Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1891 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
2009-06-12 |
81,195,712 bytes |
71 |
7418 yards |
Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
REAL |
LINKS |
carnoustie2007_locked.crz |
Course ID |
Course Key |
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COURSE NOTES |
This is the course as used in the 2007 British Open
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description Real, links course |
Location TBC |
Conditions TBC |
Concept 9/10 A classic Open venue makes a belated appearance on Links, and it's well worth catching. The appealing layout, with its symmetric Par 5s, is grassy Scottish links at its very best - wilder than St Andrews, but also more refined, and a stiff golfing challenge with the wind on full blast. For a first-time designer, Peter has done an excellent job catching the course terrain and the relevant wilderness. |
Appearance 8/10 The pot bunkers and water edges, particularly the fine detail around the edges, have been handled very nicely, if a little unspectacularly, and generally the course looks in fine shape. I do have a few concerns about the scaling of some planting, particularly the grasses in place, and it has to be said that the course looks a little trim for the wilds of Scotland. A little more finishing might just have been in order. |
Playability 9/10 That magical je ne sais quoi that hangs over all of the best real courses is certainly present here; from the beautiful 2nd hole to the epic Par 3 16th, Carnoustie really has a huge variety of challenges; all the more surprising when you consider two-thirds of the holes are Par 4s. Turning the wind up and green speeds down will make for an authentic Open experience, but the variety also makes a relatively good warm-up round too. |
Challenge 6/10 I'm afraid there's something missing here, and it's on the head of the designer. A great Scottish links needs to be notable for its punishing rough and bunkers, and neither really seem to be present in great degree. Certainly a texture tweak or much more thick grass would be in order to reproduce the startlingly high scores that have featured at Carnoustie Opens. And the bunkers, for reasons I can't quite pick out, seem almost to be an irrelevance: should they be deeper? |
Technical 8/10 A very coherent effort, all told, but Carnoustie has come out a little less links-like than perhaps had been intended. A rough-up of the textures seems in order, followed perhaps by better grades on the bunkers and some more photo-real planting. But perhaps this is underplaying a very credible effort at a course which presents innumerable difficulties. |
Overall |
A great links, reproduced with lots of love and attention, but just requiring a little push to be up there with the greats. |
40/50 |
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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