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Piazza Metallica
by Jorg Jobmann
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 644 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-11-11 |
57,245,038 bytes |
71 |
7407 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
IMAGINARY |
PARKLAND |
piazza2.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 52cfa2c0d6bd11d5accfc1463a8e0273 |
6d6fced3ebc1d95b8f3d9ef027986cab |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Dave Campbell
November 2001
Expectations: It is with great anticipation that I play and review this course. I did the review of Jorg's first course and it was loaded with the promise of wonderful things in the future. I'm expecting a course with a 'hard edge', as suggested by the title.
First Impressions: This is Jorg's second course design posted to the Links Corner and was made available on 11/11/01, following his earlier release of Cadepera Golf Resort in June of 2001. It is listed as an imaginary course and I guess it fits this category, but it's not outrageous in its layout at all. It is long from the chrome tees at just over 7,400 yards with 3 tee options available. If you choose the brass tees it will play to a very manageable 6,550 yards only. I would call it a parkland type course with a mix of industrial area that Jorg has blended perfectly in my opinion. There is something different and interesting to see on all the holes and the many large elevations give you some awesome vistas.
When I played and reviewed Capdepera I was amazed at some of the great things I saw. Superb, drastic elevations and some of the best cliffs, rocks I've seen in any course to date. That course was only held back by some early APCD designer mistakes, particularly in the bunkers. So, how does Piazza Metallica improve as a second design? Let's find out.
Playability: Piazza Metallica is a course that would be impossible to summarize in a sentence or two, or even a paragraph for that matter. I would call it a parkland style as far as layout and planting, some trees but not many with very strong ground level planting of brush and small bushes. The biggest obstacles come from the hole designs, as there are many fairway doglegs, splits and rolling undulations, with all manner of buildings, towers, fences, metal bridges, brick walls, earth moving equipment, ships, water and sand to contend with. It is a busy course with tons of custom objects but it all seems to work together to offer a very unique golf experience. The elevations throughout are very aggressive but believable, and I would expect you to ponder over club selection and setup many times during your round. Many tee to fairway and fairway to green elevation differences from 30' to 60', others in the 30-60 yard range. Add to this many sidehill, uphill and downhill fairways lies and you may be scratching your head a little. Suffice it to say it's not your routine target golf course and it should really test your game all around.
The views from the tees are most pleasing to the eye, as those drastic elevations give you a bird's eye view of the course. Three tee choices are available (Chrome, Copper and Brass) and custom tee markers and hole signs are visible at all tee boxes. Jorg has named all holes and there is a theme of sorts for all of them. Because of the industrial area setting you have many odd things to see along the 18-hole track that you wouldn't normally see on a golf course. The 1st has you teeing off over a harbor with a tanker type ship to your left. The 2nd hole you must shoot over a construction zone and through some storage buildings. The 4th presents you with a water carry to a long par 3 the forces you to angle over or under some great looking structures with bridges. The 5th is carved out of a coal mountain complete with all the earth moving equipment. On the 9th you have to clear some water treatment ponds and avoid a power line tower to land safely in the fairway. Trust me, your ball will bounce solidly off the tower. The 10th has a drastic change in elevation from tee to green and is aptly named 'Down the Stairs'. Nice brickwork on this hole. The 11th is tabbed 'No Slice' for obvious reasons and my tee shot is what I used for my screenshot above. The 13th, 14th and 15th bring water into play in different ways.
The sand traps are decent but may be my least favorite part of the design. They have improved since Capdepra but I still noticed the occasional funny lip or edge. I hit from them many times and some will be a major challenge. I was in one greenside trap on the 10th hole where the green was above my head some 20'. Nothing like a blind shot to get your attention. I had to flop out instead of the explosion shot. There is water on this course too, particularly on the aforementioned 13th, 14th and 15th holes. The 13th has water the last third of the fairway and on both sides of the green. The 14th is a par 3 water carry all the way to the green. The 15th is named 'Island Hopping' and should tell you all you need to know. There is a fairway island you need to find on your tee shot, and then an island green to hit to from there. The interesting thing about this hole is that the islands are constructed on asphalt and are then surrounded by water. The 11th has some ponds to the right but they don't really come into play. The 9th has the water treatment plant and there is a pond that fronts the 7th green that most definitely comes into play. The 1st and 6th holes have the harbor close by and the 3rd and 4th also have a water presence.
The greens will be a test for sure as the aggressive use of elevations continues here. Nothing unreal about them but I can safely say that all putts will have some bend to them and anything above 2' should really get your attention. Those real tricky 2-10 footers may decide your fate on this course. There is a nice fringe around the greens and the same gorgeous views can be had from many of them.
