| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 11 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-04-13 |
39,435,453 bytes |
73 |
7381 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
DESERT |
Desert Oasis.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 21210402302611d5961b60f253c10000 |
d83d9c75a2091205646afcff0f0c59db |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Dave Campbell
Expectations: As I was downloading this course I was picturing a desert paradise. I have a weakness for desert courses. I love the way they look.
First Impressions: This is the first solo effort by designer Jeff Sanders posted at the Links Corner. He contributed on a joint project called FUBAR (love that name) with a designer named Joe Stellma. Credit is given on the splash screen (and in the readme) to Joe S. and Freddie B. for providing help to Jeff on this design. I'll assume Joe S. is Joe Stellma and Freddie B. could be Briggson, but I'm not sure on either. The readme text file was a nice addition and I suggest you read it before playing. It is a fictional par 73 that measures 7,381 yards from the back tees. If you play the middle tees you'll drop about 600 yards off the total length at 6,785 yards.
Even with the length on this course you can score on virtually every hole. Not to say it's a pushover but if you make some good shots and hit your snap you should be well under par. The layout is very nice and inventive and more importantly believable. It is WIDE open with only a few tight drive landing areas. I played in breezy conditions and still could hit my driver on most par 4's and 5's. Of the five par 5's four were reachable in 2 shots. The par 5 2nd hole was 585 yards and I reached it in two by playing it off a nicely placed and elevated hill. Don't know if Jeff planned that but it fed right to the green, almost an Easter egg. All tee boxes were extruded and bordered with red sandstone and were done very well. Some tee box formations looked more natural like they were part of the normal terrain.
The greens were very well done and no two looked alike. Lush green fringe and light rough surrounded most and the greenside bunkering was exquisite. There were several greens that had superb elevation work around them. The par 4 4th had a lake to the left where the green elevations fed right to the water, a short but treacherous hole. It was a beautiful hole featuring a shell path along the lake border.
The bunkers were all done well and varied in size and shape. The most striking feature was the bunker texture. It was a light brown specked with green that I thought really looked good, and was consistent throughout the course. There are some particularly good fairway bunkers. There was a pot bunker in the middle of the 14th green that looked pretty cool.
There were a few holes where water came into play but it was not a dominant feature on the course. You did flirt with a lake on a few holes and there was a very different looking island green on the par 3 5th hole. About 180 yards and not much room for error but the neat thing were the island bunkers within a sandstone border. First time I've seen something like this.
Lots of things to look at here, starting with the custom panorama. It fits the desert setting well. Tee box signs, benches with awnings, ball washers, and signs of all types. There was a Links Corner sign (nice plug), KISS tour, Cases Ladder as well as a Links 2001 complete with Sergio image. There was a 'HAX for Hire' sign ? as well as custom flag of the same. Scantily clad women adorned the last two but in a fairly tasteful fashion, no complaints from me anyway. I talked about the nice shell path earlier and there were houses and maybe a clubhouse visible from several holes.
Planting consisted of cactus and shrubs by the thousands. There were some nice boulders you needed to drive over on the 14th hole.
Drawbacks: In several screen renders it looked like the cactus planted along the ridge lines were floating above the hill ever so slightly. The custom pano was nice but appeared to be a bit fuzzy. Could be my Nvidia card on this one.
A reverse cam look at my drive on the 5th hole island green showed a funny reflection. Rather than reflecting the sandstone border surrounding the green there was a gap of sky reflection and then the green border (see screenshot).
I don't know of it's me but it seemed that the greens rolled slow. I don't even know if it's possible to change properties but I came up short on many putts I thought had enough to make it past the hole. I play PS so who knows. Just keep it in mind when you play and judge for yourself.
The planting really fit the desert landscape but seemed to get a bit sterile as the round went on. Not an error, just my opinion. Not sure what you could really do about it either. Maybe some blooming desert shrubs would have worked, not a big deal anyhow.
This complaint may sound funny but the fairways, rough and greens seemed too lush for a desert setting. If I'm not mistaken the rough texture could be Lacy's from Burnt Pine. Some people said it looked to green for Florida, let alone the desert. That being said it did look good with a nice fringe ring around the fairways. Maybe that can be considered the 'Oasis' part of the course name.
Best Hole: All were good and some were great but I'll go with the par 3 5th hole with the island green. I've heard many complaints about island greens and how people are sick of seeing them on every course. I love the challenge of an island green and this one is unique as well. With the distance and no rough bordering the green it's a real tough hole. Hopefully the screenshot does it justice.
Comparable courses: Piute-Snow Mountain by Steve Pope, Troon North by MS, Scirocco Golf Club by Paul Woodbury
Overall: A well-done desert style course with a realistic and very playable layout. If you like desert courses then you have to download this one, I would suggest you do so anyway. It's fairly hefty at 34 meg but I'm planning on keeping it myself. Like I mentioned I wish something could have spruced up the desert areas a bit but does not affect the playability at all. Thanks Jeff, a very nice course. Look forward to your next one.
Course Info :
Splash Screen? Yes
Cameo Screen? Yes
Text file? Yes
Hole Previews? No
34mb
Reviewed May 2001 |
This course is available as a FREE download.
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