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Atlantic Point G.C.
by Mike Jones
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1291 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2017-06-28 |
64,463,840 bytes |
72 |
7276 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
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FICTIONAL |
LINKS |
AtlanticPoint.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
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| COURSE NOTES |
| Re-released as a free download June 2017 |
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LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Rick Priebe
Designer: Mike Jones needs no introduction. His record speaks for itself. He is acknowledged by the Links community as the premier APCD course designer. Atlantic Point will not do anything to tarnish that reputation.
General course information:
Type: Fictional - Links style - Pay for Play
Par and Length (Back Tees): Par 72 - 7276 yards
General Comments: For scenic vistas, this may be the best links style course ever. The shoreline and ocean views are nothing less than spectacular, especially in the dynamic camera shots. The planting is more abundant and varied than we are accustomed to seeing in most links courses. This may be a small concession to those players who don't care for the more barren look of most traditional links layouts, but it works for me. The holes are interesting and fun but not overly difficult in most conditions. The fairways are generous, and the ordinary rough is playable as long as the ball doesn't settle down too far into it. Kick up the wind (it is after all a seaside track), add firm greens and a few tough pins, and you can have all the challenge you want. Bunkering is adequate and appropriate. Although they may not be as penal as many of the deep fairway pot bunkers we have come to associate with links courses, they are strategically placed, and you may or may not be able to take the shot you need to reach the green from them. The nicely bunkered greens have the characteristic Mike Jones undulations and ridges, making long putts difficult to read accurately, but usually rewarding good approaches with birdie opportunities. However, as I have found in my review round, missing the greens on the wrong side can leave some difficult to impossible chipping situations.
Textures: As with all of Mike's courses, the textures are well thought out, work well with each other, and the seams are nicely blended. The textures used for the ocean and surf line are exquisite, easily some of Mike's best work ever, and that is saying something.
Eye catchers
Pluses: You can look at the screenshots, but I don't think that there is a hole on this course that doesn't have a scenic splendor to it. I feel that the course is excellent strategically and visually. This is easily one of my 5 or 6 favorite courses of all time.
Minuses: Can't think of any, except for the +6 score in the round I played for this review.
Favorite Hole: There isn't a bad hole on the course, but I especially love those which are routed along the seashore. The 430 yard 4th (see screen) and the drivable par 4 5th would be near the top of my list. You can pick one that suits your own preferences.
Rating: This is a must have in anybody's course library. Easily a top 25 course.
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, links course |
Location
TBC |
Conditions
TBC |
Concept 8/10
From the master of all that is Links (both with and without the capital L) comes Atlantic Point. A game amble around coastal dunes, thankfully not too penal or foreboding, it lacks some of the immediacy of other Jones courses but none of the style, panache or photo-realism. The short stretch of two holes that winds along the coast are simply stunning; perhaps other holes are less ingenious than the traditional MJ hallmark, but that shouldn't put anyone off. |
Appearance 10/10
Surely the best planting done to date in Links, Atlantic Point removes anything that was poor or repetitive in Northern Dunes or Pacific Breaks (the other two-thirds of this trilogy) and refines the planting to the point of genius. The textures, as ever, are perfectly matched and it is brilliant to see bunkers that are not over extruded. An example to any other course scoring a ten. |
Playability 9/10
Certainly no problems here. The feeling of incipient repetitiveness is cleverly avoided through a great mixture of hole lengths and - with careful restraint - not leaving the tests of skill until the back nine. As a links course it's wrong to expect too much ingenuity to be deployed, but perhaps it would have been nice to see a more open feel to the course rather than the restricted fairways and enclosed greens. |
Challenge 7/10
Somewhat easier than the Mike Jones standard, you might expect to complete Atlantic Point comfortably under Par if your game is up to scratch. Mainly to thank for this are the trademark shallow bunkers and, in contrast, some surprisingly unpunishing rough. The lack of penalty stroke hazards is another bonus for the wayward. |
Technical 10/10
It might be an overworked phrase, but this really is utterly flawless - a cut above anything else in terms of planting, bunker sculpture and totally believable coastline. Who needs gimmicks when creating courses comes this naturally? |
| Overall |
Not quite the best Mike Jones course, but effortlessly among the Links elite for all that. Brilliant work from a talented man. |
44/50 |
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.
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