Walnut Grove course

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MrT
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Joined: May 24th, 2021, 6:48 pm

Walnut Grove course

Post by MrT »

Hi... Just a quick question... When going to Course Database in LInks Corner, Walnut Grove appears with a data 2018-08-18. However, once I downloaded it, all the files in there have dates going back to late 2005. Is there supposed to be a newer version of this course? Or what is available is truly the latest version of this course? Thx.

I read about this course being remarkable for the mastery in the use of the APCD tool and, as a matter of fact, it looks great. But, the heavy rough is so extreme that if one goes into it in certain spots, he/she will never get out of there pretty much, Hence I was wondering if what I read refers to the same course that I downloaded and played (+10 in fairly challenging settings).
gator
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Re: Walnut Grove course

Post by gator »

Walnut Grove was originally a P2P course that was only available for $3.99 on the now closed down APCD-Courses website. It was posted here on 8/18/2018 after the designer, Art Patscheck, gave permission for it to be hosted here for free. There were a number of former P2P courses that were hosted in the same manner around that time. You may notice that the date that appears on the course listing page is the date that page was added on Links Corner and it doesn't always match the actual file date of the crz once downloaded.

Leo
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MrT
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Re: Walnut Grove course

Post by MrT »

Understood. Thank you. So, this game being a 2005 production, predates the 2007 enhancement of Links with challenging conditions. Now it makes sense why it is amazingly harsh to play in M/Fc or faster. In the original commentaries, the author mentioned playing it in M/M. I am sure that in M/M where balls stop on greens as if there was glue, it is going to be a totally different experience. Now all the pieces are coming together. Too bad. It is amazingly beautiful for a course. In terms of playability,.... well not so much.
pmgolf
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Re: Walnut Grove course

Post by pmgolf »

MrT, I'm sure it must seem amazing to you, but there are players shooting mid-50's scores (and lower) on courses more difficult than Walnut Grove using challenging conditions more difficult than those you have mentioned. One fellow I can think of plays at the Elite level of Click! Another is more than 85 years old! It requires a lot of skill and also a lot of practice. I'm not saying that it's easy, but it's not as difficult as you seem to think it is! Using Click and a LOT of practice, you also probably could shoot sub-60 rounds with challenging conditions. It's amazing what people can do when they really apply themselves! :smile:

Pete
gene_golf
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Re: Walnut Grove course

Post by gene_golf »

MrT wrote: July 23rd, 2022, 11:24 pm Understood. Thank you. So, this game being a 2005 production, predates the 2007 enhancement of Links with challenging conditions. Now it makes sense why it is amazingly harsh to play in M/Fc or faster. In the original commentaries, the author mentioned playing it in M/M. I am sure that in M/M where balls stop on greens as if there was glue, it is going to be a totally different experience. Now all the pieces are coming together. Too bad. It is amazingly beautiful for a course. In terms of playability,.... well not so much.
2007 is listed usually as date of Links extender coming into use. Art Patscheck designed Walnut Grove late 2005, but he had understanding of texture modification ability and only used it for rough and not greens as my best guess. Not sure where you found his suggestion to play greens at m/m, but it is your choice as player to play firmest/fastest/most difficult pins that you wish. Since course is listed as one where designer set firmness/fastness as one of about only 20 courses done truly by designers it would be interesting if Art Patscheck really set course to play m/m as does not say what conditions really are set by the designer when choosing that option---just have to play and see how course plays. I just played front 9 following up my own advice with suggested course settings and greens held most shots into them and putts were slow---so might well have been at settings m/m that you spoke about. Played breezy---so wind did not blow me into brutal rough. This rough on course hard to advance ball at all unlike other courses where might take 3 wood and shot comes out lower and rolls and rolls.

Post by gator » Sun Apr 03, 2022 2:44 pm
Adelade wrote: ↑Sun Apr 03, 2022 4:41 am
...I think gator gave me a list of them a while back...
pmgolf wrote: ↑Sat Apr 02, 2022 7:41 pm
Course conditions are selected by choosing "Course Speed using Course Conditions" and "Course Firmness using Course Conditions" in the drop-down menus when choosing green Speed and green Hardness for your round. They have nothing to do with Stimp.
Several years ago, Armand, compiled/posted on the old forum a list of courses where the designer(s) included specific hardness/firmness and speed settings. You would access these designer included settings in the manner Pete previously described.
Information I have on those courses:
Course conditions.jpg
Course conditions.jpg (293.93 KiB) Viewed 781 times
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MrT
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Re: Walnut Grove course

Post by MrT »

@gene_golf. My understanding was not that the author suggested to play it in M/M. As a matter of fact, I strongly doubt that. He wrote that he played it at M/M, no wind, and I forget what kind of pin placements now, and scored a 61. In M/Fc, Mc/Fc, it is another story as it should be. However, greens are not an issue: they are not easy at those settings, but they are honest and well conceived. It is the rough that is extreme. In 2 instances, I could not get out of there and I could not even back out for once I had water behind, and in another more tall rough. That was the reason of my +10. As I never met a rough that rough, I was just curious. I guess it is me being no good. But then, I refuse to play the same course more than a few times a year to avoid memorizing it and so the next time when I will play it in 2-3 months, I will end up having the same issues very likely. It is ok, though.. it is not important in the grand scheme of things. A pure curiosity.
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MrT
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Re: Walnut Grove course

Post by MrT »

pmgolf wrote: July 24th, 2022, 12:23 am MrT, .............. I'm sure it must seem amazing to you, Using Click and a LOT of practice, you also probably could shoot sub-60 rounds with challenging conditions. It's amazing what people can do when they really apply themselves! :smile:

Pete
Thank you for your confidence in me, Pete! . However, I have neither that kind of time nor I am using Click (I chose RTS and I will stick to it for as long as I will play this game). I do not think that I will ever play sub 60 (actually I did it once, but it was an isolated case) And I do hope that I never play rounds in the mid 50's for if I ever did, the game folder will end up in the Recycle Bin and LInks will be dead to me. My desire is to play around mid 60s for my best games using the settings I chose. That is all I hope for. Some of the easier courses, without wind, I can play in 60-61 right now, but it is not fun.. In fact it pisses me off. :dunno: Walnut Grove was a curiosity: beautiful course, I can live with those greens, tough but honest, the rough I am not convinced it is a feature that I enjoy, but it is a fictional course after all and thus everything goes since the golf club does not need to sell memberships and does not have to upkeep the course.
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