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Hopeman Golf Club by Stewart Parker
Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1938 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
2010-02-26 |
65,963,980 bytes |
68 |
5756 yards |
Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
REAL |
LINKS |
Hopeman Golf Club.crz |
Course ID |
Course Key |
3529176f74404fde84531af4dd6d3576 |
ff681c7f3809dc69d2334f3f5e190ed5 |
COURSE NOTES |
Hopeman was first released as a Links 2001 course but was then withdrawn.
It was only after visiting the course in 2009 that I decided that I would have another shot a designing it for Links 2003.
The course was designed from scratch without the usual “Google earth texture “ but Google earth and “ Flash earth were used to lay out the holes and to position the planting.
The bunkers at Hopeman are a mixture of faced and non-faced bunkers but since I cannot remember which is which I have faced them all.
The greens are, where I can remember, contoured as in real life. Where I cannot remember the contours, I have tried to make them “Interesting”. As in real life the greens are small, some very small, so you will have to have the correct club to find the green and be on the correct side of the hole to get the birdie putt.
I would like to thank all who helped with the course.
Paul Seaman without whose tuition in the past, my courses
would not exist.
Don Ward - Pin Testing.
Jerry Garlisch - Ani Testing.
Neal Parnell - Hole previews and 3D tuition.
Zeke Seidel - Tees, Flags, Splash Screens, Tournament Objects,
Crowds , extensive beta testing and sound.
Daniel Watson - For his superb Panorama.
David Low - Who has played the course numerous times for his help and advice.
Noel Kilner - For the 'Old time' Ani's which work so well with
an old course.
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description Real, links course |
Location TBA |
Conditions TBA |
Concept 8/10 In that little region of Scotland where every fishing village has their own course, stranded in a sea of wild grass and heather, is Hopeman. This short Par 68 course takes you down (quite dramatically, when you reach the 12th) to the very edge of the beach before slowly leading you back up to an impressive closing hole. It's exactly what we'd expect from a links course: full of daunting lies, and rough worthy of the name. Once or twice you feel that the course is working against the landscape rather than with it, but that doesn't affect the sheer feeling of authenticity that supports this links gem. |
Appearance 10/10 Gorgeous. The purples and yellows of the undergrowth are picked out perfectly, and notable problem areas such as walls and the drainage channels that pose as water features are an attraction in themselves. It's rounded off with a dramatic and well-matched panorama. Stewart's eye for detail just continues to get better and better. |
Playability 9/10 Quirky and never repetitive, this is truly old-fashioned golf - you won't find holes like these on the crisply manicured fairways of tour stops. And all the better for it, too! With small greens perched above the heather, it is wild-country golf at its outstanding best. Not to everyone's taste, for sure, but for aficionados of British countryside, they don't come much better. |
Challenge 8/10 Short courses are often something of a pushover, but there are a few teeth at Hopeman. Plenty of elevation changes and difficult rough are only to be expected, but look out for the OB regions lurking in the depths of the course and a fair few water hazards. Putting on these unpredictable greens is far from easy, too. Sure, you'll probably pick up strokes when the Par 4s are under 350 yards, but a sub-par round is certainly no given. |
Technical 10/10 Courses such as this and Southerness are almost unmatched in the Links library. With an astonishing feel for environment and a choice selection of courses, Stewart Parker is becoming a veritable laird of design. |
Overall |
Small, quirky and eminently replayable, this is yet another first-class Scottish course from the Parker stable. |
45/50 |
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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