|
Oxford Valley Golf Club
by Stephen Dalton/Eric Lintemuth
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 963 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2002-07-11 |
62,350,314 bytes |
72 |
6861 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
WOODLAND |
Oxford Valley.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| a0c910626d1b4976903ed60cebcb3b29 |
bf2072266a1639a884cf5305a90104cd |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by
Chuck Clark
August 2002
Background: Based on the read-me, it sounds like Mr. Dalton started this course and Mr. Lintemuth finished it. Here is some of what the read-me said:
'This is a fictional course located somewhere in the Mississippi lowlands. The golf course was designed around the terrain that was present and some swamp and rocky formations come in to play."
"The original concept and design was that of Mr. Dalton. No holes were moved or laid out differently from his design. The course, when it was in beta format, was 80% complete. I took it over from there and corrected some problems and re-textured the course and finished the planting. Although I was happy to take over the project from Mr. Dalton, this has been a tough 2-month process and my course was put on hold. I'm now ready to get back to my project and wanted to finish my course up before Links 2003 came out. I'm not sure now if that will be the case.'
I don't know of any other courses done by Mr. Dalton, but Mr. Lintemuth has released two other courses to Links Corner. They are Boondock Way and Eldorado Golf Clubs. Both of those courses sound interesting based on the reviews, but I am not that familiar with either.
Overall Impression: This course is a huge download. From what I know of the APCD this usually means that a lot of different objects or plants have been used. In this case, Oxford Valley has lots and lots and lots of different types of plants. I think this course may have the greatest variety of plants and trees of any APCD creation yet. The planting is very well done and this is a fascinating course to play, but there definitely isn't any theme or consistency here. Some holes are mountain-like with rocky outcroppings and pine trees; and some holes are in swampland with moss covered trees and lots of water. It definitely makes for an interesting round of golf; because you get a little bit of everything here. The course itself is at times pretty tight and tough. Some of the greens are a bit too severe for my taste and there were lots of blind shots. The course also used the same pano as the AlabamA course done by Jim and DeLinda Woods. It looks good here and fits this course, but I always think of that course when I see it.
Playability: This course straddles the fence between fictional and fantasy. There are some pretty wild holes at times. This will be a really tough course for champ level players. Pro players should have a blast playing it though. There are four or five greens which I thought were over the top. In addition to that, there were a few fairways that were pretty tight as well. This course really could have used some good Previews, since there are a number of blind shots.
Shot Values: There are some very interesting shots here. There is lots of water and hazards, the extraordinary planting comes into play quite frequently; there are lots of rocky outcroppings and hills; and getting your ball on the right level of these greens is essential. You will need to play with the top cam open a lot, due to the blind shots and abundant hazards.
Visuals: A visually stunning golf course. The wide variety of trees and plants really makes this course come alive. As mentioned above it is not very consistent, but what the heck, going to each new hole is quite a surprise. There are a few unusual holes to look at here as well. The second shot on the eleventh is played blind to a green perched high above you on a hill. The cart path runs straight up the hill before you (see picture) guiding you to the middle of the green. Don't be short though; if you hit short on the cart path it will bounce all the way back down to your feet. In real life there is no golf cart alive that could make it up that hill; it's almost too steep to walk (I would guess)!
Technique: There were some technical errors here but nothing too severe. Mostly this course is very well done and quite playable. There were a few sharp edges, some bad texture transitions, a few badly mapped faces and the course was crowded up against the plot at times. This is a pet peeve of mine. It is very easy to push the edge of the plot out so you can't see the edge in the top cam. This also makes the course look more realistic; since there is no hard transition between the plot and the pano.
Summary: This course is a huge download. For slow connection guys, I say check out the photos carefully and read this review. If you want to spend all that time downloading it, then you probably won't be disappointed. For fast connection guys, I say this course is worth a look. It is quite interesting to look at and fun to play. It does look like a compilation of sorts, there is no consistency or theme here. The planting, while extraordinarily varied, is quite well done. It will probably be a bit too tight and the greens a bit too severe for some people, but most people should have fun here. Give it a try, you will probably like it!
I am both a player and a designer. I review courses primarily from the standpoint of fun and playability. I appreciate courses that are beautiful to look at, but first and foremost I want a fun experience. I have spent many hours designing courses myself, so I understand the blood, sweat and tears that go into the design process. Any critical comments made here are meant to be constructive and helpful.
Included/Not Included:
Cameo: Yes
Splash Screen: Yes
Hole Previews: No
Tee Signs: No
Custom Tee Markers: Yes
Custom Flags: Yes
Read-Me: Yes
Handicaps: Yes
Custom or added Sounds: No? |
|
CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Imaginary, marshland course |
Location
TBA |
Conditions
TBA |
Concept 4/10
A busy design, featuring all manner of textures, planting colours and
elevations, alongside big water features and towering rockworks, Oxford
Valley is perhaps just a little overwhelming. There are some impressive
golfing ideas in the mix, and no little ambition, but only the most accepting
of players would acknowledge that this constitutes a realistic creation. |
Appearance 4/10
Where to start? Let's start with some custom textures which look very good, given the age of the course. There's some impressive
planting and rock sculpture at points, but the overwhelming effect is just of lots and lots of stuff thrown at the canvas in the vain hope
that some will stick. Very in-your-face and only about 10% credible. |
Playability 7/10
There are some real gung-ho golfing tests here, including tiny landing spaces on the greens and one terrific huge booming blind drive
over water. The hole design is strictly fantastical, with quite a few challenges which you would never see in real life, but it's enjoyable
as the occasional one-off. What isn't fun is the aging green complexes, which are very painful going on anything above slow Mod
settings. |
Challenge 3/10
Lots and lots of water, and lots and lots of putts: this will all add up to lots and lots of dropped shots. With due credit to the course
designers, it's not an impossible course by any means: just about all situations are escapable and there are a sprinkling of birdie
chances, but for the most part you'll wish you were playing something significantly easier. |
Technical 5/10
Bearing in mind that this is an earlier APCD course, without the finesse of texture blending, you have to appreciate what has been
done. The custom textures used for the grassy regions are inoffensive (although there are definitely signs of shape-placement from
time to time), and the best that can be said for the planting library is that it's been really thoroughly used. The panorama has been well
chosen, and really looks very nice behind certain holes - notably the 12th. All things considered, it could be a lot worse. |
| Overall |
A bit like golfing in a cartoon: busy, fast and frenetic. It's not everybody's brand of
golf, but it will stand up to the first round or two. |
23/50 |
Please remember that Clipnote reviews are the opinion of one person and do not constitute an 'Official' Links Corner review of the course. |
This course is available as a FREE download.
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