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Vista Verde Golf Resort
by David Meader
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1318 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2003-07-21 |
34,331,556 bytes |
70 |
6649 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
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FICTIONAL |
TROPICAL |
Vista Verde Golf Resort.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
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LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by
Simon Kent
August 2003
Designer: This is David Meader's second course design, with his previous release being Saxon Vale Golf Club, which was strongly received by the Links Community and garnished a Top 25% score in its review. Below is a quote from the designer, which states some important information about the course and its design.
'Coming from England, I must confess to having absolutely no first hand experience of this type of course, other than what I have seen in pictures and on television broadcasts, which may well explain the comments received regarding it having a feel of a course based in Hawaii or Florida.'
In many aspects, Vista Verde may not be 'natural' as such, but as the designer has not actually experienced this type of course with his own eyes like people in the United States can do daily, the creation of this style of course has been done very well and I congratulate David on a job well done.
Playability: Well the design of the holes is initially one of the big draw cards with this course. The scenery and colours certainly top of the experience, but without challenging holes, the experience factor on this course would not have been as good. Different skill levels and swing types will have to play this course differently, as there are many holes, like Hole 2 (Screenshot 1), that have to be played differently depending on your skill/swing, as the hole has a massive risk/reward factor and needs to be played carefully. Hole 7 was designed very well, as I forgot about the palm trees affecting my third shot and had to come up with a shot to get around the trees and onto the green. Hole 8 will challenge any player, as the second shot heading to the green is uphill and quite long, and is certainly one of the toughest holes on the course. Putting was generally quite easy, but approach shots to the green were not always the case, as the fairway tends to control the ball with the slope that it has in many areas. The only downside to the round would have been the tree on Hole 5 that interfered with my tee shot, and so in future, it would be beneficial to consider leaving out trees so close to the tee area, as by also using panoramic or normal view from the back tees, you are unable to appreciate the waterfall in all its glory, with the tree actually blocking most of the view. The driving options off Hole 17 and 18 were much to tempting for me, and I ended up in the water both times I tried to get as close as I could to the hole. All up, I ended with a -6 (64), with 90% Fairways and 61% Greens in Regulation, with a total of 22 Putts.
The Course: The designer clearly states in the read-me, that the course is loosely based on the style of courses found in the Palm Springs area of Southern California. The first three holes of the course had a major 'wow' factor to there design. Hole 1 had great reflective water and colours, Hole 2 was one of the best looking holes I have ever seen (Screenshot 1), with a very realistic chance at a Par 4 ace for players who wish to take the hole on, while Hole 3 was designed very well, as you have to drive 'over' another hole, which is quite a cool feature. I would recommend playing off the front tees one day or using the close-up view from the back tees when you play Hole 5, as the waterfall is absolutely amazing (Screenshot 2 and 3), and is very reminiscent of a hole on David's previous course Saxon Vale, which perhaps could be a sign of David's signature on all of his designs. The planting on the front 9, especially in the water was very well done, but as the course went on, the planting started to get overwhelming, and actually began to take away from the beauty of the hole designs. Hole 12 for instance is a magnificently designed hole, but the plants near the tee area seemed to take so much away from it, and in this case, 'less is more' would have been a better way to approach planting on this hole. Planting is certainly the feature of this course that should have been improved, as on many holes, it seemed like plants were used for the sake of it, and not necessarily to actually improve the look of the holes. Hole 18 was designed very well, and I'm sure in the future when this course is used in tours, there could be some very interesting situations occur with different conditions. As explained before, the designer lives in another country from the area this course would be based in, so knowledge of the planting in the area may have been quite limited, and thus the course may seem quite unnatural with it's planting because of that.
Favourite Hole: This was a tough choice, as there were many holes that I specifically liked, but I would probably have to go with Hole 2 (Screenshot 1), as it provided a challenge with the desert strip in the fairway and where you placed the ball with your tee shot, while at the same time its a massive risk/reward hole, as a perfect drive will get you to the green to give you a putt for eagle, while a mistimed snap will get your ball wet. The sheer 'wow' factor that you get from the tee looking out over the hole is a reason in itself just to download the course.
