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Bishops Amble Tournament
by Rob Moates

Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 519
Release Date CRZ Filesize Par Course Length
2001-08-12  32,016,794  bytes 71  6973 yards
Type Style CRZ Filename
FICTIONAL  PARKLAND  Bishops Amble Tournament.crz 
Course ID Course Key
5e71f0008f3d11d5a88400409543e200  6bdfd7c364443694dd5810b378cf5827 

LINKS CORNER REVIEW

Reviewed by Mick Lenton

Thoughts from the 1st: This is the updated version of Bishop's Amble. It is constructed in what appears to be a parkland setting, not heavily treed. It does look very nice from the tee. Nice wall, nice path, nice greenstuff, nice,,,,,,,,,hey what are those bunkers doing there. Oh dear!! I'll have to think about this. Here we go!!

The Course: This is a par 72 course set, as I have said above in a parkland type setting. As usual I will chat more about the planting as I go around. A combination of custom and stock textures are used. Colours do look nicely balanced. Stock shapes have been used for the tees and all 5 are NOW (lol) available. They are very slightly extruded and sit direct in the rough. The custom fairway does not have a 1st cut and leads directly to the rough. The white sand bunkers are well built, mostly well placed and have a ring of light rough around them. There is some planting in the rough, but most in Green Brush. The crosshatch greens have a normal fringe and are all pretty much a similar, round shape. Tree's are in evidence but there is more brush. Some quite close to the fairways. Right, time to give it a go.

Playability: The 1st is a longish par 4 with a line of 3 small bunkers across the medium width fairway. Rob says they can be driven, which I did. I cannot say I could do it every time, as if your CHS is a bit low, you are in!!. Clearing the bunkers will likely leave you a quite sloping lie, as there is quite a dip in the fairway here. You will probably be left with a middish iron to the green, protected by one small bunker in front also brush and trees quite close around. The green is domed and has a fair slope. Planting looks good. Maybe a slight overuse of the sandy brown bush. Maybe.

The 2nd is a lovely par 3. The oval green, a long iron away, is protected front and right by the cart path and small bunkers, left and back. It is a bowl shaped green and a long putt could be very sloping.

Number 3 is a dogleg left par 4. A blind drive over brush should reach the corner, which is protected on the far edge by a clutch of 3 small bunkers. You will be left, hopefully, with a wedge of some sorts to the stock shaped green, protected by the cart path back right and sand in the form of a largish bunker left and a couple of small ones in front. Brush again close in. The green is slightly domed and you should be left with a fairly straight putt.

The 4th is quite a narrow, long, par 5. A diagonal row of small bunkers greets the drive. I would say however that with the wind against, only the closest one on the right would be reachable. It is a very long hole and 2 cracking shots should leave a mid iron to the oval green. You may have quite a sloping lie for your 2nd shot. The green is flatter than the previous ones with gentle slopes.

The 5th is another very nice par 3 with a blind shot over trees to the stocky shaped green. Protection is sand front and left again with brush fairly close. Gentle slopes and a nice hole.

The 6th is a narrow par 4, 538 yards. I will say no more on this as it has already been discussed on the board. A difficult drive between 2 bunkers leaves a fairway wood to the quite small green, very well protected by water right/front and sand left, and right, behind the water. The stock shaped green has more of a random slope on it and is a much more interesting green.

7 is short, reachable, with a great shot, par 4. The oval shaped green is at an angle to the drive and is quite narrow do stick with a 3 wood, but you can get somewhere near or maybe on. It is VERY well protected by sand most of the way around. and the green has some nice slopes.

The 8th is a narrowish par 5. Difficult drive towards a single small bunker on the left of the fairway. Brush is very close to fairway. Fairway is very hilly and you almost certain to be left with a sloping 2nd, also the green is a fair way above you. I can see a situation here where a shot forward, any great distance, could be almost impossible, with the slope and the hill in front. As it was I could only use a 5 wood effectively from the lie I had. That left me another very sloping lie with a wedge to the oval green, sand left and right. The green is quite sloping.

The 9th is another reachable par 4 that doglegs right. The shot to the green is a blind one over trees very close to you and there are also some just short of the green to be flown. The green is not too big and there are smallish bunkers either side. The green is the flattest so far I think.

No drinks as this is a religious course, so a quick lemonade and back to the course.

The 10th is a narrow, split fairway, par 4. A really long drive would run out of fairway and there is a bunker, end/right. A shot to the right of the fairway will be blocked from a direct shot to the green by a tree. I noticed that when I got there :-(( A good drive will leave a mid to long iron to the round green with a pond behind and Bunker front left, trees front right. The green has quite a slope at the front, but is fairly gentle elsewhere.

