|
Sherbrooke Country Club
by Joel Geysen
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 537 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-08-20 |
30,007,047 bytes |
72 |
6746 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
WOODLAND |
Sherbrooke CC.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 5841deeba7fc4d7ba5831f5ccd3723ef |
a6d3c808ecae15c1f138a2d1a74e95dc |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Mick Lenton
Thoughts from the 1st: Having had some input on this course in the beta stage, so I was looking forward to seeing the final version. It's a very pleasant view from the 1st tee. On the hole preview Joel seems to intimate that this is a nice easy starting hole. Obviously he has never played PS Champ!! Here we go.
The Course: This fictional par 72 course is set in thick woodland. It makes use of custom textures throughout and they do sit together well. The square tees sit in a light rough fringe. There are 3 available, back, middle and ladies. Nice to see the ladies there! These sit in the deep green heavy rough. The light and heavy rough look good together and there is a very small extrusion between them throughout the course. This does cause some shadows in the top view but I do tend to ignore those. The heavy rough is used all over the course and is heavily planted with grass and trees, after a bit of run off room from the fairway. The fairway has a 1st cut of the same light rough and the greens have a nice fringe. The bunkers are IMO very nicely done with a vertical dirt edge and rolled protruding grass at the top. That coupled with a golden sand makes for very attractive bunkers. My only slight criticism would be that maybe some of the grass protrudes a bit too far at the top. The ponds are nicely done and well planted. The woodlands are populated by Deciduous trees of all types and most do look good together with maybe a couple standing out as being a bit brighter than the others. I would maybe have liked to have seen some more underplanting, along with the grass, to break things up a bit. I like the little touch of the 150 yard markers. No real faults that stand out and a nice looking course in general.
Playability: The 1st is a fairly gentle opening hole. A dogleg left with a fair bit of driving room, but a lot of sand both sides if you misjudge. You have the choice of cutting the corner a bit but sand does await the mishit. A good drive should leave you somewhere between the bunkers, requiring something between a short iron and a wedge of some sorts, depending on the line taken. An interesting, mid sized green, bunker on the left, with a bit of a ridge across the middle and a few subtle borrows.
The 2nd is another par 4 with a very gentle bend to the left and the 2nd shot having a pond to contend with. A drive down the left side of the fairway, towards the bunker on the right should leave you in good shape for your next shot. There are some bunkers down the left, but they should not enter into play. Your 2nd takes you over the corner of the pond, with probably a mid iron, to the oval green, bunkers right and back. The green again has gentle borrows in several directions.
Number 3 is our 1st par 5. A bit narrower fairway this time, with a bunker on the right. A drive down the left is good though as the fairway does bend very gently right and you will get a better line towards the reachable, but very small green, protected by a small bunker, short left and ones left and right of the green. It will be a long shot but is makeable. The green has quite a slope at the back.
The 4th is your first par 3. A mid to long iron over the stonewall edged lake and wood walled bunker, leads to the not enormous green. There is quite a slope to this one too.
The 5th is a fairly gentle par 4. Quite a wide fairway and a very gentle bend to the right. There is a problem with the tee that I did mention to Joel. Perspective makes it look as if the back tee laps over the middle tee. It does look a bit weird. There is a bunker on the left at drive distance. Your 2nd should be a mid to low iron, to the oval green, sand front and back. Quite a gentle green this one, but it does have some swing on it!
6 is a short par 4 to an island green. It can be driven, I have done it! But not with PS though. It is a small piece of land in a lot of water!! So a drive down the fairway and a lob onto the quite large green, over the single bunker. This green is again quite subtly borrowed with a couple of steeper ones.
The 7th is quite an awkward drive, over the lake you have just played to. The fairway is fairly generous, but if you are long and right you will be blocked by a tree. So a gentle drive down the left towards the bunker on the left should leave you with a short iron to the long, narrowish green. Borrows all over again.
