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Post by linkslover on Oct 8, 2018 3:45:40 GMT -5
Thanks Jason. Very kind.
Finding time is my biggest problem too.
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Post by linkslover on Oct 9, 2018 6:16:04 GMT -5
17th - Par 4 Inspired by the 18th at Llanymynech Golf Club www.llanymynechgolfclub.co.uk/Llanymynech is a small Welsh town just inside the border from England. As a town it is quiet and quaint with the countryside and Welsh hills around, a perfect place to live if you want to be away from the hustle bustle of city life. Llanymynech Golf Club is situated midway between the town and the small town of Pant just the other side of the border. It's location gives Llanymynech something unique. 15 of the holes are in Wales and 2 are in England while on the 4th hole you tee off in Wales and putt out in England. It is Europe's only dual country golf course. It is also famous for being the course where 1991 Masters champion Ian Woosnam learned to play. It is a hilly parkland course and also features some cliffs. The 18th hole sees you tee off over bushes down a steep hill to the fairway below and the hole doglegs right uphill to a green perched on top of one of the cliffs. It isn't a particularly long hole and despite appearances plays easier than it looks as it is only a short iron or wedge for your second shot. Whatever you do though, do not overhit the green. You won't be getting your ball back. The hole is also unusual in that you have a walk of around 300 yards back up the hole to go to the clubhouse. Northwood's 17th hole retains many features of the hole that inspires it. I have retained the downhill tee shot, the dogleg right and the climb up to the green. I have added in some bunkers too as the real hole doesn't feature any. I haven't gone for a sheer cliff behind the green due to the overall layout of the whole course, though in it's place there is a steep bank and large drop, so you still don't want to go down there. It's a birdie opportunity as long as you are sensible. And there is a long walk back to the 18th tee.
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Post by linkslover on Oct 11, 2018 6:23:37 GMT -5
18th - Par 4 Inspired by the 18th at Burton-on-Trent Golf Club www.botgc.co.uk/Formed in 1894, Burton-on-Trent is a woodland course that is always in top condition and a tough track, one you earn your handicap at. It is situated on the A511 on the outskirts of town. The town itself is most famous for it's beer, with many major brewing companies in the town and surrounding area. More recently the town's football club has risen to prominence, very much punching above their weight as Burton Albion rose from non league all the way up to the Championship (the division below the Premier League) where they spent two seasons, dropping back a level to League One last season. The 18th hole at Burton is not one of their harder holes, provided you position your tee shot on the right of the fairway to give you the angle into the green. It is though one of it's most beautiful as the second shot plays over a pond complete with fountain and railed walkway to the green that sits beneath the clubhouse. From the clubhouse balcony, you can see players finishing their rounds. There are changes to Northwood's 18. While the shot over the pond to the green in front of the clubhouse is broadly similar, there are some significant alterations. First of all, you don't have to tee off over the 17th green to hit the fairway. Secondly, there were two trees right in the middle of the hole when the routing was laid out. Then I had a brainwave. I split the fairway in two. The right side gives golfers a longer, safer route while the left side gives a shorter but much narrower route. Finally, I've altered bunkering all down the hole. It's probably the hole I have changed the most at Northwood from it's real life inspiration, changes I hope players find for the better. And that's it, that's all 18 holes detailed. There is a beta out called Northwood Full Beta. Please give it a play and let me know what you think. I shall post soon when the completed course is released.
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Post by linkslover on Oct 18, 2018 4:27:06 GMT -5
I am on the verge of publishing. I have so far played 7 full rounds using my unpublished courses and intend to play one more, to cover every tee and also every pin on both the default green speed of 158 and the fastest of 187. Along with play testing in the designer I will have play tested every hole at least 16 times.
I'm finding it quite a tough course. So far out of 7 rounds my scores have ranged from 71-76 on the par 72 with two rounds under par. I was in CC-B last season so while I'm far from the best TGC golfer, I'm far from the worst also. Holes 11-15 are particularly a tough stretch. Par through there is very good. 1, 2, 9, 10 and 16-18 are playing as the scoring holes in my testing.
One thing I have noticed is that the green grids have subtle differences between designer, flyover and actual playing. When a subtle difference can change a green slope into a yellow at the fastest speed, it makes it hard to spot on occasion and what you think was right may not actually be! One thing I have learned from this for future courses is to design for the fastest speed then adjust to the speed you want. I went the other way round here.
I should publish on Saturday morning and it will be called Northwood Golf Club. I probably won't be able to post about it on here until Tuesday.
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