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Review's #1 |  |
 Review's by loner |
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 Deep Fern Deep Fern Par 3 by Shane Robert Reviewed by “loner†Included: cameo, splash, custom flag and cart path. Not included: read me, ball washers, hole signs, hole previews and custom tees. Statistical information: par 54, 3527y, played bck/nw/m/m, “F†type course, 7.3mb download. This 18 hole par 3 course can be a wonderful teaching and practice course. He varies the elevations, the caddie selections, and the green shapes and rises enough to give the user an assortment of choices. The various distances for trajectory changes and the undulating but not overly difficult greens are excellent tools for practicing on different of greens conditions. Your landing location on the greens gives you the choice of flat or semi-moderate putting. The course is deeply wooded and many of the greens (2, 3, 6, 7,10, 14,) are protected by bunkers, but with a par 3 course they seldom should come into play. The tees, fairways, roughs, and greens are very well balanced as far as matching shades of green. He occasionally injects color in this short and tight little course, but it doesn’t seem to fit. Hole 5, 235y, island hole, don’t hit short because the front of the green slopes downward into the water. Hole 8, 235y, strange hole…my pin placement was in the rear of the green so I had to use a 2 iron two clicks down in trajectory. A flop shot with a 3w overshot and a 2 iron without adjustment rolled back because of the sloped green. Hole 10, 191y, the gold bushes in front of the tee changed to gray. Hole 11, 204y, the only way it seems possible to get on this elevated green and avoid hitting the front of it, (26y up) was to over swing with a 2 iron. Going up in trajectory made the shot too flat and that would cause it to bounce off the front…interesting. Hole 15, 219y, a 2 iron to this very narrow, raised green, required a perfect snap or you would not only miss, but hit the rock treatment surrounding the green and bounce quite a distance. Hole 18, 169y, a very attractive finishing hole as seen in the above screen shot with a rock treatment similar to holes 13 and 17. I don’t feel this course should be thrown away. Because of it’s useful nature it should be a one that is remembered and recommended for someone new to the game and for those of us who wish to straighten out our short game. I am a player not a designer and therefore rate a course as a player for players. `Loner's' Rating Score: 71 % |
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 Eagle Creek Eagle Creek Golf Course by Mike Simmerson Review by “loner†Included: cameo, splash, cart path, custom flag, bridge, building, T.V. tower, tent and bench. Not included: read me, custom tees, hole signs, carts. Statistical information: par 72, 7039y, “F†type course, 52.4mb. 4th, par 3, 165y, using a 6 iron, click higher in trajectory (setup) and you’ll have a hole in one… in my case a pin high shot. 6th, par 4, 408y, the caddie seems off on the approach shot .It called for a sw but with the severe frontal slope to the green a pw seemed necessary. Be careful and hit it long or you will roll back. 13th, par 3, 101y, this very attractive hole has a huge drop, I found a lw two clicks down put me close to the pin even after a 5y backspin. 14 and 15 are finally well guarded by bunkers, it looks good, but does not offer a threat to the golfer. 16th par 5, 488y, on this hole the stream crosses the fairway at a strategic point and requires a lay-up shot. I used a 5 wood which gave me good distance, but now I had gone too far and there were tall tees in my way, Using a flop 3 wood I was on the green in two. 18th par 4, 442y, this hole plays like 16 but you can use a driver and hope it’s long enough to miss the fairway bunker. I must say he paid very close to his elevations because they seemed perfect. The bunkers seemed a little “ragged†around the edges even to this untrained eye. The tees, fairways, roughs and greens blended well together but the fairways didn’t have any texture. They seemed flat looking. The trees were planted in a way to give the illusion of a three dimensional course. It’s very pleasing to the eye even with the inevitable whistler pano. The use of heavy tree planting and the rock formations in the later holes made for an inviting wooded surrounding. Birdies come easy on this course with it’s mostly straight greens. I found the few holes with levels or undulating areas were a welcome sight. The fairways are deceptive; they are not narrow but also not overly wide and are easily hit. While he had bunkers scattered on the fairways and near the greens, very seldom did they come into play. The stream that meandered through the course came into play only a few times. Playing under random conditions would make this otherwise placid course into a bear. While I enjoyed my “Sunday afternoon outing†here there wasn’t anything unusual enough about this course to make it outstanding except for it’s above par appearance. It’s unfortunate, with a few challenges he would have a more memorable course instead of just a pleasant playable one. I feel that this can be a keeper for the occasional relaxing game we look forward to having. I am a player not a designer and therefore rate a course as a player for players. `Loner's' Rating Score: 80 % |
