| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 1972 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2010-12-15 |
80,764,506 bytes |
72 |
7093 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
MOUNTAIN |
Black Diamond GC.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| |
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, mountain course |
Location
TBC |
Conditions
TBC |
Concept 6/10
Shawn's clean-cut course style probably fits the mountain genre as well as any other, and Black Diamond is a well-textured and logical mountain course that ticks a lot of boxes without being unprepossessing. Shawn's design brief is clever without resorting to lots of gimmickry or unrealistic ideas - the use of hazards is remarkably restrained, and the elevations are rightly the primary test. It has to be said that there is some evidence of a loss of imagination around the turn, though: if anyone can come up with a hole more dreary than the 11th, good luck to them! |
Appearance 6/10
Close up, the surface is lovely: detailed and well-blended. Unfortunately, it becomes rapidly blurred and tiling at greater distances. The planting too, is good on the small scale, but there are clones on the tree-line and a lack of density in the undergrowth. The panorama is magnificent and unusually well-fitting for a pano on such a large scale, and despite the flaws the course appearance hangs together in a very inoffensive way. |
Playability 7/10
Black Diamond certainly makes for a relaxing round, but perhaps this is an underlying problem with some of Shawn's courses. There is an underlying lack of confrontation: even holes with water in play have easy bail-outs, and too many holes will conclude with a comfortable two putts for par. But there are some tidy compensations in nice ambient sound - too frequently overlooked - and several holes where the elevations provide real club-selection dilemmas. It's nice not to see all the emphasis rested on one's recovery game, too. |
Challenge 8/10
Impressively close to the mark, this. The simple hole designs really doesn't convey the clever understanding of golf that has contributed to this, and an inspection of the bunker positioning and green complexes will explain precisely why this course isn't a pushover. The deep rough is pretty extensive, too, and several tiered greens will demand a great deal of accuracy. |
Technical 6/10
Several designers have definite visual styles associated with their APCD work, and I believe Shawn can definitely count himself among them. His smart-edged, minty-green and very clever designs are different enough to stand out. Flaws such as clones and distance textures, though, are possibly betraying a lack of testing and perhaps not quite enough hours spent on the detail. |
| Overall |
Pleasant, playable and verdant: another smartly-designed course from an up-and-coming designer. |
33/50 |
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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