|
Neptunes Playground GC
by Bill Misener
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 579 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-09-14 |
13,029,456 bytes |
72 |
7156 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
IMAGINARY |
TROPICAL |
Neptunes Playground GC.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 29c6c040a91b11d59c5bf0766a04b445 |
eed51c90336e83d9d8ec0b47d11cdde3 |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Dave Campbell
Expectations: I have reviewed two of Bill's many course releases and am looking forward to this one. Neptune has me thinking about a lot of water. It's listed as 'imaginary' which is not normally my favorite type of course.
First Impressions: Mr. Misener will need his own fileplanet server soon being that this is one of twelve courses he has released, with Neptune's Playground being the eleventh of the twelve. His courses in order of release are; Tropicana, Foothills G.C., Many Lakes, Elk Ridge G.C., Regal Palms G.C., Oak Tree, Sandpiper G.C., Snodgrass ver.2, Alpen Hills G.C., Serpent Valley, Neptune's Playground and Midtown Municipal which was just released earlier this month. I reviewed both Snodgrass and Alpen Hills previously, with the latter being a course I liked quite a lot. This course is a 7,156 yard par 72 from the back tees with three tee options available. It is set on an ocean coastline with a tropical feel to it and is listed as imaginary, but most of the holes I found very realistic in layout. Let me break it down a little more.
Playability: I'll start off by saying that with the possible exception of the par 5 9th hole (a wicked 615 yarder with a fairway that resembles a swimming tadpole) I thought that the hole layouts, and the entire course flow was superb. It seems like half the tee shots are over ocean coastline with great looking elevations, rock retaining walls and nicely planted terrain. If you like the Mauna Kea 3rd hole with the drive over the ocean bay you'll have at least six that will remind you of that shot on this course. Many greens also have the ocean around or near them and it looks very natural, not like he was forcing the water into the design but like the course was carved in. In many respects I'll say this layout is as good as any I've seen, save a couple of those fantasy fairways. If this was a design you made up Bill I'm impressed. Nothing in the two readme files mentions a real course inspiration for Neptune's Playground so I'll assume it's all his. Elevations are also real well done, and the fairway dips and rolls just add to the reality of it all. Elevations were also one of the aspects I loved in Alpen Hills.
The tee boxes are pretty ordinary with adjustment made to the stock shapes but no extrusions or texture borders. Just the tee markers and ball washers with the occasional little shack. Lots of pretty views here particularly if you like ocean courses. As mentioned you'll have many tee shots over water and all the looks to the fairways and greens are open. Bill has a few holes with some juicy risk/reward choices and these are the epitome of r/r, really great designs. I'll touch on them a bit later. The fairways are nice and inviting, even for this PS'er with a few fantasy ones mixed in. A visually pleasing checkered fairway texture is use with a fringe and light rough collars protecting you from the heavy rough. No complaints on the fairways, the rolling elevations really add body to the design.
There are a couple of different flavors of sand. You have white ocean beach sand and a nice brown texture used in the bunkers on the course. The traps are all right, I've definitely seen better . but I've seen a lot worse too. Placement is good and I really like the texture collar around them (check the screenshot . this bunker looks good). Others could use a little polish on the mesh but overall not a big downer. Water is the killer hazard on this course. Not only do you have the entire ocean coastline I mentioned, but Bill has many ponds and lakes on the land plot. It's not called Neptune's Playground for nothing. Make sure you have a ball retriever in your bag.
The greens all look good too, inviting targets and well-done elevations with a fringe collar to help hold the wayward shot. I did notice the occasional odd crease on the mesh but overall a passing grade. In my test round I had 27 putts without the grid.
Bill has many custom objects and sounds and they add to the ocean feel in a big way. There was a helicopter, boats, lighthouses, and an aircraft carrier at sea visible from the 6th tee. The chopper came complete with sound, as did the lighthouses with a foghorn. There were seagull sounds planted about and an occasional ships bell. Then there is the woodpecker, not sure about that but I heard it a few times. All in all Bill they all fit the setting and were a nice addition.
Drawbacks: I mentioned the few mesh errors I noticed, the occasional wavy bunker texture and a couple of funny creases in the fairways and greens. I have to say that they are few and far between and don't affect playability.
