Links Corner Forum

While browsing the course database dump through the CSV file, I was interested in BETA courses that never had a final release (which is unfortunate for many, I'm looking at you Oakmont, Ridgewood, Tron, and many others). A side effect of that search is that I've realized there are a bunch of courses which DO have a final release and it made me wonder what value there is in keeping the BETA version in the database.

Has this been considered before?

I realize that the course owner decides, and can request, that the ALPHA/BETA version be removed. If they don't ask, it will stay.

My main question is, should these ALPHA/BETA versions expire after some amount of time and be cleansed from the database? The owner may be forgetful or unaware that they should ask to have it removed.

These (below) courses are ones that appear to have final versions and could be removed. After all, who's going to download them? At this point, nobody I would think. There are 2399 (!) courses, this would reduce the clutter a bit. However, I don't want to assume that the course author would be okay with their removal though, and maybe that's why they stay unless explicitly requested.

• Askernish Golf Club
• Billabongs
• British Open 2018 Carnoustie
• Classic Club at Northstar - beta
• Colonial Country Club - 2007 - beta
• East Lake Golf Club
• Glen Abbey 2014
• Grey Silo
• Lenton Lakes at Sixfields
• Old Head Golf Links
• One South
• Rivendell 2012
• Royal Lytham & St. Annes 2012
• Sherwood Country Club
• The Links at Teton Peaks
• TPC Boston - beta
• TPC Louisiana
• TPC Sawgrass Updated (2019)
• TPC Southwind
• Treymoon Point Golf Club
• Turnberry Beta
• Turnberry The Ailsa Course - pre alpha
• Wentworth West OWGC08 Beta
• Woodland Lake (gamma)
• Woodland Trail C C 2007 - beta 2
• Wytout Links

There are differences in some of your examples between them and their supposed "final" version, making the decision on whether to keep them irrelevant. Plus there are other reasons for those versions to exist - just like there are reasons for six versions of Augusta National to exist. Storage space is pretty cheap in these days of terabyte hard drives. Leave the files as they are, and no one will need to waste their time deliberating on whether or not to delete a paltry 26 records when doing so might create more work than it saves.

Pete

Since I took over the course database I have never deleted an entry with the exception of test entries.

If a designer asks me me to remove a beta, I invariably just mark it as discontinued but I usually leave the zipfile in place.

Fair enough. Thx for the responses.

My 2 cents.. @Miggolfer."should these ALPHA/BETA versions expire after some amount of time and be cleansed from the database? The owner may be forgetful or unaware that they should ask to have it removed."...if that were the case (as in auto deletion of files with a beta tag after a set date....we'd have missed out on Beckwiths other 3 courses...and many more I suspect...I love rummaging through the databases on the weekends to see ive missed a rare gem...discovered Beckwiths Beta's by chance... great courses..not very challenging but visually all top drawer...