rough were quite dark in color. That color combination is not exactly to my liking but it does grow on you as you play along because of the general beauty of the course. The desert sand was a gritty color, exactly the color that I'm used to in all of the deserts that I've been to. He had minimal sized objects in the sand that made it look as a desert should look. There were brush, rocks, bushes, cacti, and to my enjoyment a western flavor with abandoned objects scattered about such as old Conestoga wagons. In the background on a few holes their was an old fashioned water pumping windmill and you could see the modern day far away, hot air balloons, houses and electrical lines. The mountains that served as his pano were most fitting and spectacular at times. The creek that ran throughout the course was decorative and a hazard also. Although the fairways didn't have a first cut they varied in size from the medium narrow, not too narrow, to the ample in size. They didn't have a huge amount of bunkers, he used their shapes and the occasional tree planted in a wild-grass undergrowth which looked like mulch serve as the hazards and they more than do their job. Watch out for those fairway trees, they can and will give you more troubles than a string of bunkers. His greens did have both bunkers and trees as hazards but their smallish size proved to be the biggest problem. I had quite a few chips and when I did get on the surface of the greens they were either elevated, tiered, sloped or had gentle but effective breaks. The overall putting I would say was more to the easy side than medium. What didn't I like besides my score, the brickwork around the tee boxes and around some of the water hazards. It doesn't fit in this type of setting.
His elevations and the caddie were 'right on' and he did have some very interesting changes in elevation, which of course led to club changes or club trajectory changes. The fairways undulated and did at times have enough of a slope to them that made me allow for it in my next shot. The holes had very nice shapes because of his use of unusual hazards so they did present a challenging game. The bunkers were beautifully made even though they were few in number. On hole # 10, a par 5, with your drive, try to stay to the left to avoid being stuck behind some tall trees that jutted out onto the fairway on the right. I found that the par 5's gave me a good chance at an eagle.
I found him to be quite a meticulous designer. The old ' a place for everything and everything in its place'. His cart paths were concrete but he had wooden paths across the water, yes I've seen concrete across water on course before. His sound of howling coyotes wasn't overdone and came off very well. He built a beautiful course and an enjoyable challenging course. Its download size is average for a course such as this. I would highly recommend it and I know that you will enjoy playing it. Try one of the recorded rounds while you're at it I did and had a nice game.
Reviewer Note
I am a player not a designer and therefore rate a course as a player for other players.
Summary :
Included: readme with scorecards, 2 recorded rounds, cameo, splash, ball washers, custom flags, custom tees, buildings, cart path, hole previews, signs and numbers and other assorted objects.
Not Included: he had everything and more.
Statistical Information: par72, 7142y, 5 sets of tees, 4-3 pars, 10-4 pars, 4-5 pars. |
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, desert course |
Location
TBA |
Conditions
TBA |
Concept 4/10
Almost other-worldly at times, Rio Grande marks a definite step up for
its designer. This desert creation features some impressive ambition
and more than a little talent for creating good golf - the impressive 14th
hole is more than token evidence of that. More so than courses in a
similar genre, this realistically feels like a country club or resort course,
with a difficulty gradient to match. Certainly, the idea seems to get a bit
tired into the back nine, which is a bit of a disappointment. |
Appearance 5/10
Perhaps the worst of the visuals is the odd mix of planting, which puts some slightly inappropriate trees into this desert environment.
There are some poor texture choices and mappings too. But on a more superficial level, there's not too much to find fault with, the
panorama is great and the elevations feel appropriate to the environment (to whit: flat). |
Playability 4/10
Swift, moderately engaging, but ultimately unmemorable golf. The course occasionally presents an interesting play problem, but too
many holes just haven't been pitched at a similarly problematic level. It's not easy to become really involved with the course, which is a
pity. |
Challenge 2/10
The bouncy rock desert hardly makes its present felt, except in a couple of amusing cases. The rest of the course is just too flat, open
and featureless, and scores - particularly towards the end of the round - are liable to plummet. |
Technical 4/10
Certainly an improvement on bottom-place holder Jalapeno Canyon, although perhaps that in itself isn't saying much. In fairness, the
progress made by the designer is clear and the small inconsistencies do not affect the fact that the course is quite playable. You
wouldn't blame people for wanting something a little more, though. |
| Overall |
Not so much Rio Grande as Rio Mediocre. A small impression and a small score
from a pretty average course. |
19/50 |
Please remember that Clipnote reviews are the opinion of one person and do not constitute an 'Official' Links Corner review of the course. |
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