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Mountain Creek Golf Club
by Normand Gravel
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1587 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2005-05-27 |
103,235,584 bytes |
72 |
7466 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
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FICTIONAL |
MOUNTAIN |
Mountain Creek final release_loc.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
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LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Review by Andrew Cray (andrewcray2)
From the readme:
This adventure started 17 months ago. I dreamt for a long time, to create my own golf course. The picturesque view of the mountains and the forest were my source of inspiration. Since I knew nothing about APCD, I had to learn the basics, practice them and master them.
I did and redid, always keeping in mind, to create each hole in its unique way, realistic and difficult, but mainly fun to play. Also, all along my creation, to reproduce the beauty of nature was my priority.
Let's talk about the course now. Patience is a must, especially if you want to play a great round. Leave your driver at home and play for precision off the tee. Don't let yourself be impressed by the length of the par 5's. Three out of four are reachable in 2. Since the greens are very big, aiming at the flag will be important, especially if you want no more than 2 putts.
There are a few people I need to thank. To start with, I would like to thank Lloyd Henchey (Mr. Sandtrap), without him Mountain Creek would never have seen the day. Lloyd had to show lots of patience in teaching the basics of APCD. Also, he knew how to give great advice so I could bring to term my project. I would also like to thank him for all the art work done with Photoshop. (Therefore, if you have any compliments on the Hole previews, Splash screen, flag. you can address it to him directly!
To conclude my project, I had the honors of another expert in the matter. I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart Vivian Davies (Vivo) for taking the time and volunteering in beta testing my course.
Hope you enjoy Mountain Creek Golf as much as I do. I'll see you all on the 19th.....
Normanours
P.S. This course can be played in all conditions with the MOD 1.6, even at firm-fast!
My Review of Mountain Creek Golf Club:
From the moment you step on the first tee, you notice the water on the left, the menacing fairway bunker on the right and you know you're in for a long day. The fairway is narrow and there isn't much margin for error. Your approach is a mid iron over a little bit of the green, but it's really not in play unless the wind is up.
What impressed me most about Mountain Creek is that each hole is unique and challenging. Anyone can create a set of eighteen boring holes, but the whole point of designing is to make holes interesting enough so that those who play them say to themselves, 'Wow. That was fun.' As you walk off the first green, you make your way to the second hole. A par 3 that is usually playing about 215 to 240 over water. Time to suck in your pride and go for the fat side of the green if you're feeling brave.
As I continued my journey around the golf course,there were a lot of holes that jumped out at me. For example, the sixth hole is a beautiful example of what a short par 4 should be. If you have the bravado to try to drive this 330 yard par 4, try and thread the needle. But if that pin is on the right, that bunker that wraps around the green is really in play and its best to just layup with an iron and take your chances with a wedge.
My favorite hole is the fourteenth. A 486 yard par 4 that will have you thinking from the moment you get on the tee. Any shot going right is dead and wet. Anything left is in the trees and you have to pitch out and try to make four the hard way. The second shot is over water and the green is framed beautifully by the mountains in the background and the large rock formation you see on your right and left.
Some people might say that the par 5s are too long, but I would have to disagree. For instance, on the scorecard, the eleventh hole is 609 yards, but it's easily reachable with a driver and a lofted fairway wood or a long iron. If you dare attack it. My ball has seen a watery grave a few times on that particular hole. The fifteenth is a hole that is about 650 yards, some would want the hole shortened a little bit, however I believe it's a solid three shot hole, and it's one of my favorite holes.
Mountain Creek is the perfect example of a risk/reward golf course. Almost all the approach shots are over water. Sometimes you just have to swallow your pride and take a little extra club and take the 15 footer, or try and be the hero and go at the flag. But if you do, you know the consequences. The fairways are narrow and have a fair amount of slope on them, and making your way around this course requires accuracy with the big stick and Johnny Miller-like iron play.
My only complaints are that there are some cases of cloned trees in some spots and the bunkers edges are a little sharp, and the splash screen could have been a little bit better, other than that...it's flawless. I would have liked to see some blending with the bunkers, but the course certainly does well without it. The tees, fairways, fringes, and greens are consistently seam blended which was excellent. Nothing flashy, just getting the job done.
Out of the two nines, if I have to pick a favorite...the back nine would certainly be the nine that I would choose. It's a little more demanding and some of the approaches into the greens are just spectacular.
This course comes with hole previews, the scorecard has handicaps for each hole. On each tee you can see signs marking the hole number and yardage. All around, it's a very well done effort and I recommend this course very highly. For those who haven't downloaded it, what are you waiting for?
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, mountain course |
Location
TBA |
Conditions
TBA |
Concept 7/10
For a rookie course, Mountain Creek looks pretty exciting. It does more or
less what it says on the tin, but there's some meticulously planned and
designed holes, and while obviously fictional there's nothing to offend
those who prefer real courses. The Par 5s are most notable: they're
genuine, long three-shotters: in fact the whole course is lengthy, although
it's all well enough contrived that you won't really notice. |
Appearance 8/10
Plenty of care has been lavished on the presentation of this course, the planting of trees, flowers and incidental buildings being
particularly notable without taking over the look of the course. Maybe the reliance on stock, the odd choice of colours, and some
unconvincing rockwork are a slight downer, but overall this is an impressive first effort. |
Playability 8/10
There's something of a restriction on your tee shots here, and long-hitters will be straining at the leash all the way around. Constant
long Par 4s and Par 5s nullify some of the strategy and placement too. Despite this, there's a lot of enjoyment to be had: very few
unfair tests and a good workout from rough, fairway or bunker. |
Challenge 4/10
Despite a long stretch, this course flies by and actually plays rather easy if you hit the snaps. The gentle greens are not too hard to
read at all: putts of over 20 feet could be little more than a formality. The planting is actually set a long way back, seeing as we're in
woodland, and only the worst of pulled shots will be unrecoverable. |
Technical 7/10
At first glance, there's little wrong with Mountain Creek. Repeated plays, though, leave you wanting a bit more. The standard buildings
(including that same old windmill), panorama and textures are wearisome, and although this is about as good as one can do with
stock, it reminds you how much good customisation can do for a course. |
| Overall |
A great course which almost belies its rating. Don't expect huge amounts of
novelty, but you can expect a careful and well-planned design. |
34/50 |
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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