| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1481 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2004-08-05 |
76,214,272 bytes |
72 |
7052 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
WOODLAND |
THE HENRY (V2).crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
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LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Chris Gormley
Background Info:
This is 1st course released by Vivian Davies. Here is a little bit from the readme that was included:
'This is my first course release for Links 2003. The HENRY is a fictional course par 72, 4 par threes, 4 par fives. Wood land setting at 7052 yards 6448 meters. The course is named after my local social club the Henry Lawson Club.
The course has hole previews and in this document hole by hole descriptions. The course has taken about 5 months to finish.'
Overall Impressions:
From the very first holes you can see that this course is 'put together' pretty well and that Vivian has a pretty good handle on a lot of the APCD techniques. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the APCD work as this is a first course by Vivian and a lot of the 'normal first course problems' just are not here in this design. It shows that Vivian has taken the time to learn the APCD and apply what has been learned to this design.
The Henry is laid out well through all 18 holes and offers plenty for the player to think about during a round. This is a 'tight' course and will be difficult to score well on with the tougher conditions. A few of the fairways are extremely tight in spots(Hole #7 comes to mind) and will force a player to make the shots or find themselves in some real trouble. The greens for the most part are created very well. They are contoured and offer a player many opportunities to not only get close to the pin but also to have some more difficult shots to make as well.
The hazards throughout the course are placed and used very well. I especially like the use of the water hazard on hole #2. The bunkers are all placed really well to challenge a player not only from the tee but from the approach shots to the greens. There are 2 different types of bunkers on the course: pot bunkers and your standard bunkers. Most of them are constructed very well, especially the pot bunkers. The standard bunkers could use a little more tweaking but are pretty good for the most part. I am sure as Vivian gets more experience building bunkers that these will improve greatly.
The course features some really nice elevation changes that make the course feel very natural. They also come into play on a few holes and will cause the player to change a shot or two. The planting on the course is pretty well done, especially for a first design. But it does get a little 'busy' in a couple of spots, which is normal for a first design. I think that planting a course correctly is probably the toughest APCD skill to master for a designer. The APCD has so much to offer in this area and it is really difficult to not incorporate too much into a design. This is another area where I think Vivian will shine after a little more experienced is gained using the APCD.
Now let's walk through a couple of holes:
Hole #2: This is probably my favorite hole on the course. It is a longer par 3 at 207 yards. But what makes this hole unique is the use of the water hazard. A player has the option to either lay up short to an island in the middle of the hazard or to carry the entire hazard to the green that is protected by a rather large bunker on the back side.
Hole #5: This hole is a medium long par 5 that measures in at 532 yards. The tee is elevated to about 22 yards above the green and is one of the holes that I mentioned above where the elevation changes will challenge a player. There are 2 bunkers placed in the landing zone for the tee shot to make a player be very careful placing their first shot on this hole. The green is also protected by 2 bunkers to gobble up any shots that get away from the player.
Hole #18: This hole is a short par 4 hole measuring in at 387 yards. There is water here to worry a player as well as 5 bunkers to make all the shots difficult. The green is protected by to large bunkers on the front and back sides. This may be the most difficult hole to score under par on, it will take some very well placed shots to get close to the pin.
Closing comments:
In closing let me say that this is a very good first design by Vivian Davies. The designer has shown that they have a good grasp on the workings of the APCD. There are a couple of areas(bunkers/planting) where improvement is needed but these will improve as Vivian gets more experience designing. I enjoyed playing and reviewing this design and I look forward to future designs by Vivian.
"I am writing this review from the viewpoint of not only a player but as a Tour Director. Although I am not a designer I understand the work that goes into a design as I have beta tested many courses and my review is simply how I as a player/Tour Director would view this course."
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, heathland course. |
Location
TBA |
Conditions
TBA |
Concept 2/10
The Henry is a wild course. Not wild in the sense of untamed moorland,
but wild in the lack of continuity and the massive disjointedness between
different holes. The author has ambitiously tried to cover a range of hole
styles, with precious little finesse or sense of location, and the overall
impression is just of a mess. There's too much going on, and not enough
paid to the course's strengths and how they might challenge the golfer. |
Appearance 5/10
There's quite a bit done well here. Some of the texture blends are a joy to look at, and the planting is suitably mixed and adds more
tone to the place than any other visual feature. These are compromised by downsides including the inexplicable stone edges for the
tee boxes (and, unforgivably, one green), some stretched textures and occasionally a sharp edge in the mesh around elevations. On
the whole, little better than a mediocre effort. |
Playability 4/10
Several arrow-straight holes do not inspire confidence in the variety of play around this course. Indeed, there's precious little attention
paid to potential strategies, and the course simply demands straight and accurate shots: very dull. The raised greens eventually get
frustrating as too many approach shots come up way short. An annoyance. |
Challenge 5/10
The Henry places unnecessary demands on the player, and will not appeal to many. Over-calculated hazarding, and some awful
greens add to the difficulties. Although it's possible to pick up strokes on the front half, the overall challenge is lacking in balance and
realism. |
Technical 4/10
Yet again we see a designer with a good grasp of the APCD who has not really got the hang of what a golf course should be about.
Points are lost here for the obvious lack of planning and focus, rather than design skills. |
| Overall |
A course lacking a solid centre or theme. An oddball collection of holes, only about
half of which are playable. |
20/50 |
Please remember that Clipnote reviews are the opinion of one person and do not constitute an 'Official' Links Corner review of the course. |
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