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The Meadows
by Paul Woodbury
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 674 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2001-11-29 |
66,567,429 bytes |
72 |
7671 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
WOODLAND |
The Meadows.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 8d1e444a876444cdb2939ce68e16b0a6 |
6d6e1720221d35b0a9eb9b6157a7a9ef |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Joe Turner `Loner'
December 2001
The readme and its 'parts' include splashes for your wallpaper and scorecards. The hole previews contained some excellent information.
What a magnificent looking course, the fountains, rock treatments, 2 types, around water hazards, the gray sand in the bunkers is fitting for this setting. The heavily planting of green trees is accented by interspersed color ones with a fine, fine looking undergrowth. It had an interesting heavy textured rough with a subtle change for the first cut, faintly mowed fairway and contrasting tee boxes and greens. What didn't I like, a few times, most noticeably on the 12th hole, the trees to the immediate left were lined up, repetitive. It happened elsewhere but it was very obvious here.
The fairways varied slightly in size but were mostly narrow but fair. They all had an interesting slope to them so watch where you land. The greens were not easy but they also weren't unnaturally sloped. They had small breaks to them that will keep your birdies down but once you get within 6 feet they seem to be quite flat. His long par 5's could not be reached in 2 but all seemed to be not only fun to play but they were willing to give you birdies. The 3 pars were mostly huge drops and it was most enjoyable to try and figure out what club to use and how to putt the slightly difficult little guys once you hit them.
3rd hole, par 5, 566y, the fairways are broken twice before you get to the green, my drive 287y, with 280y to go. I went for the green ignoring the second fairway and then had only an approach of 28y, yes this is a birdie hole.
7th hole, par 4, 420y, divided by a large bunker I had to layup with a 2 iron, 222y. I then had 197y to the flag, the caddie gave me a 3 iron, out of curiosity I tried it and immediately went to an adjusted up 4 iron for a better shot. Watch the caddie, a little off for me here.
9th hole, par 5, 666y, the fairway is divided too far up to be a bother, a 275y drive landed between two large bunkers and only 388y to go. Now a simple 3w will be safe enough give me an approach shot of 140y to the island green, didn't I mention that. This part of the hole is my screen shot; because of the slight elevation I used a clean 8 iron, wonderful hole.
14th hole, par 4, I only mention this because you can cut across because of the drop in elevation, but the fairway slopes away from you, so care must be taken.
The imaginative hole shapes, varied hazards and changing elevations made this course a pleasure to play. Just looking at the beauty of the course and the entire layout was a treat. Some of the bunkers could have been placed for more of a challenge but this long course will make you stop and think many times before you get used to it's little tricks. This is a definite download, sorry 56k'ers but it is well worth it. Play and enjoy.
Reviewer Note
I am a player not a designer and therefore rate a course as a player for other players.
Summary :
Included: readme, custom flag, custom tees, hole preview, ball washers, cart, cart path and buildings.
Not included: hole numbers and hole signs.
Statistical information: par 72, 7671y, 4 sets of tees, 4-par 3's, 10-par 4's, 4-par 5's. |
|
CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Fictional, forest course |
Location
Apparently somewhere in the Midwest, based on some intelligent deduction. |
Conditions
S*/S* is about all this will take |
Concept 4/10
The concept of The Meadows is somewhat lost on me, to be honest. If it's a woodland course, why does it have a name implying
openness? The location is difficult to pin down due to the course being claustrophobically enclosed, and the designer's predilections for
signature holes are wearying when you have to play split fairways on more than half of the 18. It's overkill, to be honest, and was reworked
into something more coherently in San Simeon. |
Appearance 5/10
The trees are a tasty riot of colour and well planted for the most part, although some clones creep into view towards the end. They are not
really complemented by the panorama, which is too high and gives the impression of playing golf in a big dish. The elevations of the plot
itself are far from smooth, too, and result in plenty of odd-looking shapes on the surface. The texture set doesn't really fit together well and
is lacking in any interest. |
Playability 6/10
The laterally-split fairways are the trademark of this course and, while infuriating, offer a cowardly safe option on many holes. The
variety of hole lengths is very good, although with several similar holes on the back nine, you do get the impression that ideas were
running somewhat short. The gameplay is supported by good hole previews, making it a round worth returning to. |
Challenge 8/10
The greens are a sad let-down, being somewhat unrealistic and out of fitting with their surround. If it's possible to overlook these, then
a typically gambling round will still set you back a fair few strokes, thanks to some prescient hazard placements. But there's little by
way of deep rough in play, and opportunities to pull out a highlight reel approach are frequently presented. The balance, it has to be
conceded, is not bad at all. |
Technical 5/10
Tired-looking is perhaps the best way to describe The Meadows. There's little to remark upon in either appearance or game-play, and
perhaps it's not unsurprising that this was given the remake treatment. The designer's tendency towards cynical hole designs still
needs curbing. |
| Overall |
You'd probably do best to stick to San Simeon, this course's successor. |
28/50 |
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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