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Possum Park Short Course
by Dave Everitt
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 979 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2002-07-19 |
36,219,161 bytes |
54 |
2763 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL Par 3 Course |
PARKLAND |
possumpark.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 3e34b3039b4811d69869deb4bebebd38 |
509a4caec06c95f257063089e702dbc8 |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by
Joe Turner `Loner'
August 2002
A portion of his readme:
"In my opinion, a round of golf should be both entertaining, and challenging. I've tried to make PPSC as difficult as possible, and still maintain the beauty and 'feel' of a park course. The first thing you will notice is the 'default' mountain pano, a real no-no by today's designing standards I know, but I have 5 custom panos on my hard drive that I just couldn't make fit. I also chose not to add hole previews, mainly due to the already large download size.there are a couple of holes you might want to pop up the overhead cam to have a look at, but most of the greens and hazards are in plain view."
This is Daves fourth course and it is obvious that it was done by someone who knows the ins and outs of design. The nice tee boxes, the minor mowed fairways, greens with a nice sized fringe and the attractive brown/green texture to the rough is only the start of this well done extremely beautiful detailed course. The occasional splashes of flowers, the boulders that dot the landscape, the large assortment of different varieties of pine trees, the undergrowth of pine needles and deep grass make up the look of this course. The unfortunate pick of Whistlers for a pano is explained in his readme, but it is still detracting after all this time. The different decorations around the water hazards are most attractive and his attention to detail and variety is very impressive. He has fences, benches, assorted bushes and a variety of objects to liven up this 3 par. The cart paths is an interesting addition, 3 pars aren't a long walk and with some of his constant elevation changes I wouldn't wasn't to drive a cart downhill but it does add to the overall look of a neighborhood course that you would be willing to pay a little extra to play. The few bunkers are well made and you may, if your not cautious find yourself in one. I found his bird sounds both relaxing and added to the overall feel of the game.
I am matching it up to some of the other 3 pars that I have played and or reviewed, Augusta National Par 3, Dark Pines and Fedritch. It isn't up to Augusta's standards and definitely isn't as poorly done as Fedritch but it is a match for Dark Pines. The only resemblance is that the two are both 3 par courses and as far as I'm concerned that's as far as it goes. The colors, the textures, the patterns, and well you get the idea. He played quite a bit with elevation changes, which is both fun and interesting. If you aren't careful with your club selection and adjustments the bunkers are willing and able to snare you. How big are the greens, how about a touch larger than small, but the fringe, which as I've already stated is wide will give you some fun chipping, and your share of birdies. The putting, ah the putting, lets say there are a few sloped greens, a few flat greens and a few with great breaks to them a very nice variety indeed.
If you like 3 par courses, and I do, this with its beauty and playability is right for you. I enjoyed the game here but I couldn't get and ace, terrible! I hit the flagstick a few times but alas no double eagle on a 3 par. The only drawback that I can see is a minor one, the course size. It's a little large at 33mb but I feel its well worth getting and holding on to for quite a while. It should look excellent with shadows when we get L2k3. Download it, enjoy it.
Reviewer Note:
I am a player not a designer and therefore rate a course as a player for other players.
Summary :
Included: readme, cameo, splash, hole signs and numbers, cart path, ball washers, custom flag, buildings and other objects.
Not Included: hole previews, custom tees or recorded round.
Statistical Information: par 54, 2763y, 2 sets of tees, 18-3 pars, 0-4 pars, 0-5 pars. |
|
CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, short course |
Location
TBA |
Conditions
TBA |
Concept 6/10
The Par 3 course has been the downfall of many a designer, not least
whoever thought up Three Canyons. Thankfully, Possum Park does not
suffer from delusions of grandeur, of monotonous hole length or from
excessive trickery. It uses elevations on a lavish but not extreme scale in
order to get the most out of your target golf. Sadly, the same cannot be
said about the other hazards: rocks, bunkers and water are not used
sufficiently accurately to make the course an ongoing appeal. |
Appearance 5/10
A carefully-regimented planting scheme of firs and purple flowerbeds lends the course an almost godly feel. Certainly, there is an
unreal touch to the elevations which are the on the edge of believability, despite lending excellent scenic views. Rough textures repeat
too frequently and are often stretched. Worst, the stock panorama is tired in its predictability and in this case really detracts from what
could be otherwise quite pretty. |
Playability 6/10
About as good as eighteen Par 3s can get, Possum Park mixes up the shot types and hole lengths well, and a round is assisted by
decent sound and plenty of good views. Sadly, with hazards not coming into play enough, it's easy to get the impression that you're
doing the same thing over and over. |
Challenge 9/10
Possum Park is refreshingly free from tricks and hidden traps, and the greens are nicely pitched when you consider that putting will be
the chief difference between a good and bad score. Dropped shots and birdies arrive in equal measure, and that makes this course
undoubtedly the best-pitched Par 3 out there. |
Technical 6/10
A little old-looking today, an update would require attention primarily to texture use and mapping, and a new panorama. Ideally, some
major changes to the course layout would bring hazards fairly into play also. But the imagination and planting are very sound, as is
some very impressive rock work. |
| Overall |
One of the better short courses out there. Creative with elevations and consistently
throwing up a new and original challenge. |
32/50 |
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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