| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 458 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-04-15 |
18,925,791 bytes |
70 |
6961 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
MOUNTAIN |
SalingerValleyv1.1.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 3dc57c40318d11d5aa91000347170469 |
b8c01a633ec587e0e3c42048c8be425b |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Dave Campbell
August 2001
Expectations: I've never played one of JC's courses and the title of this one suggests a mountain or woodland theme.
First Impressions: This is the second of three courses designed by JC and available at the Links Corner, and the first of his that I've played. It is a fictional woodland layout and is 6,961 yards from the back tees and plays to a par of 70. There are four tee options. The other courses posted by JC are 'Hold your Tongue' and 'Jungle Run', which has just been released. So how does this course stack up against the many great offering these days?
Playability: It actually holds its own and is a better than average design. The layout is fairly open with dense forest planting edging the fairways. Elevations roll naturally throughout with bunkers in the normal places and water on virtually every hole on the back nine. Planting is dense in places and will surely add a stroke or two if you end up in there.
You have open looks from every tee and a good chance to hit the short grass, although some fairways (particularly on the back nine) are tight. Fairways have a striped texture and no 1st cut and the rolling elevations will have you thinking long over many 2nd shots.
The greens are pretty good and play fair, I question a few of the pin placements though (especially on moderate). Some pins were very close to the edge, probably not illegal but close. If you end up outside 10' you'll have some tricky putts but all in all a fair test. All green speed settings can be used.
The bunkers are decent and are found in all the right places. They are not the best you'll see but don't distract you because of errors, and for the most part they're easy to play from. Water doesn't make a big appearance until the 9th hole and then you have some form of it the rest of the round. There is a network of creeks and waterways that wind through the back nine in a most appealing way and they are hazards to be sure. Some bisect fairways (9th, 12th, 14th), others front greens (5th, 11th) and a pond fronts the 13th green. There are also many creeks winding just off the fairway on many holes so you always have to be wary.
All things considered a well conceived, playable and fun layout.
Drawbacks: The thing that caught my eye several times while playing this course was the texture transition. They seemed very sharp and I found myself looking at a seam more than once. It was particularly noticeable on the dry grass to rough transition. My screenshot illustrates this if you look in the bottom left corner. It goes from a brown texture to rough and the line seems too straight and sharp between them.
I noticed two sets of red tees on the 4th hole and one set was for the back tees. I'm not sure if JC meant to do this on purpose but it's certainly nothing you would see in real life.
I already mentioned that I thought a few pin placements were questionable at moderate settings. A rough measurement of the pin on the 7th green was 8' from the fringe. I think that's legal but just barely.
Some of the fairways were very tight, particularly on the back nine. That, coupled with the heavy water presence makes the back nine the tougher of the two nines on this course. Do your scoring early!
Best Hole: There are some good ones here. All the creek holes I highlighted earlier are nice. Water can ruin your round but it sure makes the courses beautiful. I'll choose the 457-yard par 4 14th hole because of the many challenges it presents. A fairly tight drive with dense planting left and a creek crossing the fairway at about 290 yards. Your approach shot will be to an elevated green with some severe elevation drop offs and greenside bunkering. I thought the dynamic cam shot of my drive showed off the many good things about this design.
Test round stats: Even par 71%FIR 61%GIR 29 putts. This is a tough but fair round of cyber golf. I had to work hard just to get in at even.
Comparable courses: Gallup Municipal G.C. by Chris Carpenter
Overall: Salinger Valley is an above average second course offering from JC Wanck. This is not among the top designs available but is playable and fun and will give you all you can handle. At 16.5 meg it's a manageable size and I think it is worth a look. Should be good for all swing types and levels. I'm really looking forward to playing Jungle Run now to see how much you've improved. Thanks for all the obvious time and effort, I enjoyed playing and reviewing your course. I'm off to download Jungle Run now.
Filesize 16MB
Course Info :
Splash Screen? Yes
Cameo Screen? No
Text file? Yes
Hole Previews? No
This review will be based on playability, aesthetics and originality. Please keep in mind that this is only my opinion following my play-testing of the completed course.
I fully understand the hard work and immense skill that is involved in the designing of these courses and my comments will try to be constructive and without bias.
Tested on Power Stroke swing - Champ level - from the back tees - N/M/M Mod
PIII 667 / 256 meg memory / 32 meg GeForce2 MX video card / Hardware Rendering |
This course is available as a FREE download.
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