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The Plantation
by Dominique Bois
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1339 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2003-09-26 |
34,333,040 bytes |
70 |
6567 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
PARKLAND |
The Plantation_2003.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
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LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by
Simon Kent
October 2003
Designer: Dominique Bois is certainly no stranger to the design community, with his previous four courses receiving scores ranging from 84-96, nominations for Links Corner Recommended and wins in the Players Choice awards category. His portfolio includes Bethpage Black 2001 and 2003, Broken Arrow Championship Course and Golf Club des Volcans. All of his latest works in progress can be found at his design site, http://dominique.bois.chez.tiscali.fr//maineng.htm.
Course History: This version of The Plantation has been designed for Links 2003, but is actually an original design by Joe Blankenship for the Jack Nicklaus Signature Edition game.
Playability: The first challenge I came across, was the tight fairway winding towards the green on Hole 1, as it was quite hard to spot, and actually forced me to take a 2 Iron off the tee to make sure I didn't end up in trouble, which in the end didn't help anyway, as I hit into the hazard twice and ended up taking a four over par eight on the first hole. The Par 5's are very hard to reach in two shots, and unless you take some risky shots, getting an eagle is near impossible on those two holes. A good thing about this course was playing the Par 3's which weren't all about target golf, and rather placement, as all of the Par 3's varied in length, had different shaped greens, and assorted levels of difficulty, which meant no shot on either of the Par 3's was going to be easy. After 18 Holes, I ended up with a +4 (74), with 75% Fairways and 55% Greens in Regulation, with a total of 27 Putts.
The Course: As noted in the read-me, the original setting of the course was on the east side of Mississippi, but the designer decided to bring it to the west side, otherwise known as Cajun country. The course is very natural, as it uses colours and plantings to really submerse the player in the atmosphere of the area, but unfortunately for the player, the pleasant look that this course gives out is rather deceiving, as the course is much harder than it looks. Tight fairways, sloping greens and numerous winding creeks, makes every shot a challenge, and if you break par on this course, you should congratulate yourself.
Favourite Hole: Hole 4, otherwise known as 'J'ai gros coeur', was a long and testing Par 5, and was my favourite hole on the course (Screenshot 2). After going in the water with my first shot, I was rather happy to get a bogie by the time the ball went in the hole, and overall, the hole was certainly both challenging and scenic.
Technically: The first thing I noticed was that the colours and choices of the textures chosen were exquisite, and really made this course a very unique package from the outset. The planting was good, but near the water edges was very repetitive, and when playing on Hole 8, I came across what seemed like a 2001 tree, as when hitting out of the rough through what I thought was small branches of the tree, the ball actually ricocheted back through the player animation like I was hitting cement. The course could have been seam blended throughout, as in many places, like the water edges, and even some greens, the edges could have been much smoother than what they were. It's hard not to compare this course to the designer's previous work, as the bunkers on this course were nowhere near the quality found on the designer's last course, Bethpage Black 2003, and in many instances, it seemed like a different type of bunkering technique was used on many holes throughout the course.
Other: The course comes with the usual cameo, handicaps and splash screen, but I think the hole previews could have been better than what they were. Apart from the crowds, there were no real tournament extras, except for the seating and flags near the green on Hole 18 (Screenshot 5).
Download Value: If you like unique courses, or are a fan of the designer's work, you should give this course a try. The zip file includes a read-me file full of information about the course's history, a recorded round and the course file. It is not extremely large in size, so slow speed internet users will be able to download the course, but I would recommend reading other people's comments about the course before you decide on whether or not to download it, as the course will be appealing to some, but possibly not to others, and depending on your skill and swing type, you'll understand what I mean. This course won't be staying on my hard drive, but will be burnt to CD, and after I get over the score I got on it, I'm sure I'll play this course again one day.
Course Statistics:
Links 2003 Course, Fictional Parkland.
Par 70, 4 Tees.
Back- 5994m, Forward- 5140m.
Par 3's- 4, Par 4's-12, Par 5's- 2.
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, marshland course |
Location
TBA |
Conditions
TBA |
Concept 6/10
Dominique's project of APCD-updating old Jack Nicklaus Golf courses has
proved to be an ambitious and surprising one, and has thrown up some
absolute beauties. The Plantation has a grittier style with a lush, slightly
other-worldly feel to it. There's an emphasis on placement and control
which won't appeal to everyone, an almost excessive use of water, and
some rough regions which might just have you trembling at the knees. |
Appearance 6/10
A cracking choice of textures - always Dominique's strong suit - and an appropriate variety of planting gives the course that slightly
ethereal edge. On the flipside, the water hazards with their green algae aren't always pulled off as well as they might be. There's some
visible extrusion marks from time to time, and frankly a shortage of good scenery, thanks to the enclosure of trees and the flatness of
the environment. A couple of good custom items keep the interest flowing. |
Playability 7/10
The Plantation is no exception to the ideal laid down by Royal Kurland or Estate Heights (both from Dom\'s Jack Nicklaus series). Every
hole is different; every shot is a challenge, often with a visual twist thrown in. The intent is certainly there, but perhaps the execution
doesn't quite always match up: sometimes the golf can become unclear or frustrating, and that keeps The Plantation just a step
behind. |
Challenge 3/10
Certainly unexpected, The Plantation becomes something of a sod to play. One steel tree too many, and some near-inescapable
rough, team up with generously-sized water hazards and vanishing landing areas. Sure, the greens are fair. But you've got to be
godlike to hit them all at the first time of asking. |
Technical 7/10
Re-creating fictional courses might be a little easier than re-creating real courses, but let's not underestimate the dedication required
here, particularly when you consider that it's much more possible to compare picture to picture. The lakes cry out for attention, but
elsewhere there's an impressive effort in creating a clone-free and coherent environment. |
| Overall |
A course lacking a solid centre or theme. An oddball collection of holes, only about
half of which are playable. |
29/50 |
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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