a Year in Review. The Schedulers POV.
Dec 23, 2016 5:22:50 GMT -5
coruler2, SAM, and 14 more like this
Post by mrooola on Dec 23, 2016 5:22:50 GMT -5
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
It's that time of year again when hacks like me tries to summarize the year.
I decided that I wanted to give you all a list of courses from some of the tour schedulers favorite venues
and courses from 2016. This is not a list that ranks the best courses on tour, but perhaps tries to highlight
some of our personal favourites for whatever reason that may be.
I asked those who did the most scheduling on tgctours during 2016 to list a few courses. To my aid I had:
coruler2 (Dale Burger, PGA), rod81simo (Rod Simpson, Euro), MoeSlorkman (Moe Smullen, Web.com),
dh-nufc (Dean Huddlestone, Web.com) Griff (Chris Saunders, CC) and myself (CC & Web.com).
There has been more schedulers involved, but I didn't want 100 courses so I asked those who has done
the majority of scheduling during 2016. All of those courses are added below. I will also add 2 tour events
for the holiday season for you all to enjoy or ignore. Tours will publish around midnight CET on the 24th.
Tour 1 will include 1 pick from each scheduler. I will pick my favorite among their pick. That tour
will run until the end of January. The second tour will be that monster tour that includes them all and will
not have a time limit. Hope you all enjoy and for the record. All comments on these courses are from the top
of my head, so sorry if I am mistaken with some facts. Don't agree with our picks or my comments?
Feel free to add your own replies. I'd love to hear what courses were your favorites!
All courses are listed in alphabetical order by designer. I've also added a few courses belonging to each designer
that I think you might like. Not necessarily their best, but some of my favorites. Also. For the mentioned
Winners I've only included CC-A for the CC events to keep it from getting cluttered. Sorry B to Z ers!
Edit: Tours are published.
TGCT - Year in Review &
TGCT - Year in Review (Full)
I've used different versions in the full version of those courses featured on the short one.
Here we go!!
Phantom's Pass
Theme: Highlands
Designer: Adam Benjamin
Tour Event: Romeo Pasar Invitational (CC)
Winner: Mike Greco (-42)
Pick: Mrooola
Comments: Adam Benjamin might not be a name many rise their eyebrows for. Call him ArcticFury and EVERYONE knows him.
He is probably the only designer in this community that never (almost) comments on anything or start any threads. He has few if
any wips on the forums. He never promotes his courses with a funny backstory. He just slaps a picture of a creation along with a
short comment about a new course and gets 1000 plays withing a week. Exaggerated perhaps, but he has a nack for just dropping a
bomb out of nowhere and then vanish. One could argue he is not the best designer out there in terms of play-ability (and I'm not
implying for a second that he isn't great in every aspect of the designer), but what he does in the designer with his PS4 is nothing
short of spectacular. Phantom's Pass for me however ticks all the boxes. An extraordinary display in the planting department and
it plays brilliantly. He does cheat with the routing a bit, but who cares right?
Other Designs: La Vallee Glaciale, Freshwater Golf Club, THE HOUSE ON THE CLIFF
The Nomad
Theme: Desert
Designer: Andre Quenneville
Tour Event: El Bosque Mexico Championship (Web.com)
Winner: Lisa Redmond (-24)
Pick: MoeSlorkman
Comments: Andre needs no introduction. Even though he is currently not as involved as he used to be, but if his name is attached
to a design you know you will play a quality course. Even though some might jokingly say that a canucked green should be
considered fantasy, The Nomad is a bit more of a fantasy course than you usually get from Andre. It's tough, but fun. It also
produced one of the highest cut-lines of the season on Web.com where -3 was enough to make it through to the weekend.
Lisa Redmond claimed the title and put MoeSlorkman 1 stroke short of an exemption. That's a story for another time though.
Other Designs: Kahiko Beach Golf and Surf Club, Crofton Ridge Golf and Country Club, The Links at Lions' Bay
Pelikila Golf Club
Theme: Tropical
Designer: Brandon Pugh
Tour Event: Sony Open in Hawaii (PGA)
Winner: Damon Lowenberger (-44)
Pick: coruler2
Comments: Pelikila Golf Club was the runner up in one of HB studios design contests. It's on the fantasy side of the spectrum as
well, but a real impressive design as expected by Brandon. I'll go out on a limb and call him the best designer on Xbox, although I'm
suspecting Todd Driver and a few others might have something to say about that statement. Pelikila is a very very fun course
as long as you can avoid a hurricane. Then it turns on you and it can be one of the more agonizing experiences you'll ever encounter.
There are lots of elevation changes and many risk/reward shots, but be careful. It's rarely worth it!
Other Designs: Pebble Beach Golf Links (CC), Oasis CC II, West Fields Golf Club
Smuggler's Loch GC
Theme: Rustic
Designer: Brent Gravelle
Tour Event: The Caddyshack Open (CC)
Winner: Bill Hibbard (-43)
Pick: Griff
Comments: Smuggler's Loch is the only course on this list that I personally haven't played, but I will for sure do so now.
