Cooper Chapel Golf Club Redux
by Paul Nicholson

Links Corner Course Database ID Number - 959 Release Date CRZ Filesize Par Course Length 2002-07-08  22,073,772  bytes 72  7367 yards Type Style CRZ Filename FICTIONAL  PARKLAND  cooperchapelredux.crz  Course ID Course Key 6ba14bf8e3be4521911a3f2519635068  a8352f50a051307007d43c3471b0378c  COURSE SCREENSHOTS LINKS CORNER REVIEW Reviewed by Mike Nifong July 2002 Course type: Cooper Chapel is a fictional, parkland-style course set in an (as far as I know) undisclosed location, but having a similar feel to such Access/Microsoft courses as Firestone and (especially) Cog Hill. It appears that no pano has been used (the telltale blue line showing up in, in particular, certain angles from the green on #11), the trees planted along the edge of the course plot serving that function. Historical perspective: As is apparent from the 'Redux' of the title, this course is a revisiting of an earlier Wildcat design. Although technically Wildcat's fourth course (following The Island, and released on January 10, 2001, at the same time as The Desert and The Pines), the original incarnation of Cooper Chapel was the first of his courses actually intended for public consumption (the history of Wildcat's design career is set out in some detail in the read-me file accompanying The Hill & Dell Club, which, if you do not already have, you should get). It was also the first of his courses that I downloaded (based on a favorable review at Crusader's site), and it remained on my HD until the release of this new version on July 8, 2002. In the interim between the two Cooper Chapels, Wildcat released Charleswood (May 2001), McNeely Lakes (August 2001), and The Hill& Dell Club (March 2002). These courses all share a few characteristics: very modest file size (10.5MB to 13.1MB), increasingly favorable LC review scores (67, 83 and 88, respectively), and a remarkably consistent (if, in my view, somewhat low) user rating of three stars (which, incidentally, is the same user rating that both versions of Cooper Chapel share). They are also all part of my permanent collection. What is included: In its 20.6MB file size (by far the largest of Wildcat's designs, and some 4.6MB larger than the first version, but still well below the current average), we are given a brief read-me, new cameo and splash screens, three recorded rounds (easy, medium and hard conditions), and hole previews. The previews are unusual, foregoing strategic advice to provide golf jokes, but they are sufficiently informative to enable those so inclined to successfully negotiate the course without using the top view. In other words, quite a lot is included in this small package. What has been changed: If you were to compare the two versions of the course hole by hole, you would notice that the lengths are different on 17 holes (some shorter, some longer, with the greatest difference being 14 yards), the new version playing 55 yards longer. Since Wildcat points out in his read-me that only one of the fairways and none of the greens have been changed in shape, I suspect that most of that difference is explained by the redesign of the tee boxes: the three individual tee boxes of the original version have been replaced with single, larger tee areas, most often with a runway configuration. There are also new (cross-shaped) tee markers, and #11 gets a dramatic new elevated tee box with impressive stone work. Other than the improved tee boxes, the most significant change is in the planting. Whereas the original had a very open look essentially devoid of underplanting and without significant planting near the tee, the revised version has substantial underplanting and uses shrubs and small trees in the tee areas, giving the course a less open look. Moreover, much of the tee-area replanting consists of pink dogwoods - legions of them - making the new version much more colorful. There is also elaborate (and very natural looking) edge planting on all the numerous ponds, replacing the bland mud banks in the earlier version. Other changes include reworking of all the bunkers, improved textures, and a river rock facing (which plays as a hazard) on the bank in front of the #4 green. Technical merit: There is very little to complain about here. I noticed a few very minor mesh shadows along the fairway/rough transition (e.g., the left side of #8), and an occasional straight edge or sharp angle, mostly along long texture boundaries (e.g., the right side of the fairway on #10, the teebox on #9). It is unlikely that you will notice any of these during your round, and they have no effect whatsoever on play. Artistic achievement: Frankly, as good as the original Cooper Chapel was as a golf course, it (like many other courses of its vintage) had really begun to show its age: the stock textures, mediocre bunkers, and merely serviceable planting make it a bit of an ugly duckling when compared to the works of, for example, Mike Jones, Guenter Kujat and Eddie Schmidt. And while the new version may not quite be a beautiful swan, it is at least a very handsome bird. For all practical purposes, the course has been completely replanted. The significant trees (the ones that affect your shots) are the same, but their surroundings have been transformed. I will admit that I remain somewhat ambivalent about all those pink dogwoods - not only can they be visually overwhelming in places, but