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Zanzibar Golf Club
by Eric Loft

Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 330
Release Date CRZ Filesize Par Course Length
2000-12-12  29,405,609  bytes 72  7364 yards
Type Style CRZ Filename
FICTIONAL  PARKLAND  Zanzibar GC.crz 
Course ID Course Key
73426ca1d06e11d4a17400600811fcba  75610670cc657a7ffb9966b74a81f7cc 

COURSE SCREENSHOTS

LINKS CORNER REVIEW

Reviewed byIan Downs on January 2001


Well, this course has been getting many rave reviews from players before I got chance to review it, and I have to say, it deserves the applause that becomes it. Without doubt, this course has some great qualities, and makes playing it quite a tough course to score too.

Set amidst, lakes, streams and trees, the course winds its way through some great elevations. The fairways dip and roll so naturally, that makes it so tough to get a mere flat lie for a 2nd shot. Once onto the 3rd hole, the streams begin appearing, and may make a few bathroom visits more frequent as the wavs play throughout the course where streams appear. But it isn't simply the noise, take a close look at the stream and see the magnificent rock walls that channel most streams across or alongside holes. Awesome work.

The fairway has a first cut of rough, followed by deep grass, and the detail is quite apparent from the tee, as you clearly see a kind of worn path to the fairway through the deep grass. Again, the thought in this deserves a mention.

The greens have also been worked upon, and many tiers make the devil grin as you will see endless putts go astray. This isn't a bad thing, as it simply makes that 2nd shot to the green so rewarding when hit right. Try the 15th fairway, and hit a wrong shot, and you could be facing the back of a fairway bunker which has a rock face supporting it! So critical can all shots be.

For me, the most rewarding hole was the 18th, a Par 5, that can give way to an eagle, or a fine bird if played well. The hardest hole to score on, would probably be all the rest, especially the 12th which really is a tough drive to negate but rewards the player nothing. All said and done though, this course is a must have!

Filesize 26MB

Course Summary

Par 72

Tees : 4 (5)

Cameo Picture : Yes

Splash Screen : Yes

CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg)

Description
Fictional, tropical course
Location
Zanzibar, presumably
Conditions
Plays well on M*/M* and perhaps even a little faster.
Concept  8/10
Something of a landmark in course creation, it's impressive how well Zanzibar has held up today. Not as overblown as many a tropical course, it has its fair share of landmark holes (notably the 9th and 18th, which are little masterpieces), but between them is clever and subtle golfing design in a very natural style. It's amazing when you consider the course is now well over ten years old, and still holds up well by many modern standards.The biggest let-down is the sad lack of hole previews and the resultant problem that at times you're not sure where you're going.
Appearance  7/10
There are much newer courses that have dated much worse than this one. The textures are customised, and while the deep rough is somewhat speckly at distance, still hold up reasonably well. The planting is well mixed up, and some underplanting is still present. Hazard creation has clearly taken some though to avoid the embarrassing hard edges that dog so many courses. Yes, it's still a bit blocky and it's doubtful you'll really believe you are in Zanzibar, but there are far worse things to rest your eyes upon.
Playability  8/10
Above absolutely any other factor, the fact that Zanzibar has retained its ability to be played on fast greens is the most remarkable. The greening is terribly complex at times, with ridges and tiers galore, but the whole experience screams 'good playtesting' as you'll consistently find makeable putts. The pin positions, though, have meant some pretty tough pins close to the edge, which can especially be problematic on the approaches over water.
Challenge  5/10
Given some relatively kind greens, this is still a tough old course. Deep rough crowds the fairways and effective bunkering means regulation greens are few and far between. Even with a good rescue game, there are some hidden water hazards to swallow up a fair few strokes, and without any way to see where your drive is going after the first 150 yards in a many cases, there is definitely an argument that this is bordering on the unfair.
Technical  7/10
With the exception of a few bunker lips, there is scarcely a technical error that impacts directly on the play, which is quite unique among courses of this pedigree. Sure, there are one or two visual issues, but there's little of the ugliness that we've seen blight other courses. No wonder this was a trend-setter.
Overall The veteran of all quality Links courses and still remarkably accessible. 35/50
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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