This means I have nothing to say about it, so I'll leave the talking to Yeltzman who according to the course description
said this: "So Natural looking and a beautiful design. Course rewards good shots as well, but the greens just tough
enough to punish a bad one..." and "...love the hole design, and one of the best clubhouses I've seen on the 9th,
Instant classic in my view!". High praise indeed. I'm looking forward to playing this one. Brent is to me a bit of an
unknown. First time I had come in contact with his designs was scouting courses for CC. I looked at Hagenstrol, Stonebridge
and Manotick National having no clue they were from the same designer. For various reasons, none of them ended up
on CC (Manotick had a tour stop on Web.com) but my eyes are certainly open now. Judging by the forum spoilers
Smuggler's Loch might be the most appreciated CC event of season 2. Do you agree?
Other Designs: Hagenstrol GC, Stonebridge GC - Ottawa (Tour), Manotick National
Andilly Hills
Theme: Rustic
Designer: Chris Nelson
Tour Event: Chiquita Classic (Web.com)
Winner: Matt Dedini (-42)
Pick: Mrooola
Comments: Chris Nelson is in my mind one of the best least known true veterans in the designer, battling Wayne Adams
for the title. Andilly Hills was his entry to the Web.com design competition and one of my comments on the course was
that among the contestants I felt that this one made the best Tour venue. Was it the best? In my book it might have been.
Andilly is ruthless to bad shots and some of the greens are simply evil. It's firm and fast, but plays really really well.
Other Designs: The Willows @ Mitchell's Burn, Macgillycuddy's Perch, The Reaper's Keep
TPC at Cackalacky Plantation
Theme: Boreal
Designer: Chris Saunders
Tour Event: Web.com Tour Championship (Web.com)
Winner: Gary Bertram (-45)
Pick: MoeSlorkman
Comments: Cackalacky Plantation was the winner of the Web.com Finals Design Competition and thus hosted the
final event of season 2 on Web.com. Cackalacky was the perfect course to end a great year on Web. In calm
conditions it's not overly tough, but if the winds pick up it can be a beast. Straight from the first tee, the course
screams quality and it seems no stone is left unturned. Hole routing, sculpting and all the extras are just spot on.
Nothing overdone and the course just plays fantastic.
TPC at Castaway Bay
Theme: Tropical
Designer: Chris Saunders
Tour Event: Los Pollos Hermanos Albuquerque Invitational
Winner: Andrew Leopard (-39)
Pick: dh-nufc
Comments: Chris only have 2 courses submitted to the tgctours database. Both made it on tour and both ended up on this list.
TPC at Castaway Bay was the first submitted of the two, but it shows no signs of being designed by a rookie. The course is
firm, but offers plenty of room to navigate if you can restrain yourself from going pin-hunting. Fun fact perhaps: Only two
weeks separated his two courses on tour on two different seasons and two different sets of schedulers, but both on Web.com.
Starla Park Country Club
Theme: Rustic
Designer: Dale Burger
Tour Event: John Daly Cocktail Open (CC)
Winner: Mark Perkins (-44)
Pick: coruler2
Comments: Starla Park offers a fun and relaxing round of golf. Large enough greens and fairways for the inexperienced
golfer to navigate without feeling overwhelmed. The perfect venue for a CC event. Dale is not only the longest serving
scheduler and a Top 25 player on the tours, he is also very good designer if I say so myself.
Other Designs: The Kiltlifter, Nusantara, The Monsoon Course at Heisenberg Flats
Legacy At Cape Point - 2016 Remodel
Theme: Highlands
Designer: Dario Logan
Tour Event: Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open (Euro)
Winner: Brian Murphy (-32)
Pick: rod81simo
Comments: Legacy at Cape Point is a tough nut. It's not overly long, but it's unforgiving at best. Brian Murphy only won the event
with 1 shot over Bradley Garcia but they were 5 strokes ahead of the field. Cutline was Even par and current Top 100 players such
as Kenny Wolley, Jamie Fluke and Jason Schwartz to name a few ended the entire event above par. Not to mention Scott Doyley,
number 8 in the world who missed the cut on +2. It's a course to admire, but don't expect to do well and don't think you'll have a
relaxing round of golf ahead of you.
Other Designs: Loa Pali Golf Resort and Spa, Tomahawk Golf Club, Shawnee Creek Golf Club - Old Course
Chardon Golf Links
Theme: Countryside
Designer: Dario Logan
Tour Event: Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Matchplay (Euro)
Winner: Ian Sweeney (-40)
Pick: rod81simo
Comments: Chardon Golf Links provides another very strategic 18 holes of golf with very little to look at apart from
the monds and contours of the land the course is built on. For those still learning to play the game it can be difficult to
see where the best place to put the ball is at times. This course is much about playing angles, to allow for the appropriate
next shot and not always play the shortest route. This was intended to be Darios entry to the Web.com Finals Design Competition,
but life had other plans and was released shortly after the contest deadline.
Other Designs: Loa Pali Golf Resort and Spa, Tomahawk Golf Club, Shawnee Creek Golf Club - Old Course
Crooked Stick
Theme: Harvest
Designer: Dean Lowdon
Tour Events: BMW Championship (PGA) / United Leasing Championship (Web.com) / BMW Championship (TST)
Winners: Ian Sweeney (-53) / Landon Harwell (-37) / Bradley Garcia (-32)
Pick: MoeSlorkman, dh-nufc
Comments: With 30 courses in the tgctours database Dean is a true veteran in the designer with a portfolio that stretches beyond
reach for most. Crooked stick is a real course recreation from Indiana and the real course has hosted several venues on the real PGA
tour such as the 2012 BMW Championship. That time Rory McIlroy won and on tgctours the BMW Championship title was split
between two of our biggest superstars in Ian Sweeney on PGA and Bradley Garcia on TST.