Technically: With custom objects, walls, water features and planting scattered all over Vista Verde, the technical features of this course have to be seen to comprehend how good they actually are. The fairway, green and rough textures selected for this style of course were perfect, and the colours that you find on each hole in no way look out of place at any stage. The bunkers have been made very well (Screenshot 4 and 5), but the water features are truly the signature features of this course (Screenshot 3). The blending of textures has been done very well, but on closer expectation on some holes, you can see that many edges and shapes could have been done better, but that is one thing that this designer will only improve on with more experience. The walls used around the water on Hole 12 were brilliant, while the benches, hole signs and the cart path were also done very well. On practically every hole, plants have been placed over edges and blends on textures like the rough and water, and it seemed in many ways this was to 'cover' things up, which was not needed, considering the blending of textures was done very well, and it possibly could have just been a bad habit that the designer may have gotten into. From the top view on Hole 14, the rocks behind the green looked very artificial and quite similar to army camouflage, while as the walking bridge on Hole 15 looked solid, when placing your ball 'over' the bridge in practice, the ball is actually on the ground, and thus there really is no bridge there at all, which is quite weird. Finally, the clubhouse chosen was good, but could have matched the style of the course more, as I would have imagined more of a luxurious clubhouse to match the style of this golf resort.
Other: The course came with a Cameo, Handicaps, Hole Previews and two Splash Screens. The hole previews are unfortunately not the same quality as the course is, and because this is a course that gives you the feeling of playing at an exclusive golf resort, it would be good in the future to have hole previews that suit the style and quality of the course more. The splash screens were great, as the 'frame' effect is very nice, but I did however just prefer the fictional version over the one with the photo. The tournament options were very good, with the hole signs being a great addition. When playing Hole 5 and 6, make sure to turn the speakers up, as the water sound is very peaceful and realistic, and when playing Hole 5, looking and listening truly makes you feel like you are actually there (Screenshot 3).
Download Value: The zip file is quite reasonable in size, as dial-up users won't take too long to get it, while for high speed users, this will be nice and quick. This has been one of the most enjoyable downloads in recent times, as the zip file came with two wallpapers, a recorded round, the course and a read-me. Disregarding the rating or opinions people may give this course, I strongly recommend this to anybody for download, as for just over 32mb, you get more value with this download then you will with many others. This course will be staying on my hard drive, as it is challenging and enjoyable, and will be played again in the future.
Course Statistics: Links 2003 Course, Par 70, Fictional Tropical, 5 Tees, Distance: Back- 6069m, Forward- 5652m, Par 3's- 6, Par 4's- 8, Par 5's- 4.
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, canyon course |
Location
Palm Springs, California, according to the readme |
Conditions
Acceptable at M*/M*, although you'd be wise to check a couple of greens. |
Concept 8/10
This fantastic area of canyon, rocks and open ground is fertile ground for the imagination of the designer, and has given rise to some
impressive, if occasionally outrageous, holes - notably the 2nd, 7th and 18th. It wouldn't be much use in a strokeplay tournament, but is the
perfect host to the gambling elements that work so well in matchplay or other risky MoPs. David's emphasis is very much on inventiveness
rather than environment, which means this course borders fantasy at times, but it's a magnificent effort for those of us that don't need
hyper-realistic courses to keep us playing. |
Appearance 7/10
The bright greens work well with the intended environment, and there are some excellent touches in the walls, the rockworks and other 3D
creations. Sadly the deserted regions stand out as being pretty awful - forested densely with lots and lots of clones, they might have been
better left out altogether. But there's real graft here and an admirable effort to make something different: the central canyon in particular
being highly impressive. |
Playability 10/10
Absolutely addictive. Knowing the course well is a complete asset in this case, because it plays like a set of old friends. With the
designer's reliance on big target golf and near-insane risks, it's one of the few courses in the canon that is outright thrilling to play. It's
by no means easy to work out the obvious 'best' route through this course, which is part of the reason for its compulsiveness. |
Challenge 7/10
Using deep rough throughout was an excellent decision, and really provokes thought off the tee. The glut of water is a foreboding
hazard, but there's a good shy at birdie available for controlled fairway-and-green play. One worrying issue is that it's sometimes easy
to shoot a rugby score on some of the worst holes, but for all that it's surprising how close to par you end up. |
Technical 7/10
David really stretched himself with this impressive and original location, and for the large part has been rewarded. Some difficult and
brave decisions have resulted in a course with an easily-identifiable look, and golf that has plenty going for it. The planting is definitely
a weak aspect, being cloned and inconsistent throughout. |
| Overall |
The quirky hole design and some brilliant opportunities to show off make this a
course you'll be happy to return to for sheer fun. |
39/50 |
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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