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Mackenzie Mountain v.2
by Frank Coat

Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 608
Release Date CRZ Filesize Par Course Length
2001-10-16  47,427,539  bytes 71  6857 yards
Type Style CRZ Filename
FICTIONAL  MOUNTAIN  MackenzieMountain v.2.crz 
Course ID Course Key
4374ece67f9c4eca96c0a0ffa85f20ab  f394a87fb88b1721f1f6d0bdd97aaa8f 

LINKS CORNER REVIEW

Reviewed by Dave Campbell

October 2001

Expectations: I am always a little leery when playing a first time design but I had heard some good things in the review forum so I was hopeful. I am expecting a rugged mountain course.

First Impressions: Mackenzie Mountain is the inaugural course posting from Frank Coat and was made available on 10/16/01. It is set in a rolling mountain valley that utilizes the Whistler backdrop. It's a fictional par 71 that plays to 6,857 yards from the tips with all five tee choices available, with the ladies tees playing to a forgiving 5,438 yards. The zip file comes with a nice Word doc but I was disappointed to find that hole previews were not included.

Well, let me get right to the good stuff, and there is a lot of good stuff in this design.

Playability: This course is set at the base of the rugged Whistler mountain range and the rolling elevations found throughout the course do nothing but enhance the mountain feel. I almost got seasick looking at some of the fairways (check the view from the 2nd tee box among many others) as they have the look of ocean swells breaking toward the beach. This is not a knock at all. In fact I think the elevation work is simply outstanding, and even more impressive taking into account that this is Frank's first effort. And it is mixed with more level terrain in places, which makes for many different shots, a realistic feel, and a need for every club in the bag. You'll see many downhill, sidehill and uphill lies and I found myself tweaking my shot setup often. The course features an interesting mix of five par 3's and four par 5's, with nine par 4's to round out the 18.

The tee boxes are stock looking with no custom textures or objects noticed during the whole round. All the tees have great planting around them, which always included a spruce tree or two on each side and a variety of eye catching ground level plants and flowers. Very nice and not overdone at all. He has also placed ball washers and hole signs (not custom). I've already mentioned the fairways and their very realistic, elevated look. There is a nice mix of doglegs, straight, splits and little crooked zigzags that constantly keep it interesting. Most offer a fair target for both the click and PS player, and the course should give a challenge to both. There is a 1st and 2nd cut of rough that looks very nice and helps to keep your drives out of the primary. You will need to pay particular attention to your landing areas on this course, both fairway and approach, being that the main hazard in this design is not forgiving at all.

What a different idea on this course. This is the first course (that I can remember anyway) that doesn't have a single bunker on the whole plot, NONE! Instead you're treated to extremely well constructed and planted 'water bunkers', many little ponds, creeks and rivers. It isn't overwhelming in its volume but will most definitely come into play. Some of the par 5's really use these little beauties to force some risk/reward choices (4th, 8th and 12th), or demanding 2nd shot lay-ups from angled lies of all types. This is not a complaint at all, just pointing out the thought that went into the design. Simply great stuff Frank, I loved the challenge. Some may not like this but I thought it was a refreshing change of pace. But unlike a sand trap, there's no recovery shot from water so be mindful of it on every stroke.

I also noticed some areas of rough in bunker shaped depressions around some of the greens that is a form of hazard to negotiate as well. There are some densely planted trees and ground cover areas hugging some of the fairway edges pretty tightly. Nothing as restricting as say Medinah, but there nonetheless.

The elevations continue on the greens and I think I only had one flat putt the whole round. No stock greens here either, you'll see all manner of shapes and sizes as you make your way around. A fringe borders all greens and there's a big water presence around most, in one form or another. My 33 putts should tell you something regarding the greens, although I was putting with no grid for the first time in months.

To sum things up this is a very beautiful, well-constructed course that varies in layout from hole to hole in a most realistic way. Frank has done a masterful job and the final product belies a first effort.

Drawbacks: My biggest problem with this course is the lack of any custom goodies, particularly the overuse of the Harbor Town hole sign. This is a well-known object to most Links players and sticks out like a sore thumb, at least to me. I know not everyone has photo-editing software, or knows how to make objects useable in the APCD, but the fact is that most great courses use these features now, and the designs that don't will suffer a bit in comparison. If nice custom hole signs, and hole previews, had been included in this course, I think I would have been looking into the mid to upper 80's in score. There are so many great courses being churned out now that these little extras can make the difference in my opinion. I did think the recurring use of birdhouses was nice. Seems like at every turn there was a little birdhouse among the planted areas.

I thought the OB texture around the ponds and water bunkers was too penal. A nice regular or even deep grass texture would help to keep a slow rolling shot out of the water, or the green brush OB, and perhaps offset the drop or rehit and 1 stroke penalty. Water instead of sand is penal enough already.

Render times were a bit slow on certain screens and that might have to do with the superb plantings, in which case this is a fair trade off. The longest renders I experienced were maybe between 5-10 seconds, so nothing too bad anyway and not all screens experienced the delay.

Best Hole: All holes on this course are good and visually pleasing, some are great and picture postcard material. I touched on the playability and thought needed on the par 5's, all the par 3's are gorgeous with varied lengths and challenges. I normally lean toward a par 3 or 5, just my personal preference. On this course it came down to two par 4's, the 9th and the 18th. You couldn't ask for two better finishing holes for each 9. The 18th features great planting around the tee and a snaky fairway to negotiate. The last half of the hole has water everywhere and will require a well-executed approach.

I think I'll give my vote (and screenshot) to the par 4 9th hole. The tee shot is demanding on this hole with a fair sized pond on the left and a creek on the right. Even if you stick the tee shot your approach shot will have you worried about water on the front, right and left of the green. If your tee shot strays into the rough you'll be shaking as you stand over your approach. My screenie shows my second shot and the abundant beauty of the hole. Check out the water placement and the planting along the water banks. This isn't just a one-time view, there are many like it throughout the design.

Test round stats: -2 84% FIR 88% GIR 33 putts. This is my first time putting without the grid and it showed. Greens will definitely test you even with the grid on.

Comparable courses: Kylane Country Club by Wayne Hewitt, Deer Track Golf Resort by Dave Newman (mainly for the elevation work, not necessarily the layout)

Overall: If you've read this far you probably realize that I think this course is something special. I think the layout is superb and should be enjoyable for both swing types. Trust me when I say this course just misses being a top echelon APCD design, it's that good. With a little bit of Photoshop goodies added (or removal of the repetitive Harbor Town sign), and a set of nicely done hole previews, this one would really fly. Maybe some custom sounds would help too, but just play it with Bill Permenter's nature only mountain sound file and you'll be set. Even so it's a course you shouldn't miss. The meat and potatoes of the design are great and a lot of thought and effort went into the construction, that much is obvious.

Three cheers Frank, this is one that will be on my drive forever . unless there's a version 3 with some of the extras/improvements I mentioned. I would download that one immediately.

Course Info :

Splash Screen? Yes

Cameo Screen? Yes

Text file? Yes

Hole Previews? No


This course is available as a FREE download.


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