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 Forest Lakes Forest Lakes Golf Course By Chris Spriggs Reviewed by “loner†Included: read me, Ball washer (1), buildings, signs, tents, deer, birdhouse, ( yes, on 13th green) Not included: cameo, splash, custom flag, custom tees. Statistical information: par 71, 6669y, played bck/nw/m/m, “F†type course, download size 22mb. 5th hole, par3, 141y, there is a huge bunker guarding the front of the green which shouldn’t be a problem. Using an 8 iron with three clicks up in trajectory (setup) will get you a great shot at the flag. 6th hole, par 4, 297y, the flag is completely guarded in the front right by a bunker , and the green is guarded by water in front. Aim to the left of the bunker as close possible. Using setup, go 3 clicks down in trajectory, then hit both snaps on the button. I landed 35ft from pin. You may, of course, lay-up and chip onto the green, but this is more fun. Eagle?…uhhh, no, not on this green. 11th hole, par 3, 183y, this hole has a slight drop to the flag. use a 5 iron with 2 clicks up in trajectory and you’re in like a porch climber. 16th hole, par 4, 472y, if you aim just a tad above the third bunker on the left, and hit the snap, you’ll clear the trees. 17th hole, par 3, 161y, if you look in the dictionary for ugly it has a screen shot of this hole; watch out for the raised green. 18th hole, par 4, 263y, this one looks too easy in comparison to the rest of the course but looks can be deceiving. Move the ball to the left of the tee, aim 185y, up the to the left of this narrow fairway, fade with a 7 iron and you should have it. The choices of the caddie and the elevations are very good, as well as the top views. The redraws seem extremely fast on this course. These undulating greens are mostly moderate, but tend to be a bit easy. Some of the greens are raised, as are a few of the tees, this gives you a different feel at each hole. If you don’t plan your shots carefully, you’re going to end up in one of his very, well placed fairway or greens bunkers. Miss slightly and you drop because of wild grass, or even worse, take a swim. The lakes are plentiful on this course and are placed where they can do the most damage This course is beautifully planted for it’s download size. His choice of greens for the tees, roughs, fairways and greens blend extremely well. His use of colors is refreshing. The under growth adds to the feel of this course. The water treatments are wild grass, and in addition to being dangerous, are very attractive. Even though whistler’s pano is used here you are busy with the game and it doesn’t seem as objectionable as it does on other courses. The course is one that I feel has been overlooked, and unfortunately so. I found each hole to be imaginative and fits well with the feel he planned for this challenging course. Yes, I liked it very much and would rank it with courses such as New Stony, Whirlpool, and Leaffield, winners all and all overlooked, but extremely well done courses that will stand up to the test of time. This is one of his first two courses. If he can maintain the quality and resist the temptation of grinding out a course a month we have another quality designer . I highly recommend this course and hope you will give it the opportunity it deserves. I am a player not a designer and therefore rate a course as a player for players. `Loner's' Rating Score: 88 % |
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 Newport News Newport News Country Club II by Jeff Schmetzer Reviewed by “loner†Included: read me and jpgs, cameo, splash screen, buildings and bridges. Not included: custom flag, custom tees, ball washers, cart path, hole signs, and hole previews. Statistical information: par 72, 6589y, played pro, bck/nw/m/m, “F†type course. 3.7mb download, 1 set of tees, and 4-par 3’s, 10-par 4’s, 4-par 5’s. Hole #2, par 3, 231y, A flop wood seemed to be the best club to use to this island green. It gave me a 244y shot, but lengthening a 2 iron would have rolled off the back into the water. He has a bridge on the island but it’s oversized and frankly quite ugly and out of place. Hole#5, par5, 579y, this is the hole pictured above. Your initial drive should be over 300y and put you in position for approximately a 220 shot over the water hazard to the green. Make certain your shot is long enough to hit the elevated green thereby giving you an excellent chance for an eagle. Don’t tell me that you didn’t at least get a birdie! Hole#8, par5, 512y, on this hole I found that to have a clear shortcut, I had to use a flop driver aimed at the rough strip across the fairway. This left me a 160y shot to the green, which, because it was raised, I had to use a 6 iron instead of a 7 iron. This should get you to the flag and