|
Royal Montreal - Blue
by Yves Paquin / Kevin Fraser
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 559 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-09-02 |
47,757,048 bytes |
70 |
6989 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
REAL |
WOODLAND |
royalmontrealblue.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 418fd2cb131e43a1bf99329ab4feb79d |
e304eaa1f648595bce75d44b748cfe89 |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Mick Lenton
Thoughts from the 1st: I am standing here looking at the thin ribbon of fairway, disappearing into the distance thinking, 'Now what is the best way of dealing with this. Leave everything but the putter out of the bag?? Go to easy swing??) Ok I am being silly here. But it is VERY narrow. Nice looking course, but very narrow. Quite an unusual mix of trees too!
The Course: As this is a real course my comments as to how the course has been designed are not aimed at the APCD designers, but at a Louis Sibbett Wilson, who, according to the comprehensive read me, was the original Architect. As the search engine on the courses page in LC was having a brainstorm I was unable to check properly if either of the designers had previous contributions. I do not think Yves has but Kevin's name rings a bell, however a cursory look at the list did not turn anything up, so apologies if I have missed something. This par 70 course would appear to have been constructed in woodland with a mixed variety of trees. Custom textures have been used and a long list of them at that. They do sit together well. The tees, of which all 5 are available, sit directly in the Deep Grass. The cross-mown fairway has a thin fringe of a plain fairway texture and then a thin strip of rough before you meet the Deep Grass again. As a PSer I would have liked to have seen a larger area of a less punishing rough, before we got to the Deep Grass, as that texture does cause a big change in your club distances and roll. But if the real course is that punishing, Hey Ho. One thing it does, it certainly keeps you on your toes!! The greens have a normal fringe and I really like the way the fairway and rough blend into the fringe. There is a very limited selection of pins though, with only 4 per green! The bunkers are well constructed with a nice golden sand and a very narrow extrusion of the surrounding grass. You can get some very sloping lies in them. The lakes do not have an edge and in places seem to sit ON, not in the grass. The planting is in the deep grass with some very nice areas of heavy, small bush planting. There are some different deep grass textures later in the course where the planting is done. Trees are a mix of deciduous and pines. There is a lot to this course including a practice ground and what I can only presume are holes from other courses. It all adds to the feel of the place, nice! A very nicely constructed clubhouse, some good objects and a lovely pano really finish off this superbly constructed course. Now playing this Championship course is a totally different matter. I will skip the phrase, 'A really narrow fairway'. Take it as read on each hole J
Playability: The 1st hole is a gentle bend to the left. There is a single bunker well to the left, short of drive length. You 2nd shot is to a quite narrow, elongated green, protected by a pair of bunkers either side. A mid iron should get you to the domed green, where a shot close to the edge may well be thrown off.
The 2nd is a slight dogleg right. The corner being well short of drive distance means a quite tight drive over 2 bunkers to the fairway, at an angle to the golfer. However a good drive over the corner will leave only a lob wedge to the very narrow, well-protected green, bunkers both sides. Fairly gentle borrows, but quite tricky to putt on.
Hole 3 is a fairly short par 4 with a gentle bend to the right. A single bunker, once again well out of play, on the right. A short iron or wedge should then get you past the 2 bunkers, either side of the front of the narrow, oval green to the fairly gentle putting surface.
The 4th is a dogleg left. Again you are driving past the corner, over a bunker in the rough, to the angled fairway. A longer hole, you will be left with a longish iron to the narrow green with the obligatory bunker either side.
The 5th is a longish par 3 with bunkers around the front and sides of the narrow green. There is quite a slope on the front of this green, so try and be up to the hole.
Number 6 is a par 5 curving to the right. There are a couple of bunkers in the rough on the right, but again it would be a bad shot to go in them. A good drive will get you just past the corner, but I doubt that I would be able to reach the well-protected, narrow green, in two, some might! There are bunkers both sides of the green and there is quite a dome on the back of this green, so you could be left with quite a sloping putt.
The 7th is the next par 3, about mid length. This green is quite similar to the earlier ones, with the long narrow shape. Lots of sand, front and both sides, with the green being quite a gentle one.
The 8th is another of those curving par 4's, this time to the left. On this hole, unlike many of the others, the bunker on the right is well placed to catch a pushed shot. You will have a short iron or wedge to the standard shape green with the 2 bunkers right and left. Quite a slope on this one.
Halfway round and nearly back at that lovely clubhouse. The 9th is a fairly straightaway par 4 with a bit wider fairway that the norm. No fairways on the way, but 3 round the green, 2 left, 1 right, that is also a bit wider than the norm! Also fairly nice to putt on.
After a quickie in the bar I come out to see that the 9th was just there to give you a false sense of security. The 10th is a long par 4 with a kink to the left at the top and water in the way. The lake should not come into play on the drive, but will on the mid iron 2nd. There is sand at the back and rear right of the long, but bit wider green. A gently sloping green once again.
The 11th is a longish par 4 with a very slight bend to the right. There is a bunker to catch the pulled shot. The green is much wider than the preceding ones, but still has a fair bit of sand on both sides and a long iron will probably be required to reach it. There is a valley in the green, that tends to collect your ball and hopefully direct it towards the pin.
