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Harbinger Valley Golf Club
by Ernie Barnes
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1638 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2005-12-24 |
65,904,640 bytes |
72 |
7334 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
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FICTIONAL |
UNCLASSIFIED |
Harbinger Valley Golf Club.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
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| COURSE NOTES |
This is my 1st 18 hole release since October 2001. So much has changed since those days, I really enjoyed not only re-learning the nuances of the APCD but also learning the modern day techniques, and am in genuine awe of what designers produce today.
Most par 4's are reachable from the red tees (good for "shootout" conditions), tough course from the tip's, MOD friendly? I don't know, probably not, but I'm sure I'll soon find out for sure! :)
Enjoy;
ErnieB
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LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Designer : This is Ernie's fourth release to Links Corner, his previous works including Scissor Creek, Kelley Point Golf Club, and Botany Bay Golf Club. This is Ernie's first 2003 effort.
The Course : Right from the startup screen, I can tell that Ernie has put forth some nice work. I assume that the splash screen is a high-res screen capture from the course, and it looks fantastic -- a Scotish links-style course, set on a hilly landscape, with faded pale-green fairways and greens a-la St.Andrews. The course itself is somewhat different, although no less beautiful. From the first tee, I see the wonderful custom panorama. Still very much a hilly Scottish landscape, the colors are much more vivid, with bright reds and yellows on very high cliffs and mountains. The course itself looks meticulously manicured, with a bright green texture to the fairways and greens, a small first cut, and then a deeper green rough. As I played the course more, I learned to stay out of the rough at Harbinger Valley. As you go deeper into the rough, the penalty becomes more severe, with deep grasses and hidden slopes. Many of the fairways are lined with rocks, tall grasses, and brighter red and yellow flowers here and there.
One of the most noticable things from the outset is that the colors of the textures don't really seem to fit with the panorama. The fairway and green textures have more of a Florida or South Carolina look to them. At first I thought this would detract from my experience, but during my first round, I began to get the feeling of playing a private parkland-style course set in a deep valley, and the colors began to grow on me.
Ernie seems to have picked up on some great seem blending techniques, because the textures are blended perfectly. Bunkers line many of the fairways, and are placed in very strategic places, often with trees planted in the bunkers. The work around the edges of the bunkers is fantastic, and you can tell a particular amount of care and attention has gone into making them look good.
Water is also a big part of Harbinger Valley and comes into play on sveral holes, sometimes very dramatically. I should note that the texture used for the water here is really nice, a very deep blue that gives it a clean, new look, and reflects the pano and trees wonderfully.
Favorite Hole : A toss-up between two : The par four 10th is a true challenge, and beautiful to look at. A straight-away drive must come up short of a figure-eight shaped pond that intersects the fairway right at the landing area, giving you water trouble to the right and left. A very nice 3-D bridge takes you over the pond. The finishing hole is another favorite. A medium-length par 5, this hole is only reachable by the very brave. Your drive must find one of two small landing areas, leaving you a fairway wood to a tiny island green.
Playability : Harbinger Valley is definitely not an easy course to score well on. Fairways are generally narrow, and the penalty for missing them is sometimes severe, although you always seem to have a reasonable shot. The greens are mostly small, and sometimes downright microscopic, and are sloped to make putting a challenge. I should also note that I played every round at Harbinger using the 1.06 mod, and did not find a single pin placement that I would consider unfair. The true difficulty of the course comes from the length of the par 4's, and the par 5's, which are not long, but are all pretty darn tough to reach in two shots, due to the hopscotch-fairway approaches that must be made.
A.P.C.D. Work : An excellent effort. I went back and checked some screen shots of Ernie's previous works, and he has released something here that is leaps and bounds above his older works. He has a real knack for blending, and the course has no seem flaws that I can find. There are not alot of extras planted on the course -- the odd house along the fairway. After playing several rounds at Harbinger, I've grown to like it more and more. The challenge is definitely part of it, as this course is a monster for us PSers. As I play it, it feels more and more like a Florida course, a-la Doral. There are not many elevation changes, and it has a bright, manicured look to it, and the various lakes and ponds on the course really create some dramatic shots. The planting is creatively done, and works well with the textures, if not the pano. My only gripe would be that the panorama, while beautiful in it's own right, just doesn't seem to fit, and because it is so dramatic, can be a bit distracting. Ernie has included several sounds at Harbinger, too, including some terrific bird calls here and there.
Included : Splash Screen, Cameo, Hole Previews, Custom Panorama, readme file.
Not include : Tournament objects and galleries, recorded round
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Imaginary, heathland course |
Location
TBA |
Conditions
TBA |
Concept 5/10
Very much a course of two halves, Harbinger Valley makes a big thing on
the back nine of original and testing hole design. A very stylised course,
holes are surrounded by borders of rocks and flowers; water and bunkers
are all too well placed; and, worst, the greens are nigh-on impossible to
sink mid-to-longer putts on. It's not all doom and gloom, but it is a course
where layout has undoubtedly taken precedence over appearance and
location plausibility. |
Appearance 8/10
Very sound indeed. The choice of textures and the use of blends complements the course style very well, and the proliferation of
bunkers are well inserted into the terrain. The panorama is deliberately overbearing, but sadly a poor match and far too high. A little
more moderation might actually pay dividends in this area. |
Playability 9/10
Say that Harbinger Valley is predictable and you'd be singled out as a liar. Nearly every hole has a novel twist and the back nine is a
gloriously over-wrought set of target golf holes. Sound is conducive to the atmosphere, rather than distracting, and as an enjoyable
experience, the whole thing takes some beating. |
Challenge 3/10
An odd mixture of excessive water hazarding and borderline-unfair greens, particularly on the back nine, might cause you to view this
course with suspicion. Particularly after a front nine on which it is quite possible to shoot 31 or 32, a score of 6-over or more seems
unusually harsh. And there's no escaping it: this has been poorly pitched and the designer has clearly not anticipated the effect his
imagination will have on the player. |
Technical 7/10
Some tidy seam blends and texture choices mark this out as a skilled course design, although clearly the designer's tactical nous isn't
always on the mark. I'm not sure what was intentioned with the odd rock linings, but they are a little out of synch with one's
expectations of a golf course. Generally sound, though, and will appeal to a player looking for something a bit different. |
| Overall |
Certainly an oddball. Some nifty ideas, not always those conducive to golf. Should
be tried once nevertheless. |
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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