| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1302 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2003-07-04 |
17,461,508 bytes |
72 |
7177 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
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FICTIONAL |
OCEAN |
bluemarlin2003.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
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LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by
Bob Hankla
July 2003
Designer: This is Ron Watson's second course following the Grand Pinacle Valley Desert Course. From reading the review of this course, I gather that there is potential here.
Course: Blue Marlin Bay is a fictional design located somewhere near the ocean. Without a readme file I'm not sure where it is. I wouldn't really consider it tropical due to the predominance of pine trees on the course, but there are palms as well. The textures used worked well together, except for the fairway, which stood out a little in my mind. Away from the fairways and greens, you will find a first cut, deep rough, tall grass, and 'grassy sand'. The designer made use of seem-blending, and it was done well. As mentioned, the planting consisted mostly of pines and palms, with bushy grass used as underplanting and in open areas.
The bunkers were done pretty well, with single-blended edges. I would have liked the bunkers to be a little more visible with the use of elevations, but that's a matter of design philosophy. The water hazards needed a little work. There was a reflection problem around the edge of the pond next to the eleventh green. The other water hazards could have used some planting around the edges to make them look more natural, and the slopes into the water could be made a little more gradual. The shoreline was plain looking, no problems and nothing standing out. The hole layout is what I would consider to be the biggest factor with this course. I'll start by saying this is far from being an easy course. Generally, the toughest part of each hole was the tee shot. Invariably there is something where you want to hit your drive. Usually it's one or more bunkers, but it could be just the angles or the fairway narrowing at just the right spot.
Another thing that makes it tough is that the fairways are frequently segmented, and this means that sometimes your club selection is limited because you want to hit the fairway segment. I enjoyed the challenge myself, and made it a game within the game to see how many fairways I could hit. I would only consider one or two of them to even border on being too extreme. The other challenge is that the greens have quite a bit of roll to them. You will seldom see a straightforward putt. All things combined, I very much enjoyed my round at Blue Marlin Bay.
Favorite Hole: Although not the longest or tightest, I would choose the 350 yard #9 as my favorite. Your tee shot angles over the edge of the bay and has to be slotted between two bunkers. You also have to be careful because due to the angle hitting through the fairway is a possibility. Your approach will be around 170 yards once again over the bay and a bunker fronting the green. You can count on having a moderately breaking putt from just about anywhere.
Recommendation: I recommend it to those that like a challenge and something a little different. This is an enjoyable course to play, if you don't mind the challenge. There are some areas for improvement, but I consider it a solid course. Thanks, Ron, for a fun course. I look forward to your continued improvement.
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