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Hop Farm Golf Course
by John Dudis
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 706 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-12-23 |
49,808,702 bytes |
72 |
6973 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
WOODLAND |
Hop Farm_Final.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 75db0360f78b11d58d4000a0ac009f5b |
d7306cbdbd53af7bb5409fd44263057b |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by
Mike Nifong
January 2002
Course type: This is a fictional course described by its creator as a 'hilly woodlands [course] located in the Wyoming/Montana area.' It employs a custom pano (which, by the way, is excellent) designed by DLunatic.
Historical perspective: Released to Links Corner just before Christmas, Hop Farm is John Dudis's first course. At a download size of 46.2MB, it is nearly twice as large as the average APCD offering. This appears not to trouble the respondents in the user review section, who have given it an enthusiastic welcome (I base that on the number of reviews) and a very respectable 4-star rating.
What is included: There is a brief read-me file that contains information on the pedigree of the course (a family-owned course located in a wildlife-friendly, undeveloped setting) and acknowledgements to those who assisted in its creation. There are hole previews, and they are excellent; disregard them at your own peril (more about this later). The cameo is the course logo (a nice touch), and the splash screen is a vignetted screen shot (adequate, but nothing special).
First impressions: As you stand on the elevated tee at #1, you look out over a stream that curls down the left side of the fairway before crossing in front of the tee area toward a rocky hillside and evergreen forest in the near distance. You hear the soothing sound of the running water (actually sounding like a babbling brook instead of a hot tub) punctuated by the occasional cries of waterfowl. A single spruce tree stands at the bend of the dogleg to the right, and you are faced with your first decision of the round: do I hit my 3W to the left of the tree, leaving me a 5I/6I to the green, or do I hit my driver to the right so that I'll only need an 8I/9I to get there?
This is a very nice opening hole that is perfectly representative of the rest of the course, and it will be obvious to you that the 'family' who owns the course lavishes much loving attention upon it.
What comes next: A course of great consistency and meticulous finish that very much belies its status as a first creation. The textures are uniformly well chosen, the planting and under planting are excellent, and custom touches (pin flags, hole signs, a profusion of ducks and herons, and unerringly appropriate sounds) abound. The bunkers are flawlessly executed, and the edges of the ponds and streams look very natural. As a matter of fact, in terms of both its attractiveness and the convincingly real impression that its appearance makes, Hop Farm is difficult to fault. Oh, I did find a few little nit-picky things. On #3, #8 and #10, for example, I noticed trees with Spanish moss dangling from their limbs, which seems pretty unlikely out in Big Sky country. And on two of my five evaluation rounds, the hole did not appear in the main view on the green on #5 (since this did not happen every time, it is apparently a function of just one or two of the potential pin placements; in any event, it occurred only on this hole). Obviously, the first of these has no effect on game play, and the second really was not of much consequence either.
One characteristic of the course that will probably not meet with universal approval, on the other hand, is the use of extrusions at the transitions on the borders of the fairways and greens. This design choice has never troubled me, and, except for the black lines in the top view, looks fine on this course. I did notice, however, that the extrusions around the greens affected my shots a little more than I usually find when I play courses designed in this manner. (Of course, most such bounces are likely to be to your benefit, but I did get one very unfavorable bounce on a shot out of a greenside bunker.) Interestingly, I had no such problems with the fairway extrusions.
The really good news, however, is that Hop Farm is not just another pretty face. It is also a really good golf course. Nothing about it is contrived or artificial. Nearly every hole will give you a choice to make, and your score will most likely reflect how well you have chosen. Every hole offers a reasonable chance of birdie, even if you play conservatively (and occasionally, only if you play conservatively). On the other hand, if you are not willing to take some chances, you will probably not see a realistic chance for an eagle in your entire round. But for me, the real kicker is that this course almost seems to dare you to try shots that you know you should not be taking by making them look so easy. Probably the best example of this is #17, a dogleg right to an island green. If you hit a 4I just to the right of the tree near the bend, you will have a simple SW to the green for an excellent shot at birdie. But from the tee box, you can also see that it is only 250 yards to the green, and there is absolutely nothing in your way. The testosterone starts telling you to go for it, and what happens? Well, I decided to take that shot until I was sitting on a sure eagle, and I was able to do just that - on my eighth attempt (five attempts hit the front bank of the green and bounced back into the water; one, on which I missed the snap, went wide right and hit the water directly; one landed right in the middle of the green - and proceeded to roll across it and off the back into the water). Now I probably will not try that shot again, but I bet you will!
That may be the best example of risk/reward, but it is far from the only one. Three of the four par-5's are reachable (all but #13), but not without peril. On #6, for instance, you can reach the front lobe of the green in two, but if the pin is on the rear lobe you will still have an uphill putt of 20 yards or so, and if you fall short you will land in the front bunker, from which par would be a good score; if you choose to lay up instead, a good wedge shot will put you in good position for a birdie. On #8, you can cut the dogleg to put yourself in position to go for the green, but if you bite off too much, you will most likely hit the bank and roll down into the water. And on #18, trying to get close enough to go for the green on your second shot risks landing on a fairway slope that will send you into the rough, from where you will not be able to hold the green.
The temptation to push your luck is not restricted to the par-5's, either. Both #11 and #14 are short enough to make you consider trying to go around (#11) or over (#14) the trees. It can be done, but if you miss you will find yourself in a bunker or the rough.
If you are not feeling especially alpha, you could always try the hole previews. If you follow their suggestions and hit your snap, you are almost guaranteed a good score. Not as much adrenaline, but fewer headaches as well. Decisions, decisions.
The bottom line: The first time I played this course, which was before it was assigned to me to review, I had it pegged for a score in the mid-80's: very impressive for a first design, but not really standing out. I am glad that I had the opportunity to play it more critically, because the fact is that its virtues are not all immediately apparent. This is a great course that falls just short of the very top echelon. It is worth the not-inconsequential download time, and I predict that it will become a favorite for on-line tournaments. Strongly recommended.
Course Statistics :
Par 72; 3 sets of tees; 7032 yards from back tees; holes not handicapped |
This course is available as a FREE download.
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