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Myrtle Beach G.R.(North Carolina Course)
by Scott Osgood
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1503 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2004-10-28 |
77,574,144 bytes |
72 |
7281 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
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FICTIONAL |
PARKLAND |
Myrtle Beach G.R.(North Carolina.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
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LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Chris Gormley
Background Info:
This is the 5th course released by Scott Osgood with the other courses being: Badger National, Osgood National Memorial, Myrtle Beach Golf Resort(North Course), and Myrtle Beach Golf Resort(South Course). With each design Scott has shown great improvement in his APCD skills and I expect that to carry on here as well with the 'North Carolina Course'. Here is a little bit from the readme:
'This is my third and final Myrtle Beach Golf Resort course. All the holes are from The North Carolina area of Myrtle Beach. The holes are close reproductions but not exact. There is one house on the course. It is my future house on my lot that I own on the first hole at Brunswick Plantation. You'll see my dog and me in the backyard. Please excuse my dog for barking. She's mad we're not out there golfing with you. (My next course will be a fictional one and then I think I might do The Thistle in Calabash NC).. If your in the Myrtle Beach area please patronage these courses. There all very good courses.
Myrtle Beach Golf Resort (North Carolina Course)
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Hole #1: Brunswick Azalea #1 417 yds Par 4
Hole #2: Meadowlands #3 480 yds Par 4
Hole #3: Farmstead #10 409 yds Par 4
Hole #4: Brunswick Azalea #4 197 yds Par 3
Hole #5: Sea Trail Maples #13 575 yds Par 5
Hole #6: Crow Creek #17 411 yds Par 4
Hole #7: Tigers Eye #6 180 yds Par 3
Hole #8: Lockwood Folly #18 500 yds Par 5
Hole #9: Brick Landing #18 400 yds Par 4
Hole #10: Carolina Shores #11 403 yds Par 4
Hole #11: Sandpiper Bay #8 432 yds Par 4
Hole #12: Angels Trace North#18 572 yds Par 5
Hole #13: Calabash #14 429 yds Par 4
Hole #14: Thistle North #6 432 yds Par 4
Hole #15: Oyster Bay #17 165 yds Par 3
Hole #16: Pearl East #17 418 yds Par 4
Hole #17: Carolina Nat. Heron #5 203 yds Par 3
Hole #18: Rivers Edge #9 570 yds Par 5
7187 yds Par 72'
Overall Impressions:
As soon as you get Links going and start a round on this course you know it is going to be an enjoyable event. Scott has done a very nice job putting this course together. Even though each hole has come from a different IRL course you cannot tell from his work that this is the case. He has done a marvellous job in weaving and stitching these holes together to form one course.
The APCD work is very good, and shows that Scott has taken the time to improve all of the various techniques that the APCD offers a designer. There were no obvious flaws that I could see during my rounds at this course, which also shows that this course went through some very good beta testing before it was released.
The course for the most part is very open and inviting to the player. The fairways are very open and well contoured and give the player plenty of room to work even if the wind is blowing. There were a couple of areas where things got a little tight but it made for some very refreshing variations to the rest of the course IMHO. Each hole offered a player many different landing areas for shots with some being more rewarding that others I might add. The elevation changes throughout the course have been done very well and although they don't really challenge the player in anyway they do make the course very aesthetically pleasing.
The greens were some of the better thought out and constructed ones I have seen of late. They varied in size with there being a nice balance between large greens and smaller challenging ones. All of the greens are contoured and shaped very well without any of them really being extreme or unforgiving. But you will want to make sure to land that approach shot as close to the pin as possible as some of the longer distance putts could prove to be quite challenging on some of the holes. One green to be extra careful of would be #18. It is a long slender finger like green that protrudes out into a marsh area. There is not a lot of room to work with here, and speaking from experience hitting into that marsh area can really ruin a good round.
The hazards(both water and bunker) that are scattered throughout the course are constructed and placed very, very well. They offer a pleasant balance of risk/reward throughout the course. I especially like the use of hazards on holes #5 and #6. They can really test a players shot making ability without being unfair.
The planting and the textures used throughout the course are very pleasing to the eye. The textures blend together nicely and the planting just adds to the overall atmosphere of the course. There is a good variation of under plantings to make the course feel very natural without going overboard. Scott had a lot of good ideas throughout the course and showed his experience with the APCD in not overusing these ideas.
