Pacific Ridge Golf Club - Special Edition
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Pacific Ridge Golf Club is a fictional course based in the Evergreen covered Cascade foothills of Washington State.  I hope you find it fun to play.  The course plays very different from the back tees than it does from the front tees on many holes due to some drastically different tee positions and distances.  

This course is a second release.  This version should allow for some better scores than the original.  The first release was in the "Armchair Architect" contest in 2001 and took third place behind Crouching Beast and Prestige.  It was reviewed by Chuck Clark at the Links Corner and received an overall score of 81%.  I decided to rework the course and release it again for several reasons.
 
Among them:

1.  I still like the design and wanted to give it another chance.  

2.  As part of the rules of the contest, I was not allowed to use custom objects.  I also took this to mean custom textures, flags, tees, panoramas, etc. so the original included only the defaults.

3.  Additionally as part of the rules of the contest, the course was not allowed to be pre-released.  I took this to mean I was not allowed to beta test it to receive feedback.

4.  APCD 1.1 was not available at the time and thus the original did not have hole previews.
  
5.  The original was released directly by Microsoft & Golf Digest after the contest and I was not allowed to include a readme file.

6.  I felt the course received a very fair review and some valid points for improvement were mentioned.  I wanted to correct the shortcomings.   


Changes in the Special Edition
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Custom textures, flags, tee markers, hole signs, hole previews and a readme file have been added.

The Cameo and Splash screens have changed.

The Pano was changed from the common Whistler mountain to Brian Silvernail's Carolinas.

The mapping was changed on the rockfaces to make it look less smeared up close.

A grass lip extrusion has been added to the mudbank around the river and lakes for visual effect.

The cart paths have been extruded for visual effect.

Grasses have been added to the undergrowth for a better visual effect.

Hole #1 was shortened by 15 yards.  I just felt it was too long before and really bordered on being a par 5.  It is now a more legitimate, but still very long par 4.

Hole #3 has had the fairway around the first bunker lowered slightly to look more realistic.

Hole #12 has had the bulldozer taken to it.  The green and bunker have been moved down the hill and the rock face beneath the green exposed.  This hole was nearly 240 yards from the back tees with a green that sloped too strongly from left to right and was rather unfair.  It now registers at about 185 yards and much of the slope has been taken out of the green.  It should play a bit easier.    

Hole #13 has had some of the green slope removed as well.  The green originally sloped very strongly from right to left on three tiers.  The three tiers are still there but some of the slope has been removed to make it a bit more fair.  The fairway, which slopes heavily from right to left, has also been widened in the landing area.

Hole #15 has seen the most significant change.  It has been shortened from 220+ yards to less than 150 yards with bunkers on the left and right and a ravine short.  The rockface behind the green has been built there as a small patch of fairway was in that space in the original course with the green behind it.  

The rock faces have been changed to behave like "pavement" rather than "rocks" to create more realistic bounces.

The U.S. Open style "deep grass" has been trimmed to mere "rough" to make the course more playable for Champ level players and Powerstrokers.

The fairway on most holes now runs up to the green whereas the fairway and greens were separated previously.

The tournament objects have been set properly to disappear when tournament objects are not in use.


Credits & Thanks
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Thanks to Lance Tucker, Ross Holton, and David Shoup for being my beta testers and providing me with detailed feedback.  I incorporated many of their suggestions in the final version.

Thanks to Lacy Gearheart for most of the course textures.  They are color modified versions of the textures from his original Burnt Pine course.  Lacy was kind enough to make these textures available for download at the Links Corner.

Thanks to Wayne Hewitt for allowing me to use his Pine Needles texture from Autumn Valley. 

Thanks to Brian Silvernail for his "Carolinas" pano as used in this course.  It has been seen in other courses, but fits my design well.

Thanks to the original designer of the tee markers.  I'm not sure who it is, but I found them at the Links Corner and am using a slightly modified version.

Special thanks to Chuck Clark for his review of the original Pacific Ridge Golf Club.  Reviewing courses is often a thankless job, but I truly appreciate the time and effort put forth by the reviewers and beta testers.  Their insight has helped me improve the course. 


Hole Descriptions
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Hole #1:

It doesn't start easily.  This is a long par 4.  A drive off the fairway here will make it difficult to be on the green in two.

