| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 151 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-04-29 |
46,354,839 bytes |
72 |
7181 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
TROPICAL |
kolepakai.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| ed8063c03c8c11d58f1200c0f06b6332 |
e8b814bd2f038e7754d2f872c390615a |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Lacy Gearheart
First Impression: This is Ed Balaun's second course uploaded to the Links Corner that I am aware of. This is the second design after his highly acclaimed Stoney Run Golf Club. This course is so far from his first...it shows his ability to come up with something new. This is a medium length course that measures at 7181 yards from the back tees. It is a tropical island course that varies from inland holes and shoreline holes. Similar to a Links style format but with a Micronesian feel.
The course is very well laid out and also very well planted. Many small shrubs are used in addition to the typical tropical trees. Bunkers are very well placed to force you to decide what you best and safest shot options are. It is not necessary to shape your shot due to the course not having alot of trees to work around. But you must look very closely at club selection because the fairways are very challenging and often bottleneck at typical driver distances. I used 3 wood on most holes to safely set-up for my next shot. The fairway undulations were very well done and often I would have to adjust my shot set-up to compensate for many uphill/downhill lies. The few lakes were strategically placed to really add to the difficulty of several approach shots. I found myself bailing out on those holes and chipping on the green from the rough in order to successfully navigate around the water hazards.
Most tee shots offered beautiful views and a very good look of the oncoming fairways. I did not see any technical flaws that would detract from this design...it was flawless. The textures looked good as well and fit into the tropical theme. The course plays medium in difficulty but is much harder with breezy or windy conditions. Putting was challenging due to well thought out green design. The undulations were very well planned, but most importantly very fair. This is a must download for your collection.
Custom amenities: The textures were very good and with spectators on....the bathing suit babes were not really overstated. The Good Year blimp could be seen on most holes and is a great addition to the custom objects seen on this course.
Greens: Expertly crafted and well designed. They offered a good challenge but were also fair.
Fairways: This is some of the best fairway undulation work I have seen. Very flowing and natural and definitely can cause several bad lies if you don't think before you hit. You are better of looking for the flat area on the fairway and playing it safe rather than use the big sticks and risking getting wet.
Tee Boxes: Very well done and sculpted to perfection. They were slightly elevated and all had very good views of the fairway.
Bunkers and Water Hazards: The bunkers and water hazards were all well shaped and had apparent lips for the added realism. They were generally placed in the perfect locations to really add to the risk/reward concept of golf.
Planting: This area was also very good. The excellent mixture of bushes and tropical trees looked very natural and fit the theme perfectly. There were a few times that the color of the Pano did not exactly match the course textures, but that was most likely intentional since not many courses actually have the same grass that is naturally grown in the location.
Best Hole: They were all very challenging and well laid out. It was a tough choice. I finally chose the 153 yard, par 3 #15 hole. It was a downhill hole that looked great from the tees. Although the pano stuck out the most on this hole........the view was breath taking.
Overall: An excellent tropical links style course with superb undulations. The course is rather easy in calm conditions but definitely gets much more difficult when the wind picks up. The textures looked great and the course was well laid out and planned. This is easily the best tropical island course to date and should be a must download for your course library
Course Info :
Cameo Screen? No
Splash Screen? Yes
Text file? Yes
Hole Previews?
39mb
Reviewed May 2001 |
|
CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, tropical course |
Location
TBA |
Conditions
TBA |
Concept 7/10
A course unsurprisingly reminiscent of Princeville in its supposed Hawaiian setting, Kolepa Kai is extremely authentic for such an early fictional course. Loaded up with water features and tournament objects, there is a cosy 'island' feel to the course and a good mixture of target and links-style golf which suits the environment perfectly, contrary to expectations. |
Appearance 6/10
It's clear from the lack of disguise around the lakes that this is an old design, but there are plenty of spectacular views, some apt and attractive planting and an atmospheric panorama to compensate. Funnily, the excess of tournament paraphernalia detracts from the nice, isolated feeling and you get an overwhelming impression of being in a bit of a commercial paradise. |
Playability 8/10
There's some big ups for a player here, not least the absence of any really threatening rough (this compensates nicely for the occasional blind tee shot), and some shallow fairway bunkers that play conveniently well. It's good, freestyle golf and there's certainly many ways to attack the course. Even those playing on Elite level should lap it up. |
Challenge 6/10
Sound easy? Well…in part. But there are many humps and hollows in the fairway which mean that approach shots are far from guaranteed, and most greens are carefully guarded by either water or sand. Yes, you'll pick up a few strokes. But anyone hoping for a record-breaking round will inevitably go away disappointed. |
Technical 6/10
Like so many of Ed's courses, this was designed in the early days of the APCD, and it's smashing to imagine what a modern update could bring. Some good low-level planting would be foremost, and while the custom textures are far from terrible, there are some shocking transitions which require blending. There's the makings of a great course here, just looking for that little bit extra. |
| Overall |
One of the few genuinely authentic fictional tropical courses, thanks to an overwhelming commercial presence and a neat concept. |
33/50 |
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.
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