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Bernys Mountain View Resort
by Tom Bernhardt
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 469 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-07-02 |
41,058,779 bytes |
72 |
6765 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
MOUNTAIN |
MviewBAK.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 2e0f848031dd11d5ba5b0020ea0534a7 |
f3ec157e0cef03f876cf710b1604e5bf |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Mick Lenton
August 2001
Thoughts from the 1st: This is Tom's first course and is a hilly. woodland course. From the elevated 1st tee I get a good view down the hill to the fairway of the opening hole. Not to the landing point as that is hidden by trees. There is a well constructed stone hole number and length plaque by the tee. It looks good. I hope the rest of the course lives up to it.
The Course: For a first course this isn't too bad. There are mistakes. Of course there are. a few bad edges and shadows. Not many though and the course doesn't suffer too much from them. The only thing that really sticks out is the brook. No attempt has been made to give it a bank and it sits straight on the grass. It does not look good. We know the designer can do edges as the bunkers are not too badly constructed, with dirt edges, so why Tom failed to do the edge of the brook is puzzling. Stock textures appear to have been used throughout.
The tee's, three of which are available, Back, middle and forward, (Ladies???) sit direct on the rough. The fairway lacks any edging and as we are so used to it, it does look a bit odd. The mostly quite large, sloping greens do have a fringe. Tom may not have used his full quota of tees, but he has of pins, with the full 18 on each green! The bunkers are quite well constructed for a first course. The edges are a bit sharp and maybe would have benefited from a double extrusion. But not bad. White sand is used. I am not sure about the planting. A lot of the time I did not notice it, which is normally a good sign. But on occasions I did notice that it didn't look quite right. Maybe the mix of trees, some conspicuous ones a bit too close, I don't know!! Some of it just didn't seem to gel. I think mostly a poor match of trees and tree colours. But again, not serious, just irksome.
On the lakes, stone was used to hide the edges. Again it looked a bit odd, but not awful. I am afraid it is the brook that spoils the holes it is on. It does not possess the quality of the rest of the course. It appears as an afterthought. A ribbon of running water, with a stone or two and a few plants in it. It would have been better had it not been there. It is a shame as the rest of the course is reasonably well put together. Although nothing really excites.
Playability: We open with a reachable par 5. The drive is to the narrowest part of the fairway over a bunker. The fairway kinks right and left here and the landing area is the angled part. Hit the fairway and you will likely be left with a sloping lie, to a fairly large green, over a bunker. It is a difficult shot but it can be made.
Number 2 is a mid length par 3 with an oval, narrow green, sand behind and front right. You could be left with quite a tricky putt here!
Hole 3 is the first par 4. Quite a wide fairway on this shortish, but very uphill hole. Your drive should leave you a short to mid iron, uphill to the elongated pear shaped green. Again quite a sloping green.
The 4th is another short par 4, slightly bending to the right, narrowing at it goes. The bunker on the left can catch out the shorter pulled shots. You are left with a short pitch to the large green protected by a small, round bunker in the front.
5 is the next par 3. An island green in a lake with the banks lined with rocks. Your long iron should land you nicely on the fairly large green, which is flatter than most.
The 6th is a reachable, dogleg left, par 4. Not easily reachable, as it is guarded front and back by bunkers. Also I would say a bit of a hook would be required to miss the trees, left of the tee. But a brilliant shot would stick I think. Failing that you drive to the large area in front of the green and pitch on. It is a large, C shaped green with a few slopes.
Number 7 is a double dogleg par 5, right and left. Your drive is over a bunker on the first corner and you are driving towards a fairway at right angles to you, another bunker ahead of you. The fairway at that point is VERY sloping and the ball actually kicks back. You are then left with a comparatively short shot to the large, oval green, over some woodland, avoiding the bunker front of the green. You can follow the long way round, but the short cut is quite easy. If you don't mind playing off a slope, to a slopey green.
The 8th is a dogleg left par 4, with the flat brook winding back and forth!! A drive just past the dogleg should leave a wedge to the medium sized green. The brook does need to be avoided though, both on the drive and the fact that it runs close across the front of the green. Another steep one.
The last of this half is a long, narrow par 5. A small rock lined lake can be driven with a good drive. Failing that it is a short lay up. As the green is unreachable it does not matter that much. It just means a much shorter third. The large green again slopes a lot.
