| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 90 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-05-01 |
26,579,945 bytes |
72 |
7127 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
MOUNTAIN |
eaglemountain.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| f6e7f8b537cd4f4287a5f24b0c559919 |
b9f63ee2a52c0070653c1a29f8d35ab8 |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Dave Campbell May 2001
Expectations: I love 'birds of prey' and after seeing screenshots of this course over the last couple of months I could not wait to play it.
First Impressions: Eagle Mountain is a fictional mountain course and the second solo offering from designer Fred Briggson and was posted at the Links Corner on 5/02/01. His first course was Langolier and was released in November of 2000 as one of the most popular early APCD releases. He was also involved in a joint design project called Trysting Tree. I never heard exactly how much he did on that project and like many people, have been awaiting his next solo project. Well wait no longer, I may just run out of superlatives while describing this course to you. This is simply the best mountain course created so far comparing favorably to Château Whistler itself.
Let me start with extras included with the .zip file. Two of the nicest splash screens I've seen, a fictional scorecard and a Word document describing all the holes. Eagle Mountain will be the home course for the EMGA tour.
The layout is all mountainous rolling fairways and greens and many two tiered greens with subtle elevation changes throughout. The planting is very thematic and done well all the way around. There were natural looking gray rock formations that you could see on several holes, reminiscent of the rockwork on Langolier. Along the 'rock' lines there was a rock plateau that the 8th tee box sat upon that look striking from the back tees. Wooden plank bulkheads shored up the green on the 10th and really looked good. The whole layout looked very natural and played just like the real thing.
I played two full rounds and the first time I hardly noticed the water. So my second go at it I actually counted 14 holes that had some type of water, be it a creek, pond or lake and sometimes a combination of two or three. I played my second round under the most difficult conditions and I suddenly became more conscience of the wet stuff. The planting along the water banks is second to none. A nice mud bank was apparent on all the lakes and ponds. Water has a beautiful but not dominant presence on this course.
The bunkers reminded me of the 'Rorschach Test' ink blots, no two looked alike. There were some round bomb crater traps and all were superbly done. All had the white 'raked' looking texture.
The greens are rolling with several of the two-tier variety. My first round I played n/m/m with moderate pins and shot -7. A bit of an aberration because I was putting exceptionally well. My second round I toughened up to b/f/f with difficult pins and shot +3. The rolling greens got a lot tougher as they got slick. The breezy conditions in my second round also changed my thinking off the tee. Many drivers turned to 3W's or 5W's once I turned up the wind.
Probably the best thing about this course is the playability. There are truly risk and reward decisions all over the place. For example, the par 4 3rd hole is only 289 yards and I was tempted both times to go for it. The fairway stops short of the green, there is a rock formation to the left and water to the right and two greenside bunkers. You little devil Fred, I chickened out and laid up each time but I was tempted. Three of the four par 5's can be reached in two but all are fraught with danger. I missed an albatross (double eagle) by 34' on one of them. The 18th is a clever, Falcon Ridge like finishing hole with a split fairway approach that I tried to reach in two both times but either ended up in deep grass or a bunker. The par 4 14th was the best though. A split fairway dogleg left with the first fairway elevated above the second. The second is certainly reachable but water is along the right side and with the elevation change it naturally feeds to this hazard. Simply brilliant Fred, I just loved the hole (although I got suckered into the water once). These are but a few examples.
There are not too many custom objects on the course and that is good. You really feel like you're in the mountains amidst Mother Nature. There were bridges spanning the many creeks, very well done cart paths and a nice eagle statue with some fountains in the lake on the finishing hole. How can I forget the eagles in the trees on the 1st and 10th holes. Of course there are many 'cries of the eagle' as you make your way around the course.
Drawbacks: None. Well maybe that the eagles in the trees on the 1st and the 10th could be in the path of your drive. Don't you know that the bald eagle is an endangered species Fred?
Best Hole: I already mentioned the 14th, a devilishly creative hole which is probably my favorite. All are beautiful and well crafted. My screenshot is a dynamic cam view of my drive on the 7th. I thought it looked particularly nice.
Comparable courses: Chateau Whistler by MS, Falcon Ridge by John Borycheski, Langolier by Fred Briggson.
Overall: This is a spectacular mountain course that can be scored upon but can bite you as well, with risk/reward opportunities aplenty. I'm having trouble thinking of a course that's any better. This is a top notch design by Fred and should be a permanent addition to your Links collection.
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James Wood's thoughts..
You had better get your eagles and birdies early on this course because the further you get the tougher it gets. The planting here is exquisite and the layout will have you thinking the entire round. Some narrow landing points and some very tough greens make scoring difficult. Good risk/reward shots on the par 5?s will give you some opportunities as well as a reachable par 4 early in the round. All of these holes however carry their own type of penalty for failure. Some very noteworthy work around the many ponds and streams will really open your eyes. This is another fine effort by the designer of Langolier and will certainly make itself at home on your hard drive as a permanent fixture.
Filesize 25MB
Course Info :
Splash Screen? Yes
Cameo Screen? Yes
Text file? Yes
Hole Previews? No |
This course is available as a FREE download.
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