| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 660 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-11-22 |
29,122,768 bytes |
72 |
7280 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
IMAGINARY |
MOUNTAIN |
Badlands Golf Club.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 02f155e1de9d11d59c5cb895c0242c4b |
91f81586ffa8f2b7e9ecb8b0ba9b3de4 |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Chuck Clark
January 2002
Background: This is the 14th course released by Mr. Misener. He is the second most prolific designer we have here at Links Corner (behind Jassi Harding). I have only played one of his courses previously (Serpant Valley) and it was not that well done. Most of his courses have not been critically received in the past, but surely after 14 courses, he must be getting better at the APCD. According to the Read-Me this is a fantasy course using a badlands pano. The read-me does not have much further information, so we are left to our own devices to figure this course out. Judging by the name, I am expecting a barren and rugged terrain, with a golf course routed through it. I have been to the badlands of South Dakota, so I have some expectations about that type of country.
Included/Not Included: Read-Me (short), Splash Screen (bleary), Logo Screen, simple hole signs and many sounds. There are no Hole Previews, handicaps or Custom objects (that I could tell anyway).
Overall Impression: Well, other than the pano, this course has nothing to do with any badlands. It is a green golf course with many lakes, pine trees and flowers. Not exactly badland kinda stuff! There is a bit of a sandstone cliff on a hole or two on the back nine, but that is the extent of 'land that is bad'. I was very disappointed in this, because I was looking forward to a different looking golf course. The pano does not really fit with the course at all. The second major impression I had was the texture used for the rough area (called Sod in game). This is a multi color rough texture with mow strips. This is a personal thing, but I just don't like mow strips in rough.
As for the course itself, I liked the first 10 holes or so. They were interesting and playable. After 10 though watch out! The course becomes almost unplayable at times. The greens are especially bad, with huge and wild undulations the rule instead of the exception. I played two full rounds on this course. I was -7 after 10 holes the first round and ended up -2. On the second round I was -4 after 10 and finished +6. I four-putted two consecutive holes!
There are some holes that are unplayable from tee to green too. The 13th is impossible. If you ever figure out how to play that hole please tell me. I haven't figured it out yet. It has a split fairway with a bunch of trees in the middle. This is a fine strategic concept. You have a narrow 'risky' fairway, which rewards a good shot with an easier or shorter approach shot. You then have a wider 'safe' fairway, which results in a longer or tougher approach shot. The 13th here has no safe fairway to aim at. The left fairway is an impossibly narrow strip of land between the trees and a sand trap (with OB just beyond it). The right fairway is also really narrow and tucked between the trees and a lake. Great choice huh? Then the green, wow is all I can say. The screen shot below shows me on this green. I four-putted from here, because my second putt rolled all the way back down this cliff, some 25-feet from the hole.
Good Points: I liked the layout of the first 10 holes. They were fun and playable. There were some severe greens, but they were not too bad. I also liked the use of sounds. There was a good variety, although I did think I heard some sea birds (seagulls?) in one place. These would seem to be out of place. There were also many flowers used here. I am a sucker for flowers, I like seeing them on courses. However, there was no consistency to these beauties. There seemed to be different ones on every hole.
Not So Good: Well, other than the course being totally non-badland like, there were a number of not so good things. The last 8 holes were totally unreasonable. They were unplayable in places. The greens were ridiculously slanted and severe. The meshwork was not good on many of the bunkers and edges. There were many technical errors and distractions. There were out-of-scale objects and sharp edges galore. There was little or no under planting and large stretches of the plot that was unplanted at all. The 18th hole was a 90-degree dogleg par 5 that could be just played straight from the tee to green (resulting in a 150-yard approach shot). There was no risk to this shot at all. The hole was much tougher played the 'right' way by aiming down the fairway.
Summary: I am sorry if my comments seem a bit severe on this course. But I firmly believe that by the 14th course, Mr. Misener should be able to correct most of these errors. He has some good strategic ideas for holes here, but there are just too many technical errors for a man of his experience. And the course is just too unplayable. He needs to work on his mesh skills and making a course that is subtle in its defenses. I really can't recommend this course considering the size of the download.
I am both a player and a designer. I review courses primarily from the standpoint of fun and playability. I appreciate courses that are beautiful to look at, but first and foremost I want a fun experience. I have spent many hours designing courses myself, so I understand the blood, sweat and tears that go into the design process. Any critical comments made here are meant to be constructive and helpful. |
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