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The Reserve
by Dace Fair
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1653 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2006-03-06 |
17,297,408 bytes |
72 |
7447 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
WOODLAND |
The Reserve_locked.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
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LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
This is the first course released by Dace Fair
The Players Point of View
Played Mod, B/M/M, custom pins, (from Back, Forward and Ladies tees)
Standing on the first tee I took a little time to have a look around, my first impression was that this looked quite a pretty course and the vista gave a 'welcome to The Reserve' feeling. From the start though the bunker placed bang in the middle of the fairway worried me, it does not really come in to play but it made me wonder what I would find around the course. Upon reaching the first of the par fives my fears were realised, there they were, four or five bunkers placed in the fairway right in the landing area offering the player 2 choices, come out of your socks and whale one hoping you hit it straight into the fairly narrow fairway just clearing the bunkers or lay up short leaving a big three wood into the green, the next par five is no different. You really do have to be hitting straight here, if not you will find yourself in punishing deep rough, which incidentally is the same coloured texture as the normal rough and placed only three to four feet from the fairway fringe. This might be caused by the blend between fringe and deep rough having the deep rough side of the blend set to rough or the designer intentionally made a strip of rough four feet wide between fringe and deep rough, either way this is very penal considering the narrowness of some of the fairways.
The course is fairly flat with no great elevations, the bunkers though quite nicely done are also flat around the tops and pretty shallow and don't really offer too many problems escaping them, the greens are a different matter I found the pin placement needed a little more care, for example the easiest pin according to the numbering on hole one was set in the narrowest part of the green on a steep slope, this one was just about playable but extremely tricky for an easy pin setting, you will find as you play the course there are quite a few others that are pretty much unplayable, as to the playability of the course there is nothing outstanding strategy wise, the only real choices you get are; do I try to clear the bunker or should I lay up, where there are no bunkers blocking the landing areas, you can pretty much hit one as hard as you like confident in the fact you will have a fairly flat lie and a clear shot at the green, I thought the par threes needed a little more variation, they are all two hundred yards or more and all play pretty much the same.
I must say that for a first attempt this is a pretty nice course and much better than quite a few first attempts I have seen. With a little more thought put into the strategy of the holes, better pin placements and considerably more elevation work this could be a very enjoyable course to play, I'm not saying it is not an enjoyable course; just that with a little more thought The Reserve could have been superb.
The Designers Point of View
The basic design of the course is fairly nicely done, however there is room for improvement. There is a mixture of textures which although they fit together well colour wise, don't match resolution wise. There is a mix of hi resolution and low resolution textures that look a little strange together. The course would also have benefited immensely if it had been blended completely, most of the transitions are unblended and look very sharp. The bunkers are basically, well accomplished; but have the same problem with a fairly sharp extrusion of rough going straight into sand with no blend between the two, this and a few little bumps and elevation changes around the bunkers would have made them look much more realistic.
I have already mentioned strategic thought and pin placement, so I will add no more in this part of the review. Planting again could have been better, there are clones in abundance, not the type that line up like soldiers and look ridiculous; they are not displeasing to the eye but nonetheless are quite noticeable. Some of the flowers are well over seven feet high and very unrealistic there is also a noticeable lack of under planting, I didn't think that the panorama used fit the planting scheme at all, there is a plethora of tall pines to be seen off in the distance but hardly one if any planted on the course, it's a beautifully crisp, sharp panorama; it just looked a little out of place. The designer definitely has a good grasp of the basics of the APCD; the paths that run around the course have been mapped perfectly as are the seam blends that were used, particularly the blend between rough and mud found around the ponds and lakes, even on close inspection the technique used looks very realistic. This alone shows a greater understanding of the APCD than the rest of the course displays. I'm sure the designer has not shown us his true potential with The Reserve.
I would suggest reading the many tutorials available here at Links Corner, post questions and pictures in the forums and gain the help of those around here that are more than willing to point you in the right direction. Beta test your course, the problems with the greens and cloning would have been spotted and could have been addressed before release.
There is a great course in there somewhere, with a bit of tweaking, help and study the next one should be a world beater.
Extras
The course contains; cameo, splash screen, custom tees and flag, it does not contain hole previews, crowds or tournament objects.
Download Value
At just over 16meg this is a tiny download by any ones standards. If you play off download size against playability I would recommend this course for all. Ultimately The Reserve is a scenic, enjoyable course and well worth a look.
I write this review as a designer and a player. Please remember that this is only one persons' opinion, and you may disagree with it. I have given my opinions in an objective and honest way. My comments are intended to help the designer and player alike. The comments come from a thorough analysis of the course and offer only advice. |
|
CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, estate course. |
Location
TBA |
Conditions
TBA |
Concept 5/10
The Reserve is an open and inoffensive course tracing a path between
colourful woodland. The hole design is straightforward, in every sense of
the word, with just one or two showing that extra flair and imagination that
makes them memorable. Largely, though, it's missing that extra spark
which we would expect from Links courses, and is little more than an
unthreateningly playable round. |
Appearance 6/10
For a modern design, this is missing a few niceties. Most notably, the planting needs attention: the designer's love of unusual trees is
hammered home a little too forcefully. The stock panorama, too, needs changing: it's completely at odds with the rest of the course.
But there are nice touches, not least the seam blends around water, and some subtly rolling elevation work. The course does exude
artificiality in places, though, and this should really be tightened up on what is otherwise a very believable place. |
Playability 6/10
Despite what could be some unchallenging hole designs, this course plays reasonably well. You don't feel like it's particularly
challenging you, though: this is an undemanding Sunday round of golf, ideal to play at a leisurely pace. There's certainly something
missing if you're looking for a course that will assert itself, though. |
Challenge 6/10
A flat course, with largely flat greens: this is pretty easy. Although some creative pin position mix it up a bit, it's easier to break par than
to exceed it, and scores of 67 or 68 will be commonplace. The course could easily be stiffened up by less accommodating rough and
deeper bunkers. It's not a pushover by any means, and a decent length keeps it from being too easy, but - yet again - you get the
impression that a little more could be made out of it. |
Technical 5/10
This is a mixed bag. Some areas are done very well: the texture blends and water features totally justify the time that has been spent
on them. But the planting could be more refined, and some of the texture choices are odd (why, for instance, does green fringe serve
as a first-cut of rough?). A custom panorama would set this course off a treat, and I look forward to an improved re-release. |
| Overall |
A course which promises little and delivers on these promises. It's not bad by any
means; an unthreatening round of golf with a few things to commend it. |
27/50 |
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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