8 is a par 5 of 2 halves. The 1st half is a split fairway. A head wind would probably make it difficult to reach the 2nd half, over the brook and that would leave you a long way to the green. However with a bit of help getting to the 2nd fairway you may have a chance of making the quite narrow green. There is a lot of sand around but a straight shot has all the room in the world to land short. The green has some quite steep slopes.
The 9th is a downhill par 3 with a mid sized green. There is a pond on the way but this cannot be seen from the tee, nor should come into play. I am at a bit of a loss about this pond. It should be visible from the tee, or there is no point to it. The green has 3 bunkers around it and those subtle borrows.
So into the club for a quickie and check the cars ok out the front and on we go.
The 10th is a sweet little par 4. A look at the yardage and you think, 'Ah, drivable'. No way. A little pond in the way puts paid to that. It actually looks a bit like a par 3 when you get there as there is very little fairway. I did actually drive it. But using click and certainly not the 1st time, or for that matter the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or a lot more. So personally for me it was a 3iron and a wedge to the small gentle green. There is a small bunker right of the green I suppose you could drive at. There is also a bunker behind the green.
11 is a very sharp dogleg left, quite narrow too. There is sand down the right and a small bunker on your drive line, on the corner. A drive to the corner will leave you a mid iron to the quite small, round green with sand right and back. Quite a slope front to back on this one.
Number 12 is quite difficult par 3. There is a building on the right of the tee that is scaled a bit too small. The green is very small with sand front, right and back. It takes a very accurate long iron to stick the green, which is thankfully fairly gentle to putt on.
The 13th is par 4 with a blind drive. Make sure you wait for the bell! Your 2nd should be a fairly short iron to the small green, sand front and back. Gentle slopes here.
The 14th is a par 5 that really makes you think. The fairway narrows down to virtually nothing, just short of normal drive length. There is sand on the right and trees very tight left so you either lay up and miss the chance of going for the green in two or try and thread the needle. If you do manage it you are still left with quite a difficult shot to a fairly small green, sand both side. Once again, what looks like a flat green, but some difficult putts can be had.
15 is a quite short, straightaway par 4. You drive to a widish driving point, past the 3 bunkers on the left. You are left with a little wedge to the mid sized green, sand front and both sides. Big ridge halfway down the green.
The 16th is another fairly short par 4. You think you have plenty of room to drive into, but the fairway is narrower than you think. 3 bunkers protect the right side and there is planting very close left. A good drive will leave you a little wedge to the green, which is protected by sand, rear left and right. You can get quite a slope on this one too.
The 17th is a fairly straightforward par 3. Bunkers are forward, left and back, and when you arrive at the green you are welcomed by the train noises of the train who's name totally escapes me. I will see if the name is on it when I go past. The green is not enormous but has a bit of a slope.
The last is a nice par 5. Water down the left for the drive and sand short both sides for the very bad shot. Stopped and had a look at the train. Shame on you Joel. No tracks!! Anyway back to the 18th. A good drive should put you in position to attack the green. There is a lot of sand around it and the target is quite small. Also a long putt could have a bit of a swing on it.
So all in all, a nice course to play. Nothing outstanding, but a well-constructed and designed course and for a first course, especially worthy of acclamation. Well done Joel!!
Good Points: Nice course, nice textures, nice to planting, nice to play.
Bad Points: I am not totally sure about the grass plantings and I would have liked to see a bit more underplanting and maybe a bit of colour.
Favourite Hole: The 10th, above. For it's originality.
Least Favourite Hole: I will say the 9th as I cannot see the point of the hidden pond.
Final thoughts: For a first course Joel has done a really good job here. His bunkers especially, the falling down of many a new designer, are very well done. I would maybe have liked to see it a bit more PS friendly, but I cannot complain, as there is room on most of the holes. Maybe a bit of unplanted, standard rough, before you got to the deep stuff. All in all though, a very nice course, especially for a first one. You could have tidied you mesh a bit more though Joel
Course Info :
Cameo Screen? Yes
Splash Screen? Yes
Text file? Yes
Hole Previews? Yes
22mb
Reviewed September 2001 |
This course is available as a FREE download.
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