|
Royal Lytham and St. Annes
by Bill Bunning
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 852 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2002-04-10 |
34,217,752 bytes |
71 |
6903 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
REAL |
PARKLAND |
royal lytham.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| ecf21b5521c3497cb1e20f28104496e2 |
110ded57923cec670e5d215b56436795 |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by Joe Turner `Loner' April 2002
This 'real' course was undeniably beautifully detailed and recreated both aesthetically and in playability. From the wide open feeling that the pano gave you to the colors in the well defined tee boxes, unusual dual mowed fairways, light rough, deep rough and then deep grass. The same deep grass was used for undergrowth in the heavily planted tree lined fairways. The greens were well blended shades with an attractive color that could be seen as your ball lowered itself onto it when using the dyna-cam. The fairways have some undulation to them but were as a rule very narrow but also very navigate-able. The fairways had few bunkers on them, and like the many bunkers at the greens, they could be easily avoided. If you were careful not to try the 'big shots' on the fairway and paid attention to the slight slopes you were safe. The bunkers were well crafted and for the most part, especially at the greens very deep. What didn't I like, the colored trash bins at every tee box, hey I can complain a little.
The putting was difficult from a distance but quite easy if you landed close. The greens had in some places severe undulations and in some cases leaned towards to the small side but they were fair. You could tell the way the fairways were laid out and the way the greens were crafted that care and time was put into the construction of this course. The elevations and the caddie were both excellent. The course as you know is a real one therefore the designer cannot change it as he wishes. This course isn't laid out with strategy in mind, the holes don't show that much imagination, yes a few are interesting but not enough to write about, they, being narrow and guarded are interesting on their own without having the twists and turns that make you stop and think.
This is not only a beautiful course on its own but a beautifully built course that will have you coming back to replay it because you think you thought of a way to beat it only to find out hat the wind has changed and the greens became slower or faster and you have an entirely new course to play. Wind, that's where the deep grass comes in. With these narrow fairways you will be in there more that you wanted to. Fortunately I checked them out for you and they are not 'steel weeds' but you may thing about going at least one club up to allow for the drag on the ball as it comes out. Do I suggest downloading this course and keeping it, most definitely, keeping it and enjoying it.
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Pete Dixon's thoughts..
If anyone is qualified to make a critique of the Open Championship Links that is Royal Lytham St Annes, it is me.
Having lived a few hundred yards from the course for nearly half my life and going to school opposite it I have many happy memories of the famous course like walking across it every night for a year to see my girlfriend who lived on the other side and later became the first Mrs Dixon, I remember falling into a hole one blackened night hurling my Groundhogs and Ten Years After LP's across the hallowed turf, losing my marker and wandering around for what seemed like hours, disorientated until I reached the clubhouse and most notably watching Gary Player win the Open there in 197???
When I found out Bill was making a design of the course 18 months or so ago, I have shared with him over the time period the design of the course from its inception to the finished article, of which I will go into in detail later. In April last year I went to the course and took some photographs for him and during my trudge around the course I started to chat to a green keeper who was sitting on his mower, it transpired that he had and played Links 2001 and visited our site daily. His name? Phil Medcalf!
From that day on Phil and Bill were in touch and from this pairing you now have the course that is available for download. Bill is a stickler for detail and Phil a calm, patient man who would do all he can to help (If you are reading this Phil, I expect a pint when we meet up in August!!).
Hundreds if not thousands of photographs of holes, objects, backgrounds and hand drawn elevation changes, gradients, blades of grass, type of bush, tree or plant have been recreated to the utmost accuracy, as well as new bunkers, tee placings. The gradients on greens, fairways and rough have been gone over time and again with Phil on what can only be described as a labour of love.
Now it's all very well having a course that's accurate but it has to have a competent designer behind it to carry it off, after all Bill has never designed a course before this one, so it may be a bit much to expect a masterpiece.
Well I have seen versions of the course from the very basic layout through to the end and I can say with my hand on my heart that it just takes my breath away.
This is a course that is the epitome of British Golf, Seaside Links, with the wind controlling the outcome and wiry grass that knots and twists around your club head if you stray from the tight fairways that have the most horrific high walled bunkers that are their trademark only to putt on steeply sloping greens.
To score well you have to do this on the front 9, as they can ease you into a false sense of security with back to back par 5's and a par 3 to start your round.
In fact the famous par 3 9th, with the Ansdell Institute overlooking it, is far from easy, you have to be accurate as pot bunkers surround the small green.
The final 9 holes are described as one of the toughest back 9's in golf anywhere in the World, which was proved at last years Open Championship, long par 4's often into the wind don't give much chance for birdie opportunities and level par is a good score for these holes,
The 18th hole played towards the famous green and white and brick built Clubhouse has been party to many exciting finishes and is here for all to see, along with all the other buildings such as the Dormy House, the Pro Shop, the Starters hut, even down to the Hospice which is in the background and the houses that flank the course. Other custom objects include just about everything and most of the textures, if not all, are custom and original to Bill, I know he has plenty of advice from people like Mike Jones, Matt Woodbridge, Bomber to name just a few and our thanks should go out to them too.
Sounds are also excellent, you even get the sounds of the trains that go by on the West side of the Course and stop at Ansdell station a few hundred yards from the 9th tee.
I will leave my last words for the overall spot.
Best Hole: A magnificent 18 holes but purely on a personal level my two favourites are the 9th and the 18th for reasons I have gone into earlier.
Overall: I may come over biased, as I love this course in real life and have had input, be it small, into this design. All I can say is that it is a masterful piece of work in its own right but its attention to detail to the finest point is what raises up just that little bit more to make it the best rendition of a real course out there, that is without question.
18 Months have gone into this and it has been worth every minute, thanks must go in a big way to Phil who has helped Bill tremendously and I think I can safely say that without his help you would have got a great course but never one so accurate, all this done by two guys from opposite sides of the Atlantic.
Take your time on your next course Bill and we await another masterpiece. Don't forget to update it for 2003 as well.
Reviewer Note
I am a player not a designer and therefore rate a course as a player for other players.
Summary :
Included: readme, cameo, splash, hole previews, custom flag, custom tee markers, ball washers, cart path, crowds, other objects and tournament objects.
Not Included: hole signs and numbers.
Statistical Information: par 71, 6903y, 4 sets of tees, 4-3 pars. 11-4 pars, 3-5 pars. |
This course is available as a FREE download.
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