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Prairie Dog GC
by Chuck Clark
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1394 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2018-08-23 |
68,038,472 bytes |
72 |
6978 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
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FICTIONAL |
PARKLAND |
Prairie Dog GC_locked.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
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LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Designer: With one of the most impressive course portfolios in the Links community, Chuck Clark has come a long way since his first design was released back in the early stages of 2001. He has received six Links Corner Recommended and two Players Choice Awards, while his courses have incorporated Desert, Links, Mountain, Ocean, Parkland, Tropical and Woodland styles. His courses have Index Ratings varying from 0.94 to 1.02, while he has designed Fictional, Imaginary and Real courses, with all of them being quite small in size; this course being the only real exception. Chuck Clark has certainly provided the community with many great designs, and there is no doubt he will continue to do so for years to come.
Course: As stated in the read-me, the course has been designed around the natural terrain, and with elevation changes being such an integral feature to the design, golfers playing at this course will be able to truly appreciate the natural feeling of golf at its best. Both small fairway and large sand dune type bunkers are found around the course, and just like water in many course designs, the bunkers really stood out as a signature of the course. Distance variation between tees, both on each hole, and in total allows for a different playing experience for golfers when they so choose, while seeing multiple holes at once in some areas of the course was very scenic. Water on this course turned out to be a pleasant surprise, and when teeing off from Hole 18, the golfer will soon remember all the features throughout the course, as the last hole combines parts from each hole of the overall design, allowing for a spectacular finish to any round.
Favourite Hole: The Par 5, Hole 13 was my favourite hole on the course, as it provided a stern challenge, but yet showed the creativity, yet respect to course design that the designer has. It allows the golfer options off the tee, but yet creates enough of a test to make it a strong risk/reward hole, and overall, it was very well designed.
Playability: With dense planting found on each one of the courses holes, driving accuracy will initially be the most important piece to scoring well at Prairie Dog, but with the greens being built into the natural terrain, and having quite a lot of curve and slope to them, the further away from the pin you place the ball, the higher your score will be, as putting is not an easy task on many of the greens. Elevation changes and numerous bunkers prevent the Par 5 greens from becoming easily reachable targets, and only two perfect shots will allow golfers to have a chance at an eagle opportunity on either of the Par 5's. Hole 8 and 17 are both drivable Par 4's, but with severe risk in the form of bunkers and water preventing an easy shot to the green, smart golfers would be wise to lay-up if the wind is not favourable. If you play safe when you should, and attack when the opportunity presents itself, scores could be quite low, but with areas just waiting to swallow up any mistimed shot, accuracy is the key to performance at Prairie Dog GC.
AI Performance: The AI Golfer 'Simon' shot a -8 (64), with 85% Fairways and 77% Greens in Regulation, with a total of 24 putts.
Difficulty Index: 0.94
Technically: Unless you go looking, you'll be hard pressed to find any technical flaws on the course, as with extensive seam blending, a fine selection of textures, and a great use of sounds, the course has been very well made. With the large sand dunes standing out as an integral part of the design, the texture choice for the bunkers was unique, and really stood out, while the cart path, even though subtle, was one of the best technical additions to the already outstanding APCD work by the designer. The choice of panorama was perfect, as in combination with the planting, it blended in really well, and certainly added to the atmosphere of the overall design. Due to a problem with the APCD, and not the fault of the designer, the course has a large shadow file, so rendering times might be long in instances, but as discussed in the read-me, this is only a small annoyance to a golfer's round, and with the high quality techniques found around the course, it really isn't an issue when contemplating the overall design.
Other: The zip file contains the two splash screens, an overhead of the course, a recorded round, and a detailed read-me, while the course itself included a Cameo, Custom Flags and Tees, Handicaps, Hole Previews and a Splash Screen. Other extras included in the course were Ducks, Huts, Prairie Dogs, Watertanks and Windmills, while the Hole Previews were exceptionally good, as the angle over each hole provided the golfer with a great view of how to negotiate each design.
Download Value: Even though Prairie Dog is certainly not a small download at just over 65mb, like each one of Chuck Clark's previous designs, it is extremely unique, and you would be hard pressed to find a course with the same style that is any better. The zip file comes with numerous extras, and for a P2P course, it includes all the aesthetic and advanced APCD techniques that one would come to expect. The course is definitely a keeper, and if you like the style of the course, there is no doubt that you will find yourself playing the course many times to come in the future.
Information:
Course Statistics:
2003 - Fictional Parkland - Par 72 - 5 Tees
6978yds (Back) - 6485yds (Forward)
Par 3's: 4 - Par 4's: 10 - Par 5's: 4
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, farmland course. |
Location
TBA |
Conditions
TBA |
Concept 10/10
I never fail to be impressed with the Links designers who take a patch of
scrubby and unattractive land and build a great golf course through it. In
many ways, they show the skills of real life course design, and Chuck has
acknowledged that with Prairie Dog, he started from the terrain and
worked upwards. And what brilliance has resulted! This is knockout,
original, absorbing prairie-land golf. The fact that the only scenery worthy
of the name is a windmill or two and the occasional water tank makes this
all the better. There are few more realistic, and yet so far-out, courses available for the game. |
Appearance 9/10
Virtually the whole course is customised. The texture colours match superbly, and the beautiful array of planting makes the
surrounding prairie both realistic and a perfect match for the panorama. Sure, there's not much to see, but what you can see is utterly
perfect. |
Playability 10/10
There are few that can match Prairie Dog. A realistic array of sound effects, thankfully not overblown, and Chuck's innate ability to
make challenging and original golf holes will keep everyone involved. Every hole is a brilliant median line between strategy and
straightforward golf, and the landscape will work both for and against you: fittingly, given the naturalistic creation of this course. |
Challenge 7/10
With courses that feature wide expanses of treacherous grassy rough, there's a very fine line between too easy and nigh-impossible.
Prairie Dog does a creditable job of trying to nail that line. I don't know whether it's a shame or not that the designer didn't see fit to set
the prairie to its hardest settings, although surely if he had, we'd be looking at a stinker of a course. As it is, the fairways are just wide
enough and the greens sufficiently flat to pick up a few birdies along the way. |
Technical 10/10
Chuck Clark has been guilty now and then of turning out a somewhat hurried course. No such worries here. This is crammed with
technical perfection and the best of the best - Mike Jones - is on board as a consultant. Marvel at one of the most realistic and
technically advanced creations the APCD has seen. |
| Overall |
Chuck's finest creation. A very clever course with down-at-heel class. |
46/50 |
Please remember that Clipnote reviews are the opinion of one person and do not constitute an 'Official' Links Corner review of the course. |
This course is available as a FREE download.
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