the relatively small number of examples to choose from means that you notice the same ones reappearing. This is not much of a problem in the long views, but occasionally looks a bit repetitive from the greens when you are putting toward them. And while we are on the subject of repetitive planting, the row of trees down the right side of #18 (and right down the plot border), somehow appear even more soldier-like in their new surroundings. Still, these are minor quibbles, and they are much more than offset by the new planting around the water, which is some of the most effective and natural work I have yet seen in the APCD. The reworked bunkers look much better than their earlier counterparts, as do the new textures. There is still no first cut, which would have looked nice. I also noticed that the mow lines go all the way to the sand in the two bunkers on the right side of the #1 fairway (a pet peeve of mine), but since this occurs nowhere else on the course, it is easily forgivable. Play value: In his review of the original version of this course, Jim Wood wrote: "It is imperative that you not only stay in the fairway but that you also stay in the correct part of the fairway. You will be forced to play fades and draws to get the ball onto the putting surface. A challenge to play [,] it may be to a lot of peoples [sic] liking but should probably be avoided by anyone using the Power Stroke method of swinging." In case any of you were wondering, that aspect of the course has not been changed. With its frequent water hazards, its narrow fairways (that sometimes narrow further in the landing areas), its often-diabolical placement of trees, and its deep greenside bunkers, Cooper Chapel remains a challenging course even to pro clickers (that is, the majority of us), even in medium conditions. To be sure, if you play carefully and hit your snap, a good score is possible. I did manage a -9 in b/m/m/d conditions, but my more usual score on this course was about three strokes worse than my normal average (and I really do not recommend playing it under severe conditions). It proved quite challenging to the computer players as well. The foursome of Garcia, Stadler, Clearwater and Weir managed only a -13 total (E to -5) in b/m/m/m conditions, the highest score I have yet recorded under those circumstances. (That total is a little skewed by Keith Clearwater's decision to pull a Tin Cup on #8: after driving into the fairway, he found the direct path to the pin blocked by the large tree next to the water on the left; he proceeded to hit his next three shots into the water trying to go through the branches before it finally occurred to him that a draw might be in order, and finished with a 10.) Moreover, having found the fairway a very average 77% of the time (69-85%), they managed to reach only 62% of the greens (55-72%), also the lowest percentage I have recorded under these conditions. Under w/f/f/d conditions, their totals were much worse: +6 overall (+6 to -4), hitting 67% of the fairways (61-76%) and only 48% of the greens (38-61%). The greens, incidentally, remain a good mixture of relatively flat (and consequently straightforward) ones on the one hand and quite challenging ones with difficult and sometimes compound slopes on the other. Wildcat says in his read-me that he tamed some of them and made others more difficult, but the overall result appears to be a bit of a wash. One thing that I did experience a little differently than Jim was the 'reachability' of the par-5's. I (and the computer players - at least some of them) found #5, #8, and #13 all to be at least potentially reachable with a favorable breeze (those three holes were shortened by 14, 10, and 1 yards, respectively). Making the attempt, however, was frequently inadvisable due to disadvantageous position on the fairways. The 694-yard #18 (actually lengthened 13 yards) remains unreachable. Interestingly, it also proved to be virtually unfathomable to the computer players. Because of the water hazard straight ahead, I found a 3W (5W with a strong tailwind) off the tee about perfect to set up another 3W to the second fairway, after which I was set up for a short-to-medium iron to the green. The computer players never figured that strategy out. Their most common strategy (sometimes only after hitting their initial tee shot into the water with a driver) was to hit a 9I (!) off the tee, then draw a 3W over the trees to the adjacent fairway (or, about half the time, rough); this left them a blind 3W through the trees toward the green that could carry the water when they bounced it off the bridge (!!!). If I had not witnessed this several times, I would not have believed it to be possible - or even conceivable. The bottom line: Personally, I loved this course. If you, like me, are an average-to-slightly-above-average clicker, you probably will, too. If you play at the tougher levels, be forewarned that Jim Wood's previous caveats still apply. Recommended to pro clickers who like challenges and to anyone who enjoyed the first version. This new incarnation retains the spirit of the old course while improving its packaging in every respect. That would seem to be about all one could ask of a version 2. Course statistics: Par 72; 5 sets of tees; 7367 yards from back tees; holes are not handicapped. This course is available as a FREE download. Download course Please support Links Corner