another possible eagle. Holes #6, 335y, #7, 362y, and #13, 362y are all cut across shots that along with a minor layup, present a birdie opportunity. The blend for the tees, fairways, rough, and greens, were very good and the fairways had a nice textured look to them instead of that flat look that we’ve been seeing too often lately. His occasional use of color enhanced the course instead of cheapening it. The constant use of the same trees makes any course look as though he was in a great hurry. This will detract from your enjoyment of a round. He uses bunkers, water, mud, and the strips of rough across the fairways for hazards but none come into play in a normal round. The putting is more moderate than easy, and gives you a little play for your money. Elevations and the caddie were more than acceptable especially with the clever use of raised greens and undulating fairways that were prevalent throughout the course. There were glaring errors even to this untrained eye. The vertical grass mound behind the second green and the very sharp edges of some of the bunkers and sections of the fairways were a beginners faults that should be corrected in his subsequent courses. Should you download and play this course? Why not, it’s small, very playable, and not nearly as bad as some I have seen. It’s a relatively small download, 3.7mg, even for 56k’s. Give it a shot if you haven’t anything better to do. It’s not a keeper but it won’t bore you. I am a player not a designer and therefore rate a course as a player for players. `Loner's' Rating Score: 60 % |
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 Wintergreen Valley Wintergreen Valley by Ed Lee Reviewed by “loner†Included: read me, cameo, splash, signs, and a ship. Not included: custom flag, custom tees, hole signs, hole previews, and ball washers. Statistical information: par 72, 6982y, played pro, bck/nw/m/m, “F†type course, 4-par-3s, 8-par-4s, 6-par5s, 3 sets of tees and a 8mb download. As you can see in the screen shot above, the course has gone so far toward fantasy, it is almost an imaginary course. It’s unrealistically raised greens that dominate the course, the vertical grass towers, and the bunkers on the front nine. The bunkers are composed of three layers; white sand on the bottom, a ring of grass, and then the lip is brown sand. How you keep all of these from mixing is a puzzle to me as it must be to the groundskeepers. If you are unfortunate enough to hit into one of these traps, how do you climb out without destroying them? They look beautiful on screen, but add to the unrealistic nature of this course. The symmetrical layout of some of the holes as you can see in the screen shot is not natural to the lay of the land. This is a valley… how did the ship get there… did Columbus really lose his way? He used a good blend of green for the tees, roughs, fairways and greens. The fairways and greens have a very nice texture to them. Using floating plants and rock trim around most of the water hazards is a nice touch. His tree selection is pleasant as is his use of color. In a few places it is a little heavy handed but not disturbing. The pano was a good choice, it gave you space. The hazards are bunkers, water, mud, and sand banks. Some of the holes showed good imagination but look like they were laid out with a straight edge and not following the lay of the land. Hole 5, par 3, 158y, this interesting hole had a 33y drop to the green; a pw with slight trajectory adjustment and you should nail the pin. Hole 14, par 54, 344y, on this hole you can make a cross shot if you aim just to the right of the bunker. I landed on the fairway for a 25y approach shot. Hole 17, par 3, 146y, with a 32y drop I used a full pw or else I would have risked ending up in the rear bunker with a 9 iron. The greens were definitely easy; birdies galore and a few eagles are in the mix. The fairways were not large but fairer than you usually see. He has some excellent Ideas but needs to work more with the tools that are available to him. He should study some of the better courses to see how a natural course should look. The course is quite playable but I don’t consider it anything but a first effort. It’s not as bad as some first attempts, but it looks it. This is definitely not a keeper, but when you have a chance to try this small download you will find it plays better than most. Many first attempt courses are a waste of time and I’ll be the first to tell you that. I am a player not a designer and therefore rate a course as a player for other players. `Loner's' Rating Score: 52 % |