Other Designs: Doolough Manor, Le Golf National, Tvismark Golf Club
Idanha Ridge Golf Club
Theme: Rustic
Designer: Henrik Sundqvist
Tour Event: Bushwood Open (CC)
Winner: Nathan Bedell (-40)
Pick: Griff, Mrooola
Comments: Henrik is shaping up to be an amazing designer and has in my mind not released anything but pure gold so far.
For each course he has released his following has grown larger. Idanha features great hole designs and ideas. Well sculpted
greens and fairways and many risk reward shots where you think more than a few times before you select your club. Its a
pleasure to look at and a joy to play. What else can you ask for?
Other Designs: The Narrows at Kilraine, NGLA - The National, The Whitefang
Woburn Golf Club - The Marquess Course
Theme: Boreal
Designer: James Thompson
Tour Event: UBS Hong Kong Open (Euro)
Winner: Ian Sweeney (-63)
Pick: rod81simo
Comments: Woburn Golf Club is located in England and holds 3 full length courses. The Marquess is one of them and
has held real life European tour events over the years including the British Masters. Acording to those who claim to know
these things this is a very accurate RCR and it plays fantastic. The European event got somewhat inflated scores due to
lack of wind, but it does play fairly easy for a PRO course and should provide a nice round of golf for any skill level.
James Thompson might not be a household name, but still makes two courses on tour in 2016 and those are on this list.
Other Designs: Cambely Heath CC, The Roebuck, Palm Creek Golf Club
Stotewold Park
Theme: Countryside
Designer: James Thompson
Tour Event: Made In Denmark (Euro)
Winner: Bradley Garcia (-53)
Pick: rod81simo
Comments: Stotewold Park was created in October 2015 and was originally planned for a CC event back in early 2016, but
scrapped as it was deemed that lower end CC would struggle off the tee and that we already had a course with similar traits
(albeit easier) pinned on the schedule. When I (Mrooola) switched from scheduling CC to Web, I contacted James to get
pins set up for Stotewold and Woburn only to find out that my Euro colleague was one step ahead of me. Stotewold ended up
on the Euro tour in late August 2016. Nearly a full year after publish date. At first glance Stotewold looks fairly timid, but the
greens are pretty slick and the elevation does come in to play to make you think off the tee. Especially on the front 9.
Other Designs: Cambely Heath CC, The Roebuck, Palm Creek Golf Club
McKee McGrodo - Platinum
Theme: Highlands
Designer: Jeremy Blaylock
Tour Event: Valspar Championship (PGA)
Winner: Tim Russell (-42)
Pick: coruler2
Comments: Jeremy Blaylock needs little introduction. His designs are very artistic and unique. You will need to look
long and hard to find anything resembling a stock shape on his courses. They are all custom. McKee McGrodo has just as
pretty much any design of Jeremys plenty of versions to suite all skill levels. Just be careful before setting foot on the
Black Widow as it will eat most golfers alive. Also... Embrace the Whale. Don't let it scare you.
Other Designs: Kobeoshi Royal, RollingRock EverBlades, Kodiak Reserve Golf Club
Fossmill Golf Club
Theme: Boreal
Designer: Mikael Thunberg
Tour Event: TaxSlayer Spring Shootout (CC)
Winner: CJ Doane (-41)
Pick: Griff, Mrooola
Comments: When I started designing I saw Mikael as one of those true untouchables in the designing community along with
guys like Reebdoog, Crazycanuck, Fickett and theclv to name a few. Course after course after course is just pure quality. Not a shape out
of place. Not a blade of grass in the wrong place. He has a way of designing challenging courses that anyone can master with a bit
of practice. You don't need to be named Ian Sweeney for a good score. If you lack some skill, course knowlege goes a long way
on his courses. Fossmill was the first of his that I jumped on as a scheduler because I felt it was such a great track to learn some
tricks on. Perfect for CC. Receptive greens, but tricky enough to keep it interesting through 72 holes. If the wind picks up it can
be tough indeed, but then again. So are most.
Other Designs: Gewella Golf Club, The Vania Hills GC, Taby Golf Club - Sweden
Killarney Golf and Country Club
Theme: Highlands
Designer: Nick Weisgerber
Tour Event: Centennial Oak Championship Presented by Sun Drop
Winner: Kevin Moore (-39)
Pick: MoeSlorkman
Comments: Don't let the wide fairways fool you. This course can be tough to navigate and it's easy to get in trouble where
you think there are none. Killarney offers a links style golf with large greens as one of it's main features. Be adviced.
You would do well to try and "miss" on the right spots bacuse these greens can be quite punishing of ill placed approach shots.
Other Designs: Grizzly Paw Golf Club, Red Rock National, Whiskey Jack Golf Club
Carolina Low GC
Theme: Rustic
Designer: Ola Ericsson
Tour Event: McKee Foods Championship
Winner: Lasse Andersen
Pick: MoeSlorkman
Comments: I'm honored by the pick and will keep this short. This entire design started off as a practice ground where I practiced
shaping my shots. I liked how it played and suddenly there were 18 holes. Carolina Low is tight and almost claustrophobic at times.
It plays to all my weaknesses and as a testament to that I missed the cut on Web by a mile. Only thing about the tour venue that
I didn't like was the calm winds. Barely a gust of wind for four days. Winds of any kind in any direction is what makes this course
interesting! Don't go in expecting to use the Driver much (especially on the front 9) unless you have some very favorable winds.
