| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1590 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2005-06-15 |
72,708,096 bytes |
72 |
7272 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
WOODLAND |
GreenKeeps Paradise.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| |
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|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewer - Michael Hubbard
INTRODUCTION
This is Douglas & Karen's fifth course to date and by far the largest at 70mb.
Extract from the Readme
'My wife Karen came up with the original layout. She said, "Why not have a hole go out and one come right back in, like going around a clock. So, the first 12 holes correspond with the numbers on a clock and the last 6 holes start outside of hole 9 and go around to the 3 o'clock position back toward the clubhouse.'
'The course is fictional and in a woodlands setting.'
COURSE
This is without doubt one of the strangest course layouts I have ever seen - as described in the readme file. The problem with it is that every hole plays in isolation from the rest as they as situated so far apart. The course therefore boasts less of a woodland feature than trees planted along the edges of the fairways and greens, with clones too numerous to count. Overall the colouring is fair, with some pleasant occasional splashes of colour. The best of the course can be seen in the following three Screenshots 1, 2, and 3. Note the miniature green in Screenshot three that is the 16th. Here and there you will find some pleasant grasses and planting also.
However, aside from this I couldn't help wondering if the course was in fact finished? There were so many mapping and seam blending errors that the course soon became swallowed up in the melee of mistakes. I can only assume that Douglas and Karen either felt they had not got the time to rectify mistakes or they did not have the expertise to do so. I have itemised just four examples below for reference . . .
Screenshot 4 - Mapping/Seam/problems [especially seen in the overhead view]
Screenshot 5 - Finding the fairway fringe lie several yards into the rough?
Screenshot 6 - Sand scooping like ice-cream out of a vanilla tub!
Screenshot 7 - The floating bridge.
Sadly such errors are to be found throughout the course. Added to these examples are the rough that appears on the back of the 8th tee, the numerous cloned trees throughout the course, the lop sided tee boxes . . . . . . . .
The hole previews are informative. Aside from this there are no crowds, tournament objects and just the standard flag and Tee markers used.
PLAYABILITY
The course plays 7272 yards from the back tees. There are 6 par fours of 450 yards or more and three reachable par fives. The fairways are just about right for width and considerable elevation is used throughout. Overall the course can certainly be described as challenging mainly due to the nature of the greens. In this respect the course is seriously flawed once more however in the use of medium to small greens that are contoured so severely as to be almost unplayable in fast conditions [Mod players beware!!].Note the 8th green, Screenshot 8 that is like an upturned saucer, on a par three of around 175 yards with a 21-foot incline. Stopping the ball here in faster conditions would be next to impossible. As an example of the severity to be encountered take Screenshot 9's view of the 6th green. Whilst I commend a challenging venue, Greenkeeps Paradise delivers greens set to frustrate even the most accurate of approach shots.
The par 5 15th too had me questioning what would happen to an errant tee shot? There is simply no fairway to hit back to? Screenshot 7 So too on the 7th, there is a 278-yard carry just to reach the short grass from the tee? Beware that hole in windy conditions.
All in all there were some less than convincing hole set ups and greens that needed a very heavy roller to begin to make this course creditable.
DESIGNER INTERVIEW - DOUGLAS & KAREN MONTGOMERY
1. How long do you spend on designing a course?
about 5 months
2. Why have you made the greens so severe?
Many players want more of a challenge, so I tried to make it tough but fair.
3. What do you most enjoy about designing your courses?
Trying to create holes that are fun but challenging. Hard to get 18 of them.
4. What do you find to be the hardest aspect of APCD designing?
Elevations
CONCLUSION
At 70mb Greenkeeps Paradise is a fairly substantial file. Yet the track appears unfinished and untested with many basic errors strewn across the course for all to see. These errors tend to override any playability that the course has to offer. Added to this the greens really are very severe in places, which has potential to frustrate rather than challenge in my opinion.
My suggestion to Douglas and Karen [as has been made before] is to take some advice and help from other designers on their future courses and try following a good APCD tutorial to get the best out of their future designs.
IN A WORD
Paradise LOST |
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