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Gut Kaden (C+B Kurs)
by Guenter Kujat
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 746 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2002-01-21 |
66,292,918 bytes |
72 |
7117 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
REAL |
PARKLAND |
Kaden_cb.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 31f667a5879749ba96d2279119891c31 |
6c1df2a684ac3f98cbdf9cb0ae1a2225 |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by
Mike Nifong
January 2002
Course history: 'Gut Kaden is a Frank Penninck design from the early '80's, which was reconstructed and brought up to date for European Tour tourney play by Karl F. Grohs in 1991.' Consisting of three separate nine-hole courses, it can be combined in several different ways (six, actually, although the other three would merely reverse the order of these three) to constitute an 18-hole round. The C + B Kurs is the home of the Deutsche Bank/SAP Open.
Designer history: If I were to ask 100 regulars from this community to name the top three designers currently working with the APCD, I would expect that at least 95 of them would name Guenter Kujat, and I would not be at all surprised if all 100 did so. This is his third course, and it, like its two predecessors, is a real German course that is a regular venue for the European Tour. Both Munchen Nord, Eichenreid, and Gut Larchenhof have been considered among the best courses ever created for this game since their introduction. It says a lot about Guenter that each of them is now in its third incarnation: refusing to rest on his laurels, he has updated each course twice to take advantage of advances both in the APCD, such as the ability to add hole previews and the ability to turn tournament objects off and on, and in his own mastery of the art of recreating courses. As a consequence, they remain state-of-the-art, showing no signs of age and fully meriting the 5-star user ratings and glowing accolades they have always commanded.
By restricting his design work to the recreation of real German courses, Guenter would seem to put himself at a competitive disadvantage with the other designer who has achieved near-universal acclaim, Mike Jones, who has thus far directed his talents toward the creation of fictional, albeit extremely realistic, courses. But while this lack of freedom with respect to course design and geographic placement may result in his courses having less dramatic visceral impact than, for example, Pacific Breaks, it has not interfered in the slightest with his ability to turn heads with the sheer naturalness of his creations, and their more subtle beauty undeniably wears very well. Perhaps this is why one often hears the sentiment that Mike Jones should tackle some real courses, but rarely, if ever, that Guenter should undertake some fictional ones. But the fact is that, as is often the case when we witness a supremely gifted athlete performing a near-impossible feat without the slightest sign of exertion and for that reason underestimate its difficulty, we often tend to underestimate the artistry involved in Guenter's work because it does not call attention to itself: in short, its genius is in its apparent simplicity.
Overall impressions: The concept of a mix-and-match golf course for Links 2001 certainly does not originate here. I have always felt that Access should have attempted to do something similar several years ago when they chose instead to issue Sea Island with only 18 of its 27 holes. And more recently, Mick Prendergast has announced his intention to do the same thing with Devil's Lake; to date, however, only one of its courses has been completed. So this is the first time that this feat has actually been accomplished. Guenter has combined each of the three nines with each of the others, giving us an option of playing any 18 holes we choose. And he has not merely stuck them together; the C + B Kurs, being the only pairing that is actually used on the Tour, is thus the only one that has a complete set of tournament objects included, accounting for its larger file size, but smaller crowds are included on the other two pairings as well.
By the way, I rarely turn on tournament objects when I play Links - purely a matter of personal preference - but, knowing how much pride Guenter takes in their creation, I did try the C + B Kurs both ways, and I would have to admit that the tournament option added another dimension of realism to the experience.
Each of the three combinations has its own cameo and splash screen derived from photographs of the actual course, as is Guenter's usual practice. The read-me file, on the other hand, is the same for each course, with brief notes about the history of the course and copies of each of the 27 hole previews. As you would probably expect, the hole previews themselves are excellent: strikingly rendered, legible, and informative. Each of the nines is separately handicapped.
The course is absolutely gorgeous, even exceeding Guenter's usual lofty standard. Colors and textures are as perfect as can be imagined, and the finish is as meticulous as I have ever seen in an APCD course. Note, for instance, the way that the grass is slightly trodden down from the ends of the paved cart paths across the rough to the fairways and greens - sheer brilliance! If there are any flaws anywhere, I could not find them. Even the dynamic cam shots, which often reveal a few rough edges in the best courses, were immaculate. The water treatments (and there is a lot of water on this course - I believe it appears on 20 of the 27 holes) are uniformly excellent; the stream (running water textures have always seemed especially problematic in this game) is the best that I have seen. Another area in which many courses come up short but this one succeeds spectacularly is the use of sound: both the sounds themselves and their relative volume levels are right on the money - this is the most natural sounding course I have played. But I would have to say that the most remarkable visual aspect of this course is the planting, which is virtually indistinguishable from real life. Most courses, no matter how good they are, reveal in some fashion that they are assembled from bits and pieces. Not this one. It looks like it was grown. The result of all this attention to detail is the most convincingly real course available in this game. Period.
