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Whitemud Creek G.C.
by Clement Lo

Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 498
Release Date CRZ Filesize Par Course Length
2001-09-10  46,473,713  bytes 72  7004 yards
Type Style CRZ Filename
REAL  PARKLAND  Whitemud Creek GC.crz 
Course ID Course Key
a9bdefc1a5f711d5b9f80060673d1147  bdcd3e5bbb52d314fffc0dbf1fba84f2 

LINKS CORNER REVIEW

Reviewed by Mick Lenton

October 2001

Thought's from the 1st: Standing on the tee, I am looking down the fairway towards what I presume are silos and processing units. Ducks swim on the lake and the land appears very flat with the occasional tree. I presume prairie is like this. It certainly looks very real. More farm units and barns surround the course. The 'mud' in the title is in place surrounds the lakes and creeks and is very well done with a narrow band of planting. The title of the texture is Dry Grass though, so maybe it is not mud after all?? But it does have the appearance of a muddy bank. So it's a very nice view from the tee. Let's go!!

The Course: This is a first offering from Clement and a very nice first offering at that!! I can only presume that this course is half real and half fictional. As far as I understand, the front 9 is the real course in Edmonton, Canada and the back 9 a fictional add-on. The course winds through prairie, woodland and of course the winding creek. Mostly custom textures are used and they do look very nice. The tees are raised slightly on a rough edge then leading into the deep grass texture. There is some planting in this deep grass texture, but major tree planting is in a dark, forest texture. Four tee positions are available, Back to Junior, no Ladies. The fairways have a 1st cut and then a fairly narrow strip of rough before we get to the deep grass. The bunkers have a deep golden sand with a dirt type lip. The edges are quite sharp and I have to say like to see them a bit softer, but that is a personal opinion. The greens are mostly of a medium size and have various degrees of slope. There is a normal fringe to the greens. There are a few shadows on the course, possibly unavoidable. Perhaps the worst being on the left of the 1st. But there are few imperfections in this course.

Playability: The 1st is quite a punishing opener. A quite long, dogleg right, par5. The main corner is at drive length, with a bunker on the left edge of the fairway. Water plays a part in the whole length of the hole, with the lake down the right on the drive and the creek coming from it and then crossing in front of the green. This hole is reachable in 2!!!! It is, I have done it. But I wouldn't recommend anyone to try. Well certainly no Pser's. It involved a 120+ CHS drive with water all the way and then a 275 yard shot over the creek to the reasonably large green. And more than a couple of tries to carry that out!!!! Drive to the corner. Nice shot to the end of the fairway, short of the creek. Wedge on and a putt for birdie! There is water at the front, left and back of the green and sand to the right. It is a sloping green in places, but nothing too steep.

On to the 2nd, which is a par 4 with a little kink to the right at the end. It is a straight drive to a generous fairway, with couple of bunkers fairly short and left, and one a bit longer off the tee on the right. A good drive will take you past the bunkers but a wild slice may just reach the lake that protects the mid sized green. Three bunkers also surround this quite well protected green that has a fair slope on it, front to back.

The 3rd is another par 5. Quite a short one this time, but narrow!! A bunker really narrows the fairway at drive length and there is a visual problem here as some of the trees branches disappear into the bank. Something to watch out for Clement!! Further bunkers up the fairway should not really come into play and the green is protected by a couple of bunkers front and back, and a steep bank on the right. A fairly steep, 2 tier green awaits you. Fairly flat on the two levels, but make sure you hit the one with the pin on it!!

The 4th is a short par 4 with a slight dogleg left. You are really entering the trees now and they are quite close to the tee so a slight draw would be handy but not totally necessary. A couple of bunkers await the sliced ball, with only the 2nd one really being in play. The fairly gentle green is only a wedge away but is well protected. Three bunkers cover quite a bit of the perimeter with a lake close behind the hole. The thing to really watch out for though is a solitary tree just in front of the green and also the very noisy deer. Interesting!!

Number 5 and the deer really start kicking up. I can only assume they are rutting!! On to the drive and the fairway is narrowed considerably by a bunker on the right. You feel you may be able to clear it, you can, but it is a long way!! The deep grass is playable from though, only knocking a bit off the length of your shot, so if you are a bit wayward it should not penalize you too much. The green has quite a gentle slope to it and is protected by a bunker one the right. Again for Clement to watch out for, I will point out the sharp edge between the rough and deep grass, short right of the green.

The 6th is the first par 3. You drive over water, but it really should not come in to play at all. The green is fairly large and round. Although there is a fair elevation change on the green it is not steep.

The 7th is another short par 4. It looks as if it may be drivable, but that is actually unlikely as there is a dip in front of the green and you will not be able to run on and it is too far to pitch on. The only protection this fairly gentle green has are the trees fairly tight to the right.

