|
Woodbridge
by Matthew Woodbridge
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 518 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-08-10 |
59,925,137 bytes |
72 |
7282 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
LINKS |
Woodbridge2.0.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 197624e1588e47a6b08b1a90875fa32a |
337955cda012dd104a5c8b1645cc09e1 |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Pete Dixon
I was just thinking to myself today, what a quiet month July has been for releases, holidays, evenings in the garden, anything rather than designing courses. I look at the Course releases and see that there is an update of Arrowhead SE and my eyes then see 'Woodbridge' a fictional course designed by someone I had never heard of, I think, why not, I haven't got much else to do, I am up to date with my weeks reviews, I have started to update reviews that I never had allocated originally, may as well look at this, probably won't be much, new designer and all, so I download it add it to my course list put it up on practice to see how many pulled verts etc there are and I am faced with a links course that looks like many real ones I have faced when I have been lucky enough to play links golf in Scotland.
The textures are breathtaking, all the different types of terrain blend into each other seamlessly, the sandy grassy fairways are as I remember them as are the hollows, deep bunkers and utter bleakness that is easy to play on a calm sunny day but a creature from hell when the wind is gale force and the rain lashes down so hard it stings your face and makes your hands and feet numb with cold.
This is not a course for those who want Augusta style finesse, manicured everything, pretty flowers, lovely lakes. This is golf how God intended, man against the elements on a natural seaside setting, wispy grass to wrap around your club head, more bunkers than bunker city Arizona on bunker day, in other words an exhilarating experience.
Matthew has come from nowhere, studied tutorials by Bomber and added his own touch of magic, if you don't believe me, look at the natural grass trodden paths that thread through the course where generations of golfers have strolled. He has then had the course tested by the likes of Bomber, Lacy, Guenter and Colin Mann and added the course quietly to the already excellent collection.
This course is fictional but is based on Muirfield, one of the finest Open links courses in fact if you study the readme that comes with it, it tells you how the course progressed and what its influences are.
The course is littered with high sided pot style bunkers, again unlike anything we have seen before but beautifully finished, there is the opportunity to bump and run up to the pin instead of chipping all the time and the way the course sits and just blends together is just wonderful.
Best Hole: You can't pick a hole out you have to take the course as a whole, no pun intended.
Overall: I haven't played 18 holes of golf and enjoyed it as much as this for some time and then to go back and play the course again twice more on the bounce is unheard of, but I have for this. As I said this has come out of the blue and taken me by complete surprise but you owe it to yourself to download it if you want a piece of authentic links golf. It won't be everyone's cup of tea but ignore it at your peril.
Quite simply 'This is Golf'.
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Mick Lenton's thoughts..
Thoughts from the 1st: Unlike Pete, I come into this review knowing what I was going to be looking at. I was hoping to do a ordinary type of review, but this is such an extraordinary course it is very difficult. So as I stand out in the open on the 1st, I am actually playing Windy, Firm, Fast, Difficult to try and emulate conditions that would be found on such a course. Oh and no top view. Ouch!!!