Other Designs: The Copse @ Malkie Coast, Demon Host GC (Friday), Unfinished Sympathy Golf Ground
Crescentic Bay Golf Course
Theme: Delta
Designer: Patrick Lawless
Tour Event: Frank Sinatra Blue Eyes Invitational (Web.com)
Winner: Dan Turner (-44)
Pick: dh-nufc
Comments: It's no secret that Delta is concidered to be one of the toughest themes to design in. Patrick does a great job
with his Crescentic Bay. There is a good balance between tough and easy holes on all setups with variyng degree of
difficulty on the greens. El Toro Golf Club is another of Patricks designs that he entered with in the HB Rookie Design Contest
and got well recieved. Crescentic Bay uses alot of the good ideas that was put in to El Toro, refines them and make them new.
Other Designs: La Playa Vacia Golf Retreat, El Toro Golf Club, The Woods at Staaten Ravine
Royal Brumby
Theme: Highlands
Designer: Patrick Yates
Tour Event: Greater Dallas Open (Web.com)
Winner: Brandon Pugh (-35)
Pick: MoeSlorkman, coruler2
Comments: Royal Brumby is simply put, one of the best fictional courses designed in TGC. Patrick has a bit of a reputation with
his firm greens as they are always well sculpted and allows for the intended shot. Royal Brumby features everything you might expect
on a British Links style course although for the potential purists out there I won't say that it is a proper british links style as I simply
don't know. I'll let you decide. What I do know is this course is amazing and if you enjoy a course that punish a bad shot without
ever being unfair and like greens where you have to navigate the green slopes to get close to the pin. Look no further than this.
If you like it. Go play Tye Dunes. In my personal taste just as good as this.
Other Designs: Tye Dunes, University Links, Stisted Hall
El Tesoro Piratas Golf Club
Theme: Countryside
Designer: Phil Harris
Tour Events: Turkish Airlines Open (Euro) / Albertson's Boise Open (Web.com) / Duff Beer Championship (CC)
Winners: Tom Humphries (-41) / Daniel Kelly (-39) / Michael Earl (-40)
Pick: Griff, Mrooola
Comments: Not many courses get picked for all levels of tgctours and has successful events on them all. El Tesoro
did just that and scores imply that it managed to alter conditions to keep the difficulty balanced throughout all the tours.
No small feat in it self and perhaps what makes this such a great course to begin with. Phil is one of those designers
who has been designing for quite a while, but after a few releases he just got it. Something clicked and he now produces
consistent Tour quality courses on every release.
Other Designs: TideWater Plantation, William's Landing Country Club, Tanami Desert Links
Ollie Links (Tour)
Theme: Highlands
Designer: Rob Wilson
Tour Event: OHL Classic at Mayakoba
Winner: Dale Burger (-58)
Pick: coruler2, dh-nufc
Comments: Rob Wilson may not be a very well known name yet in the TGC community yet, but already he has some great
designs under his belt. He made his designing debut (as far as tgctours go) with New Highland Dunes but really exploded
on the scene with Ollie Links. From a technical standpoint there are a lot of things to point at with this one, but we were
very impressed with how the course played. It's a wild brittish style links course that kept the best busy during the week.
This course is not a pushover. Keep an eye out for future events hosted on Ollie Links!
Other Designs: New Highland Dunes, Shield Lake Golf and Hunt Club
The Sandbelt (firm)
Theme: Countryside
Designer: Rob Wilson
Tour Event: Fiji Classic (Euro)
Winner: TBD
Pick: rod81simo, dh-nufc
Comments: Robs latest course The Sandbelt has been very well recieved around the community and have been featured
on several of the community run events already. This course is a tribute to the great Sandbelt Courses of Australia and
he nails the look he is aiming for. The course isn't overly tough, but in the firm conditions it can really bite. Luckily for
all of you who hates firm courses, The Sandbelt has been published with multiple conditions and will appear on other
tours in 2017.
Other Designs: New Highland Dunes, Shield Lake Golf and Hunt Club
Heron's Landing
Theme: Boreal
Designer: Seth Campion
Tour Event: Bobby Lutz Charlotte Cup (CC)
Winner: Curtis Hollabaugh (-44)
Pick: Griff
Comments: Seth Campion is a frequent flyer in terms of tour stops. It seems pretty much any course he release gets put on tour
at the moment. He has a way of designing interesting and often fairly easy courses that appeal to many. With that said though he
knows how to turn up the volume without compromising the integrity of the course. Heron's Landing was played on CC late in
season 2 and seemed to fit the tour well across the board. It's wide fairways and large spacious greens combined with some sharp
doglegs and tricky bends adds up to a real enjoyable round of golf.
Other Designs: The Little John, White Knuckle Beach, Pumpkin Ridge (2016)
Honorable Mention:
The Penitentiary @ Sand Quentin
Theme: Desert
Designer: Moe Smullen
Tour Event: Barbasol Championship
Winner: Patrick Gardner (-35)
Comments: To be fair. This is not one of the best courses on tour of 2016. It is however one of the most memorable.
The backstory to this course is in a league of its own so if you don't know anything about it I suggest you check that
out HERE. It's by far the wackiest course on tour this year and a bold move from Dale to use it. It's great fun and even
though I say it's not the best and it's the wackiest does not mean that there isn't a decent golf course hiding in the
background. If it wasn't it wouldn't get picked!
Other Designs: Inis an Coscasur
Sorry for the long post.
