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Kill Devil Hills
by Eddie & Dawny Schmidt
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1601 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2015-11-22 |
42,409,984 bytes |
72 |
7157 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
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FICTIONAL |
OCEAN |
KillDevilHills.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 9b78001d39404cf582496338d43bf896 |
fcce3b73c54cacf8d52e5f3d7594b8cd |
| COURSE NOTES |
This was a former P4P course that Eddie has graciously gave up to Links Corner on 11/22/2015 for free download by it's Members.
Jerry
Some extracts from the Readme:
The course -was born out of an idea when we were on vacation with friends in the outerbanks.
Some of the holes may be similar to some famous links holes but not direct copies. The front nine is mostly inland and the back nine mostly routes along the ocean. All the Par 5's are reachable in two.
Some buildings on the course are built from terrain including the Snack bar, Pro shop, and a few sheds. The clubhouse has three different types of objects. It was a challenge to build and was pretty rewarding. |
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LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewer - Michael Hubbard
INTRODUCTION
With a resume of excellence, a clutch of gold stars & many a masterpiece to his name Eddie was sure to have come up with a winner in his latest endeavour Kill Devil Hills. In partnership with Dawny, however, I was intrigued to see if this ocean course design reflected an alternate feel from the norm. Well in truth they have!
Extract from the Readme
'The course was born out of an idea when we were on vacation with friends in the outerbanks'
'Some of the holes may be similar to some famous links holes but not direct copies
'APCD didn't have enough yellowish or whitish bushes so we made quite a few of them from APCD objects to give the course the look we wanted.'
'All textures are our own creation minus 8 Ocean textures Mike Jones gave me'
With its own unique textures this course maintains an unmistakable tranquillity all its own. The soft brown hue's of the undergrowth intermingled with the tincture of yellow & white bushes gives the course its gentle flavour. Indeed such serenity remains intact long after the course has wend its way down to the Oceans edge for the charming stretch home.
COURSE
One could describe the layout of the course as a game of two halves. Its outward nine holes traversing the gentle hills of fawn brown shrub before arriving at the oceans edge and following the coast back along to its conclusion some 7157 yards later [Screenshot 1]. The coastline is impressively designed. Excellent Ocean panoramas [Screenshot 7] with the additional sound of breaking waves and gulls. The overall impression for me was one of isolation and solitude, except for the less than welcome buzz of a low flying helicopter, which detracted somewhat from the tranquil ambience. An appropriate clubhouse [Screenshot 6], new Tee markers along with a stone wall or two all went to adding a little more to this fine setting, as did the attractive hole previews by Dave Campbell.
PLAYABILITY
Risk & Reward is without a doubt the watchword for this course. Containing four reachable par 5's and two reachable par 4's [under the right conditions] KD Hills offers a veritable feast of eagle opportunities for the courageous linkster. Along with this I felt that the fairways were rather generous too. But this was compensated for by the preponderance of bunkers that adorned the fairways. I counted 142 bunkers, which have an all too inviting look to them as they sink below the fairways cloaked with a rough edging. In addition the greens remain challenging especially in faster conditions although none of the pin placements that I encountered were too severe.
In addition to the heavy bunkering there are six par 4 holes measuring in excess of 450 yards which will also provide some teeth to an otherwise seemingly tame course. I noted a number of blind shots off the tees and fairway when played in close up [as I prefer] which added depth to the course especially on the front nine holes. I too liked the fact that the 8 pin placements were varied which plays well in tournament play with customised pins IMO.
Both reachable par 4's are worthy of a mention coming at 9 & 11. The ninth [Screenshot 3] has 'Wright's Burn' running up the fairway and around the green with a low stone wall also in view. Adding in the two bunkers fronting the hole and danger lurks for the errant tee shot! Likewise with the 11th hole, bunkers are all around [Screenshot 4]. Having said that, I eagled this at the first attempt from the front rough between the sand traps. An ideal spot for that pin placement I would suggest.
DESIGNER INTERVIEW - Eddie Schmidt
1. How did you come up with the name Kill Devil Hills for the course?
It's the name of a town on the outer Banks of North Carolina. I liked the name and thought it would be fitting for a golf course.
2. What input has Dawny had on this collaboration?
A lot, from color schemes of 2D plants to seam blending and crowd planting.
3. What would you say was the signature hole for you?
There are quite a few holes I like but the Par 4 ninth, lots of differing options which many things can happen. Short hole but dangerous.
4. What has given you the most pleasure in this design?
Knowing that people all over the world are enjoying something I had a hand in creating has always been a big high for me in anything I had a hand in. From building 3D structures on courses to building my own.
CONCLUSION
At first glance the course may appear rather bland. But whilst it may lack the cliffs, ravines and a rugged nature that often accompanies such courses, it does capture the feeling of being away from the madding crown for a gentile round in peaceful surroundings.
At just 37mb in size KD Hills is no monster file. Yet its quality is clear even to the untrained eye. Whilst I would not place it up amongst some of the premier courses, it is Another very good creation from the house of Schmidt which will play well in any tournament or game between buddies.
IN A WORD
Restful Solitude |
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, links course |
Location
TBA |
Conditions
TBA |
Concept 8/10
A perfectly tangible links, despite being an American course from an American designer, Kill Devil Hills captures the wasteland feel exceptionally well with its intricate yellow planting and isolated, eye-catching features. Hole design is perhaps a little restricted for links golf, although the pot bunkers and green design are very typical of the genre. The atmosphere is well-knitted together and largely very convincing. |
Appearance 7/10
I have some serious issues with the bunker design; they are poorly extruded and the choice of texture to surround the sand is questionable. Elsewhere, it's more a case of a lack of things to see than anything else: while the environment is realistic, it doesn't live up to what it could be. |
Playability 8/10
It's a bit restricting, this course. Navigating the bunkers is the big challenge - hitting a fairway bunker will make par a distant proposition, and some bushy rough awaits the wayward too. It would be quite feasible for a prudent player to go round entirely with iron clubs. In creating a course this way, in the isolated environment with the rush of the sea constantly in the background, the idea of a classic links course has been thoroughly fulfilled, and that is something we rarely see. OK, links golf has its detractors, but there are far fewer players who dislike it than those who will fully grasp the opportunity that Kill Devil Hills presents. |
Challenge 10/10
Surprisingly, if you play this course with a modicum of common sense and caution, it is far from mental punishment. Hit the greens correctly and birdies are viable - the course's relatively short length naturally being a factor here. But it can punish too: the result being a tasty balance between your own bravery and instincts. Very clever. |
Technical 9/10
Kill Devil Hills is an early P2P release, and to be honest it is starting to show a little. Some vague texture blends, not helped by the choice of colours, and variable bunker work would provide ammo for detractors. But let's not forget that at the heart of the course, beats some very clever emulation and hole construction. |
| Overall |
Realistic links in a mould that we don't see too often. Kill Devil Hills isn't quite perfect, but it is almost unmatched. |
42/50 |
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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