As mentioned the course is full of custom objects, sounds and well done hole previews. I've talked about some already and there are too many to mention all. Just be ready for a visual delight as you play your round.
Drawbacks: I mentioned the bunkers and I need to stress that they aren't bad at all. In some cases the uneven lips and angles may have been planned but my eye was drawn to them on occasion and I couldn't help but see it as a small error.
Speaking of bunkers and sand lips on the 1st hole I got stuck in one of the greenside sand edges and was not able to get out. I tried to blast, chip, flop, punch and even rotate and hit backwards. Not sure if I found a seam or not but I had to quit and start again (good thing it was the 1st hole . hehe).
I was playing at 1280x1024x16 resolution with the above PC specs and had some VERY long screen renders, some in excess of 10-15 seconds. This is not necessarily an error, just mentioning it in case your PC is older than mine.
Best Hole: This one is tough and I truly like them all. Some are spectacular in design and creativity, with visual eye candy aplenty. I love the long par 3 4th named 'The Ravine'. It's about 230 yards and a water carry with a great structure to take into account off the tee. My 5W clears the stairs structures just barely, if you don't carry a 5W you're on your own. The par 4 5th hole 'Coal Mountain' is unique too. All the par 5's are nice and offer some scoring chances. The 'Island Hopping' par 4 15th is very unusual. The par 4 16th offers you a risk/reward chance to cut a dogleg left and bounce your tee shot off of some asphalt panels set among the deep grass and plantings. The penalty for missing is obvious. The par 3's are all varied and visually pleasing as well.
My screenshot is of my drive on the par 4 11th hole 'No Slice'. I thought is showed many of the good things in this design.
Test round stats: -1 50%FIR 38%GIR 24 putts. I'm very happy with this score, as even par will be my goal here every time I tee it up. 24 putts are all I could hope for but I think my low GIR % and many chips close to the pin aided me.
Comparable courses: Capdepera Golf Resort by Jorg Jobmann, Cogitara by Lars Rudbeck
Overall: Piazza Metallica is an imaginary course with a fairly realistic and believable layout. You may not want to play this course if you have problems with vertigo, as the elevations are wild and constant. If you couldn't tell I'm a big fan of this course and of Jorg's design style. He is a master at elevations and rockwork, absolutely the best you'll see. This course has it all and I would strongly recommend you give it a look, even at the large download size of 47 meg. Thanks for the obvious time and effort spent on this design, it is one I will visit often
Course Info :
Splash Screen? Yes
Cameo Screen? Yes
Text file? Yes
Hole Previews? Yes
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Imaginary, concept course |
Location
TBA |
Conditions
TBA |
Concept 10/10
A stunning idea this, in both conception and execution. Piazza Metallica
winds its way through some urban badlands, taking in canals, quarries and
docks and an abnormal amount of brilliantly customised features along the
way. The holes befit the environment nicely - there is a fair amount of outof-
bounds, as you'd expect, but also a few opportunities to play massive
bank shots that would make Michael Savicki proud. There is room too for
holes of strategic merit, although you'll have to wait until the close of the
round to enjoy them. That's no great shakes, though, because Piazza Metallica is a feast for the eyes and a round passes quickly. |
Appearance 10/10
There are a couple of technical errors, but I will save them for the final section. Suffice to say that this course is spectacular in the
extreme. Hundreds of custom objects and careful landscaping builds up an extremely convincing and complex environment, and there
is tons to look at. Amazing. |
Playability 8/10
It would be better for the player if some of the holes were less prescriptive. Quite a few indulge in 'island hopping', or rely on a
misjudged and improbable risk/reward shot. Thankfully, there are some very good holes that offer alternative lines (some quite clever
and deceptive). The greens are hard to hit, which does become frustrating, and putting can also be a trial. But there's so much to see
here, and so many completely unique golf holes, that you'll be back time and time again regardless. |
Challenge 6/10
There's no escaping the fact that this is a tough course, particularly with regard to the approach and green play. The greens are
borderline unfair in their severity, and I'll wager that many players would be willing to see something a bit flatter. The deep rough is
abundant and - of course - hard to escape. Consequently, breaking par (especially on the Par 4s) is something of a trial, and this is a
bit of a turn-off. |
Technical 8/10
OK, there are one or two slip-ups. A couple of bunker edges look faulty, and there's a fold or two where the sharp elevations come into
conjunction. I found myself hard up against the panorama at one point, too. But the designer deserves a lot of credit for making a wayout
concept look feasible and real, and not least for the massive amount of high-quality customisation. |
| Overall |
A brilliant and unusual golf course in one of the most unlikely environments you'll
ever come across. Might only appeal as a novelty to some, but as a novelty it takes
some beating. |
42/50 |
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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