Here is a standard Potato
PS. Sorry all Tapatalk users and those with a different resolution than me as the post looks like crap
It's that time of year again when hacks like me tries to summarize the year.
I decided that I wanted to give you all a list of courses from some of the tour schedulers favorite venues
and courses from 2016. This is not a list that ranks the best courses on tour, but perhaps tries to highlight
some of our personal favourites for whatever reason that may be.
I asked those who did the most scheduling on tgctours during 2016 to list a few courses. To my aid I had:
coruler2 (Dale Burger, PGA), rod81simo (Rod Simpson, Euro), MoeSlorkman (Moe Smullen, Web.com),
dh-nufc (Dean Huddlestone, Web.com) Griff (Chris Saunders, CC) and myself (CC & Web.com).
There has been more schedulers involved, but I didn't want 100 courses so I asked those who has done
the majority of scheduling during 2016. All of those courses are added below. I will also add 2 tour events
for the holiday season for you all to enjoy or ignore. Tours will publish around midnight CET on the 24th.
Tour 1 will include 1 pick from each scheduler. I will pick my favorite among their pick. That tour
will run until the end of January. The second tour will be that monster tour that includes them all and will
not have a time limit. Hope you all enjoy and for the record. All comments on these courses are from the top
of my head, so sorry if I am mistaken with some facts. Don't agree with our picks or my comments?
Feel free to add your own replies. I'd love to hear what courses were your favorites!
All courses are listed in alphabetical order by designer. I've also added a few courses belonging to each designer
that I think you might like. Not necessarily their best, but some of my favorites. Also. For the mentioned
Winners I've only included CC-A for the CC events to keep it from getting cluttered. Sorry B to Z ers!
Edit: Tours are published.
TGCT - Year in Review &
TGCT - Year in Review (Full)
I've used different versions in the full version of those courses featured on the short one.
Here we go!!
Phantom's Pass
Theme: Highlands
Designer: Adam Benjamin
Tour Event: Romeo Pasar Invitational (CC)
Winner: Mike Greco (-42)
Pick: Mrooola
Comments: Adam Benjamin might not be a name many rise their eyebrows for. Call him ArcticFury and EVERYONE knows him.
He is probably the only designer in this community that never (almost) comments on anything or start any threads. He has few if
any wips on the forums. He never promotes his courses with a funny backstory. He just slaps a picture of a creation along with a
short comment about a new course and gets 1000 plays withing a week. Exaggerated perhaps, but he has a nack for just dropping a
bomb out of nowhere and then vanish. One could argue he is not the best designer out there in terms of play-ability (and I'm not
implying for a second that he isn't great in every aspect of the designer), but what he does in the designer with his PS4 is nothing
short of spectacular. Phantom's Pass for me however ticks all the boxes. An extraordinary display in the planting department and
it plays brilliantly. He does cheat with the routing a bit, but who cares right?
Other Designs: La Vallee Glaciale, Freshwater Golf Club, THE HOUSE ON THE CLIFF
The Nomad
Theme: Desert
Designer: Andre Quenneville
Tour Event: El Bosque Mexico Championship (Web.com)
Winner: Lisa Redmond (-24)
Pick: MoeSlorkman
Comments: Andre needs no introduction. Even though he is currently not as involved as he used to be, but if his name is attached
to a design you know you will play a quality course. Even though some might jokingly say that a canucked green should be
considered fantasy, The Nomad is a bit more of a fantasy course than you usually get from Andre. It's tough, but fun. It also
produced one of the highest cut-lines of the season on Web.com where -3 was enough to make it through to the weekend.
Lisa Redmond claimed the title and put MoeSlorkman 1 stroke short of an exemption. That's a story for another time though.
Other Designs: Kahiko Beach Golf and Surf Club, Crofton Ridge Golf and Country Club, The Links at Lions' Bay
Pelikila Golf Club
Theme: Tropical
Designer: Brandon Pugh
Tour Event: Sony Open in Hawaii (PGA)
Winner: Damon Lowenberger (-44)
Pick: coruler2
Comments: Pelikila Golf Club was the runner up in one of HB studios design contests. It's on the fantasy side of the spectrum as
well, but a real impressive design as expected by Brandon. I'll go out on a limb and call him the best designer on Xbox, although I'm
suspecting Todd Driver and a few others might have something to say about that statement. Pelikila is a very very fun course
as long as you can avoid a hurricane. Then it turns on you and it can be one of the more agonizing experiences you'll ever encounter.
There are lots of elevation changes and many risk/reward shots, but be careful. It's rarely worth it!
Other Designs: Pebble Beach Golf Links (CC), Oasis CC II, West Fields Golf Club
Smuggler's Loch GC
Theme: Rustic
Designer: Brent Gravelle
Tour Event: The Caddyshack Open (CC)
Winner: Bill Hibbard (-43)
Pick: Griff
Comments: Smuggler's Loch is the only course on this list that I personally haven't played, but I will for sure do so now.
This means I have nothing to say about it, so I'll leave the talking to Yeltzman who according to the course description
said this: "So Natural looking and a beautiful design. Course rewards good shots as well, but the greens just tough
enough to punish a bad one..." and "...love the hole design, and one of the best clubhouses I've seen on the 9th,
Instant classic in my view!". High praise indeed. I'm looking forward to playing this one. Brent is to me a bit of an
unknown. First time I had come in contact with his designs was scouting courses for CC. I looked at Hagenstrol, Stonebridge
and Manotick National having no clue they were from the same designer. For various reasons, none of them ended up
on CC (Manotick had a tour stop on Web.com) but my eyes are certainly open now. Judging by the forum spoilers
Smuggler's Loch might be the most appreciated CC event of season 2. Do you agree?
