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Barkcamp Lake Resort
by William Kline
| Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 919 |
Release Date |
CRZ Filesize |
Par |
Course Length |
| 2002-05-26 |
26,303,660 bytes |
69 |
7946 yards |
| Type |
Style |
CRZ Filename |
|
IMAGINARY |
UNCLASSIFIED |
Barkcamp.crz |
| Course ID |
Course Key |
| fa76ea3eabe54114925abc96cd0c71c1 |
762929138c33d56dd666c1d03f2cb3f0 |
|
LINKS CORNER REVIEW |
Reviewed by
Nilkas Oscarsson
June 2002
Expectations:
This course was one of the really early APCD courses. We've come a long way since then (late 2000) and I doubt that this course will measure up to todays standards. It has become significantly bigger, probably from additional planting. I know it's a fantasy course with lots of water. There was no readme file, which is a bit disappointing. I always like to read a little about the designer's intentions and how he thinks the holes should be played.
First impression:
The first hole is a very long par 3 with a long carry over water to an island green. The tee shapes and positions appear to be right off the shelf. Also the bunkers couldn't look more standard than they do. The tee is nicely embedded between trees and there is thick undergrowth in front of it. The grass to the right has a color that doesn't fit in very well. The stone wall to the right of the tee is well made on the outside, but the inside has a different mapping and it looks very stretched. Ok, time to play.
A walk through the course:
The APCD work seem to be pretty solid. I discovered some strange mesh shadows, an oversized bridge and a bridge that is not level with the ground. Some bunkers didn't look very natural, otherwise nothing really disturbing could be found. There are some very beautiful spots in this resort, still after a few holes I get the feeling that everything looks the same. Every tee is narrowed by trees on both sides and the first shot is always over water. Many different textures and objects have been used, but this ruins the consistency more than is helps the variation. What really kills this course is the fact that APCD templates have been used with very little changes. Greens, bunkers and tees have exactly the shape and position that APCD suggests. This gets pretty boring after a while. Also, this course has six par 3's. Four of them are identical in length. The remaining two (1 and 10) are very long and the 10th hole additionally has a postage stamp green. I landed my 3 wood before the green and the ball rolled over the 'full' length of the green and stopped in the rough behind it. The only way to stop the ball on the green is to hit the flag.
The par 4's vary in length between long and ridiculous. On 6, I took the short cut over the 7th fairway and still had a 3 wood approach to the green. Barkcamp Lake Resort is a par 69 course with the length 6718m (7382y). Add water everywhere and you'll have a very difficult golf course.
My favorite hole was 18. It's a long par three over water (what else!), but what raises this hole above the rest is a big mound that cuts into the green from the front. A straight shot towards the middle of the green may actually be the worst option. A very unusual hole which I really liked.
The verdict:
APCD should be credited as co-designer here. The automatic shapes have been used almost everywhere, which surely has to do with the early origin of this course. Today's top designers don't use any of that stuff and the result is classes better. Some holes on Barkcamp have received a little more attention and are clearly much better than the rest. If only Mr. Kline had trusted his own abilities instead of the ones of the program. This course is simply outdated and new textures and additional planting only partially compensate this. The APCD work is decent but not great. The score I've given is even lover than its original score which I'm sure doesn't make the designer very happy. Of course this version has improved over its predecessor, but the standard is so much higher today than it was two years ago...
In spite of its low score, I think it's well worth of a download. The file size is still decent and you'll receive a real challenge and many pretty views. Just be sure to bring enough golf balls.
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CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson (ousgg) |
Description
Imaginary, lakeside course |
Location
TBC |
Conditions
TBC |
Concept 3/10
This was one of the first APCD designs to be released to the public. The designer presumably thought a series of islands threading through a large inland lake would make people stand up and take notice. He was wrong. Hole design quickly becomes repetitive and, despite the endless promise of the basic idea, many holes are modelled on the default shape. |
Appearance 2/10
It's hard to find much to like visually about this course. The lack of technical know-how is a big contributor. Blind shots proliferate, and the scenery is repetitive and does little to detract from the gameplay. While good elevations should afford a grand view over the lake, they are never used effectively enough. Planting is comical, with a misplaced lighthouse and bizarre-looking bridge. This might be the only course where the Top Cam looks better than the main window. |
Playability 2/10
18 holes of making inch-perfect shots over water really, really drags. If I hadn't holed a 28-foot putt at the 9th, I'd have given up halfway round. Without using Mulligans, this would undoubtedly turn off most players, due to the ramped-up difficulty and forced shotmaking. |
Challenge 1/10
This is totally mis-pitched. Anyone using the advanced swings will find this course totally impossible. Anyone who misses their snaps will find likewise. Hazards are not just limited to the water: you have to take a penalty drop from most of the flowerbeds too! Greens are too sharply pitched and more than once I found a missed putt coming straight back to rest at my feet. The course as a whole just serves to frustrate and irritate. |
Technical 1/10
Quite simply, very poor. Bad extruding abounds, planting is repetitive and uninspired, and there are folds and stretched textures everywhere you look. So much more could be made of this course: the failure of the designer to improve and release a version 2 is unforgivable. |
| Overall |
A course really starting to show its age and amateur origins. The concept could have made for some really exciting golf in today's hands, and this is crying out for a re-working. |
9/50 |
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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