The 11th is another drivable par 4. This time a dogleg left, somewhere between a 2 and 3 wood. The green is quite difficult to stick and has 3 bunkers around it. Quite flat.

12 is a longish straightaway par 4. Fairly narrow, but not too bad. No sand on this hole apart from a little bunker tucked away on the right of the green. A good drive leaves a mid iron to the gently sloping green.

The 13th is a gentle dogleg to the right. Your options are a shortish one to the corner, protected by a single bunker. Or a shot around the corner, across the not particularly wide, very uneven, fairway. The round the corner shot left me a sloping lie and a lob wedge. The shot to the corner would probably leave a flat lie but quite a bit more club. The green is quite long and narrow and from a distance may be more difficult stick as it is an uphill shot. The slopes are quite gentle.

!4 is a straightaway par 5. Narrowish as usual, with one bunker to catch a porr, pushed shot. The green is well reachable over the bunker in front. There is also sand on the right and treees and bushes close. Nasty slope on this one.

15 is another lovely par 3. IMO these are the stars of the course. A long iron to the largish green. Two small ponds front/left and left. Trees and bushes and a bunker, rear/left. This green is certainly a little trickier.

The 16th is another longish par 4 with a brook meandering across it, bunker either side. A good drive may make the brook. A long iron should get you to the smallish green, sand front left and rear. Another flattish one.

17 is the last, lovely par 3. A long one though. Very! Usual trees and bushes, plus a bunker at the back. Large flattish green.

And the last is a quite long, but slightly downhill, par four. The split in the fairway should be driveable leaving a mid iron. over the tree, to the largish green. Trees, bushes, small pond on the left. A gently sloping green to finish the round. And quite an enjoyable round too.

Good Points: Good course for the clicker. Well designed and constructed apart from a couple of points below. Well planted, good bunkers and a pleasure to play

Bad Points: The tees and greens lacked a bit of individuality and it will prove a bit difficult for PSer's as the bushes are very close to the fairway in places.

Favourite Hole: I think it will have to be the par 3, 2nd. I love the unusual way Rob has used the cart path as an obstacle. I loved all the par 3's. But my first view of this one and I really like it.

Least Favourite Hole: I am sorry, but as a PSer it has to be the 538 yard, par 4, 6th. It is just too long.

Final thoughts: What could have been a really top line course is just held back a bit by the lack of imagination in the tee design and the rather samey looking greens. It may make me a bit unpopular but it has dropped the marking from a high to a mid 80's

Course Info :
Cameo Screen? Yes
Splash Screen? Yes
Text file? Yes
Hole Previews? Yes
30mb
Reviewed August 2001

CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg)

Description
Fictional, parkland course
Location
TBC
Conditions
TBC
Concept  5/10
This is an impressive and realistic-looking course at first, with some excellent pinpoint bunkering and fairway contours that really make you work on your approach. After the first 8 holes or so, however, you get the feeling you're stuck in a bit of a timewarp: an endless succession of ruler-straight Par 4s and 5s interspersed with sharp, dogleg 'Ooh! I could drive this one!' Par 4s. By the time you reach the closing hole (which is admittedly a bit more original), you're left with the inescapable conclusion that the designer only had two different holes in mind.
Appearance  9/10
This is a very good-looking course and some care has evidently gone into planting and sculpting a realistic-looking landscape. Custom textures help, and the course is refreshingly free of fringe objects such as paths (there is one road) and ballwashers, which enhances the remote feel.
Playability  4/10
The first few holes flew by on the back of some scenery-gawping. Then the difficulty level subtly increased, and the course became somewhat frustrating as I battled in vain for a birdie. The repetitive nature of several holes around the turn didn't help either, and having to keep the straight and narrow between the punishing rough hazards became laborious.
Challenge  2/10
The difficulty is ramped up, big style, and certainly too much for most players. I shot two birdies on the round, both from putts of over 20 feet, and my score was still +5. Most holes are too long to be decently challenging, and the sand is frustratingly easy to hit. Add to this the fact that deep rough hazards frequently lie less than 20 feet off the fairway, some severely ramped greens, and a lot of elevation changes around the greens, and you'd have to be indecently good or lucky to break 70 on this course.
Technical  8/10
The planting wins a lot of points here, and is very worthwhile. Slight let-downs are some sharp edges to the occasional fairway, and the less-than-seamless green sloping. The custom textures look nice, but some seam blending would help the rough look of this course immensely. A very competent piece of work nevertheless.
Overall A good looking Links-style course, but not for the amateur or faint-hearted. Play it once to enjoy the views, but don't play it again unless you're a sucker for punishment. 28/50
Please remember that Clipnote reviews are the opinion of one person and do not constitute an 'Official' Links Corner review of the course.

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