|
South Liverpool GC
by Anthony Poland
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1476 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2004-07-23 |
65,593,344 bytes |
69 |
6734 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
IMAGINARY |
PARKLAND |
gc1.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| |
|
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by: Big Three
Designer Background: This is the first course released by Anthony Poland.
From the Readme: Hello and thank you for downloading my golf course.It is my first attempt at this as you will probably find out when you play it.I do live in Liverpool England but we don't have any courses like my design.It has come straight out of my head. Please don't expect a jaw dropping course I am no Mike Jones. Wish he new how he makes it look so GOOD. I do play in the zone some of you might know me as "T" you will find me in the "T"room . I am hoping to try again in the future at this design thing hope I'll get the hang of it soon . Well hope you enjoy my course and hope to be playing a few rounds of it with you in the zone THANK YOU ANTHONY "T" POLAND
Course Overview: South Liverpool GC is listed as an Imaginary / Parkland course - although I would consider it to be a fictional design. It is a Par 69 of 6734 yards. The course has five Par 3's and only two Par 5's, thus the Par of 69.
Layout/Playability: The layout/playability of the course is mixed. Through the first 6 holes the course looked as if it was going to be a series of long holes of questionable design, with unwarranted trouble in the middle of the fairway (bunkers or trees), or island hopping fairways. All surrounded by deep rough planted with tall grass and scrub. Just about every hole features huge, massive bunkers.
The first hole is 460 to 470 yard par four with a tree in the driving area of a medium width fairway. The 3rd is a 600 + yard Par 5 with island fairways. It requires a precise drive of over 275 yards off the tee to clear a massive bunker, or playing up short with a 3 or 4 iron. The problem here is that it makes no sense to clear the bunker because there is no way the green can be reached and the last fairway ends about 510 yards out. So, there is little, if anything, to be gained by clearing the bunker. A long iron off of the tee will leave you laying up in the same place as a big drive over the bunker. The 6th is a 428 yard Par 4 with another huge bunker taking up half or more of the middle of the driving area starting at about 225 yards, leaving two small strips to aim at. Throw in a 244-yard Par 3 4th hole with a medium sized green surrounded by another massive bunker and you get the idea. The front nine ends with back-to-back Par 3's, with the ninth being another 240 to 250 yard Par 3 (one of three on the course of this distance). The best hole has to be the 7th, a nicely designed 324-yard Par 4 that is drivable in most conditions. It has a huge green that is protected on three sides by a large lake. There is a fairway to play to the right of the water if you choose the safe approach.
Architecturally, the back nine is designed better. It has more variety in design and distance, although again there are a couple of island hopping holes and another 240 + yard Par 3 at the 18th. The 15th is a reachable Par 5, but the first fairway is a small one that you can easily drive through into the deep rough with a solid drive.
Although there are no huge elevation changes off of the tee, there is enough variety in the course to keep it interesting and you will find a nice variety of fairway lies. There is some large mounding off of the fairways on a few holes.
Putting at South Liverpool is about average. There are not large elevations on the greens, but most have some roll, swale or crown to them, creating putts of the fair but thoughtful variety. There is a mix of green sizes, some very large and others small to medium. A three putt is a possibility due to distance on some of the large ones, while the smaller ones, although requiring a precise shot, are not unfair.
Overall, after making it through the first 6 holes or so, the playability improves considerably, with one major exception. An improperly assigned deep rough texture is going to create substantial problems (more on that below).
Planting/Textures: The combination of textures, planting and the Rolling Hills (Gleneagles) pano blend together nicely to create a nice looking course. The deep rough texture is a familiar custom texture that looks and fits well with the course. The deep rough is planted with a good variety of tall grasses and some scrubby bushes, causing further problems to an already tough situation. There is no rough or first cut, so once you miss what are for the most part medium width fairways, you will be in some kind of trouble. The cart path texture is a nicely done custom piece, although it tiles some at medium distance in the main camera. The bunker texture also tiles in the Top Cam.
The planting of trees and bushes around the course is done quite well considering Mr. Poland is a first time designer. There are a few minor cloning issues, but except for a couple of places, nothing that is glaring. The blend of trees used in the planting is consistent and fits together very well. The trees are planted at a medium density, although for the most part well off the fairway so they don't interfere with play. The exception to that is the 16th, a Par 3 with a green that is surrounded by trees. The planting around the water hazards, a mix of rocks and reeds, with pond grasses at the edges, is done well, although the grasses here could have used a little variety. In this category the designer has achieved a very respectable level.
APCD: Overall, most of the APCD works is well done for a first time designer. Shadows in the Top Cam are almost non-existent, the elevation work is quite smooth, and there are no obvious pulled verts. The bunkers, of the no lip - sand up to the grass style, are done quite well and smoothly. Seam blending is used, and although done with the standard MS blend, is also done well.
A pretty solid job overall then, although there is one glaring exception to that statement: an improperly assigned property for the deep rough texture is a major issue. Aside from the lie icon being 'asphalt' (which has no effect on play), the texture is set to 'other' in the properties instead of 'deep grass' which causes wildly erratic shots and the caddy will over club by 2 to 4 clubs. Playing out of the deep rough will find the ball flying an incredible distance; 275 to 300 yard 3 Woods, 180 yard 9 irons etc. I hit a 3W that I missed by two or three dots playing Champ Click that still went 250 yards onto the green on a Par 5. This is easily remedied in a handful of minutes if you care to open the course in the APCD and fix it; it certainly improves the playability of the course.
There are a few other minor APCD errors that do not affect the playability, such as the Tee markers not being properly assigned (all the back tees show up as the Ladies tees) and fairways not being mapped.
Extras: Other than some custom texture work and an 'in game' screen of the 7th hole for a splash screen, there is not much extra in the course. As the designer stated, it is his first course and some of this is to be expected. A lack of hole previews will be a major issue for some, as there are several blind tee shots on the course. Crowds, tournament objects and a cameo are not included. A first cut of rough for a slightly missed tee shot would have been a welcome addition.
Summary: On the surface, this is a solid enough first design from Mr. Poland. He exhibits a basic grasp of the APCD and does a good job of planting. I appreciate his effort and I sincerely hope he continues to work on course designing, as there are the beginnings of a good designer here. Planting is quite good, a major problem in many first designs. Architecturally, he needs to work on his hole design for more variety in design and distance. Some polishing of his technique is needed, characteristic of a first-timer, although it is quite good at this stage. Beta testing to correct some of the problems could have gotten this course a higher rating. Unfortunately, the texture assignment issue is a major one and along with the lack of variety in the layout, keeps me from being able to recommend this course.
|
This course is available as a FREE download.
|
|
Download course
|
Please support Links Corner
|
|
|