12 is a long par 3, with a comparatively large green, and 2 bunkers either side. Quite a ridge at the front of the green will prevent the short ball rolling on, so don't be short!
The 13th certainly could be unlucky for some as it is a long, very curving, very narrow, par 5. There are 3 bunkers down the right to catch the short push but if you stick the fairway you can be left with a very makeable shot to the narrow green over the corner. Your shot is over 3 bunkers on the corner and then you have sand both sides of the green which is roughly at 45 degrees to you, so not easy. This one has a very steep green front to back.
14 is a sub 400 yard par 4 with a gentle bend to the left. Sand and water come into play on the left with the drive and the short iron to the largish green will need to be very close to the lake to give you a birdie putt. But this is a difficult green with plenty of slope.
The 15th is a VERY watery one. You drive down the right hand dogleg towards the lake on the left and it is well within range. You cannot aim far right due to the trees close in. I found a high 3 wood the ideal club as that took you over the corner and made the fairway - Hopefully. You want to be as long as you can to give an easier shot into the narrow green as water is close at the front and sides along with a bunker both sides. The green actually sits on a small promontory in the lake and behind the green is a logo of the course name surrounded by flowers. Just a point for the designers. Down the right side of the fairway the edges have 'scalloped'.
The 16th is another watery par 4 with the lake all down the left. A wider fairway here, on this curving hole with the fairway split at the end by the lake. The fairway does narrow a bit towards the end and your mid iron 2nd is over the water, bridged by a nicely constructed stone bridge, with another a bit further on. There is a single bunker front left of the rounder than norm green. A fairly gentle green to putt on.
The penultimate hole is a mid iron par 3 over the lake. The green has bunkers at the back and left side. Also there is quite a dome in the areas of the pins, so you could be left with quite a slope.
The last hole is a quite long par 4 that doglegs left around a lake. Your decision will be, 'how much do I take off'. There is no sand on the way but trees on the left around the corner could affect a pulled shot and a bad one left will find the water. A good drive will leave a mid iron to the mid sized green, protected by 2 bunkers on the left. Quite a tricky green this one.
So we have a very difficult course here. With deep rough very close to the narrow fairways. All you have to do is keep it straight. J
Good Points: A very well constructed course that although very difficult, is fair. If you are off line there is free space to land in. Excellently constructed custom objects and planting that blends nicely and fits with the pano on the few occasions it is seen.
Bad Points: If I had to be picky, as I have said above, as a PSer I would have liked a bit more normal rough. The design faults are so few and minor as to be inconsequential, other than those mentioned above.
Favourite Hole: That par 5 13th. Plenty of options and a chance with 2 good shots of making the green. It is not an easy peasy hole though.
Least Favourite Hole: Nothing really stands out here.
Final thoughts: This is a great course. It really is. I have had my little moan about things being a little difficult and narrow. This of course has nothing to do with Yves and Kevin. Their work is superb and they have produced a course that will stay on many drives. There were 1 or 2 things I thought could maybe have been done a little better, but that is purely cosmetic. I thought the greens especially, were very good to play on. So go and get this one, just remember it is not a wide-open, easy course. So Pser's especially, don't expect an easy round
Course Info :
Cameo Screen? Yes
Splash Screen? Yes
Text file? Yes
Hole Previews? Yes
42mb
Reviewed September 2001 |
|
CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Real, estate course |
Location
TBA |
Conditions
TBA |
Concept 4/10
While a sterling country club course that fully deserves its place
amongst the Real APCD courses, Royal Montreal has been somewhat
besmeared by this odd and inconsistent adaptation. Its greening is
almost notorious in providing problems for casual or tournament
golfers, and when combined with the challenges of the back-nine water
holes, the course becomes almost unpalatable. It isn't that there's no
good work here, because there certainly is some. But eventually the
flaws add up to an unsatisfying experience. |
Appearance 4/10
Some lovely work here in the planting and the custom touches, and the textures show signs of sophistication, but elsewhere there are
some fairly rudimentary bunkers and some poor mesh and shape-placement work. A mixed bag, and in some ways the inconsistency
is unhelpful when all one would like is something coherent. |
Playability 3/10
Until about the 14th hole, when suddenly water hazards become very much in play and very dangerous, the course is very much downthe-
middle. The water holes generate some decent excitement, but they can't rob the course of the large flaw of continual blind tee
shots and having to knuckle the dog legs. |
Challenge 2/10
The greens, as has been widely commented, are killers. Way too small, and way too sloped, they will exterminate any golfer playing
above the softest settings. As if this weren't enough, the deep rough will often prevent you even earning two putts; especially awful on
the Par 5s and water holes. The difficulty effectively removes the course's usefulness for tournament purposes, leaving it fairly
redundant when you consider only a masochist would pick it for a casual round. |
Technical 3/10
The sand-splash textures and some good customisation are worth seeing, just the once. Elsewhere, though, the course runs into the
ground with some inconsistent basics and a difficulty level that is no laughing matter. |
| Overall |
Some technical achievement wiped out in a re-creation that is, if not unplayable,
hard enough to make you not to want to bother. |
16/50 |
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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