The Course: What can you say about this course. It is a links course in the truest sense. Bare, open, with just the pylons, a bush or two and some scattered buildings to keep you company. I don't think I would have dared to build a course like this, so all honours to Matthew for putting this out. The textures are very well done, with everything blending into everything else, as it does tend to look, and the paths look very good. Personally, I would like to have seen a bit more done with the areas off the actual hole borders. Maybe some straggly, but thick, yellow grass, some dry patches on the top of humps and bumps, as it was close to the sea, maybe a bit more in the way of sandy dunes and hillocks and maybe on the fairway the suggestion of burnt patches on the humps. OK OK. I know I am asking far too much there. Matthews major problem was the inability of APCD to do what he really wanted. Because of the nature of a Links course, to reproduce one is possibly the most difficult thing you can ask yourself to do. Matthew has done the best, if not more so, that APCD would allow him to. And it is the first course he has put up. Incredible. Anyway, back to the course. The bunkers are, I think, very well done and the only visual changes I would have there would maybe have the sod a bit more obvious. Not much, just a bit. Where you do have a bit of a problem is, if you are close to the left side of the bunker, (As you play out) you will find yourself standing knee to waist deep in the earth, as the bunker sides are so steep. Whenever I do a pot bunker I always try to have the side walls sloping enough so the player is always inside the bunker. The fairways are quite flat for a Links course. I have read that Matthew himself mentions about shadows and depth perception somewhere. The thing is with APCD, when you want depth you have to tend to overdo it a bit. At least that is what I have found. Gentle, rolling fairways just do not show up. The greens I think are perfect. Sometimes a simple putt. Sometimes a killer. Very nicely done. The biggest problem for me is the lack of penalising rough. The grass stems Matthew has made and used, look good, but do not seem to hinder the shot. Again, unfortunately, the limitations of APCD in the direction of object properties, make this very difficult. I have got to try and sort this out for my course!! A deep grass object that looks the part but can at least be chipped out of consistently. And what we can do to produce the chip and run feeling? I shall have to try it myself, but could you give the fairway in front of the green, green properties. I know it would mean you would get the putter there by default, but is that a bad thing. At least you would get much more of a roll. Maybe worth trying.
All that said, this is a very good course. Certainly not to everybody's taste. But a well constructed, different, interesting course, worthy to be played and enjoyed by many.
Playability: If anything the course is too playable. You can hit a wild drive and unless you go out of bounds you are not really penalised by what would, in real life, probably be virtually unplayable rough. I have played a few Links courses and if you think deep, lush, rough is punishing, you need to try and play out of some of the rough I found, only a very few yards off of the fairway. This is not, I think, really Matthews fault, but is an annoying limitation of APCD's, to be able to set an object so it will interfere with a shot, but not enough to make it ridiculous. Maybe there is a way. I shall certainly be trying to find one on my latest course, when I come to planting.
The course is however littered with bunkers that are VERY penalising. And so they should be!!! After a few rounds I am growing to like the bunkers. They do resemble the ones at Royal Lytham & St Annes. Sometimes the only way out is sideways, and some are quite deep. I would like to have seen the sides a little more sloping so that the golfer is not buried in the ground. To give this course any justice you have to play this as I have described in TFTF. Even then you are wanting maybe a bit more run. Again, not really Matthew's fault. As for the par 5's, I know people who have played the course may wonder at this, but I have reached ALL the par 5's. Yes, even the 561 yard 15th. Using PS. I know, I couldn't believe it. The wind wasn't even helping. I hit a cracking drive between the bunkers against the wind leaving 300 to the green, wind was now maybe slightly helping. I then hit an over the top 3 wood. 114 on the Richter scale. It just crept 5 yards onto the green, leaving a 23 yard putt. I got it to 23 inches. Unbelievable.
So the course is very playable. The difficulty lies in having no reference points. You really must not use the top view IMO, as it ruins the whole thing!! Play this course as in real life, or it becomes far easier than it should be. Also play with a strong wind and shape the shots to miss the many, deep bunkers. You WILL have more fun. Honestly. This is a links course after all.
Good Points: This course is the best 1st timer I have seen as yet, by far. It is so unusual, it is difficult to review in some respects. It takes some getting used to but when you have it is a real pleasure to play. The sheer look of the course is, in it's own way, stunning.
Bad Points: IMO the lack of penal rough and the appearance of dryness on the humps. Matthew has done such a good job with the rest of the textures it is a shame this is missing. I am sure it could be accomplished.
Favourite Hole: Very difficult, as Pete says the course blends into itself. I will say the 18th. Above. Cracking finishing hole.
Least Favourite Hole: Sorry!! No way.
Final thoughts: This course is unbelievable as a first course. It is great in any case. Not all will like it's barren view and the virtual lack of all vegetation. It really does grow on you though. It is one I shall be keeping. And that is the highest honour I can give. This course really scores on all points, especially originality and for that reason it gets a higher score than a more ordinary style of course maybe would. And IMO it deserves it.
Course Info :
Cameo Screen? Yes
Splash Screen? Yes
Text file? Yes
Hole Previews? Yes
Reviewed July 2001 |
This course is available as a FREE download.
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