Back to the 10th and we are greeted with a par 4 with a patch of unplayable rough at drive distance. A very accurate drive would take you down the right side of it, but then you are coming close to the brook. So a lay up will leave a medium to short iron to the large, pear shaped green. More than 4 foot slopes on this one.
The 11th is a very uphill, 200 yard, par 3. You have a blind shot up the hill to the large oval green, protected by a large bunker all across the front. Not quite as slopey, this one.
The 12th is a short dogleg right, par 4. The perfect shot may reach the green, but the trees on the right are very close so the shot is almost impossible. The only really safe way to play this hole is a medium iron the the corner. If you try to play a longer one over the bunker at the corner, the fairway will tend to take you to the brook. So the medium iron leaves a short iron to the largish, round green. Sand to the right and water all down the left. Slopey!
13 is an infuriating par 5. The strip of rough across the fairway is virtually impossible to drive. I would like to have seen a better chance to clear it. To be at all safe you must lay up short, unless you don't mind playing your second out of the rough!! The thing is, even if you could clear the rough it is unlikely you could clear the lake to reach the green. There is a small piece of fairway front left of the green, but to hit that, missing the trees and staying out of the water!! Play short of the lake and a mid iron to the large green, bunker right. I would like to have seen some way of getting a reward at this hole. As I see it you cannot really go for it. You must play safe. Top clickers may prove me wrong, but they would have to be 2 perfect shots to be safe.
The 14th offers a drive to a narrowing fairway between two long bunkers to an elongated green, trees quite close right, but no other danger.
The 15th is a nice little uphill, par 3. Up over the small pond to the large, sloping as usual, green. Nothing around green apart from the pond.
16 is a short par 4. Reachable if the wind is not too strong against, but if not there is a fair bit of room between the water on the left and the sand on the right. Very large green, comparatively flat. No danger around.
The penultimate hole is a longish par 3 to a very large green. Quite a slope again but you can get quite a flat putt, if you are lucky. No danger except a bunker short right.
The 18th and last is a downhill par 5. You should be able to clear the fenced pathway without too much trouble. You are then left with an uphill second, round a gentle dogleg over a large bunker, front left of the green. You may be able to hit the green, but trees in front of you limit the angle you can take, so a very accurate draw between the trees would be the ideal shot. It is not easy however as the trees are quite a bit above you, so maybe a shot to the front of the green would be more prudent. Another large green with the bunker front right and no other protection.
The course is playable but I am afraid it did not excite me at all. One or two interesting holes but nothing out of the ordinary.
Good Points: Very well put together for a first course. Playable if not exciting. Good for PS. Nice bunkers for a first one too.
Bad Points: The brook. Also that unsureness about the planting. It is not quite right.
Favourite Hole: I think it has to be the 18th. Above. Once you have played the hole a couple of times there is the challenge of driving to the perfect position to give a chance of going for the green.
Least Favourite Hole: 8th. Too much brook!!
Final thoughts: Very good attempt for a first course. Still a lot of the finer points to learn. Planting, quality bunker edges, brooks!!!! There are a few shadows that shouldn't be there, but all in all a good, average course. The trouble is it does not stand out. And for that alone I would say, not a keeper. After all it is quite a big one at 40 meg. The seeds are there though and I am sure Tom can work on this and construct a much better course, building on the knowledge gained from this one.
Filesize 38MB
Course Info :
Splash Screen? Yes
Cameo Screen? Yes
Custom Flag? Yes
Custom Tee Markers? No
Hole Previews? No
Readme file? No
Par - 72 6765yds
This review will be based on playability, aesthetics, design, originality and construction. 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 as I am a designer myself and my comments will try to be constructive and without bias.
Tested on Power Stroke swing - Champ level - from the back tees - Breezy/M/M Moderate
I have changed my method of reviewing to try and give more value for money. I have a knock around the course to get the overall picture. I then play a round in a window, writing as I go, reviewing hole by hole. In hope people enjoy this method. I am always open to input. micklenton@hotmail.com Not too much hate mail please!!!
Test Machine - AMD Athlon 1.4 266, 512 meg DDR ram, ATI 64 meg DDR Radeon VIVO |
This course is available as a FREE download.
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