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TPC of Scottsdale
by Jess Gagnon
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1278 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2003-05-09 |
49,375,639 bytes |
71 |
7089 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
REAL |
DESERT |
TPCScottsdale.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
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LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Simon Kent June 2003
Designer: This is Jess Gagnon's first course as a designer, and after learning the skills needed with the APCD, this designer looks to have a promising future in the designing world, as this rendition of 'TPC of Scottsdale' has been done very well for such a unique course, and also because it was made using a Mac.
Course History: Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, the course has been rated by Golf Digest as one of the 'Top 25 Best Courses in Arizona', drawing crowds of more than 500,000 to the Phoenix Open every year. Tom Weiskopf's course will test the best of golfer's, as it is Rated at 74.5 with a Slope of 135, and for many years to come, this course should continue to be one of the great stops on the US PGA Tour.
Playability: From the outset, it is evident that the fairways and greens are very smooth and open, and allow players to shoot low scores and get high percentages for Fairways and Greens in Regulation. The Par 5's are easily reachable, and with the wind not affecting shots much, the course is a great opportunity to 'aim' for a Double Eagle. TPC of Scottsdale is basically a scoring heaven, as the greens aren't hard to read, but if the drives go off the fairway into the rough or outer areas, watch out. Shooting a -10 (61), with 100% Fairways and 88% Greens in Regulation, birdies were easy to get, but the score could have been even better, as I had 27 Putts, and with an improvement in that area, this course could easily break your all-time scoring record.
The Course: This course is not a typical desert course like Arrow Canyon or Dove Valley Ranch, and probably is the reason why it's such a successful PGA Tour Event Course. Layout wise, the Links version is very close to perfecting every aspect of the course, and its testament to the designer, for rendering such a close rendition of the real thing. An important thing to remember is that on many holes the crowds tend to disappear, and you can feel quite isolated, and because of that it's good to choose a Tournament Sound Script to get submersed in the atmosphere of the course to make up for the disappearing crowds.
Favourite Hole: Hole 15 is certainly my favourite hole (Screenshot 3 and 4), as it provides an opportunity for a thoughtful shot, as water comes into play with the 2nd shot to the green on this Par 5.
Technically: As I'm an Australian, I don't get to watch the Phoenix Open, but certainly can imagine the real life course having colours like the textures used by the designer in this Links version. The planting and shadowing is certainly outstanding for a first time design, and the use of Marquee Tents especially on Hole 18, was a great effect. Hopefully the designer will have access to different computer resources in the future, as a course like this would really look great with seaming and high resolution textures.
Other: Custom Flags, Hole Previews and Handicaps are included, with two great photos for the Splash Screens, while the Zip File has two Recorded Rounds with different scores to play against.
Download Value: Compared to many other courses, this is a large download for Dial-up users, but as it is a genuine PGA Tour course, and quite a unique one at that, it's a great download. I didn't think I would keep it on my Harddrive, but the more I play it, and the better I score each round, the more I like the course and want to keep it. This will stay on my harddrive and will be added into my US PGA Tour Season for the Phoenix Open.
Course Statistics: Links 2001 Course, Par 71, Real Desert, 4 Tees, Distance: Back- 6473m, Forward- 5522m, Par 3's- 4, Par 4's- 11, Par 5's- 3. |
This course is available as a FREE download.
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