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 Broken Arrow Championship Course Broken Arrow Championship Course by Dominique Bois Review by “loner†Included: read me (extensive), cameo, splash, hole previews, ball washers, and a Hogan on the 9th green. Not included: custom flags, custom tees. And hole signs. Statistical information: par 70, 7122y, played pro, bck/nw/m/m, “F†type course, 16.4mb download, 5 sets of tees, and 4 par 3’s, 12 par 4’s, 2 par 5’s. The file name is BACC. A very pleasant setting for this “Native American†theme course. The blend of the tees, textured fairways, roughs and greens were very attractive. The selection of trees with deep grass and bushes made this course, with a well chosen pano, a pleasant sight. Is the dirt path part of the theme or is it an attempt to blend in a cart path, you decide. Very well guarded, small, mostly raised greens and nicely placed fairway bunkers present a formidable challenge not only to accuracy, but also to club selection and trajectory adjustments. The fairways are more than generous and easily navigated. On most occasions they are well guarded by strategically placed bunkers. This is not an easy course but rather a thinking course, and your score will be kept low by putting that is generally quite easy. His fairways are very well sloped and undulating. They lend themselves to extremely interesting approach shots. In spite of all the changes in elevation, both the elevation meter and the caddie seemed to be quite accurate. Hole 5, par 3. 189y, this hole was 42.7 ft up and is very interesting looking. A perfect 3 iron put me 27 ft past the flag onto the fringe leaving a minor chip shot. The rear view is spectacular. Hole 13, par 3, 154y, I found a ball washer and a comfortable bench and also on holes 15 and 16. This hazardless hole with a 25.6 ft drop made it a perfect choice for an 8 iron. Outside of the usual small green it was too easy, the green didn’t have a slope or tiers. It wasn’t even raised. A gimmie hole. Hole 14, par 4, 413y, this was a very easy cut across hole with the usual small green being sloped but still easy. Hole 17, par4, 365y, on this hole with a 22y drop you can easily clear the heavily guarded fairway to the simple, fairly flat green. A good lw put me in birdie range. Too bad the drum symbol he used on the hole previews weren’t also on the dull, stock, numbered flags as well as being used for the tee markers. The five sets of tees are obviously intended for tournament play but are very unattractive balls instead of being small custom markers that could have been blended into the course. At times the course seemed small even with the spacious pano. Since this course is obviously built with tournament play in mind, I can’t see how these small greens can be used with wind. With a setting of hard and fast maybe a high, pitch shot would keep the ball from either rolling off the green rapidly, or slow down, or stop, or backspin. It is a beautifully made course and a small download by today’s standard. I believe that it should be played and considered for a keeper. I am a player not a designer and therefore rate a course as a player for players. `Loner's' Rating Score: 83 % |
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 Royal Lithium by Kevin Eckhoff Reviewed by “loner†Included: read me, cameo, buildings, and cart path. Not included: custom flag, custom tees, hole preview, hole signs, and ball washers Statistical information: par 71, 6865y, played bck/nw/m/m, “F†type course, and 6.9mb download. This links style course has 3 sets of tees on every hole, 4-3 par’s, 11-4 par’s and 3-5 par’s. It has an excellent blend of green for the tees, roughs, fairways and greens, not the usual washed out color, but more defined without losing the flavor of a links course. The pano makes the course look bigger than it is. This course is not totally devoid of trees, and the buildings and flags are seldom hidden from you at the tees. That way you are not always shooting blind. The buildings and the signs may not be first quality and may not fit your idea of what a true links course should look like, but he tried to mix the best of both worlds. Both the elevation and the caddie seem to be right on. The putting on this course appears to be easier in spite of the elevation changes and the undulations on the greens. I found I was usually putting uphill. The fairways are all mostly straight and somewhat narrow in width, but you will find that you have a more than an even chance of hitting them. The bunkers are very seldom a factor, and I found this to be a fairly easy course. While I am not necessarily a links fan I enjoyed this course. Play it… enjoy… it but unless you plan on using it for tournament play I don’t think you’ll want to keep it on your hard drive, although the small download size does make it tempting. Not very many holes seem to stand out as great or poor, but one presented a bit more of a challenge than the others: The 7th hole, par 5, 554y, as you can see in the screenshot this hole finally has bunkers that can come into play. The green is reachable in two and is a definite birdie hole. The shades of green and off-brown that he used have enough of there own definition that they don’t blend into each other for that sea of green appearance that many links courses have. I feel that he did quite a good job building it and I would like to see that it has a chance of being played and not ignored as many courses are. I am a player not a designer and therefore rate a course as a player for players. `Loner's' Rating Score: 71 % |