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Hawksmoor Heath
by David Meader
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1349 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2003-10-29 |
49,870,504 bytes |
71 |
6939 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
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FICTIONAL |
PARKLAND |
Hawksmoor Heath.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
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LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Rick Priebe
Designer: This is the third course that Dave has released to the world, and in my opinion, his best yet. The previous two courses, Saxon Vale and Vista Verde were both good courses and quite playable, with Vista Verde being noticeably more difficult. Saxon Vale was innovative, with some nice stonework. Both were ranked in the top 25%.
General course information:
File size: 49 MB
Type: Fictional - Parkland style - Free release
Par and Length (Back Tees): Par 71 - 6979 yards
Difficulty: Moderately Hard
APCD Version: 1.5 (2003)
Included: Hole previews, the various objects you would expect on the tees, excellent custom sounds. I especially liked the distant train whistle on a couple of the holes. There are no galleries and no tournament objects.
General Comments:
I like this course. It has a great layout, with excellent planting, and good elevation work. Maybe the only downside to the elevations is that there were a number of blind approach shots, at least for me in the closeup main view. I didn't find that to be a serious problem, but it might be of concern to some players, particularly those who play at the Elite level. I did have to use the ALT-P to spot the pin on several holes. Otherwise, the hole routings and layouts show good imagination. There are quite a few short par 4 holes which make for some good birdie opportunities. Take them when you get the chance, because you will very likely find a few bogies or worse here too. If you play the last six holes at level par, you will have had a successful finish. You will also see plenty of water on this course. It is in play on most of the course, but not so intrusive as to be overdone.
There is one feature worthy of note on the 10th hole. This is a 530 yard par 5, quite reachable, but it has a laid stone (cobblestone) bunker fronting the green. Short approach shots will generally carom out of this bunker to the back of, or over the green. It's an interesting and different feature. The cart path is also cobblestone, and there are numerous natural rock outcroppings which can make for some interesting bounces. The greens are fair, but can offer some tricky putts if you are in the wrong place.
Textures:
Fairway and rough textures are good, although some tiling of the rough is apparent in the landscape views. I also felt that the blend between the fairway fringe and fairway was maybe a bit too undefined. Deep rough texture is blurry close up, but looks ok in the heavily planted areas, and looks very good in Dynacam views. The blur is most noticeable where planting is sparse. The green texture is somewhat grainy, and slopes are only marginally visible without aids (Breakline Indicator or Grid), but it goes well with the other grass textures. I most liked the bunker texture. It has a more rugged, grainy look than we are used to seeing, as if there is an occasional twig or pebble in the sand.
Eye catchers
Pluses: I liked the cobblestone cart path. The overall planting is very well done, and gives a lush look to the course. The bunkers are exceptional. This is a fun course to play, with plenty of birdies to be had, along with some tough closing holes to keep your attention right to the end. I also like the Hole Previews, which are simple, but gave me most of the information I needed. See the last screenshot for a sample.
Minuses: The tiling of the normal rough, and the blurry deep rough textures. This isn't a major issue, just worth commenting on.
Favorite Hole:
The par 4 16th is a great golf hole. With 2 separate and distinctive greens, it can be either a good birdie opportunity, or you can just be thankful to make par here. The short green plays to a friendly 390 yards, while the farther one plays to 480 over a lake. The second green makes this a devilishly hard hole, but my favorite because of the uniqueness of it. Note the screenshot which shows the farther green across the pond (shows clearly in the top cam view) and the nearer green where the hole is on this round.
Rating: For me, this course is a definite keeper. I strongly recommend that you give it a look.
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Imaginary, heathland course |
Location
A bit of detective work suggests Northern England, possibly Yorkshire. |
Conditions
S*/S* is the only practical option |
Concept 7/10
From a beautiful opening hole, to the startlingly original closing trio, there's something quite special about Hawksmoor Heath. With a visual style I can best describe as 'decadent comic book', it presents an outstanding range of strategic target holes, and the originality in golfing design has probably never been matched on any other course. No, it's not really a heathland course: the rock protrusions are far too heavily in play and the visual style is far too clean, but as a delightful golfing treat, there's little to equal it. |
Appearance 7/10
Some outstanding textures make their appearance, not least in the bunkers and on the paths, but the mesh has not been handled too well, showing some obvious signs of shape insertion and a lot of lumpiness around the rocky areas. The planting is good, but all looks a little bit low-resolution and artificial. It's hard to believe in the course from looks alone, which is why it's best classified strictly in the Imaginary category, but it's far from ugly. |
Playability 10/10
Outstanding. Driveable Par 4s intermingle with opportunities for great daring and holes which require experience and course knowledge. There's no end of risk-reward opportunities and plenty of stunning hole design. You're ushered round by beautiful hole previews and delicate ambient sound to complete the experience. Whatever its shortcomings, and it has a few, Hawksmoor remains one of my go-to courses when I just need something fun. |
Challenge 6/10
Horribly old-fashioned greening and a lack of testing on pin positions are big enemies here, but the hazard design has also meant a fair few shots will be lost to the water, which shows up probably on a few too many holes when it didn't need to. Blind shots are negated by aiming markers and the information on the previews, but even then there's a scary gambling element to this course, far from the natural challenge you'd expect from moorland courses. |
Technical 7/10
A difficult call, this one. Hawksmoor looks distinctly old-fashioned compared to modern courses, but yet the designer's intent in creating something fantastical has been clearly communicated, as has his excellent choice of some textures. The amount of artificiality to the course can be excused to some extent, but not by those who love their golf realistic. |
| Overall |
Gung-ho imaginative golf with a distinctly unusual flavour. Too many flaws for serious competitive play, though. |
37/50 |
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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