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Brown Deer Park G.C.
by Chas Demster & Tim Hagen
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1604 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2005-07-19 |
72,269,824 bytes |
70 |
6758 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
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REAL |
PARKLAND |
Brown_Deer_2005_locked.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
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| COURSE NOTES |
| Changes to the original course include some new textures, seam blending, hole previews, and minor elevation changes. |
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LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Chris Gormley
Background Info:
This is APCD 1.5 update of a great APCD 1.0 course. Tim had taken on the task of giving Brown Deer Park an update to include all of the wonderful things that the newer APCD offers designers.
Overall Impressions:
The original Brown Deer Park that was done was a very solid course and one that many people have played over the years, and this update is very welcome by the community. Brown Deer Park is a very open course one in which players will be able to put up some very good scores. The layout of the course is pretty straightforward and rather easy to navigate as there is little risk/reward throughout the course, which I need to mention is not the fault of the designers as this is an IRL course and they can only duplicate what exists IRL.
The course offers some very nice views from hole to hole which makes things feel very natural but what really makes the course feel real is the terrain, everything is so smooth and natural looking. My compliments to the designers for taking the time to make the course look as real as possible.
The APCD work throughout the course is excellent with very few visible problems. All of the APCD 1.5 techniques have been applied to this course during the update. The textures also look very good and compliment the design nicely.
The fairways and greens are fairly large and open so a player, even if their drive goes astray, should be able to recover and make birdie. Both are contoured well with some nice elevation changes occurring throughout the course. A note on the greens, they are pretty mod friendly IMHO. I play one of my review practice rounds at WFF and did better than average on this course so if you want the faster conditions select the pins carefully and this course should be able to handle the added difficulty of the MOD. The hazards that are scattered throughout the course are also constructed very well and are sure to challenge a player a bit.
The planting throughout the course is the weakest link in this design in my opinion. Don't get me wrong it is not terrible, but it could have been a bit better IMHO. There were quite a few cloned trees and although 90% of the tree planting was done very well, these clones do get distracting, especially if you are looking for them. A little more time should have been spent ridding the course of these clones and I hope it happens on a future update. I would also have liked to have seen a bit more under planting throughout the course. What was done is done very well, but it is a bit sparse in areas where there should have been more. Planting is the hardest part of course design and usually takes the most time to get right. Good planting makes a good course awesome and although the planting that was done is very good it is not up the standards of some of the better courses we have at our disposal.
Closing comments:
Brown Deer Park started out as a solid design and after this update it is still a solid design. My comments in the planting section, although important, are minor in comparison to the work that was done on the rest of the course. Even though I am disappointed in the planting I am still going to highly recommend this course for download as it is a solid design. It will be staying on my hard drive for quite a while and I am sure people will be playing it for quite some time.
"I am writing this review from the viewpoint of not only a player but as a Tour Director. Although I am not a designer I understand the work that goes into a design as I have beta tested many courses and my review is simply how I as a player/Tour Director would view this course."
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Real, estate course |
Location
TBC |
Conditions
TBC |
Concept 6/10
Is this the cleanest, best manicured course available for Links? I'd say: even the deep rough here looks like the greens down at my local. Brown Deer's clean-cut look is a good selling point, as is the subtly clever hole design and a handful of extras, like the eponymous deer, worth looking out for. In the big picture, though, and despite the PGA-standard presentation, it's a fairly standard Par 70 which has to resort to water hazards cutting into the fairway for just about its only variety. |
Appearance 6/10
The crispness of the course is helped by minimal - if any - low level planting, and by a delightful set of textures that complement each other perfectly. Sadly, in the quest for neat tree lines, there is a fair bit of cloning, and because the course is very flat good views are at a premium. Certainly the hazards look under-worked and in need of good vertical faces. It's good enough in an unfussy way, and that's what earns the marks here. |
Playability 9/10
I'm yet to pin down exactly what it is about an otherwise mediocre course that makes it so exciting and playable. It isn't always length; it isn't always elevation; it isn't even always down to variety. Whatever the mysterious X-factor, Brown Deer Park has it. The openness and accommodative fairways are almost embracing and players are ushered round with a minimum of fuss, a minimum of frustration but still with the need to be creative and intelligent about their golf. |
Challenge 5/10
The nature of the course works against it here. Fairways and greens are easy to hit, and even with PGA-Tour-deep-rough just off the fairways, recovery shots are possible. The whole thing is very, very flat which doesn't help with the challenge at all. Expect to do especially well at the Par 5 holes. |
Technical 5/10
For a course that has been re-vamped, the whole effect is somewhat disappointing. The bunkers should surely have been toughened up, and some under-planting around the water, if not around the trees, would have helped hide some obvious transitions. The beautiful textures are a thing of joy; the clones a sign of a rushed job. |
| Overall |
If you're looking for a course manicured to perfection, go no further. An update which has made wonders of one or two features, but still left some blinding errors. |
31/50 |
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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