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The Barrens
by Mike Hornak
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 976 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2002-07-21 |
21,014,251 bytes |
72 |
7008 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
LINKS |
barrens.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 9e9646429c7a11d69956002018dccc19 |
3f2295eab8774dbaad27f1f9c5eb84da |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by
Mike Nifong
August 2002
Course type: 'The Barrens is a fictional links course set in a scrubby, hilly terrain.' So begins the read-me file supplied with this course, and it pretty much says it all.
Historical perspective: The Barrens, which was released on July 21, 2002, is Mike's third course, following Fallow Fields (2/6/02) and Lowlands (4/29/02). Interestingly, both of his previous courses are also fictional links-style courses, and there are some strong family resemblances, although each has its own unmistakable identity. All three courses have been well received by the Links community: Fallow Fields holds a 3-star rating and an LC score of 88; Lowlands has a 4-star rating and an LC score of 86; The Barrens also has a 4-star rating at the time of this writing. All three have also found their way into my permanent collection.
What is included: At 20.5MB, The Barrens is by far Mike's largest course, but it is still well under the current average in file size. The relatively compact size does not mean that you will get shortchanged on the inclusions, however. In addition to the read-me and the obligatory cameo and splash screen, you also get outstanding hole previews, which include alternate routes, play tips, and diagrams of the green slopes (you may notice that the tip for #14 is repeated on #15, but that is the tiniest of flaws). Credit for the cameo, splash screen (the understated artistry of which fits this course perfectly), and hole previews goes to Dexter Gresh (Grooch), an excellent designer in his own right (Meadowood). On top of all this, there is also a recorded round. The only significant omission is a tournament option.
Technical merit:
Excellent work. You will not find any bad edges or mesh shadows. As a matter of fact, the only thing you may notice is a tiny bit of angularity in the shapes of some of the large waste bunkers, but this is only visible in the top cam because the edge planting totally obscures that transition in the main view - not that you would be able to see it there anyway. It is instructive to compare the top view in Fallow Fields to get some idea of the advance in Mike's APCD skills. There, virtually all the shapes appear as rounded hexagons (not an uncommon first-course bugaboo); in The Barrens, you will see no hint of the underlying grid shape.
Artistic achievement:
While both Fallow Fields and Lowlands were attractive courses, The Barrens takes appearance to the next level. The muted colors used in the main textures, a far cry from the overly bright look that some found off-putting in Lowlands, seem perfectly chosen for a links-style course. The planting, too, while not dissimilar from his previous courses, seems subtly more refined. There are more trees than you might see on the typical links course, but not an unusual number for one of Mike's courses. The pinkish-brown tall grasses that line the edges of the deep rough and populate the waste bunkers and dunes lend just the right contrast to the grass textures, with an occasional hint of a red or violet flower - never too much - making an appearance. The sand textures also work very well with this color scheme.
Of course, it would not be a Mike Hornak course without pot bunkers, and The Barrens certainly has its profusion of those. He has the look just right, with the sod walls again adding a tasteful counterpoint to the softer greens of the surrounding light rough or fairway textures. Even some of the larger, non-pot bunkers have sod walls (making them, I suppose, semi-pot bunkers).
There is not a lot of water on this course. It makes its first appearance on #10, then shows up again on the two finishing holes. Reedy grasses line most of the edges of the ponds, and there are other similar grasses more centrally located. This effect, similar to but better executed than the water treatment in Lowlands, gives the appearance of a marshy area with some deeper channels.
There is not really anything here that you could call a spectacular view. The plot is relatively flat, and the pano consists of no more than a tree line. But what The Barrens lacks in spectacle, it more than makes up for in its uncomplicated naturalness.
Play value:
I do not know whether Mike specifically set out to create a course that could be enjoyed by players of all styles, but he seems to have accomplished that. Several holes are designed with alternate routes (detailed in the hole previews); generally they give the choice of a more restricted landing area for your tee shot and a shorter or cleaner line on the second shot, or a wider landing area off the tee and a longer or more heavily bunkered approach angle. Moreover, the design of the course does not punish too severely the slightly missed snap; there are some generous expanses of semi-rough before you get to the really deep stuff (if you miss the snap badly, on the other hand.. good luck). Sometimes the computer players would intentionally hit into the semi-rough to get a more favorable angle on the next shot, and that strategy seemed to work reasonably well (of course, it did not help their fairway percentages).
The Barrens is not really a big hitters course. You can use your driver off the tee, and you will have to if you want to reach any of the par-5's in two, but it is rarely the safest club to use, and this course is more likely to reward (or at least less likely to punish) a careful shot than a long one. Of course, avoiding the effectively placed pot bunkers is a substantial challenge (and sooner or later you will end up in one), but hardly the only one. The fairways are superbly demanding as well; not only do their slopes and undulations stop your ball dead or channel it into a bunker, but you can also find yourself in some serious uphill, downhill, and sidehill lies on your approach shots.
The only par-5 that I would characterize as usually reachable is #14 (favorable wind conditions are necessary on #5 and #9, and the carry over water makes #18 a bad risk in any conditions), but we are given a drivable par-4 in the 291-yard #13. Indeed, #13 and #14 are likely the only eagle opportunities you will have, and #13 has a fiendishly difficult green - large and with complex contours - unless you can get your tee shot pretty close. Nearly all of the other greens are more moderate, but putting under f/f conditions can be very tricky. The course is also very well balanced from front to back: the two nines present very equal challenges.
The computer players found The Barrens to be about average in all respects except percentage of tee shots landing in the fairway. Under b/m/m/m conditions, they were a combined -35 (-6 to -11), finding 55% of the fairways (50-64%) and 85% of the greens (77-94%); under w/f/f/d conditions, the corresponding numbers were -19 (-2 to -7), 57% (35-64%), and 64% (55-72%).
The bottom line: A lovely course that should provide both challenge and pleasure to all swing types. Mike's best course yet, The Barrens is strongly recommended.
Course statistics: Par 72; 5 sets of tees; 7008 yards from back tees; holes are not handicapped. |
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