|
Los Lagos G.C.
by Gary Campbell
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1420 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2004-03-21 |
39,082,212 bytes |
72 |
7257 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
PARKLAND |
Los Lagos.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 92824e377a0f4a0984bf37131a782786 |
6c779ddf36f8ccc1a2cc310b871d3448 |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by: Chuck Clark
Background: This is the first and only course released to Links Corner by Mr. Campbell; so the only background information we have is the read-me. Here is some of what it says:
'Los Lagos Golf Club is my first completed APCD design after much experimentation, tutorial reading and Designer's Corner tips. As you can tell it was designed with the APCD 1.1 since I have yet to upgrade my PC to accommodate Links 2K3 and APCD 1.5. I know I still have room for improvement and much to learn with all the additional tutorials and the new techniques incorporated in Links 2K3 so I look forward to designing my next course which hopefully will rise to another level.
Los Lagos G.C. is a fictional parkland style course that you might find in the Carolinas in the early part of autumn when the leaves are starting to turn to shades of brown, yellow and orange. The holes surround and inter-twine between four lakes and the perimeter and some interior regions of the course are heavily wooded and contain thick underbrush that will penalize wayward shots both from the tee and fairway. There are hazards on the course that have been designated Environmentally-Sensitive Areas (ESA), also, there are sandy waste areas which are not hazards. Each hole has a different look with an ample amount of doglegs right and left and straight holes, moderate elevation changes plus a par 4 that you can drive with a favorable wind. The par 3's vary both in appearance and yardage which makes for more interesting looking holes and a variety of club selections.'
Overall Impression: Opening this course for the first time will give you a very pleasant surprise. Although this is definitely a Links 2001 course the planting is so beautiful and immersive that this course really stands out. It does have the old textures, no seam blending and those sharp extrusions around tee boxes and green fringes; but if you can forget about that this course is sensational! I really loved it! Besides the fabulous planting the course itself is very interesting and well laid out. There is a lot of water and sand in play, but they aren't too threatening. The greens are very subtly sloped; but almost a bit too easy in places. In summary this course provides a very pleasant and fun experience. However, the planting really makes you want to come back and see it again!
Playability/Shot Values: This is a very fair and playable golf course. There is a lot of water in play; but most of the time it is not too penal or intrusive. There are numerous bunkers, brushy areas and waste-type areas. If you are driving it straight you should be able to shoot a decent score. The greens are probably a bit too easy for most linksters; there are no wild slopes or tiers. There is also a good variety of left and right, uphill and downhill, and short and long. There are no extraordinary golf holes; but there are no bad ones either.
Visuals: This is decidedly a mixed bag. Because this is a Links 2001 course the textures just don't look very good compared to today's standards. I am also not a big fan of those sharp extrusions around the tees and greens. However the planting more than makes up for these shortcomings. The planting is so well done I am totally blown away. One thing that always has set Mike Jones apart from the rest of us mortals trying to use the APCD was his skill and artistry when planting. I would say that Mr. Campbell has many of the same abilities in these areas. The grassy/brushy/rocky areas are so natural looking I actually thought I was looking at a picture in places. It is worth downloading and playing this course just for planting alone.
Technique: Very good technique on display here; especially for a first time designer. I didn't see any major or glaring errors. I did notice one badly cropped custom tree behind the 15th green; but that may have just been my computer. The elevations and green complexes were smooth and natural looking. The bunkers were nicely finished with a standard dirt lip. The lakes were simply done; some mud or other edging would have been nice. I don't need to mention the planting again. There were many nice touches and features on and around the tee boxes. There were some good split rail fences and did I mention the planting? One small problem was the shadows and rendering. If you play this course in Links 2001 then don't bother reading the next couple of sentences. If you play this course in Links 2003 then you will notice that it generates a very large shadow file (13MB) and it renders pretty slowly. This is due to the fact that there is so much grass and brush and some of these objects have top views assigned to them. Rendering all of these objects and shadows takes some time. But when it does finish rendering you will not be disappointed.
Favorite Hole: I really like the 10th hole. This was a downhill par 5 with a lake (not visible from tee) all down the left side. If you could get your drive in the sloping fairway you were left with a long and difficult approach if you chose to go for the green. The green sits on a peninsula which juts out in to the lake; making for a scary shot if you are so bold.
Summary: A very well done Links 2001 golf course; with absolutely extraordinary planting! This course is worth your time to download and play just to see the planting. It is not perfect but I heartily recommend it anyway!
|
|
CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, mountain course |
Location
One of the Carolinas, according to the readme |
Conditions
Plays reasonably well on M*/M* |
Concept 9/10
This is the first of Gary's excellent portfolio of courses and it set an excellent indication of things to come. Somewhere between a mountain
course with overtures of Crystal Pines, and a lakeside course in the mould of Lost Lake Legend, it has rough edges but a solid design
concept at its heart, with superb intelligent use of fairway slopes and guarded greens. With just one particular trademark hole (the gutsy,
stand-out 13th), this is a course that both rewards aggressive play and appreciates the conservative hitter too. |
Appearance 6/10
Some stand-out planting helps the course to retain its rarified atmosphere, but there are some pretty hefty extrusion marks here, and the
bunkers have not had as much work done on them as I would have liked, with some obvious terrain marks around and even within them.
The colour set doesn't quite add up, either. That being said, there's been much done here with multiple texture rings and good,
understated elevation work. |
Playability 8/10
Excellent golf, and even more subtle than those courses that came afterwards, Los Lagos mixes up styles and lengths of holes to
excellent effect. Plenty of flair is required to get the most out of the course, and the ambience is made complete with good sound
planting and informative previews. You'll want to go back more than once to try and better that damnable 13th as well! |
Challenge 8/10
The fact that Los Lagos is still playing close to par, even on the Mod, shows the keen eye for design that was present here. The rolling
fairways provide an excellent test on all approaches, and you'll do well to better more than about half the greens in regulation. The trees
and hazarding are thankfully not too tight, though, and the net impression is of a well-balanced course with natural challenge. |
Technical 7/10
Near-genius planting, given the fact that this is a first design and an aging course, and there is certainly a firm hand on the tiller when it
comes to golfing design. A shame about the rather primitive extrusion methods which have left their mark, and I found a fair few areas
where the textures were not well mapped, but there is little to stop you coming back to this course. |
| Overall |
A beguiling course in the play and difficult to overlook. It does have weaknesses in
the design, but they can be attributed to age. |
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.
|
|
Download course
|
Please support Links Corner
|
|
|