Hole #2:

This is an average length par 4.  Just keep the ball in the fairway here and you should have a good shot at the green.  This is one of the smaller greens and is protected by traps front right and back left so accuracy on the second shot is at a premium.

Hole #3:

Reachable uphill par 5 with a wide landing area for the tee shot.  Make sure you don't hit the trees on the left side of the fairway short of the green if you go for it in two.  The green sits on a peninsula surrounded by rock cliffs.

Hole #4:

Scenic par 3 over water and slightly uphill from the tee.  Just make sure not to hit the ball too far right.

Hole #5:

Downhill and short par 4.  Wind direction and your tee choice may help determine whether you risk crossing the river or laying up with your tee shot.  Crossing the river will give you a flat lie whereas laying up will likely leave you a downhill lie.  A safe first shot will give you a good chance at birdie here. 

Hole #6:

Average length par 4.  Wind speed and direction will again be a deciding factor in whether your tee shot lands on the left or right side of the river.  A slightly elevated, three tier green requires accuracy on the second shot.

Hole #7:

Short par 4 dogleg left.  A conservative tee shot into the large landing area will leave a longer second shot.  Large trees guard the shortest path.  You can risk a draw around them for a better lie and a shorter second shot but you may end up in the large bunker at the base of the trees.

Hole #8:

To reach this dogleg right, par 5 in two you'll need to cut the corner into a blind landing area lined with trees.  A second option is to rotate to the right and aim to the very narrow strip of fairway up on the cliff.  If successful you'll have a nice elevated second shot to the green.  If you miss you may be in a bit of trouble.  

Hole #9:

Scenic par 3 across a waste area to a large green surrounded by trees.  The back tee offers an elevated view.  

Hole #10:

Par 4 which curves to the right.  Ensure your tee shot does not hit the large trees on the right side of the fairway or the bunker at the back side of the landing area on the left side of the fairway to ensure a reasonable second shot.  A good draw/fade around the large trees will leave a wedge to the green or play the larger part of the fairway for about 150 yards in.

Hole #11:

A short, safe tee shot on this par 4, which slopes toward the river, will leave you with a blind second shot to the green over the rock face.  A riskier tee shot over the river or to the narrow section of fairway leaves a better view of the green but also an uphill lie.

Hole #12:

Par 3 with a green that slopes from left to right.  The back tee is elevated to green level but requires a tee shot over the front-left greenside bunker.  Accuracy is needed to avoid a very difficult putt.  Don't push the shot too far right or you will have a tough, uphill return.

Hole #13:

Reachable par 5 with a fairway that slopes right to left.  Avoid the large tree on the left side of the fairway with your second shot to reach the triple-tiered green which slopes moderately from right to left.  Grass bunkers behind the green will catch long approach shots.

Hole #14:

I would call this the signature hole.  Uphill tee shot which leaves an elevated approach.  A tempting long tee shot reaches the top of the hill in the narrow section of fairway leaving a nice elevated second shot.  A missed tee shot here will bounce you off the rocks.  A safer strategy is to leave the tee shot short in the wider area of fairway, but that will leave a long, blind second shot with an uphill lie.

Hole #15:

Short par 3 across a ravine with bunkers on the left and right.  Just ensure not to leave the approach short as the front edge of the green drops into the ravine.

Hole #16:

Trees on the left side of the tee box on this short par 4 will be an obstacle from the back tee.  A tee shot to the narrow fairway section near the green is possible but beware the trees to the left and bunker to the right.  Avoid the large rock in front of the green with your second shot.

Hole #17:

The best tee shot on this par 5 is to the left side of the fairway but beware the large tree and bunker.  The second shot will be uphill but longer hitters will have a shot at the front side of the green in two.  A tee shot to the right side will force a larger uphill lie and navigation around the large trees near this smaller green which has bunkers on either side.

Hole #18:

You had best leave the driver in the bag on this par 4.  A fairly wide landing area offers a nice short iron across the water to this large, flat, peninsula green surrounded by bunkers.  Miss the fairway and you may have trouble reaching the green in two.  


Enjoy and thank you for giving 'Pacific Ridge Golf Club - Special Edition' a try.

Greg Stout (Cougs72)
Course Designer
cougs72@hotmail.com

