| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 13 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-03-07 |
16,550,676 bytes |
72 |
6950 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
OCEAN |
albapointe.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 6aa6bd9cd5db4a97a14e9486e401e49b |
b734198a2bbe2e0167c40f57eef15bd7 |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by James Woods
First Impressions:
This is a fictional course with a seaside atmosphere and it is another good effort by Bob Fournier. Planting is of the garden variety of trees and shrubs leading you to believe you are somewhere in the Northeast or perhaps Northern California. You at least get the impression you are anywhere but Florida or the Gulf Coast at any rate. A very nice lighthouse dominates the course and there are many buildings and other objects. The custom tee markers and hole signs should be mentioned because they were very well done. The course is very flat and the hazards are well done.
Strategy:
A couple of holes require you to move the ball off of the tee box and there are a few holes requiring a lay up. For the most part though you should not have any difficulty here. The fairways are very wide and the greens while being somewhat contoured are not overly difficult. All of the par 5's are easily reachable in two shots and scoring here is very easy.
Favorite Hole:
Not a favorite hole but a favorite shot. The approach shot to the par 5 13th hole looks down on a stone wall with the lighthouse in the background. While you probably won't ever see this particular shot because you'll go for the green in two it's worth looking at one time.
Overall:
There are a few bad edges here in the expected places but they are negligible and I suspect they are showing up because of the new patch. A lot of custom objects were included and you have to applaud that kind of effort. A course you may like to try out especially if you like the coast.
----------------------------
Reviewed by Dave Campbell
Albatross Pointe is the last of seven designs from Bob, one of which was a joint collaboration (Trysting Tree). This fictional seaside course has a very open feel with the occasional water hazard, and you can fire away at your targets for the most part. It\'s a par 72 measuring 6,950 yards and the openness will afford you many scoring opportunities. More than once I got a \'feeling\' of Pebble Beach during the round, particularly the seaside 14th and 15th holes. There are gorgeous views throughout with many custom amenities about. Their are custom tee markers and hole signs but no custom flags (strange?). The hole signs are some of the best I\'ve seen. They appear to be carved out of some type of stone and show the hole number along with distance and a nice albatross silhouette. There are many buildings and houses, along with a lighthouse, restrooms, picnic areas and the ever present ball washers.
Most, if not every, par 5 can be reached in two. I know I was staring at more than one eagle putt. The par 5 13th has a unique sunken green with a rock retaining wall that is really pretty. All in all a very smooth round of golf.
There are some notable mesh errors both in the fairways and around the greens, as well as the bunkers. Not prevalent by any means but noticed occasionally. I didn\'t care for the look of the extruded tee boxes on the 3rd tee, they were done nicely but didn\'t look realistic. The light blue line at the bottom of the pano looks exceptionally bad on this course. Not the designers fault as this was pre patch but took something away from the ambiance. Noticed a few sharp angles along the fairway edges and near the green.
The water is well done and is definitely a hazard. It\'s not dominant but really gets your attention from many a tee, putting pressure on the snap (and shot path for PS). Greens are sharply elevated in places and nearly two-tier in others. Fast/firm green conditions will toughen up this course in a hurry.
Albatross Pointe is a fine course that plays very smoothly, a good course to play with computer players. If a seaside course is to your liking then this is a must have, even so I would recommend a download to anyone.
Comparable courses: Pebble Beach by Microsoft
Best hole: There are many that caught my eye but I love the layout of the par 4 12th. Simply a wonderful hole with water down both sides of the fairway for half the hole, and it continues up the left side all the way to the green. There are no less than three creeks that bisect the hole at different spots in the fairway so a good, straight drive is at a premium here. Nice rock lake banks and a nice cart path are visible from the tee.
Homer looks like he\'s a bit perplexed on how to attack this hole :^)
Course Info :
Cameo Screen? Yes
Splash Screen? Yes
Panorama Used? No
15mb
Reviewed April 2001 |
This course is available as a FREE download.
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