One of the best attributes this course has that I normally would not mention in a review are that there are 5 sets of tees for a player to choose from. With each set making a hole play drastically different from the others, therefore letting a player enjoy this great course from many different areas.
Now let's walk through some of my favorite holes on the course:
Hole #5 - This hole is a lengthy par 5 hole that measures a distance of 582 yards from the back tees to the green. There is a large and rather ominous looking bunker that extends along the left side of the 1st fairway section that is poised to gobble up any shots that either get pulled left or blown left. Scoring well on this hole not only depends on you being able to stay out of the bunker to the left but also to get as big a drive off the tee as you can as your second shot could be anywhere from 250 - 299 yards away from the pin. The bunkers for the most part are not really in play unless you get greedy or make a horrible mistake in your snap. The green is long from front to back and is contoured also so that it slopes from back to front. If you can stick your approach shot close to the pin you will have a good chance of making birdie, it is those farther putts that will cause a player some problems and lead to pars or bogies.
Hole #6 - This hole is a medium par 4 hole that measures in at around 422 yards. There is a lot to worry about on this hole as there are 8 bunkers total surrounding the fairway(mostly on the right side) with a small creek running along the left side to further worry a player. The bunkers and creek will make a player think before gripping and ripping that tee shot because it could be a very long day if you end up to far left or right of your target. The green is rather large and contoured rather nicely to make for some very difficult putting, especially if the pin is not cut to the back corner, where there is a little "shelf" for you to aim for when making your approach to this green.
Hole #17 - My favorite hole on the course because it allows you to see some great scenery that other parts of the course do not allow. This hole is a medium/medium long par 3 that measures in at around 234 yards. The green complex is located across a marsh from the tee area. The green is not only protected by the marsh but also by 3 bunkers that guard the front side of the green. The green is rather large and is slightly contoured but you will want to make sure to get to as close to the pin as you possibly can as this green could make for some very difficult putting from long range. Best hole on the course IMHO not only from a strategy standpoint but from an aesthetic standpoint.
I have only taken the time to go over 3 great holes on the course but there are 15 others for you to discover on your own. Every one of the holes offers something to challenge players of any ability.
Closing comments:
There is not much really for a reviewer to say about this course. Except that it is a great course that has been crafted and molded beautifully by Scott. There is something here for everyone. I highly recommend this course to everyone. I know it will be staying on my hard drive for quite sometime and be used quite a bit.
"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 look at every course that is released. M review is simply how I as a player/Tour Director would view this course after a handfull of rounds."
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Real, parkland compilation course |
Location
North Carolina, natch. |
Conditions
The pins aren't badly placed - M*/M* is quite playable. |
Concept 4/10
OK, let's make sure our facts are straight. There are three compilation courses in the Myrtle Beach 'complex', including two courses
christened 'North', and they're pretty much all worth owning in one way or another. The North Carolina course, in some ways, is the
weak link, being - as it is - a wider-spanning compilation course. It suffers from the Compilation Course flaw in that there's precious
little continuity, and in addition there are some pretty uninspired holes by the standard of the Ottawa or Alberta compilations. The 18th
marshland hole is an absolute cracker, but everything else is distinctly less uninspired. |
Appearance 5/10
A decent effort, but the grass planting is sparse, and there's a few odd choices of texture rings and a few extrusion marks remain.
Some of the bunkers look a bit steeply sculpted, and there's an unavoidable feeling that the landscape just doesn't fit together very
well. |
Playability 5/10
This is slow and steady golf, and I was very surprised that it lacks the fizz and sparkle of many compilation courses, including its
sisters in the Myrtle Beach canon. While the designer's intentions in not being too outrageous are fully appreciated, the by-thenumbers
play from hole to hole is stilted and not helped by a selection of holes that do not offer choice. |
Challenge 7/10
Myrtle Beach doesn't take many prisoners, and breaking par would be considered an excellent effort. Despite being relatively flat, the
course places hazard after hazard in your path, and follows that up with some determinedly hard-to-read greens. It's not unfair, but it is
tough, and it might just be that one factor that keeps you coming back time and time again. |
Technical 6/10
The North Carolina course is well constructed enough: planting and gradients are done with a little panache and still look very
presenteable. Just occasionally does a little ham-handedness show through, when you see slightly outsized objects or grasses with
insufficient density. |
| Overall |
Perhaps the least enjoyable of the Myrtle Beach courses. It should nevertheless be
kept for the challenge, the completism, and possibly the appeal of the oddball 18th. |
27/50 |
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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