Other Designs: Hagenstrol GC, Stonebridge GC - Ottawa (Tour), Manotick National
Andilly Hills
Theme: Rustic
Designer: Chris Nelson
Tour Event: Chiquita Classic (Web.com)
Winner: Matt Dedini (-42)
Pick: Mrooola
Comments: Chris Nelson is in my mind one of the best least known true veterans in the designer, battling Wayne Adams
for the title. Andilly Hills was his entry to the Web.com design competition and one of my comments on the course was
that among the contestants I felt that this one made the best Tour venue. Was it the best? In my book it might have been.
Andilly is ruthless to bad shots and some of the greens are simply evil. It's firm and fast, but plays really really well.
Other Designs: The Willows @ Mitchell's Burn, Macgillycuddy's Perch, The Reaper's Keep
TPC at Cackalacky Plantation
Theme: Boreal
Designer: Chris Saunders
Tour Event: Web.com Tour Championship (Web.com)
Winner: Gary Bertram (-45)
Pick: MoeSlorkman
Comments: Cackalacky Plantation was the winner of the Web.com Finals Design Competition and thus hosted the
final event of season 2 on Web.com. Cackalacky was the perfect course to end a great year on Web. In calm
conditions it's not overly tough, but if the winds pick up it can be a beast. Straight from the first tee, the course
screams quality and it seems no stone is left unturned. Hole routing, sculpting and all the extras are just spot on.
Nothing overdone and the course just plays fantastic.
TPC at Castaway Bay
Theme: Tropical
Designer: Chris Saunders
Tour Event: Los Pollos Hermanos Albuquerque Invitational
Winner: Andrew Leopard (-39)
Pick: dh-nufc
Comments: Chris only have 2 courses submitted to the tgctours database. Both made it on tour and both ended up on this list.
TPC at Castaway Bay was the first submitted of the two, but it shows no signs of being designed by a rookie. The course is
firm, but offers plenty of room to navigate if you can restrain yourself from going pin-hunting. Fun fact perhaps: Only two
weeks separated his two courses on tour on two different seasons and two different sets of schedulers, but both on Web.com.
Starla Park Country Club
Theme: Rustic
Designer: Dale Burger
Tour Event: John Daly Cocktail Open (CC)
Winner: Mark Perkins (-44)
Pick: coruler2
Comments: Starla Park offers a fun and relaxing round of golf. Large enough greens and fairways for the inexperienced
golfer to navigate without feeling overwhelmed. The perfect venue for a CC event. Dale is not only the longest serving
scheduler and a Top 25 player on the tours, he is also very good designer if I say so myself.
Other Designs: The Kiltlifter, Nusantara, The Monsoon Course at Heisenberg Flats
Legacy At Cape Point - 2016 Remodel
Theme: Highlands
Designer: Dario Logan
Tour Event: Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open (Euro)
Winner: Brian Murphy (-32)
Pick: rod81simo
Comments: Legacy at Cape Point is a tough nut. It's not overly long, but it's unforgiving at best. Brian Murphy only won the event
with 1 shot over Bradley Garcia but they were 5 strokes ahead of the field. Cutline was Even par and current Top 100 players such
as Kenny Wolley, Jamie Fluke and Jason Schwartz to name a few ended the entire event above par. Not to mention Scott Doyley,
number 8 in the world who missed the cut on +2. It's a course to admire, but don't expect to do well and don't think you'll have a
relaxing round of golf ahead of you.
Other Designs: Loa Pali Golf Resort and Spa, Tomahawk Golf Club, Shawnee Creek Golf Club - Old Course
Chardon Golf Links
Theme: Countryside
Designer: Dario Logan
Tour Event: Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Matchplay (Euro)
Winner: Ian Sweeney (-40)
Pick: rod81simo
Comments: Chardon Golf Links provides another very strategic 18 holes of golf with very little to look at apart from
the monds and contours of the land the course is built on. For those still learning to play the game it can be difficult to
see where the best place to put the ball is at times. This course is much about playing angles, to allow for the appropriate
next shot and not always play the shortest route. This was intended to be Darios entry to the Web.com Finals Design Competition,
but life had other plans and was released shortly after the contest deadline.
Other Designs: Loa Pali Golf Resort and Spa, Tomahawk Golf Club, Shawnee Creek Golf Club - Old Course
Crooked Stick
Theme: Harvest
Designer: Dean Lowdon
Tour Events: BMW Championship (PGA) / United Leasing Championship (Web.com) / BMW Championship (TST)
Winners: Ian Sweeney (-53) / Landon Harwell (-37) / Bradley Garcia (-32)
Pick: MoeSlorkman, dh-nufc
Comments: With 30 courses in the tgctours database Dean is a true veteran in the designer with a portfolio that stretches beyond
reach for most. Crooked stick is a real course recreation from Indiana and the real course has hosted several venues on the real PGA
tour such as the 2012 BMW Championship. That time Rory McIlroy won and on tgctours the BMW Championship title was split
between two of our biggest superstars in Ian Sweeney on PGA and Bradley Garcia on TST.
