| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1401 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2004-01-19 |
54,285,428 bytes |
72 |
7306 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
WOODLAND |
CopperHarbor.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| feb374a3bf224a81b22a17a541955dc0 |
b5c49f10259b788f57a8eed414db24f1 |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
2/26/03
Reviewed by: Chuck Clark
Background: I believe that this is the third course released to Links Corner by Mr. Kangas. The other two were called Forest Akers-West and Springbrook Lakes. Both of these courses were released in 2002; so Copper Harbor has been in the works for quite awhile (or so it would seem). The reviewers of those courses had similar comments about the courses being nicely planted and very natural looking; like real course renditions (which I guess Forest Akers is). They also said some things about these courses being a bit modest and (reading between the lines here) slightly unexciting.
For a bit more background I'll quote the designer from his read-me: 'Copper Harbor is a fictional course based on the hills overlooking Lake Superior near the city of Copper Harbor Michigan. The course should be a pretty good test for most golfers as I tried to make it a little tougher than previous courses I've done. I've also included hole previews this time (they aren't much) but they may help those that use them. I hope you enjoy the course and thanks to Freddie B. for his wonderful Eagle Mtn. Course textures as most of them are used on Copper Harbor.'
Overall Impression: A beautiful and natural looking golf course; with nicely blended textures and very well done planting. It looks just like the designer described it; a course built in pine forests on a slope above a large lake (Superior). The views of the lake are seen on most of the downhill holes. It doesn't come into play; its just part of the pano. The course itself winds its way thru pine forests with most of the holes being greatly up or down hill. There are also some deep grassy areas and a few small creeks which make their presence felt. The fairways and greens are generous and the bunkers not too deep or threatening. The course is very well executed and looks good. The one major drawback is some of the pin positions. There were a number of pins placed on severe slopes; sometimes on down slopes facing away from the line of play. The greens were nicely contoured; but unfortunately having cups cut on the side of steep slopes really detracts from the experience. One other thing of note is that this course generates a huge shadow file (37 MB on my computer). It also renders fairly slowly; so people with older/slower computers may have trouble with this course.
Playability/Shot Values: A very playable and generally fun golf course. There are a number of interesting dog legs, and lots of slope to negotiate. Most of the holes are way up hill or way down hill. You need to plan each shot accordingly. I generally found that the par 5's were not reachable (they were either too long, too uphill or had a fairway that ended forcing a layup off the tee); and there were no reachable par 4's. In other words there really isn't any risk-reward type holes and little in the way of penal holes. As mentioned above the main drawback to playability was the pin positions. I also noticed one other unusual thing about this course; there was a collar of rough which ran across in front of every green. In other words there was never a path to run your ball up onto the greens if you needed to do so.
Visuals: A very pretty and natural looking course. The planting is very well done and the textures are very nice. It looks just like a real course; but it is almost too perfect looking. What I mean by that is that the holes start to look a lot alike after awhile. The planting is very much the same on every hole. Even though the holes are very different in their character; you have a hard time remembering one over the other. Mike Jones has taught me you need to work on giving each hole a unique personality. Add an object or unusual feature. Give the player some visual quirk to remember it by! This course needs something like that to really put it over the top!
Technique: Very nicely built and planted. I didn't see any errors at all. The seam blending was nicely done and the plants, trees and textures used were well thought out and executed. I only had a couple of odd notes on technique. Number one was the hole previews; which were less than beautiful (as the designer admitted to in his read-me). The other thing of note is the corridor of trees around every hole. You will only notice this if you open the top cam. Each hole is bordered by a thick row of trees. However, outside this row is nothing. Obviously this is not very natural; I'm sure the trees in Michigan are all over the place not just bordering fairways. The designer needs to 'fill-in' these areas to give the course a more natural appearance (at least in the top cam).
Favorite Hole: I actually liked the first hole best of all. This is a reverse slope dog leg. The tee is nicely elevated and the hole is spread out in front of you. It turns gently to the left; but the fairway slopes gently to the right. You really need to shape your tee shot to get it in the fairway. The green is elevated and nicely sloped. You also have a nice view of the lake in the background which gives the hole a bit of character; and gets you off to a nice start at Copper Harbor.
Summary: A very nice and fun golf course. Very natural looking and very well built. It suffers from a bit of sameness and needs something to jazz it up. Personally, I also like to see more risk-reward type holes and some hazards that are a bit more dangerous! The only major deterrent is the pin positions. In conclusion, if you like very natural looking golf courses which also play like real courses then this is a good course for you. If you are a pro-clicker who likes some real danger on every shot then better look elsewhere.
|
This course is available as a FREE download.
|
|
Download course
|
Please support Links Corner
|
