Links Corner Forum

Too many courses, too few designers.

pmgolf wrote: ↑September 3rd, 2021, 9:13 pm I've been watching the Korn Ferry Championship on the Golf channel. The course they're playing would be great on Links. Check it out on Google Earth in 3D: Victoria National Golf Club near Evansville, Il.

Pete

I checked out this Victoria National course and highly agree - surely would play really fun in Links. Won't be able to give it a go myself (too many other courses in mind), so I would love if any other designer could prehaps consider it Great looking layout with seemingly excellent strategic hole designs and what I would call a nice yardage of 7239, no overbunkering so not too many of those to fiddle with, GoogleEarth 3D, located in USA so there might be decent elevation data possibilities, seems to be listed on Strackaline, and flyovers here for example (including simple but nicely helpful greenslope graphics) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAplzlqbX_I Lot of water but considering the landscape Im guessing it all is on the same elevation level so I doubt there would be complications with that.

I would love to see someone do the King &Bear Golf Course in Florida that Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus co designed together that looks like a very challenging course at par 72 7,279 yards from the back tees think it would be a good addition to the game.

I came back to this thread several years later, and I just want to give a big round of applause to all the designers still working today. Of all the courses mentioned in this thread, by my count eight (!) have been released since then (TPC San Antonio, Crooked Stick, NGLA, Black Rock, Coeur d'Alene, Pasatiempo, TPC Southwind, and Victoria National), and another four are either betas or works in progress that have been mentioned in the forums and might be coming (Wolf Creek, Muirfield, Arcadia Bluffs, and Seminole). Apologies to anybody if I've left any out.

Keep up the amazing work, guys!... and to all those wonderful, talented designers out there looking for new projects, hey check out Point Hardy at Cabot St. Lucia!

Not long ago I decided to play only at very hard green settings (equivalent to 13.5 stimp accoding to the most recent table I saw for this purpose). There is one course that, in my opinion is actually really great and unique, but is in need of some "tender and loving care", in particular for the greens, even at lower green speeds) and that is Chapultepec. It could also benefit from a different pano. As I have played many courses, I really think that this course is quite unique and worth to be among the courses.

I also have a particular liking of Cabo del Sol, still a very nice course even today, despite our designers of today have gone beyond that level.

Of course, like I wrote several times in the past, a new Oakmont C.C. realized using LIDAR techniques could be a blast. Those greens are super famous for their features and the game that exists right now (still in beta) dates back to quite a few years ago.

MrT wrote: ↑May 22nd, 2024, 6:37 pm

Of course, like I wrote several times in the past, a new Oakmont C.C. realized using LIDAR techniques could be a blast. Those greens are super famous for their features and the game that exists right now (still in beta) dates back to quite a few years ago.

There may be a new lidar based Oakmont in the works, waiting for the renovation to be completed though so it can be up to date

braden1308 wrote: ↑May 23rd, 2024, 10:51 pm

MrT wrote: ↑May 22nd, 2024, 6:37 pm

Of course, like I wrote several times in the past, a new Oakmont C.C. realized using LIDAR techniques could be a blast. Those greens are super famous for their features and the game that exists right now (still in beta) dates back to quite a few years ago.

There may be a new lidar based Oakmont in the works, waiting for the renovation to be completed though so it can be up to date

... Happy Happy Joy Joy...

Seminole Golf Club in FL :p

If any of our amazing and prolific designers are looking for more ideas, just throwing these out there...

The Reserve at Moonlight Basin (Big Sky, MT) -- Host of the 2021 Match between Mickelson and DeChambeau, this Nicklaus design is a whopping 8000 yards long and its longest hole is a 777-yard par-5, all of this taking place at 7,500 feet of elevation. If you look online, each hole is like a painting, and I do think Links has a dearth of quality mountain courses. The pano would be challenging but incredible.

Pikewood National (Morgantown, WV) -- Woodland course on the Golf Digest Best 100 list, this course would look great with fall colors. The signature 5th hole is one of the cutest little holes I've ever seen, with a small green tucked at the base of small limestone cliffs, with a cascading waterfall running into a creek at the back of the green. Would be really great for someone really strong at working with rock textures.

Stone Eagle (Palm Desert, CA) -- Lovely Doak design with conjoined fairways on the hills above Palm Springs. Very little 3D work would be needed since (unlike most desert courses) there are no nearby houses, and the clubhouse can barely be seen from the course. Seeing how well Wolf Creek is looking makes me think this could also work as nicely.

Punta Espada or Corales at Puntacana (Punta Cana, Dominican Republic) -- Again, a dearth of Links Caribbean courses, and these are some of the prettiest ocean courses around. Espada in particular would be challenging because of the 3D work (so many buildings next to the course, including a massive resort hotel).

Fields Ranch East (Frisco, TX) — Home course of the new PGA headquarters and future PGA Championship site in 2027.

Gamble Sands (Brewster, WA) -- The #3 ranked course in Washington state, a rolling, hilly, links-style course above the Columbia River, and a spiritual successor to nearby Desert Canyon, which was one of my favorite early courses done by Jack Hartt.

I really enjoyed the Senior US Open at Newport Country Club last weekend. That historic course would be a very worthy APCD recreation.

Thanks to all the great designers over the years! I played actively online with the Links Corner gang back in the early 2000's. How many of you remember Weekend Warrior? It's a shame the Links 2003 engine hasn't been updated in the last 20 years, but the course availablility thanks to the designers makes Links still the best golf sim available!