|
Quail Ridge Falls Resort
by Steve & Tim Bausch
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 822 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2002-03-16 |
54,286,594 bytes |
72 |
7583 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
FICTIONAL |
MOUNTAIN |
Quail Ridge.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| 2367c420372c11d6a8560010b5069d1b |
decf1da86d1c7ef3108cd3e2bcbaf3dd |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Mike Nifong April 2002
Course type: Quail Ridge Falls is a fictional mountain course which employs the Banff pano.
Historical perspective: Released on March 16, 2002, Quail Ridge Falls is the fourth course released by the Bausch design consortium (the other three being, in order, Twin Lakes, Cedar Creek, and Ocean Pines; the latter two remain on my hard drive, and I supplied the official review for Ocean Pines), and it continues the trends of surpassing its predecessors in both size (48.5MB) and popularity in the user reviews (currently at three stars).
What is included: There is a brief read-me and the customary cameo and splash screen. Somewhat surprisingly at this file size, there are no hole previews, but Loner will be happy to know that a recorded round has been included.
How it looks: This is a very smooth golf course, not as meticulous as Spyglass Hill (few courses are), but carefully constructed and nicely finished, with well chosen colors and textures. The APCD work is very clean (only a few slight shadows, visible only in the top view), and elevation changes that coincide with texture boundaries, while not totally absent, have been kept to a minimum. The planting looks very natural, and little details like the staked grass paths leading to the next hole add a nice touch. Boulders are well used to add a sense of ruggedness to the terrain, and the pano fits well (although, alas, it is also becoming a bit too familiar). And while there is a bit of repetition in the hole layouts (thirteen of the holes employ some degree of dogleg, and only one of the non-par-3's plays straight ahead), the visual treatments are individual enough that you never feel that sense of 'deja tee shot' that inflicts some courses.
The bunkers are about average in terms of construction and very consistent in appearance, with nice (if thin) lips and a good variety of depth. They are also well placed and shaped. There are a few places where the sand contours seem more exaggerated than one might expect to find in real life, and the mow lines on the fairway bunkers extend all the way to the sand, but these shortcomings are relatively minor.
One area that seems much improved over previous Bausch designs is the treatment of water edges: they are quite nicely done here, and (as can be said about most aspects of this course) show considerable variety without sacrificing coherence. As you might have expected from the course name, when it comes to water the Bausch brothers did not play it altogether safe in creating this course: the signature #3 hole features their attempt to create what has always been an Achilles' heel of the APCD: a believable waterfall (in my opinion, only Rivendell has achieved notable success in this regard). Brave as their attempt may have been, it has met with only middling success here, so the decision to have the falls come into view only once was a wise one.
How it plays: A bit of a mixed bag here. The stated goal was to create a course that played easier than Ocean Pines without being too much of a pushover, and I think it only fair to say that objective has been largely met. The fairways are quite good in a number of ways. Often humped and banked in the usual landing areas, they can leave you with a lot of side hill lies, making laying up on flatter ground an occasionally viable option. The fairway bunkers are also a factor to be dealt with, as their placement makes them hard to avoid if you hit the 'obvious' shot on some holes. Higher difficulty-level players will also appreciate the fact that, in addition to the relatively generous width of the fairways, there is both a wide swath of first cut and a significant expanse of regular rough before you reach the deep grass, from which your shots will behave quite unpredictably.
The greens are also good. Often elevated, and usually protected by deep bunkers and steep surrounding slopes, they present a problem if you are short or long. Appropriately, they also tend to be rather large, increasing your chances of landing somewhere on them, although not necessarily anywhere near the pin. And since they are also not flat (although the slopes are not unrealistic), your chances for birdie diminish rapidly as your distance from the hole increases.
On the other hand, this course is not very innovative when it comes to risk and reward. The only real option off the tee is what part of the fairway do you want to hit, and placement on the fairway will for the most part determine whether you can go for the flag or have to settle for the middle of the green. None of the par-5's are reachable from the back tees, and the shortest par-4 is 426 yards, so there are not any real opportunities to go for broke either off the tee or from the fairway. This, of course, is a function of the course's length (and, since there are no really big elevation changes, it plays about what the length would suggest), and Quail Ridge Falls would have probably played better a few hundred yards shorter. And, as nice looking as it is, I wonder how long the relatively limited shot-making opportunities will hold your interest.
The bottom line: A nicely designed, well-finished course whose biggest shortcoming is its failure to stand out from a number of similar courses. Much better integrated than Ocean Pines, Quail Ridge Falls strikes me as the best of the Bausch courses overall, and by far the best of their courses for those who play champ click or powerstroke; nevertheless, its relative lack of uniqueness likely precludes its consideration among the truly elite APCD courses for the majority of the Links community.
Course Statistics :
Par 72; 4 sets of tees; 7583 yards from back tees; holes are handicapped. |
This course is available as a FREE download.
|
|
Download course
|
Please support Links Corner
|
|
|
