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Black Water Pines
by Stephen Sullivan Note: This course contains 1024x1024 textures and can only be played in version 1.07 or later of Links 2003
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 2056 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2012-02-23 |
82,944,000 bytes |
72 |
7056 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
WOODLAND |
Black Water Pines.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 11aa2400faee4d19a24cc846eee70e5b |
dc5568822253ee6e155f46b2d258e45f |
| COURSE NOTES |
Version 3 - with various fixes
Welcome to Black Water Pines. This is the first fictional course I have decided to release, but have started quite a few before.
It was originally going to be a moorland style course with very few trees, but I was never happy with the look of it. A while back I found it again and decided to strip out all the planting and start again. As a long time powerstroke player, I have never been a fan of woodland courses, as I can sometimes struggle off the tee.
However, I thought the routing of the holes and the shape of the site lent itself to a pine forested course. It took a while to get the look I wanted, but I am now quite pleased with the result.
It is tentatively set on a nature reserve in the North of England, and is one of the reasons much of the forested area is out of bounds (We don't want to upset the animals, do we LOL).
It isn't an easy course, as there are blind and semi-blind tee shots, narrow fairways and multi-level greens to contend with. Hopefully, people will take the time to play a few rounds, and learn the best way to play the course. |
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, heathland course |
Location
The author is claiming Northern England – the Peak District, perhaps? |
Conditions
The Readme doesn't recommend F*/F* and I'd be inclined to agree. M*/M* is enough. |
Concept 6/10
This piece of heathland comes courtesy of the imagination of Stephen Sullivan - already an accomplished designer through the likes of Worksop and Lindrick Dale - and indeed is very reminiscent of Northern British moorland and forestry plantations. Stephen's first fictional course has allowed him to stretch a little on hole design, and while it's pleasing to see a set of holes which are not overly reliant on water (I don't believe there was any after the opening Par 3), the feeling of being separated from reality is persistent throughout. |
Appearance 9/10
Very few complaints here. The heather and bracken are densely planted and - although extremely common in real life - make a refreshing change for Links rough. The yellowing texture set lends the course an old-fashioned feel, although it doesn't always work precisely with the browner panorama. Bunkers and blends are subtle and don't stand out, which is exactly as it should be. |
Playability 8/10
Stephen certainly specialises in that X-factor of courses: the subtle combination of surprise and playability that makes a round end all too quickly and makes golfers re-visit simply for relaxation. Black Water Pines is no exception, even if there are few frustrations along the way (notably blind landing areas being rather too prevalent), and the overall experience is a class above. |
Challenge 5/10
There has been a licence to cut loose with a fictional creation, and to some extent this has been achieved with pretty plateaued greens, although all too often an unfair shortening of the fairway has been used as a get-out clause. More significantly, this still plays reasonably easy due to the bracken planting being too easy to pass through. It's not really a complaint, but it would make a change to see a course from this designer where breaking 70 is a bit tougher. |
Technical 9/10
No problems here, other than a slight predilection to twist fairway shapes to benefit. The visuals and brilliant replayability of this course are enough reason to pay extended visits. |
| Overall |
A highly enjoyable continuation of Stephen Sullivan's design work into new areas. |
37/50 |
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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