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Cogitara Golf Course
by Lars Rudbeck
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 62 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-02-16 |
15,959,671 bytes |
72 |
6987 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
IMAGINARY |
WOODLAND |
Cogitara.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 8f2ebe0002e111d586cbeae9eb2d0315 |
e46d4cb14492b426a3ba8a79081b24ff |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Cogitara - Designed by Lars Rudbeck
Reviewed by Dave Campbell July 2001
Expectations: Cogitare is a word Latin in origin, which means 'think about carefully; ponder'. I'm expecting a tough course with a need to think your way around.
First Impressions: This is the only course design by Lars Rudbeck and is listed as an imaginary par 72 and measures 6,987 yards from the back tees. It is a wooded, mountain course and uses the Whistler panorama as its backdrop. It was posted at the Links Corner on 2/16/01 and weighs in at a very manageable 11 meg. Lars plays Champ level PS although unlike myself, he is very good. I have never played against him but his reputation precedes him. Perhaps we could play a round together one day on this wonderful course. I'll start out by saying this course is unbelievable, instantly in my top 10. I missed this one completely upon its release, I don't remember even seeing anything in the forums about it. If it passed you by as well then you're in for a surprise.
Playability: This course is listed as imaginary but I would classify it as fictional myself. There is a bit of a fantasy aspect, and from hole to hole there may be quite a difference in styles but the layout and design are so well done. I was sucked in on the 1st tee (with somebody yelling 'you da man') and eagerly awaited each new hole all the way to the great finishing par 3 18th. I have trouble believing this is a first effort, it's that polished. Design and layout are magnificent.
All sorts of custom objects are placed about and there are tons of custom sounds planted, although after a while the mosquito was starting to get to me :^) Let me just list off some of them; nice rock walls around a few tee boxes, many custom signs, custom flags, golf carts, benches, waste cans, starters shack, leader boards, custom tee markers, yardage stakes, bridges, tent areas and more. The cart paths deserve special mention. I notice many courses don't seem to offer a reasonable way to get to the next tee box. Not only are these cart paths realistic in that regard but also there are nice looking staked path areas in play and beautiful walled paths through the woods. Some of the sounds I noticed are; 'You da man' on the 1st and 18th tees, great water sounds near all the water, helicopter flyby's, frog on the 7th tee, toilet flush on 11th (near bathroom), camera flashing on the 13th and 14th, and that darn mosquito throughout the round. I'm sure there's more that I missed. You get the point though, attention to detail is very apparent.
It is a playable course with believable hole layouts, if not lacking a bit in continuity. I noticed extrusions on some tee boxes with good views from all. You will hit to well done fairways, with a 1st cut, and no two will look alike (check out the 5th fairway, it's smiling at you). Outstanding elevations are present to further enhance the mountain setting and making you think long about club selection. You will be hitting to greens of generous size mostly, with a very different look to each. Your putting will get a stern but fair test. I get the impression Lars worked very hard to offer a different look at every turn, and he succeeded.
The planting fits the mountain theme and is generally well done. Tree selection is appropriate and I really liked the pine needle, fallen log look in the forests. There is no water shortage on this course, with more than one island green and many creeks and lakes. All are very well done. My aim was influenced many times by the water. There is a bunker presence and I hit from them often.
Drawbacks: On a reverse cam look at my drive on the 4th some lily pads appeared to be floating above the water ever so slightly. I noticed a vertical line appears in the sky on the 12th tee, didn't see it anywhere else. Perhaps just a video card glitch on my side.
Some of the hills appear a little unnatural, on the 3rd and behind the 13th green. They are not done bad but just seem to stick out a bit.
There is a different look and feel from hole to hole. This didn't affect me, in fact I liked it very much. Kept it fresh and new. This might not be to everyone's liking though so I'm mentioning it here.
The traps all looked good but could have been polished up a bit more. They weren't bad at all, but lacked a bit in comparison to some other designs.
Best Hole: This is going to be tough as all are great, some spectacular. I'm not a big fan of par 3 18's but this one is beautiful, a semi-island green with a gorgeous view of the clubhouse. The par 4 13th has a different looking green surrounded by water and rocks with a huge risk/reward element. The par 3 7th is a short, awesome looking hole fraught with water danger all around. I'll choose the par 3 4th that is very reminiscent of the famous par 3 from the Banff course. The tee is elevated 28 yards above a good-sized island green with bunker attached. The reverse look is just as pretty as you glimpse the stream rolling downhill.
Test round stats: Even par - 67% FIR - 78 % GIR - 25 putts in above conditions. +6 in B/F/F conditions.
Comparable courses: Kerry Glen by Brent Aschacher, Ottawa Golf Great 18 by Dan Kilbank, Pitchford Hall by Eric Pitchford, Kylane C.C. by Wayne Hewitt.
Overall: Cogitara is an extremely well done mountain course that defies the myth that first designs are only for learning. It is simply spectacular all the way around. If you missed it the first time like I did then it's must download for anyone at 11 meg. I was truthful when I said this course has cracked my personal top ten. That should tell you all you need to know about how much I enjoyed playing it. Bravo Lars, I can hardly wait for your next one.
Filesize 11MB
Course Info :
Splash Screen? Yes
Cameo Screen? Yes
Text file? Yes
Hole Previews? No |
|
CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Imaginary, mountain course |
Location
TBC |
Conditions
TBC |
Concept 7/10
Imaginary, mountain course |
Appearance 7/10
Using the much-heralded Whistler panorama, a lot of this course looks pretty good. Some technical flaws let it down, in the guise of cloned trees and some poor extrusive work. The elevation work often makes it hard to believe that you are playing a real course, but does have the flipside that some impressive views are available. The designer has included plenty to look at, including a wide range of tournament objects, so the course scores pretty well. |
Playability 6/10
If you stopped after hole 6, you might conclude this is the most playable course available, such is the array of shotmaking you are called upon to produce. The pace settles a little after this (not necessarily a bad thing) but does not really pick up momentum until the closing holes where some good play options are produced. |
Challenge 2/10
Cogitara wouldn't be said by many to be a tough course. I had 3 eagle putts on the opening three holes (it's almost possible to drive the green on the Par 5 opener), 4 eagle putts on the front nine, and 6 on the round as a whole. I finished 11-under, which is far too low. Cogitara's greens are gentle, and bunkers are too easy on the whole to escape. If you can keep your ball dry it's almost embarrassingly easy to score well. |
Technical 4/10
This course might be really stunning if some applied technical effort were expended. There are a variety of elevation problems, a lot of cloning, a fair amount of extrusion marks, and quite a few 'floating' trees. The texture work is good, though, and obviously a lot of effort has been put into hole design. Some fine tuning and Beta testing could turn the course into something special. |
| Overall |
A course with immense promise, certainly on the basis of the opening holes. The enjoyment dies around the turn and never really returns, sadly. |
26/50 |
Please remember that Clipnote reviews are the opinion of one person and do not constitute an 'Official' Links Corner review of the course. |
This course is available as a FREE download.
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