Avocet at Wild Wing 2003 by Art Patscheck
Reviewed by Simon Kent
March 2003
Designer: Art Patscheck is certainly one of the most talented, respected and well known APCD Designers there currently is. The courses he has designed have received Links Corner Review Scores ranging from 86-97 and User Rating’s with no less than 4 Stars. His Course Resume includes Arrow Canyon Resort, Arrowhead CC, Buck Creek CC, Dove Valley Ranch, Las Brisas at Nueva Andalucia and his latest offering Avocet at Wild Wing, which was previously made for 2001, but now has been updated for Links 2003.
Art Patscheck is certainly one of the best “artists” that use APCD; which is all due to his understanding of how to make a course challenging and then turning that thought process into a course using the APCD. The fairways in his courses look like they were crafted by hand; the greens are always realistic in the way they are sloped, and if you really want to see Art’s work, look into the woods to see the texturing under the tress and in the rough.
Without question Art’s skills as a designer make his courses a “must have” for any Links Golfer. More information about the designer can be found at www.artpatscheck.com.
Course History: Sculpted Greens and Fairways, blended with Nature, Waterways and Wildlife; all perfect ways to describe this 18 Hole, Par 72 Course, which will truly make you feel that you and nature are one with another. Designed by Larry Nelson and Jeff Brauer, Avocet, which is part of the Wild Wing Plantation, was released in 1993 and was recognized by Golf Digest as one of "The Top 10 Best New Resort Courses in America in 1994”.
Avocet is considered to be the signature course of Wild Wing and along with the wooded terrain and high mounds, the course is also the longest and hardest in the Plantation. Featuring elevated tees and greens, grass bunkers, waterways, and changing wind patterns, this course will truly test any golf game. Playing this course is a must for any golfer, or else you’ll miss out on the terrific stretch of Holes from #13 to #18. The course is 7127m in length, with a Course Rating of 74.2 and a Slope Rating of 128. More information can be found at www.wildwing.com.
Playability: If you bring your best game to Avocet, you’ll walk away with a great score, but if you’re a bit off, the water and trees will really hurt you. The 8th Hole (Par 3, 160m) is certainly a hole to test your target ability (Screenshot 4), because if you shoot short, you’ll have either water, grass bunkers (Screenshot 5) or a ridge on the green to contend with, so it’s important to get the correct distance when trying to land near the pin. There are some holes which are good to attack on to improve you’re score, like the 11th, and some to be careful on like the 15th, but generally the Par 5’s are very reachable on this course and are certainly holes that need to be capitalized on for Birdie or better.
The Course: When playing Avocet, if you aim correctly you could easily walk away with 100% Fairways and Greens in Regulation, because there’s plenty of room to land on in both areas. Overall the course is very playable and a great course for people who want the feeling of playing a round of “real” golf.
Best Hole: Hole 17 (Par 3, 180m) is easily my favourite hole on the course (Screenshot 8), because it was very scenic, was constructed extremely well (planting, water etc) and is a great ‘Target’ hole for people who like Par 3’s.
Technically: The seaming is practically perfect on this course; I couldn’t personally spot the “lines” joining the fairway and the rough together due to the curving looking like its completely natural and its like Art has just been out on the course cutting the grass with a pair of scissors himself (well maybe not that much). The water I felt was very real (go for a walk on to the water in practice mode and you’ll know what I mean), but what I loved most was the bunker work, not the normal ones, but the grass bunkers, and along with the shadowing under the trees, the variety and layout of the planting and the realistic greens, this course truly proves the amazing amount of skill Art has using the APCD.
Other: The stumps near the waters edge and the name at the top of the leaderboard on the 18th Hole really showed the attention to detail in this course, and when hearing the Insect and Bird noises it really made me feel like I was there, and when combining the natural beauty of the course with the tournament options provided, Avocet is a great course to play. The Hole Previews are extremely professional, because along with the layout of the hole, there is also a picture showing the slopes on the green and they are simply some of the best hole previews you will ever see.
The Duel: Art Patscheck vs. Simon Kent, Designer vs. Reviewer, RTS Elite vs. Pro Classic, the round was set and I just knew it was going to be a memorable match-up. The odds were stacked against me, I knew it was Art’s “Best Ever” Round on RTS Elite and I had to click like I’ve never clicked before to have any chance. He got off to a quick start, being -4 after 4 Holes, but finally at the 8th I caught up tying with him for the lead. He just kept on hitting the shots though right at the pin and I knew I had to concentrate to stay with him. We kept on going back and forth, and it all came down to the last hole when I needed to sink the putt to tie, so I took my swing, it rolled, rolled, and went in. But who won? Well I shot a -12 (60), with 92% Fairways and 83% Greens in Regulation with a total of 22 Putts, and if you want to know who won you’ll have to see the score he got for yourself.
Download Value: This is certainly a course I’ll be keeping on my hard drive, but more importantly playing often. Art’s courses are well known for a reason, because there very good, and that’s exactly why this is a “must have” download, regardless of Internet Speed. The download comes with the usual Read-me, but also included is Art’s ‘Best Ever” RTS Elite Round, with Art saying as I quote “You won’t be able to beat me”.
Designer: Art Patscheck- patscheck@charter.net, www.artpatscheck.com
Review No: 4
(This review is based on the playability for users of Links Golf. It is only my opinion, but comes from a thorough analysis of the course. Disregarding my opinion, I know the difficulty involved in designing a course and I congratulate the designer on a job well done. My comments are objective, are based on a number of criteria, and any comments are from a players stand point and not from a designers).
Screenshots
Filesize 50MB
Course Stats: Links 2003 Course, Par 72, Real Woodland, 4 Tees, Back 6518m, Forward 5416m, Par 3’s- 4, Par 4’s- 10, Par 5’s- 4.
Test Round Stats: Played- Back/B/M/M/Pro/Classic, 60 (-12).
File Sizes: Zip- 54.7mg, Crz- 57.5mb, Sha- 12.3 |
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