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Gull Island Links
by Don Gooch
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1547 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2005-02-19 |
35,696,640 bytes |
72 |
7525 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
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FICTIONAL |
LINKS |
gullislandlinks_locked.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
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LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Designer: Don Gooch is no newcomer, having previously released four designs, including Cedar Springs, Eagles Bluff, Elmer Creek (two versions), and Foothills. Having created Mountain, Parkland, and Woodland style courses, this his first Links design and second 2003 course release.
Course: At over 7500 yards in length, the course is very long, and unlike many other courses where the length is spread out, most of the length in this case is contained to the Par 4's. Only one is less than 400 yards long, while any of the Back 9 Par 4's could have easily be turned into a Par 5 due to their length. The Par 3's are excellent though in their design, with a good variation in distance, and wonderful protection through the use of bunkers and tight greens. On the Front 9, neither of the Par 5's were reachable, but those on the Back 9 are distance wise, but require two extremely good shots to make the green. If the course was shorter, it would have been much more enjoyable, as each of the hole designs were extremely well thought out, especially with the ocean being used so productively throughout the design.
Favourite Hole: My favourite hole on the course would have to be the Par 3 on Hole 15, as considering it has a small green surrounded by one lengthy bunker, hitting over the ocean and trying to land the ball in regulation was a real test.
Playability: Even though the fairways on this course are quite wide, one of the hardest things to overcome will be trying to stay in regulation, as with bunkers, ocean and palm trees all playing a major role in the challenge of each hole, a high driving accuracy will be difficult to achieve. The challenge on many occasions is knowing where you ball will land, as often, if this isn't a consideration, a palm tree could well be in the way of your next shot. With most of the greens being protected by bunkers, due to the small target area you have to land your ball on, it is vital to know your distances, or else you'll be hitting out the sand more than you'll be putting for birdie. The greens themselves are made well, but due to bad pin placements on the edge of curves and tiers, putting can at times be a difficult task. Now from looking at the AI Player's score below, it would seem that the course is very difficult, but because there were two holes where the AI Player lost its mind and blew 11 shots over par, a better representative score perhaps would have been a +6 (78). The course is difficult in the easiest of conditions, so expect an incredibly hard challenge if you decide to play in windy conditions, as this course is not at all forgiving.
Technically: In terms of using high quality APCD techniques, the designer seam blended very well in combination with the great textures throughout the course layout. Bunkers were created and lipped skilfully, while the beach areas looked great, and in combination with the ocean sounds, added to the atmosphere of the course. Even though Tropical vegetation is very weird on a Links course, each tree was planted effectively, while the fairway undulations were a great addition to the playing experience. Unfortunately though, there are some technical faults that stopped this design from being something special. The panorama of an English Countryside was completely out of place, and really stood out behind the ocean, while in regard to the ocean, the texture used really seemed out of place, and took away from the wonderful visuals within the actual course layout. Having ball washers on each tee was a bit much, while in areas, the tall grass acted like a brick wall, with the ball bouncing backwards after being hit into it. If extensive beta testing had been used, perhaps some of these errors would have been corrected, as these were the only things along with the length of the holes that stopped this course from being truly exceptional.
Other: The course had a cameo, custom tees, handicaps, hole previews and a splash screen, but didn't have crowds or any tournament objects.
Download Value: Being just under 33mb, the course zip file only contains a read-me, but otherwise, a high level of APCD work was used within the course. If you liked the designer's previous releases, or want to try a Tropical Links layout, which is quite unique, then I'd recommend this course to you. Even though it is a very difficult challenge to score well when playing this course, it provides enough enjoyment to remain on my hard drive.
Information:
Course Statistics:
2003 - Fictional Links - Par 72 - 5 Tees
7525yds (Back) - 7114yds (Forward)
Par 3's: 4 - Par 4's: 10 - Par 5's: 4
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Imaginary, tropical course. |
Location
TBC |
Conditions
TBC |
Concept 6/10
Gull Island has some links attributes in its wide-open style, but really there is too much planting to qualify as such. The island itself must be pretty small, because nearly every hole takes in some coastline, and to be honest it's quite a bit more gimmicky than it needs to be. Despite this, it's reasonably convincing and good fun and the links-type element is a welcome break from the usual tropical style. |
Appearance 7/10
In an understated way, this is a good-looking course. Sure, there are a couple of faces that I found under-textured and stretched, and the landscape is often over-done to the extent of mesh folding. But the planting and - especially - underplanting has been carried out well and the coastline looks very credible indeed. The textures blend very well and really help the isolated feeling. |
Playability 7/10
The first half-dozen holes at Gull Island are exciting, if not particularly novel. Of course, you soon realise that the hole design isn't quite as varied as it might be - given the initial premise - and your round quickly becomes an exercise in keeping your ball out of the ocean. It's not bad, but it's no Tillicum Island, and you find yourself thinking how much better it could have been. |
Challenge 5/10
The difficult, over-complicated elevations make this a difficult course. I appreciate the designer was aiming for a natural look, but even a wild golf course would have some degree of manicuring. Add in the hazards of the coastline and no small amount of deep wild grass, and a score closer to 80 than 70 is a more realistic prospect. |
Technical 7/10
Some close inspection is required to pick out the faults in this course. An odd panorama that doesn't quite match and a few mesh problems seem to be the sum total of them, although the tee box textures look quite rough. Let's not forget the levels of preparation and creativity that must go into a course like this, though - no quality fictional course deserves slating. |
| Overall |
Another tiny island course: a bit too much coastline where some links-type holes were clearly called for. Worth a game. |
32/50 |
Please remember that Clipnote reviews are the opinion of one person and do not constitute an 'Official' Links Corner review of the course. |
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