Desolate Dunes - My impression

Announce and discuss forthcoming and recent course releases or request beta help from members.
User avatar
Stuart Hatch
Posts: 32
Joined: August 27th, 2019, 4:02 pm

Re: Desolate Dunes - My impression

Post by Stuart Hatch »

Hi Sage

Hope you are well! I saw in another thread that you have taken some time off from designing (well deserved may I say :thumbup: ) but was wondering where you are with resolving the couple of issues that cropped up with Desolate Dunes. Are they now resolved and awaiting a final release. I'm keen to play the course and would rather wait to play the 'fixed' version if it's close to release.
User avatar
sagevanni
Posts: 1167
Joined: August 27th, 2019, 6:21 am
Location: Somewhere on flat earth

Re: Desolate Dunes - My impression

Post by sagevanni »

Hi Stuart,

I'll get back to you............................

Sage...... :smile: :smile: :cheers1: :cheers1:
If there is one thing ................ummmmmmmm.......I can't remember.
User avatar
Stuart Hatch
Posts: 32
Joined: August 27th, 2019, 4:02 pm

Re: Desolate Dunes - My impression

Post by Stuart Hatch »

Thanks Sage. Whilst you are looking to see what's what with Desolate Dunes can you also have a look to see what happened to a course which I was checking for you and also hole handicapped in early 2019. At that time the course was called The Lakes Course at the Bend, did it ever get released, perhaps under a different name? A quick search doesn't seem to find it under current courses. :unsure:
User avatar
sagevanni
Posts: 1167
Joined: August 27th, 2019, 6:21 am
Location: Somewhere on flat earth

Re: Desolate Dunes - My impression

Post by sagevanni »

Hi Stuart,
If you still have the course file can you dropbox it to me......I'll have a look at it and go from there....

Sage...... :smile: :smile: :cheers1: :cheers1:
If there is one thing ................ummmmmmmm.......I can't remember.
User avatar
Stuart Hatch
Posts: 32
Joined: August 27th, 2019, 4:02 pm

Re: Desolate Dunes - My impression

Post by Stuart Hatch »

No I don't have it any more, it's long gone. Sorry Sage. But a couple of screenshots may help refresh your memory perhaps :unsure:
.
.
.
screen0057.jpg
screen0057.jpg (362.46 KiB) Viewed 2692 times
screen0056.jpg
screen0056.jpg (441.82 KiB) Viewed 2692 times
User avatar
sagevanni
Posts: 1167
Joined: August 27th, 2019, 6:21 am
Location: Somewhere on flat earth

Re: Desolate Dunes - My impression

Post by sagevanni »

Hi Stuart,

It's now called "The Lakes Course at Pine Ridge" and in the course listing.

Sage..... :smile: :smile:
If there is one thing ................ummmmmmmm.......I can't remember.
User avatar
Stuart Hatch
Posts: 32
Joined: August 27th, 2019, 4:02 pm

Re: Desolate Dunes - My impression

Post by Stuart Hatch »

Thanks Sage, I did wonder about that as it's a similar name and was released about the same time as I handicapped it.

Time to get back on subject now - Desolate Dunes update? :whip: :smile:
User avatar
sagevanni
Posts: 1167
Joined: August 27th, 2019, 6:21 am
Location: Somewhere on flat earth

Re: Desolate Dunes - My impression

Post by sagevanni »

Having "Desolate Dunes" looked at...............

Sage..... :cheers1:
If there is one thing ................ummmmmmmm.......I can't remember.
gene_golf
Posts: 267
Joined: August 28th, 2019, 1:30 pm

Re: Desolate Dunes - My impression

Post by gene_golf »

Desolate Dunes is an appropriate name for course. Saw this in review about Links LS 1999. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/links- ... 0-2535709/
Though Access has done an impressive re-creation, the St. Andrews course will strike many as flat and lifeless. That's partly because it is fairly flat and lifeless, but also because the Links system is more effective with the rich colors and closed fairways of "Augusta-style" golf, rather than classic Scottish links golf, which is rather cold and windswept.