On many holes with the ocean pano behind I noticed floating trees, and many of them. The funny thing is they weren't even full trees as most just show the upper part of the tree or even just a quarter of the tree. Can't say I've ever seen that before. It doesn't affect the course play but is very noticeable. The ocean horizon also didn't look flat, almost like it was paneled in places.
I noticed the dreaded 'red line' on a few of the bunker lips. Most were fine but I spotted them more than once. From the 9th tee the sand near the ocean has some of the water texture bleeding into the sand. I might not have even noticed if I wasn't reviewing and won't come into play at all.
Best Hole: I love most of the holes on this course, it is choke full of pretty views and challenging, thought provoking shots. There are two distinct risk/reward drivable par 4's on this course. The par 4 11th measures out at 308 yards but because of the fairway curve can be driven with ease. I didn't hit the green myself but a 3W 1up carried the distance. There is possible palm tree trouble but my 3W carried them.
The other is the 333-yard par 4 14th. It is a dynamic cam view of my tee shot on this hole that I used for the screenshot above. With a 280-yard drive you could carry the water to the green but the risk is huge. Check out the beveled edge down to the water if your tee shot is short. Being that I only carry a 2W I played safe but the hole design is very tempting if you carry the driver. You can also see in the top cam that the ocean is all the way down the left side of the hole on the drive. To top it off it is a nice and visually appealing design, so it gets the nod as best hole.
Test round stats: -3 71%FIR 66%GIR 27 putts. I played the first 10 holes with 'Holee' in an LCL match, then went back and replayed the whole course because I liked it so much. It is a good, solid test for me.
Comparable courses: Links of Key Biscayne by John Anderson, Doral Blue by John Anderson
Overall: While I draw some comparisons to John Anderson's courses the errors in this design make it ultimately fall short of those two great courses. In the same breath I'll say that the layout and general construction of Neptune's Playground is first class, I really like this course. If you're listening Bill let me be the first to say that a slight rework of this course addressing the things I highlighted would vault this design well into the 80's . maybe high 80's in my opinion. Even so at less than 13 meg it's definitely worth a look. Thanks for this great ocean course, it will be staying on my drive for some time (unless you surprise me with version 2). Once again, thanks for the time and effort.
Course Info :
Cameo Screen? Yes
Splash Screen? Yes
Text file? Yes
Hole Previews? No
13mb
Reviewed November 2001 |
|
CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, ocean course. |
Location
TBA |
Conditions
TBA |
Concept 5/10
The forerunner of many a coastal course, Neptune's Playground is
relatively functional and believable in its design. It's not particularly
tropical: the granite-coloured cliffs could easily be mainland, and only the
palm trees are a clue. Hole design tends to be dominated by carries over
the cliffs and coastal inlets rather than any clever constructions, and
there's surprisingly little coherence or location to the course as a hole, the
latter being enhanced by the disappointing lack of a panorama. |
Appearance 5/10
Surprisingly good planting at all levels is both encouraging visually and acts as a decent hazard also. The textures are less inspiring
and texture repeats are commonplace. As a whole, the course is lacking in visual candy, which is a shame in a coastline environment
when you seen what has been done elsewhere. |
Playability 4/10
The course can become a bit of a mystery ride thanks to some obscured views and far too many blind shots. It's also annoying that the
deepest rough is marked as hazard and swallows up just too many balls. The sound is somewhat too loud and becomes irritating too
quickly. This isn't the worst course in the world, but a round here pales in comparison to - say - Atlantic Point or Pebble Beach. And
not just because of the lack of visual excitement. |
Challenge 7/10
Despite a deduction for the preponderance of blocked views (I can't remember many holes where I had a clear view of the green on
my approach), Neptune's Playground is pretty fair. The ocean might swallow up one or two balls, but not too many, and the bunkering
is thankfully restrained. Some careful use of elevations ensures a decent opportunity to play your shots, at least. |
Technical 6/10
Not too many obvious flaws, but then again there's little to get excited about. I'm not saying this course has been rushed; rather that
there is a distinct lack of those moments of APCD cleverness that make you catch your breath and reach for the screenshot button.
Even poor courses have their moments; Neptune's Playground doesn't seem too determined to stick its neck out ahead of them. |
| Overall |
A goodish coastline course, but unlikely to stick around as many people's favourites
due to its lack of individuality. |
27/50 |
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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