Whatever your method of play, all three courses offer variety and, if set up right, challenge. With moderate conditions, you may find that they play a little on the easy side for pro clickers, but the addition of a little wind to bring more of the water and bunkers into play or the firming up of the greens to make them harder to hold should do the trick. For powerstrokers and champ clickers, moderate conditions will probably be challenging enough. In any conditions, the course plays with consummate fairness, which is about all one could ask.
The A Kurs (par 35; 2956 yards from back tees): The shortest of the three nines, it is also the wettest (water is at least visible on every hole but #2, although not always in play) and the most scenic. It also has the biggest trees, one of which will influence your tee shot on #1 if you play from the back (it is sometimes possible to hit through it, but a fade is a much more prudent choice), one of the few times the trees come into play at Gut Kaden. This is also the only one of the three courses that lends itself to dramatic reversals of fortune. Both of the par-5's (#3 and #9) are reachable from the back tees (unless you are playing into the wind, in which case #3 may be a bit too much of a reach), and both offer reasonable eagle opportunities, although I found them a little easier to come by on #3. The arm of water that cuts across the fairway on #5 will force you to use a 3W off the back tees, and the landing area is well protected by bunkers; from the more forward tees, the far fairway should be within reach. #7is a short par-4, but not quite short enough to reach from the back tees; if you decide to try it, and you will, the important thing is to get your ball past the stream - you will be in the rough, but should find yourself in pretty good shape for a chip that will preserve your chance at birdie. Nine holes that will reward prudent decisions, then, but also nine holes that will enable you to make up (or give up) a lot of ground in a hurry.
The B Kurs (par 36; 3599 yards): The longest of the three nines, and the one with the fewest risk/reward opportunities. More open than the A Kurs, it tends to feature smaller trees and shrubs, none of which should have much effect on your decisions. Water is also not so often present, and rarely is it a significant hazard. Neither of the par-5's (#6 and #8) is reachable from the back tees, and there are really no eagle opportunities. Birdies are always a possibility, however, and the key to a successful score is the avoidance of the fairway bunkers, which are much more prevalent here. They can be played out of, but don't expect to beat par that way. Nine holes that are more about avoiding mistakes than taking advantage of them.
The C Kurs (par 36; 3518 yards): For the first eight holes, this nine plays like an even more open but shorter version of the B Kurs. The water is a little more often in play, and there is a tree on the left side of the fairway at the landing area on #6 that could affect your tee shot (the second such instance in 27 holes), but the key again is to avoid the fairway bunkers. As a consequence of the shorter length, however, this nine also differs from the B Kurs in that both of the par-5's (#3 and #6) are reachable from the back tees; the second shot on #3 does involve a 250+-yard carry over water, but it is easier than it looks. This gives a couple more eagle opportunities and the concomitant higher risk/reward factor. Then you come to #9, which plays into an island green with the clubhouse behind it and large trees encircling the sides. Not your typical island green, I might add, since the island also contains enough of a rough surround that the water itself should not come into play, but a lovely finishing hole for this nine.
The bottom line: As if you didn't already know. Everybody was going to download at least one of these courses regardless of what I said; Guenter's name alone would merit that. Personally, I would not want to be without any of them: each standing alone is as good a course as you will find. If you held a gun to my head and told me I had to pick just one, I would probably go with C + B because of its enhanced tournament options, but I cannot imagine that anyone would not want to be able to enjoy the A course as well; if risk/reward is of utmost importance to you and you are only getting one, A + C would be the best choice; if you want to combine the greatest degree of contrast with the best chance to make a run on the back nine, then B + A is your ticket. So, despite the hefty chunk of real estate they will take up on your hard drive, my recommendation is to get them all. And to really go out on a limb here, I will just say that if you consider this three-course-package as a single course, then it nudges out Pacific Breaks and Spyglass Hill at the top of what has become an increasingly glittering heap.
Course Statistics :
C + B Kurs (par 72, 7117 yards from back tees)
A + C Kurs (par 71, 6474 yards from back tees)
B + A Kurs (par 71, 6555 yards from back tees) |
This course is available as a FREE download.
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