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Carrie Park
by Johnny Holland
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1617 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2005-09-21 |
68,812,800 bytes |
72 |
7633 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
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FICTIONAL |
PARKLAND |
CarrieParkF4_locked.crz.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
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LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Chris Gormley
Background Info:
This is 6th course released by Johnny Holland with the more popular ones being Bushido Gardens and Oklahoma Crossings. Both of which were Links Corner Recommended courses along with Carrie Park. Here is a little excerpt from the Coogans Bluff readme:
'This Par 72 measures 7641yds from the back tees. Although Carrie Park is a rather lengthy course you will soon come to find that it plays much shorter due to several potentially long drives you can achieve off the tee. This Parkland course features a tight layout which twists back and forth through the lightly wooded parkland area. The course also features several design elements incorporated into its layout such as shared bunkers and fairways, as well as double and shared greens on some holes.
A few of tips when playing at Carrie Park.
Always take advantage of getting your ball down the fairway when the opportunity for smashing a long drive arises.
When aiming for the greens keep in mind where the ball may end up.
Carrie Park has several rolling and tiered greens which can create havoc when your approach shot ends up on the opposite side of the green. A bad approach shot will come with consequences. However, a well positioned shot will make putting the ball in the cup a much easier task.
Many times ones putter can make or break a great round. Take advantage of the easy putts when you can, because you won't always get them.
Try to stay out of the heavy rocks to the left of hole #11 and right of hole #13. This rocky area is designated out of bounds.'
Overall Impressions:
Having been around the Links Community for a while I have been very familiar with Johnny's earlier designs and I was really looking forward to the release of his latest course, Carrie Park. Both of his earlier P4P course releases (Bushido Gardens and Oklahoma Crossings) were very well received and after playing Carrie Park a few times I think this one will also be well received by the Links Community, although I think Johnny's best effort to date is Oklahoma Crossings, but that is my opinion. That is not to be taken as a snub to Carrie Park, this is a first class design that deserves all the accolades that it has been getting from the Links Community.
The overall feel of this course is just awesome. The attention to detail on this course is just spectacular. Nothing has been left out of this course. Carrie Park has a very open feel to it without actually being an 'open style' course. The overall layout of the course is very good which makes it feel so open to the player on the tees. But don't let that feeling make you think that there are not areas where the layout can catch you, as there are a few areas where things have been planned out so as to 'catch' the player so to speak and make you pay for being greedy on the tee. There are some really nice Risk/Reward opportunities throughout the course and these should be exploited if a player wants to score well on Carrie Park. Each hole has a different design to it and this is very refreshing, just shows that Johnny has taken the time to make sure that every hole is different and challenging to the player, although if you can keep your drives in the fairway this course should not be an overly hard course to score on, but keeping the drives where you want them is half the battle. One of the best parts of this course are the spectacular views that occur throughout the course, which adds to the realism of the course. Not to mention that this is one of the most visually appealing courses we have to date.
The APCD work throughout the course is flawless, which is something that can be expected with a Johnny Holland design. The terrain is laid out beautifully and looks very natural and flowing to the player, something that is not easy to do. Johnny has taken the time to perfect all the various advanced techniques of the APCD and it would be wise of all young designers to take note of how things look when they are don't right in the APCD.
The fairways throughout the course are very open but they do 'twist' through the planting on the course to keep things interesting for the player. Don't take the above comment to mean that this is a 'target' shot golf course because it is not, Johnny has just planned things to not only look very natural but to also challenge a player nicely. A player has to really plan where a drive is going to go if they want to stay out of trouble on this course. The penalty for missing your mark is not terribly great but things are much easier if you keep that drive in the fairway at all times. The fairways are also contoured very nicely to make sure that your 2nd shots are very rarely on a level surface.
The greens throughout the course are pretty large and open and are also contoured very well, like the fairways. There are some really nice green complexes throughout the course and a player should never get bored of putting on these greens. There were a few where I had trouble using the 1.06 MOD and the faster conditions but if I played smart they were all playable with the MOD. Plan you approach shots well, and these greens will have a lot less bite than if you just attack the green without a plan in hand.
The hazards throughout the course(and there are a lot of them) are constructed very well. Johnny has obviously taken the time to plan out where they should all be placed to challenge a player at every turn, although if a player is able to consistently place their shots well most of the hazards will not even come into play. The course also makes nice use of water, to add variety to the course.
The textures all throughout the course are top notch and really add to the overall realism of the course. Each and every texture blends well with the other around it and makes the course feel like it really could exist IRL, my compliments to Johnny on his selection of textures.
The planting like all the other aspects of the course is done very well. Nothing is over done or under done and just looks marvelous. I am especially fond of the underplanting that occurs all throughout the course. It just adds that extra bit of realism to a course when the designer takes the time to plant all the little grasses and shrubs around a course.
All the holes on this course are laid out very well so I am not going to pick 3 to showcase right here, although I must say that I enjoyed the par 3 holes the most, even though I did not necessarily shot very well on them.
Closing comments:
I knew Carrie Park was going to be a solid design just from Johnny's previous courses, and I was right. Everything about Carrie Park is solid, from the apcd work to the planting. This is a quality course that people will enjoy playing for years to come. I highly recommend this course as it is well worth the money to get Carrie Park.
"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 my review is simply how I as a player/Tour Director would view this course."
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, parkland course |
Location
TBC |
Conditions
TBC |
Concept 9/10
Carrie Park is a cute little thing: totally convincing in what could easily have once been a piece of urban wasteland, it's been beautifully carved out. The course is built around a central lake and between bordering roads, both of which were clearly focal points for the designer. Given the small plot, there's an excellent variety of hole lengths, from three-shot 5s, through eagle chances and down to a pitch-and-putt Par 3. The cramped area mean there's often bail-out areas on adjoining fairways, so the course will appeal to the less straight hitters among us. |
Appearance 10/10
As one would expect from the P2P fraternity, this is flawless in appearance. Despite the course being apparently flat, you'll be blessed with numerable exciting views, and all the boxes have been ticked with regards to first-class visuals. It's worth noting the natural, varied but unobtrusive planting and lovely colour scheme as particular high points. |
Playability 9/10
You'd always expect a strong and engaging course from Johnny Holland, and Carrie Park is absolutely no exception. A masterpiece of understated gameplay, it's the reality factor that really keeps your game ticking over, plus some excellent fripperies such as the road bridge and the lake providing a visual diversion. |
Challenge 6/10
Don't let the large course length fool you; this course can be shortened with some fairly risk-free shortcuts. There's little in the way of unplayable lies, and reaching greens in regulation should be considered the norm. Thankfully, in this age of conservative putting, the greens are quite unpredictable, but even they shouldn't stop you from shooting several under. |
Technical 9/10
One major oversight on Carrie Park has been the pin positioning. I caught one nearly unplayable pin and a shared green where the pins appeared nearly adjacent. It's almost inexplicable given the immaculate standards of the rest of the course, and a sad oversight that slightly detracts from the course's appeal. |
| Overall |
A very downplayed course, by Johnny Holland's standards. Won't really disappoint, but might not be top of everyone's 'To Buy' list. |
43/50 |
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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