|
Foxfire Country Club
by Lacy Gearheart
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 109 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-02-01 |
30,058,472 bytes |
72 |
7842 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
PARKLAND |
Foxfire CC.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 94bfe1a2f88c11d4b01b0000e87e4e35 |
9fbf8c2d5623bf7b67067b7cde5e0931 |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Pete Dixon
Lacy is a regular contributor to the Links site and is getting a well deserved reputation as a bit of a bunker design guru.
This is his second course following on from the watery Gator Lakes, which has been only out for a short time itself.
It is with some anticipation that I entered into the play testing of the course for this review as I have already seen numerous positive postings regarding Foxfire since it was recently up on offer and it is clear he is getting a bit of a fan base for his designs.
The course is a fictional parkland course set in autumn where trees and water, although not to the same extent as Gators, abound.
I have to say, in my very short time as reviewer for the site so far, I doubt whether I will have a more difficult review to do as plenty of soul-searching has gone into what you are about to read, and I am still not sure if I have got it right now.
I have played the course 6 or 7 times now and some of the holes many more than that and during these journeys I can safely say that the bunkers are some of the best you will see, the faces and texture are second to none. The Tees are also expertly crafted and the fairways are a mix of narrow to wider expanses, giving good variety, while the rough is very rough. On this point, I have to say I think the seams between the fairway and rough would look better if there was a strip of semi rough in-between, but this is personal taste.
The course layout is very well thought out although I do like at least one par 5 that gives you a chance of getting on in two, you won't have this luxury here.
The greens are well contoured some are a real test where others are more straight forward, giving a fair test of your putting skills
Planting is also well done and hazards have obviously been carefully thought out and well placed, also course furniture is to scale.
Okay here is the BUT.
I have to say when I first looked at the course I was a bit taken aback by the expanse of autumnal colours and I have had a real problem with the ' In your Face' nature of these.
I think this is something you are either going to love or hate, to me it is too much, particularly on the front 9. My view, for what it's worth, is that if the colours were toned down and the course was not as busy this would be a classic. I also don't like the use of the red flowers in beds that adorn the course I don't think they are needed and I also think that there is too much going on in the smaller of the water hazards.
Now I may well be in the minority with the above views and I have to say the course has grown on me as I have played it and if I was to say I am finding it hard to choose my best hole as I have got six to choose from can't make this all bad.
Best Hole: After much deliberation I have gone for the long par 4 - 16th which starts off with a nice wide expanse leading into a narrowish fairway, the second shot leaves a nice long iron which should run up to the hole only to be met by a testing undulating green.
Overall: As I have already said, this is all a matter of taste, and I have to say I haven't quite adjusted to the colours that hit you when you step onto the first tee, as it were.
I did expect to see Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke run out and sing something from Mary Poppins (Humour Lacy, humour!!!). Apart from that the course is everything it should be and quite exceptional in some areas as I have outlined above, and the course is definitely more understated on the back 9 where there are a pick of fine holes.
I am convinced that Lacy is on the verge of releasing an absolute classic and I hope he does go ahead with his venture of doing the 'real' course he has planned.
I look forward to seeing your next course and don't forget that bunker tutorial.
Links Corner Design Analysis
Some points to note, and some more debates to come I'm sure, are the extruded fairways and greens. The course is created completely in this manner and it does throw some shots and make for annoyance at times. This could be construed as design fault and could be links related, but there are a few extruded terrains that could do with a little more tweaking. It would be impossible to find all these, but an example is found on the 17th hole as the fairway narrows before the green. The rough on the right side will allow a ball to bounce against. The other concern on the extrusions is of course the top view making for some shadows around terrains and on occasion the main view will make for some dark edges too.
Aside from that, there is little faulting the course, apart from a little pull around the tees on the 3rd hole.
Course Info :
Cameo Screen? Yes
Splash Screen? Yes
Text file? Yes
Hole Previews? ?
29mb
Reviewed Feb 2001 |
|
CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, parkland course |
Location
TBC |
Conditions
TBC |
Concept 6/10
There's a very quaint, austere style associated with Lacy's courses, and Foxfire is certainly no exception. The rich (albeit dated) textures, and some well-observed planting do an awful lot in terms of the overall course ambience. Hole design tends towards the ungenerous and narrow, which is a shame, although clearly the difficulty gradient has occupied a significant amount of time. As ever with a Gearhart course, you can be assured of a break from the norm. |
Appearance 6/10
The attention to detail could still teach course designers a thing or two today. Flowerbeds, rocks and upper-level planting are of very high quality, with very few clones. The texture colour set is brave but effective (more so at closer range than longer), but the terrain does suffer from signs of shape-placement and the occasional extrusion mark. The stock panorama does little to lift the course. |
Playability 5/10
The sound detail is charming and something that many more designers should take to heart in realising how well ambient sound lifts a course. The golfing values are an odd mix - the opening holes are terrifically engaging, but later on it becomes arduous more than anything: the Par 5 holes in particular, being soul-less, over-long and unappealing. |
Challenge 8/10
I'm in two minds about how to rate this. Certainly, Par is very much the right number here. But you will find yourself on some near-unplayable greens and some difficult target areas even on route to a good score. At the end of the day, it's clear the designer has taken the crucial extra time to difficulty-adjust this course, which is an area too often missed. And the age of the course is fair excuse for some over-the-top putting. |
Technical 7/10
For its time, there's nothing poor with the work at Foxfire. It would have been nice to see more of a stretch in terms of panorama, and a continuation of the impact golf offered by the opening holes would have ensured a truly excellent round. |
| Overall |
Standout in terms of Gearhart artwork, but perhaps less so when the enjoyment values start to devalue around the turn. |
32/50 |
Please remember that Clipnote reviews are the opinion of one person and do not constitute an 'Official' Links Corner review of the course. |
This course is available as a FREE download.
|
|
Download course
|
Please support Links Corner
|
|
|