There are several highly rated courses similar to this fictional one, Desolate Dunes in Golf Digest's 100 best courses in world or the USA. I refer to the links style courses that are mostly flat and have mostly blind shots where have to play with overhead view on when playing Links to see where shots might end up as some of these courses have added problem of tall grasses obscuring views where aiming markers have to be added to show where to aim drives and in the past used to see taller flagsticks on some holes---so as might see where green was at. If playing a tournament on such a course there might be the tv tower behind a green to use as a point of reference helping for aiming shots. There are several of the links style courses in Great Britain and Ireland, but in the USA are Sand Hills along with the half dozen or so all very similar in look and design located in Oregon. Some links style courses designed in Links have by slight elevation changes to help better show the holes are not quite so bland and desolate to play in Links. Even though saw St. Andrews used in quote about Links LS 1999 game, I have always enjoyed playing that course even though it is a links style course and reputedly being the oldest golf course in world. I am interested in seeing how Seminole will look when it is finished seeing as it is located on the flat eastern coast of Florida as compared to Innisbrook that is on the western coast of Florida and is on a more hilly plot of land.

New update from Golf Digest of best 100 USA courses. https://www.golfdigest.com/gallery/amer ... tems...%20
Here are some courses listed that mentioned. https://www.golfdigest.com/story/sand-hills-golf-club A comment, “I don't even feel like I am on earth at Sand Hills. I love the desolate feeling the course gives you and constant natural beauty featured. When I think of my ideal course surroundings and ambiance, I think Sand Hills.” APPARENTLY SOME PEOPLE LOVE THE DESOLATE FEELING OF WHAT A GOLF COURSE SHOULD LOOK LIKE.
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/pacific-dunes
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/bandon ... olf-resort
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/bandon ... -macdonald
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/bandon-trails
User avatar
Adelade
Posts: 1354
Joined: August 27th, 2019, 10:24 am

Re: Desolate Dunes - My impression

Post by Adelade »

I liked several things I saw when I checked it out briefly a while back, and just played a full round on it. You know me, I can be pretty picky and few fictional courses fit my taste, so I will always have feedback - which is meant to be constructive - and this time (seeing as it is not a beta) mainly for future courses. And of course as always - no one is forced to do anything with my feedback if they dont want to, take it or leave it :thumbup: But here are my impressions:
-There are several quite nice hole designs IMO, but the problem is that so many of them feature the diagonal-left-with-sand-short-and-left green design (I counted 11 of them!!!) - and so the holes as a collection sadly got kind of repetitive and monotonous to me.
-Similarly, all four par 3 holes play in the same direction, so I had the same tailwind on all four of them.
-Some desert sand blends would have looked better if the sand didnt "bleed out" over the edge so to speak. Other types of sand blends were really nice and I would have liked to see more of those instead - but maybe it wouldnt have been applicable that way I dont know.
-The course seems fairly short and gentle, so I would ideally have loved to see some more dune-like fairway elevations that I imagine would have fitted the setting, and some more pin options on the more guarded parts of the greens that are fair for challenging conditions.

With more variety, more tough-but-fair pins and perhaps a little less flat fairways I think it could have reached a pretty high spot on my list, but it was still an enjoyable round in a nice setting as it was :thumbup: I liked all textures as well - On Dry Prairie I had difficulty with the short-grass textures, but otherwise that layout looked interesting, looking forward to seeing more.

Edit: By the way, thank you so much for including hole previews nowadays :smile:
Finished Courses - Main: Amedal (fictional), Nine Bridges (real)
Other: Austin, Sheshan, Kauri Cliffs, Le Golf Nat. Updates: Whirlpool, Royal Lytham, Royal St George's, Chicago, Chambers Bay, Munchen Nord E
Working on: 2 fictional courses + a couple things...
Post Reply