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Black Forest
by Gary Allen
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 39 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-04-13 |
7,256,566 bytes |
72 |
7150 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
REAL |
WOODLAND |
Black_Forest.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| ef8cbee02ff111d5823ad093ce6a5a5d |
58a64b5c7d227094e9bee6ff14e8ff9b |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by James Wood
Course History:
Black Forest is in actuality a course in Colorado called The Country Club at Castle Pines. The name was changed because in the designers words 'some of the foliage is not accurate. I added some color to it with trees that do not exist here'. With that all said and done here then is the history of the course:
Designed by Jack Nicklaus, The Country Club at Castle Pines is an18-hole, championship-calibre course. With no two holes that run parallel to each other, golfers enjoy not only a challenging game, but spectacular views of the rolling terrain, where ancient pines sweep the deep blue bowl of the sky. "You can play the Country Club course and feel you've had a great time no matter what your score—simply because of the views."
Rarely will one encounter a golf course as magnificent. Starting at 7,000 feet above sea level, the first two holes of this par 72 course run dramatically atop a ridge, with Denver's sky line in the distance. Mountain views include Pike's Peak to the south, Mt Evans to the west and Long's Peak to the north. The fourth hole takes play through thick stands of Ponderosa pine and scrub oak on sloping terrain. Closing out the front nine, the ninth green is nestled at the base of a rock cliff, where a 387-yard par 4 requires an exacting shot to an elevated green.
The back nine begins from an elevated tee and leads players into a magnificent display of natural beauty on holes ten and eleven. Twelve through fifteen open up to natural rolling contours which challenge the golfer's accuracy and decision-making skills on every shot. The final three holes, a par 5 sixteenth and par 3 seventeenth, will rival any finishing holes in the country, while eighteen provides an unforgettable conclusion to any round of golf at the Country Club at Castle Pines.
First Impressions:
Pine trees with red bushes are main plants used here with the occasional smattering of flowers and grasses. Wide, flat fairways with a 1st cut of rough are easy to hit with your tee shots. Many of the holes have no hazards at all. Few objects consisting of ball washes, trash cans, an occasional building, and cart paths can be seen. The fairways here have been extruded which could cause a bad bounce if a poor drive is hit in the wrong place. The bunkers have a smoothed edge but no second extrusion has been done.
Strategy:
Two of the par 5's are reachable here although one of them will require two drivers to get home. You can play every hole straight away but watch your tee shot on the par 5 5th hole. There is a stand of pines at the landing area that will block your second shot. Good-sized greens that are fairly easy to putt should allow you to score well here.
Favorite Hole:
The par 4 18th was a good looking dogleg left. Cut off the dogleg and you are left with a lofted LW into the green.
Overall:
A fairly nice looking course with very few errors in it. The small file size makes this course an attractive download for those using a modem. The wide fairways will make anyone playing Power Stroke happy.
Course Info :
Cameo Screen? Yes
Splash Screen? Yes
Panorama Used? Yes
7mb
Reviewed April 2001 |
|
CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, woodland course |
Location
TBC |
Conditions
TBC |
Concept 2/10
It's not a bad idea to create a fictional course through the Black Forest region of Germany, so due credit there. Unfortunately, there are some rather more pressing problems. This doesn't feel like a forest. There is too much space and no sense of enclosure or atmosphere. More worryingly, this forest seems to be entirely made up of three different trees. Cloned. Lots of times. Lots and lots and lots of times. Sadly, not enough to create the necessary atmosphere. My final gripe is with the eighteenth - the trademark hole and toughest test of many a good course. The 18th at Black Forest is an insult to the wonderful finishers at Kiawah, at Pebble Beach and at Sawgrass, in that it's something of a cop-out and damp squib. Mind you, the preceding 17 weren't exactly fireworks. |
Appearance 1/10
I think this has already been covered, in fairly damning style. This course suffers from excessive flatness and doesn't convey the feel of a forest in any way. One's attention is drawn by the repetitive trees - sorry, 'tree' - and not diverted by the lack of hazards. Paths - concrete ones, mind, not mud - wind everywhere and frankly just get in the way. There are a couple of pretty moments but it's scant consolation. |
Playability 2/10
Repetitiveness was the enemy here, and playing this course quickly switched from a novel diversion to a routine slog. Lack of options on nearly every hole didn't help, and there weren't even the challenge of green-front bunkers or water to negotiate. |
Challenge 3/10
The course is too easy. I started off with eagle-birdie, which didn't bode well, and the risk/reward element was utterly minimal. Greens were easy to hit, and putts were easy to make in the absence of challenging gradients. There were no elevation changes to throw me off stride, and even the deep rough was pretty easy to escape from. |
Technical 1/10
The unforgivably bad planting, combined with sharp textures, poor extrusion techniques (there's one easily visible on the screenshot) and stock textures does nothing to enhance the designer's credibility. Perhaps the saddest aspect is that this was a concept with genuine potential, let down by poor execution. |
| Overall |
Such a disappointment. A great idea which has not been carried out anywhere near as well as it might. |
9/50 |
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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