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Arden Lakes
by Mick Lenton
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 442 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-06-16 |
25,563,947 bytes |
72 |
7652 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
WOODLAND |
Arden Lakes.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 4ae732c0624c11d582a2ce677ac5d74e |
1ca0cb75dcf051de70cd216b00ced6df |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Pete Dixon
July 2001
This is a tough one for me to review, not only is Mick a fellow reviewer and local he also asked me to cast my eye over his original beta version of this which I did and gave my comments, therefore I will strive to be totally impartial neither being too lenient or too hard, I will review it as I see it!!
Okay, here goes. The course is difficult to describe, it has a Mediterranean feel to it, I certainly wouldn't say it was like a British course, it is based around the lakes in its name and is set in a woodland with a variety of planting and bunker styles.
A feature of the course is that each hole has planting, which shows which hole you are on; this is an original idea and looks well in the scheme of things. The first tee sets the theme as a whole, tight fairways, horrifically hard bunkers! Lots of trees, lots of planting and water, a lot going on.
One of the things that I mentioned to Mick about the beta was that the greens he had put in place were so difficult it made Augusta look like a putting green for kids, this, thankfully has been rectified and although they are still tough they are realistically tough and make you plan you putt with care.
Custom textures are the order of the day here, they are in use throughout, I am still unsure if I like the plain, unusual green of the fairways, some days I do, other days, usually when I have a hangover, I don't.
The water, of which there is a lot, is done very well, lots of planting soften the edges and not only lakes but streams as well which meander throughout, the planting throughout is good, but the only niggles I do have is that there is too much in places, It can all get a little lost amongst itself, too many styles of tree and plant that just clutter rather than help.
The bunkers are mixed, some are deep and fearsome with bigger lips than Mick Jagger, others are of the pot variety and on the 6th hole there are what appear to me millions all over the fairway which make up a figure 6 waiting for your ball, they all have one thing in common and that is that they are well crafted and look great.
Some of the holes are also a little far fetched which make the course difficult to imagine in real life, making this somewhere between fictional and imaginary.
I also found the tees, which are elevated, to be a bit on the high slope side, they maybe could have been made a little less obvious.
Best Hole: The par 4 3rd, which is the best looking hole on the course, a very nice tee shot over water onto a fairway with trees on the left and water which has good wooden edging on your right, your second is a long iron over water which is just in front of the green.
Overall: Mick is obviously technically excellent with the APCD and this showcases his skills in what is a very challenging course. As I said I had a hand in the testing of this so it may seem odd to see my criticisms, my overall feel is that there is a good course here but it doesn't know what hat to wear so it has put them all on! There are several styles of course all meshed into one, which makes it a bit disjointed instead of taking one style and concentrating on that, I also feel some of the textures clash.
I think if Mick goes down that line with his next outing and focuses on one style without getting sidetracked and put less in then he will produce an absolute belter, as for whether this is worth down loading then I would say definitely yes, there is a worthy course here and some individually excellent parts, it just doesn't quite work as a whole, but there is much better to come, of that I am sure.
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Dave Campbell's thoughts..
I had the chance of playing an early beta version of this course and I'm happy to say that the difficulty on some of the holes was toned down. That being said this is still one tough course, particularly for the powerstroker. It was a constant struggle with sweaty palms and tingly nerves just to eke out par. It is visually a stunning course, with custom textures and objects and lush plantings of all kinds. It truly defies a first course offering, looking like a design that has been honed by many previous courses. Attention to detail is obvious, no APCD errors of note. Exquisitely planted with flower boxes with flowers showing which hole you're approaching, with running water sounds aplenty (excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom). All types of traps with some of the deadliest pot bunkers I've ever seen. There is water on virtually every hole and comes into play often so if this isn't to your liking then don't even download.
The layout is creative but very tricky. If you're going to make a move then do it on the front nine because the back nine is the toughest part of the course. Getting through at even par on the back nine is like -5 on many other courses. This course will be a real test for even the best Links players and should certainly holds some appeal in that regard. I would almost say that this course strays into the fantasy category a bit. It is definitely playable, just make sure you bring your A game and a good snap.
Comparable courses: Pitchford Hall by Eric Pitchford
Test round score: Even par 85%FIR 50%GIR 30 putts. I surprised myself with this score. The course can be played but you can never let up.
Best hole: All are nice to look at but the par 3 8th is a great hole all the way around. I hit into the flower bed and still recovered to make par. My screenshot is inside the pot bunker that fronts the 16th green. I hit out safely to within 10' but had to flop and hit the pick line. See, I wasn't kidding about the tough bunkers.
Filesize 23MB
This review will be based on playability, aesthetics and originality. Please keep in mind that this is only my opinion following my play-testing of the completed course.
I fully understand the hard work and immense skill that is involved in the designing of these courses and my comments will try to be constructive and without bias.
Tested on classic swing Pro level from the back tees |
This course is available as a FREE download.
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