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The West Banks G&C . Club
by Dean Remillard
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 483 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-07-22 |
77,545,018 bytes |
72 |
7274 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
IMAGINARY |
PARKLAND |
westbanks.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| d56d8b64f3104994946a526f76e5edf7 |
64025d70511ec36cbac9fbb5a87430d1 |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Pete Dixon
August 2001
This is a truly whopping download at 78MB's and will put a strain on most 56k modems so is big really beautiful on this fictional parkland course from first time designer Dean.
For me, first impressions are important, especially when reviewing hundreds of courses over the months, I had no idea what to expect of my view from the first tee but the large download size was in the back of my mind. Unfortunately the first hole is probably the worst hole on the course and is full of mistakes, the tees are pinched and pulled and look poor and the water's edge from distance also looked a bit amateurish there were also pulls around the bunkers and where the fairway met the semi rough, so all in all a pretty poor start.
Things then started to improve, the view from the second tee looks very nice and there is a lovely, original pathway, planting was much better with the exception of a little sloppiness in parts causing the pathway to appear covered in places.
There are a lot of custom textures used here and the balance of colour works well, bunkers, water, of which there is a lot is good to a point, it is nearly there but the finishing around the edges is basic and should have been a lot more polished especially considering the competition there is for the best new courses now.
My view of this course is that Dean obviously knows about landscaping and placement of hazards and how to design a really good golf course, where it fails is in his not quite being there with the APCD yet, he is not far off and there are some very, very nice things here which bodes well for the future as I am sure he will already be considerably more adept with the tools at hand and that his next course will be a real cracker.
Dean seems to have tried things, such as wooden or mud finishing at waters edge and this looks nice but on other edges he has left it unfinished and I don't know why, the same goes for bunkers. Holes such as the par 3 7th with it's water feature and lovely rock formation has the makings of a great golf hole but it is let down by the errors.
Best Hole: The par 4 12th with its lovely blue rock face that is behind a lake, the planting is also excellent here
Overall: I would say this is a brave first course with lots of positives that mean we can look forward to some great courses from Dean in the future, unfortunately the mistakes that are there spoil the total enjoyment and I think that when he is 100% with the APCD that he should come back to this course and re do it as there are some fantastic holes here and an overall excellent course if finished off properly.
I can't recommend this for download for players with 56k modems, but if you want to have a look at a star of the future and you have fast downloads give this a look.
Filesize 73MB
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 classic swing Pro level from the back tees |
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, lakeside course |
Location
TBA |
Conditions
TBA |
Concept 4/10
A whopping filesize for one of the earliest APCD courses, The West Banks
is a surprisingly civilized creation. It starts erratically with some very
overblown holes, but given time the designer's style settles into something
more believable. The huge greens make a terrific trademark and remove
some of the target-golf emphasis. Out of its depth in today's market for
premium courses, this still makes a passable piece of nostalgia. |
Appearance 2/10
Despite the designer's clear clone-avoidance in planting an excellent variety of trees, there are far too many rudimentary problems
here. The mesh is pulled about too often, and the textures are a ghastly clash. Although they have been covered up to some extent,
there are still remnants of hasty extrusions. Sadly, a course aging far quicker than it should. |
Playability 4/10
The stiff opening wins absolutely no fans - there's too much cynical use of water, and an unrealistic expectation of any golfer playing
on halfway-challenging settings. But, once you settle into it, there's a halfway-decent round of golf to be had here, with some
accessible approaches. You're not excessively pushed to gamble, though, and the round finishes as surprisingly unstimulating. |
Challenge 6/10
Surprisingly, there's not a bad challenge to be had at West Banks at all. It's all a bit backwards in that it starts tricky and finishes
somewhat easier, but the greens are reasonably playable, and there must have been significant playtesting because - despite the
elaborate planting and textures - there are very few impossible lies. Sure, it'll never make it as a tournament host, but a casual player
might be pleasantly surprised with the course as a warm-up. |
Technical 4/10
It's impossible not to give credit for the rich variety that marks this course out, and in terms of meticulousness it must have been
among the first to be picked over in such detail. While there are still a few ugly errors, the limited techniques available at the time make
this very much the forerunner of many modern creations. |
| Overall |
A worthwhile course, somewhat underwhelming and lacking in the visuals, but
worth a try-out for its authentic playing style. |
20/50 |
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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