| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 484 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-07-22 |
21,781,898 bytes |
72 |
7356 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
IMAGINARY |
MOUNTAIN |
Alpen Hills GC.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| ebd03ce17ac011d59c5ba45fbdf09446 |
37dc38f2c81a17809284b57521a78997 |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Dave Campbell
August 2001
Expectations: I'm expecting another mountain course and perhaps the Whistler panorama again. I also did the review of Snodgrass just within the last couple of weeks and am curious as to how they compare.
First Impressions: Alpen Hills G.C. is the last of nine designs created by Bill Misener and was made available for download on 7/22/01. It is a par 72 measuring 7,356 yards from the big boys with 3 tee choices available. Bill calls this course fantasy but I think its layout is grounded more in reality. His other courses in order of release are; Tropicana, Foothills G.C., Many Lakes G.C., Regal Palms G.C., Elk Ridge G.C., Oak Tree G.C., Sandpiper G.C. and Snodgrass (which was released on the same day as Alpen Hills). As mentioned I reviewed Snodgrass and can assure you that the two courses only similarity is the release date. This course is all elevations and vivid textures and choke full of custom objects, foliage and panorama. Of the two this one is my clear-cut favorite.
Playability: With 'Alpen' in the title I expected a mountain course and I wasn't disappointed. This course is wildly elevated from tee to green in a way I found very appealing. It is a lush, deep green textured course with a lovely checkered fairway (ala Barrington Hills). Many of the tree objects are imported hence the 'petrified forest' effect. Fortunately it's pretty wide open and you can avoid the trees for the most part. They layout is put together nicely and stays fresh, and more importantly, believable. The panorama is striking and further enhances the mountain feel.
The tee boxes are stock looking and use a nice sideway-striped texture. Nice views are the norm, as you quite often will be hitting from an elevated tee. Most looks are open to the fairway although you do have the option occasionally to cut a dogleg over trees. The fairways are inviting with that nice, rich green checkered texture. There are generous landing zones in most fairways but that doesn't always translate to an easy second shot. More often than not you'll have an uneven lie due to the sweeping elevations. They are not unrealistic, just a constant throughout the round. Like I mentioned the elevations are well done and give this course its character.
It doesn't stop on the greens either as you will always have some break to contend with, some rather severe. I was only playing moderate pins and if I had been playing fast/firm, some greens could have been near impossible. Just know this when you play a round here that they may play unrealistic in fast/firm conditions. This may be where the fantasy aspect enters in.
Bunkers are strewn about and the construction is decent. Some are crafted fairly well and some not so good. There is water to contend with all through the design, with sucker pin placements that had me shooting toward the middle of the green. There is water to deal with off many tees as well and almost every par 3 has water come into play in some form or another. All well done with a nice bank (the BP Ravine grass texture really works in this regard).
Bill has planted many sounds and they are a nice added touch. I'm particularly fond of the rain and thunder wav he planted. This plays at several different locations during the round. Many custom objects placed about too such as; custom flags, houses, a barn, lighthouse, castle ruins on the 9th, ball washers and areas to sit on around the tees. I touched a bit on the imported trees, they add a splash of color and a different look but being an imported object they give you a hard bounce and ricochet that seems unrealistic. Sometimes it helps your lie and sometimes it hurts. Best thing is to try and avoid them at all costs.
Drawbacks: On some of the early holes the water looked flooded, in other words no bank. Later in the design Bill uses the 'BP Ravine' texture to provide a nice lake bank.
The bunkers are not up to the standards of the rest of the course. Some are done very nice (greenside on the 4th) and some show bad mash work (greenside on the 8th). On others I saw the dreaded 'red line of death' on the non-mapped extruded walls.
I already talked about the cement trees and I think the course might have benefited from stronger under planting. Some of the edges of the custom objects looked sharp giving them a 2D surreal quality.
Upon close inspection it appeared to me that some of the trees were actually bushes made larger (7th tee and other locations throughout), and in one instance trees were made to look like bushes (on the 15th tee). It may not be that noticeable to most as I was looking through my 'reviewers' eye.
I like the custom sounds Bill used but some of the quality of the wav files were not good. I heard some crackling and popping on more than one. I still say it was better to include them then not use any at all.
Best Hole: I was really taken by the view from the 6th tee. The green and pin are tucked ever so close to the thin lake with a bunker protecting the right side of the green. You will notice the 5th green sits on the other end of the lake on your left with the nice fairway elevation approaching the green. This is also a beautiful approach shot. There are many other gorgeous views and all the par 3's have some type of water carry or presence. This shot doesn't do the panorama justice but in some screen renders it is very striking.
Test round stats: Even par 78 %FIR 61%GIR. All things considered a fair and testing round of golf.
Comparable courses: Barrington Hills by Delinda Wood (from a texture standpoint), Falcon Ridge by John Borycheski (from an elevation standpoint)
Overall: Alpen Hills is an above average fantasy/fictional mountain course filled with many imported custom objects and a striking panorama. This course was released on the same day as Snodgrass (another Bill Misener design) and is clearly the better of the two in my estimation. If rolling elevations and constant water hazard threats appeal to you then this one is worth a look. If this course had some of the problems fixed (petrified trees, sharp edged 2D objects, some bunker cleanup) it could quickly become a favorite of mine, that's how much I liked the layout. Even so I can see myself teeing it up here on occasion. At 35 meg you'll have to decide for yourself about a download but there's some real good stuff going on here. Thanks for the time and effort Bill.
Filesize 21MB
Course Info :
Splash Screen? Yes
Cameo Screen? Yes
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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