Other Designs: Doolough Manor, Le Golf National, Tvismark Golf Club
Idanha Ridge Golf Club
Theme: Rustic
Designer: Henrik Sundqvist
Tour Event: Bushwood Open (CC)
Winner: Nathan Bedell (-40)
Pick: Griff, Mrooola
Comments: Henrik is shaping up to be an amazing designer and has in my mind not released anything but pure gold so far.
For each course he has released his following has grown larger. Idanha features great hole designs and ideas. Well sculpted
greens and fairways and many risk reward shots where you think more than a few times before you select your club. Its a
pleasure to look at and a joy to play. What else can you ask for?
Other Designs: The Narrows at Kilraine, NGLA - The National, The Whitefang
Woburn Golf Club - The Marquess Course
Theme: Boreal
Designer: James Thompson
Tour Event: UBS Hong Kong Open (Euro)
Winner: Ian Sweeney (-63)
Pick: rod81simo
Comments: Woburn Golf Club is located in England and holds 3 full length courses. The Marquess is one of them and
has held real life European tour events over the years including the British Masters. Acording to those who claim to know
these things this is a very accurate RCR and it plays fantastic. The European event got somewhat inflated scores due to
lack of wind, but it does play fairly easy for a PRO course and should provide a nice round of golf for any skill level.
James Thompson might not be a household name, but still makes two courses on tour in 2016 and those are on this list.
Other Designs: Cambely Heath CC, The Roebuck, Palm Creek Golf Club
Stotewold Park
Theme: Countryside
Designer: James Thompson
Tour Event: Made In Denmark (Euro)
Winner: Bradley Garcia (-53)
Pick: rod81simo
Comments: Stotewold Park was created in October 2015 and was originally planned for a CC event back in early 2016, but
scrapped as it was deemed that lower end CC would struggle off the tee and that we already had a course with similar traits
(albeit easier) pinned on the schedule. When I (Mrooola) switched from scheduling CC to Web, I contacted James to get
pins set up for Stotewold and Woburn only to find out that my Euro colleague was one step ahead of me. Stotewold ended up
on the Euro tour in late August 2016. Nearly a full year after publish date. At first glance Stotewold looks fairly timid, but the
greens are pretty slick and the elevation does come in to play to make you think off the tee. Especially on the front 9.
Other Designs: Cambely Heath CC, The Roebuck, Palm Creek Golf Club
McKee McGrodo - Platinum
Theme: Highlands
Designer: Jeremy Blaylock
Tour Event: Valspar Championship (PGA)
Winner: Tim Russell (-42)
Pick: coruler2
Comments: Jeremy Blaylock needs little introduction. His designs are very artistic and unique. You will need to look
long and hard to find anything resembling a stock shape on his courses. They are all custom. McKee McGrodo has just as
pretty much any design of Jeremys plenty of versions to suite all skill levels. Just be careful before setting foot on the
Black Widow as it will eat most golfers alive. Also... Embrace the Whale. Don't let it scare you.
Other Designs: Kobeoshi Royal, RollingRock EverBlades, Kodiak Reserve Golf Club
Fossmill Golf Club
Theme: Boreal
Designer: Mikael Thunberg
Tour Event: TaxSlayer Spring Shootout (CC)
Winner: CJ Doane (-41)
Pick: Griff, Mrooola
Comments: When I started designing I saw Mikael as one of those true untouchables in the designing community along with
guys like Reebdoog, Crazycanuck, Fickett and theclv to name a few. Course after course after course is just pure quality. Not a shape out
of place. Not a blade of grass in the wrong place. He has a way of designing challenging courses that anyone can master with a bit
of practice. You don't need to be named Ian Sweeney for a good score. If you lack some skill, course knowlege goes a long way
on his courses. Fossmill was the first of his that I jumped on as a scheduler because I felt it was such a great track to learn some
tricks on. Perfect for CC. Receptive greens, but tricky enough to keep it interesting through 72 holes. If the wind picks up it can
be tough indeed, but then again. So are most.
Other Designs: Gewella Golf Club, The Vania Hills GC, Taby Golf Club - Sweden
Killarney Golf and Country Club
Theme: Highlands
Designer: Nick Weisgerber
Tour Event: Centennial Oak Championship Presented by Sun Drop
Winner: Kevin Moore (-39)
Pick: MoeSlorkman
Comments: Don't let the wide fairways fool you. This course can be tough to navigate and it's easy to get in trouble where
you think there are none. Killarney offers a links style golf with large greens as one of it's main features. Be adviced.
You would do well to try and "miss" on the right spots bacuse these greens can be quite punishing of ill placed approach shots.
Other Designs: Grizzly Paw Golf Club, Red Rock National, Whiskey Jack Golf Club
Carolina Low GC
Theme: Rustic
Designer: Ola Ericsson
Tour Event: McKee Foods Championship
Winner: Lasse Andersen
Pick: MoeSlorkman
Comments: I'm honored by the pick and will keep this short. This entire design started off as a practice ground where I practiced
shaping my shots. I liked how it played and suddenly there were 18 holes. Carolina Low is tight and almost claustrophobic at times.
It plays to all my weaknesses and as a testament to that I missed the cut on Web by a mile. Only thing about the tour venue that
I didn't like was the calm winds. Barely a gust of wind for four days. Winds of any kind in any direction is what makes this course
interesting! Don't go in expecting to use the Driver much (especially on the front 9) unless you have some very favorable winds.