The 8th is a 200+ yard par 3 coming out of quite a narrow chute of trees to the fairly large, roundish green. You have the creek to drive to reach this quite undulating green, again with trees tight right.

The 9th is a totally blind drive, tight to trees on the right, to a fairway doglegging to the right. A nice fade would be very useful here. There are bunkers both sides of the fairway, on the corner, to catch the errant drive. The fairly large green has bunkers protecting 3 sides and quite a slope front to back. Not a long hole, but it could be a tricky one.

Now on to what I presume is the fictitious half of the course. The 10th Is a fairly short par 5. The creek first winds down the right to cross the fairway just short of a good drive distance, to then run down the left into a lake close behind the green. There is a bunker on the right, just over the creek and a couple more that shouldn't really come into play, further up on the right. Driving the creek well should set you up with a shot to the green. Be sure to check the elevation before making the shot though!! There is a small bunker in front of the green and the lake I mentioned, behind it. The green itself is fairly generous, but does have a good old slope on it.

The 11th has another drive out of a narrow chute to a deceptively small landing area bounded by sand and the creek. A bunker on the right narrows the fairway and two a bit further on block the center of the fairway. I would say that these are just out of range of all but the most massive drives though. The hole then doglegs very slightly left and you will be left with a short iron or wedge to the green, protected by a couple of bunkers either side at the front and a lot of very rough ground around. Quite a slope up from the centre of the green to the back.

Now the 12th. Quite a lovely, short par 4, in the deepest of the woodland. A slight dogleg to the left, you drive tight to the trees towards quite a large landing area, over a funnel of fairway with the now almost obligatory bunker, really narrowing the fairway this time. However, as I say, you should be able to drive this leaving you a very short shot, over the creek, to the large, gently sloping green.

The 13th is a nice little par 3 where you drive over the creek, which then carries on down the right and around the back of the fairly large green with bunkers at 4, 7 and 10-o-clock. The green, although not really 2 tier, has quite a steep slope in the middle.

14 is a long, dogleg left, par 5. You drive to a fairly generous landing area with a bunker or 2 round it and then have to decide whether to go for a long one over the creek that winds down the right hand side, crossing over at the end of the fairway, or just knocking it up to the end of the fairway. Go for the first option and you may end up in the deep grass. Or worse!! The green, when you get there, is large, but it does roll a bit.

The 15th is the longest par 3. A very well protected green, quite large, but with a lot of bunkers and the creek is winding around the sides and back. When you get there you find a steep, 2 tier green. Not an easy one at all.

On the 16th, a drive to the corner of the left to right dogleg, (Watch out here as the fairway slopes away from you) will leave an uphill mid iron to the largish green. Bunkers protect the front of the green, which has the slope again, front to back.

The penultimate hole is a short, dogleg left, par 4. The landing area for this drive is comparatively large. There are bunkers, but you should be able to miss them with ease. This should leave you a short iron to the huge green that slopes away upwards, away from you, rising around 6 feet from front to back. Pin position here would be crucial.

The last is a very nice, double dogleg par 4. Left to right and then back again. The ideal drive is over the corner of a large bunker, towards the lake. A good drive will leave you a short iron to the large 2 tier lake which juts out into the lake. There is a bunker either side of the green and of course the water is there. You need to get on the right level for a good chance.

Good Points: A very well built and designed course that is fun to play. And for a first course, exceptional. Most holes fairly PSable.

Bad Points: One or two very minor design flaws. My biggest worry was not so much the use of a lot of doglegs. That wasn't too bad. I did feel however that the greens were a bit too much the same. Personally I would have liked to have seen a bit more subtlety used. With more elusive borrows rather than just the regular front to back slope and a lot of 2 tiered greens.

Favourite Hole: For some reason I like that 1st hole, above. It is not typical of the course as a lot of the hole are in woodland. I just like the layout and the surroundings. And it's a nice hole to play. Mind you, the 10th is a cracking hole too and reachable!!

Least Favourite Hole: Nothing stood out enough to go here. I will say the back 9 stood out for me more than the front. This can only go to acknowledge Clement's designing skills.

Final thoughts: A very, very nice course. And for a first one, brilliant!! Great for clickers and quite good for Pser's. Although there are a few tight holes the rough and deep grass is playable from. Very few design faults, which normally are a trademark of first courses and more importantly, very playable. Well done Clement.

Filesize 38MB

Course Info :

Splash Screen? Yes

Cameo Screen? Yes

Custom Flag? No

Custom Tee Markers? No

Hole Previews? Yes

Readme file? Short intro to course

Par - 72 7004yds


This review will be based on playability, aesthetics, design, originality and construction. 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 as I am a designer myself and my comments will try to be constructive and without bias.



Tested on Power Stroke swing - Champ level - from the back tees - Breezy/M/M Moderate

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