| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 564 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-09-09 |
31,302,536 bytes |
72 |
7160 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
PARKLAND |
Accesmemorial.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 72a66392ddc647d7828097194e6f072b |
4cf6d833d1ab86dbcf3d2d61735f2f02 |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Dave Campbell
Expectations: This is a first course design so I'm expecting some rough edges but the name has me anticipating the look of the design.
First Impressions: Access Memorial is the first course Roland has submitted to the Links Corner and was posted on 9/9/01. It is a fictional parkland design that is a par 72 playing to 7,160 yards from the back tees with five tee options, and the ladies yardage a mere 5,823. Roland has supplied a very interesting readme file explaining his inspiration for this course that I would suggest everyone reads before playing. I remember all the Access products pictured throughout this course and it is like a trip down memory lane. I even remember all the games immortalized in Access lagoon (my pet name for the lake around the 9th and 18th greens). Even though I didn't buy anything but Links products myself, I was on the Access mailing list and received all the upcoming release information. The remembrance of his online friend Frank Von Opbergen pulls at the heartstrings too.
These things alone make this course worth playing. Once you look past the novelty of the Access game box memorabilia you're actually left with a pretty decent course to play, if not a bit unrealistic in layout. Let's break it down a bit more.
Playability: As I alluded to the layout is not very realistic. Many times the hole paths crossed each other and in real life situations you'd be putting golfers in harms way too many times. This also made for some very confusing top cam views. The course is very playable and enjoyable with different looks at every turn. The hole designs seem to hold with the theme of each hole name (named after different Links releases). Some examples are the par 5 5th (Devil's Island) is a 636-yard fantasy layout. The par 5 8th (Castle Pines G.C.) is a long 613-yard hole with the fairway split three times. Two good shots needed to even have a normal approach shot. The par 4 9th (Pebble Beach) has water come into play. The 390-yard par 4 13th (Links Extreme) has a lot to look at on the tee, and water in play the last half of the hole. I think you get the idea, Roland just didn't name the holes without taking into account the course referenced in the hole name. Each hole will have the original game box placed somewhere along the path and appear as a billboard complete with lights. Very well done overall.
The tee boxes are oval shaped and have custom tee markers shaped like a golfer silhouette. On most tees you'll see the game release immortalized (in the shape of a billboard) that inspires the holes name. There are many other things to see off most tees, as this is a busy course with many objects placed about. You will have open tee shots to all fairways although many of the shots will be blind to the fairway because of elevations. Landing areas are fair on most holes and fairway bunkers are present often. All fairways have a nice 1st cut before you get to the dry grass and nicely done planted areas. Some fairways have wild elevations and you'll be left with approach shots from all types of lies.
Bunkers are strewn about of both the fairway and greenside variety, but can be avoided with some thought and execution. Some are sunk fairly deeply and could present some problems if the angles are wrong, so just be wary. Most are very good for a first design from an APCD standpoint, with minimal shadows and no wavy looks on the sand surface.
Water comes into play occasionally but is not a dominant feature. The 9th and 18th greens are a shared island green in a gorgeous lagoon that is both unique, and offers up some of the prettiest views on the course. The par 3 11th hole (Links LS97) has water behind the green and the par 4 16th (Pinehurst) has a water carry approach to the green. None of the water is too scary if you just hit your shot properly, or close to it.
The greens are on the moderate to easy side and I only had 22 putts in my test round. Of course those stats are skewed a bit by my two chip ins J This adds some fairness to a course that is a bit tricked up in other areas with a few split fairways, many blind tee and second shots, and some demanding approaches.
As I mentioned, this is a busy course and for the most part all fits nicely. Too many custom objects and sounds to name them all, you'll just have to play and see for yourself. Planting in general is extremely well done, especially for a first design. The woods along the fairways look natural and the ground level planting is strong. Off many tees you will see floral plantings of many colors and shapes. Super job in this area Roland, even though I'm still not sure about the guy playing the bagpipes visible from the 9th tee?
Drawbacks: Because of the great plantings and many objects the redraw times can be slow on some renders. Not all the time, but some screens took up to 5-10 seconds to redraw. Not really a problem for me but if your PC specs are lower than mine it may become an issue.
Because of the many criss-crossing holes the top cam becomes a jumble of fairways and greens. On the 8th tee I noticed 7 greens visible in the top cam, and it wasn't zoomed out. With the many blind tee and approach shots I believe this course needs to be played with the top cam open, even though Roland has supplied nice hole previews.
There is the occasional hard seam or mesh shadow but the APCD work is really very good overall. Even though some fairways had rolling, sweeping, fairly radical elevations they looked natural in most cases. They were also placed here and there so you had a variety of looks during your round.
Best Hole: There are many that deserve this honor. I like the look from the 1st tee (World Class Leaderboard) as I logged many hours on this game. There are many well thought out and great hole layouts. I think I'll go for the 389-yard, par 4 9th hole (Pebble Beach). This hole features a fairway bunker that is in the shape of an arrow that points toward the green (check the top cam of my screenshot, you can just see the arrow bunker). It is an island green shared with the 18th hole and is in the Access lagoon surrounded by many Access game box billboards. My screenshot is my setup to hit my approach to this great green. Roland gets some big points for originality throughout the whole design.
Test round stats: -4 78% FIR 50% GIR 22 putts. I had two chip-ins during this round so that really helps the putting stats. A challenging course at times but a fair test overall.
Comparable courses: Not sure there are any to compare. I'll just let it stand alone as an original.
Overall: For originality and emotional feelings this course is right near the top for me. I truly enjoyed the scenery and Access memories as much as playing the course. If you're an old time Links player like me this one is a must see. Getting a good course on top of it is just icing on the cake. This is definitely worth a look for everyone, particularly the players that have been through the full evolution of the Links product. Access will live forever through this course and I thank you for the memories Roland.
Course Info :
Cameo Screen? Yes
Splash Screen? Yes
Text file? Yes
Hole Previews? Yes
30mb
Reviewed October 2001 |
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