| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1436 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2003-11-24 |
43,092,005 bytes |
72 |
6955 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
REAL |
PARKLAND |
LotMyrtleBeach.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| b113466f4a794560b02a9747bd414804 |
c7b857e11aa48a91205134bcbe8aadf1 |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Bill Bradley
Myrtle Beach (South Course) is Scott's fourth course for Links Corner and follows from Myrtle Beach (North Course) and is by far Scott's biggest course so far in terms of download size.
Technical Stuff
7011 yards Par 72
4 par 3's, 10 par 4's, 4 par 5's evenly distributed
Longest hole 543 yards, shortest hole 145 yards
5 tees
74 Mb download
Included: Cameo, splash screen, hole previews, ambient sound, custom textures, custom flags, custom objects, read me and recorded round.
Not Included: Crowds, tournament objects, custom pano.
Difficulty: Moderately difficult,
The course is not locked.
General Impressions
Myrtle Beach Golf Resort (South Course) is not a real golf course, neither is it entirely fictional. It is Scott's rendition of 18 holes taken from various real golf courses in the Myrtle Beach area. Actually it is only 17 because hole 4 is from the Barefoot Resort. Scott has done a very good job of rendering the holes and blending them together into a single golf course that does not give the impression of being anything other than a single course.
Textures and Planting
Scott has used a lot of custom textures around the course - many of them by Mike Jones and some by others not named in the read me but acknowledged generally. For the most part the textures are very good and look very realistic, though I was a little disappointed with the fringe texture which is the standard L2K3 fringe texture and looks a little too bright to fit in perfectly with the others. (see screenshots 6 and 10). I think that Scott could have done something about his mapping of the dirt lip around the bunkers(screenshot 8) though the bunkers are generally well done with good elevation, being neither flat nor ridiculously deep. Scott's planting is generally very good, I particularly liked his use of grasses around his lakes (screenshot 7), and the wood bulkhead texture around the lake on the 18th (screenshot 11). He has had a very good attempt at recreating some ruins around the back of the 4th green though they do look a little, well. too new. (screenshot 4). Scott has used some custom objects such as custom signs for the 'on course' hole layouts. Interestingly he has given these objects the hole number of the original hole rather than the hole number for his course - a little disconcerting the first time you see it but, in reality, quite a nice touch. (screenshot 3) Also, where these signs exist he has produced them as (I assume) they appear on the original course.
There are a couple of problems with the planting; one thing I definitely don't like is the forest in the large bunker on hole 1 (screenshot 2), but I haven't been there so for all I know it does exist - it just doesn't look right; the other is, I think that Scott has used some of his own trees and has made them completely solid - it is a bit disappointing to hit a really good shot (doesn't happen often with me) which you expect to skim through the topmost branches of a tree and carry on it's flight with minimal disruption only to hear the crack and watch it bounce off at right angles into the lake!
Hole Layouts and Elevations
The course is fairly flat, but what elevations Scott has done have been very well done with no sharp edges and no odd bounces around the course. The greens are very good with a nice mixture of pin placements - some easy and some quite testing (screenshot 9). I don't think that RTS players or no-gridders will have too many complaints about the layout of the holes and greens. Of course, with the holes being based on real holes Scott has been constrained in this respect. There are one or two blind tee shots, but the course is not over-loaded with them and should be accessible to every type of player. To be honest, Scott has not helped the players who do not use Top-cam. He has done hole previews, but they are not the kind of previews most designers use. Scott's are more in the way of advertisements for the various courses from which he has culled the holes (screenshot 1)
Ambient Sound
Scott has included ambient sound with his course which is, for the most part, not at all intrusive. I particularly liked the sprinkler on the first, though I wondered about the point of the helicopter on one of the holes.
General Comments
I have very much enjoyed playing Scott's course and shall be keeping it on my hard drive. It is a very pleasurable course to play with some very interesting holes, I think the layout of the par 3 14th (screenshot 5) is particularly good. Scott's is very good course from which I think a lot of people will get a lot of enjoyment.
It doesn't quite make it as a top 10 percent course for me but you should download it and give it a try - it might for you.
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