Other Designs: The Copse @ Malkie Coast, Demon Host GC (Friday), Unfinished Sympathy Golf Ground
Crescentic Bay Golf Course
Theme: Delta
Designer: Patrick Lawless
Tour Event: Frank Sinatra Blue Eyes Invitational (Web.com)
Winner: Dan Turner (-44)
Pick: dh-nufc
Comments: It's no secret that Delta is concidered to be one of the toughest themes to design in. Patrick does a great job
with his Crescentic Bay. There is a good balance between tough and easy holes on all setups with variyng degree of
difficulty on the greens. El Toro Golf Club is another of Patricks designs that he entered with in the HB Rookie Design Contest
and got well recieved. Crescentic Bay uses alot of the good ideas that was put in to El Toro, refines them and make them new.
Other Designs: La Playa Vacia Golf Retreat, El Toro Golf Club, The Woods at Staaten Ravine
Royal Brumby
Theme: Highlands
Designer: Patrick Yates
Tour Event: Greater Dallas Open (Web.com)
Winner: Brandon Pugh (-35)
Pick: MoeSlorkman, coruler2
Comments: Royal Brumby is simply put, one of the best fictional courses designed in TGC. Patrick has a bit of a reputation with
his firm greens as they are always well sculpted and allows for the intended shot. Royal Brumby features everything you might expect
on a British Links style course although for the potential purists out there I won't say that it is a proper british links style as I simply
don't know. I'll let you decide. What I do know is this course is amazing and if you enjoy a course that punish a bad shot without
ever being unfair and like greens where you have to navigate the green slopes to get close to the pin. Look no further than this.
If you like it. Go play Tye Dunes. In my personal taste just as good as this.
Other Designs: Tye Dunes, University Links, Stisted Hall
El Tesoro Piratas Golf Club
Theme: Countryside
Designer: Phil Harris
Tour Events: Turkish Airlines Open (Euro) / Albertson's Boise Open (Web.com) / Duff Beer Championship (CC)
Winners: Tom Humphries (-41) / Daniel Kelly (-39) / Michael Earl (-40)
Pick: Griff, Mrooola
Comments: Not many courses get picked for all levels of tgctours and has successful events on them all. El Tesoro
did just that and scores imply that it managed to alter conditions to keep the difficulty balanced throughout all the tours.
No small feat in it self and perhaps what makes this such a great course to begin with. Phil is one of those designers
who has been designing for quite a while, but after a few releases he just got it. Something clicked and he now produces
consistent Tour quality courses on every release.
Other Designs: TideWater Plantation, William's Landing Country Club, Tanami Desert Links
Ollie Links (Tour)
Theme: Highlands
Designer: Rob Wilson
Tour Event: OHL Classic at Mayakoba
Winner: Dale Burger (-58)
Pick: coruler2, dh-nufc
Comments: Rob Wilson may not be a very well known name yet in the TGC community yet, but already he has some great
designs under his belt. He made his designing debut (as far as tgctours go) with New Highland Dunes but really exploded
on the scene with Ollie Links. From a technical standpoint there are a lot of things to point at with this one, but we were
very impressed with how the course played. It's a wild brittish style links course that kept the best busy during the week.
This course is not a pushover. Keep an eye out for future events hosted on Ollie Links!
Other Designs: New Highland Dunes, Shield Lake Golf and Hunt Club
The Sandbelt (firm)
Theme: Countryside
Designer: Rob Wilson
Tour Event: Fiji Classic (Euro)
Winner: TBD
Pick: rod81simo, dh-nufc
Comments: Robs latest course The Sandbelt has been very well recieved around the community and have been featured
on several of the community run events already. This course is a tribute to the great Sandbelt Courses of Australia and
he nails the look he is aiming for. The course isn't overly tough, but in the firm conditions it can really bite. Luckily for
all of you who hates firm courses, The Sandbelt has been published with multiple conditions and will appear on other
tours in 2017.
Other Designs: New Highland Dunes, Shield Lake Golf and Hunt Club
Heron's Landing
Theme: Boreal
Designer: Seth Campion
Tour Event: Bobby Lutz Charlotte Cup (CC)
Winner: Curtis Hollabaugh (-44)
Pick: Griff
Comments: Seth Campion is a frequent flyer in terms of tour stops. It seems pretty much any course he release gets put on tour
at the moment. He has a way of designing interesting and often fairly easy courses that appeal to many. With that said though he
knows how to turn up the volume without compromising the integrity of the course. Heron's Landing was played on CC late in
season 2 and seemed to fit the tour well across the board. It's wide fairways and large spacious greens combined with some sharp
doglegs and tricky bends adds up to a real enjoyable round of golf.
Other Designs: The Little John, White Knuckle Beach, Pumpkin Ridge (2016)
Honorable Mention:
The Penitentiary @ Sand Quentin
Theme: Desert
Designer: Moe Smullen
Tour Event: Barbasol Championship
Winner: Patrick Gardner (-35)
Comments: To be fair. This is not one of the best courses on tour of 2016. It is however one of the most memorable.
The backstory to this course is in a league of its own so if you don't know anything about it I suggest you check that
out HERE. It's by far the wackiest course on tour this year and a bold move from Dale to use it. It's great fun and even
though I say it's not the best and it's the wackiest does not mean that there isn't a decent golf course hiding in the
background. If it wasn't it wouldn't get picked!
Other Designs: Inis an Coscasur
Sorry for the long post.
Here is a standard Potato
PS. Sorry all Tapatalk users and those with a different resolution than me as the post looks like crap