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Post by grovey31 on Dec 21, 2019 8:12:20 GMT -5
A really great course here Dylan. It was a really cool routing and good use of different textures and planting. The bunkers are really cool, bordering on extreme which is definitely a compliment. They should be hazards! Speaking of bunkers, the thought I had while playing was that these are what Andy Worhol would create if he was asked to design and build bunkers. They had a very cool pop art feel to them which really went with the overall vibe of the course. Really felt the influence of Alister MacKenzie and the great California courses as well so well done on that.
I loved all of the short grass however I wish you wouldn’t have used the green textures for your teeboxes and just left them as fairway so as to have a seemless blend throughout. I think that would have added just a little for me. Also, the fairways were a little roller coaster-y for me but I totally understand the intent and I think they do integrate nicely with the overall plot.
Nicely done again and good luck mock forward.
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Post by TannerBronson on Dec 21, 2019 9:51:46 GMT -5
A really great course here Dylan. It was a really cool routing and good use of different textures and planting. The bunkers are really cool, bordering on extreme which is definitely a compliment. They should be hazards! Speaking of bunkers, the thought I had while playing was that these are what Andy Worhol would create if he was asked to design and build bunkers. They had a very cool pop art feel to them which really went with the overall vibe of the course. Really felt the influence of Alister MacKenzie and the great California courses as well so well done on that. I loved all of the short grass however I wish you wouldn’t have used the green textures for your teeboxes and just left them as fairway so as to have a seemless blend throughout. I think that would have added just a little for me. Also, the fairways were a little roller coaster-y for me but I totally understand the intent and I think they do integrate nicely with the overall plot. Nicely done again and good luck mock forward. Thank you so much for your honest opinion. I love to hear from people on what I need to work on. That’s the only reason why I make courses, is to learn from them! Glad you enjoyed it!
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Post by knothead85 on Dec 21, 2019 10:54:36 GMT -5
What an amazing course, great work. I love when someone publishes early on in the design contests and puts everyone else on notice with a beauty like this. Can’t wait for what else is to come. Good luck!
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Post by TannerBronson on Dec 24, 2019 18:04:23 GMT -5
Tour version coming out in 2 days! I’m also thinking of a pre restoration type course based in the 1980’s and what a course looks like after “modernizing” renovations making makenzie characteristics lost and more Fazio stuff thrown in like less detail to bunkers. Taking out barrancas and dunes and adding multiple trees. Good idea? Wanted to do something that hasn’t been done before.
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Post by ryanmcconnell on Dec 24, 2019 18:05:44 GMT -5
Dylan! Time to go to bed. Santa’s on his way.
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mtkpa
Weekend Golfer
Posts: 112
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Post by mtkpa on Dec 24, 2019 19:19:40 GMT -5
Tour version coming out in 2 days! I’m also thinking of a pre restoration type course based in the 1980’s and what a course looks like after “modernizing” renovations making makenzie characteristics lost and more Fazio stuff thrown in like less detail to bunkers. Taking out barrancas and dunes and adding multiple trees. Good idea? Wanted to do something that hasn’t been done before. My opinion doesn't count for much here (yet?), but I'd actually love to see this kind of course. Everything is either a Tour-built monster course, or a nature-focused paradise. What you described would be really cool to see. Maybe change the fairway/green colors and mow patterns to seal the deal? In the rebuild, I mean. This version is perfect.
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Post by gamesdecent on Dec 24, 2019 20:32:07 GMT -5
Dylan! Time to go to bed. Santa’s on his way. Bro, you don’t want a Santa-infused dick punch version of the dick punchinest course of all time??
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Post by TannerBronson on Dec 24, 2019 20:39:16 GMT -5
Dylan! Time to go to bed. Santa’s on his way. Bro, you don’t want a Santa-infused dick punch version of the dick punchinest course of all time?? Just you wait...
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mtkpa
Weekend Golfer
Posts: 112
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Post by mtkpa on Dec 26, 2019 17:49:26 GMT -5
Dylan, you're going to be the first in my simulator review series. I have a feeling this is a terrible idea, but man, this course looks beautiful.
Will post tonight!
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Post by TannerBronson on Dec 26, 2019 18:18:15 GMT -5
Dylan, you're going to be the first in my simulator review series. I have a feeling this is a terrible idea, but man, this course looks beautiful. Will post tonight! Can’t wait to see it! Thanks so much for choosing this! It’ll be interesting how this holds up in the sim. Cheers!
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mtkpa
Weekend Golfer
Posts: 112
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Post by mtkpa on Dec 26, 2019 22:30:14 GMT -5
Simulator Course Review
Intro Let me start off by saying I was right: this was a terrible idea. I'll spare everyone the anticipation (if any) by saying this course will not rate highly as a simulator course. Not to say it wasn't fun at times--and absolutely stunning to look at on the big screen in front of me--but it was not fun often enough. While the course reminds me of a US Open that never was; the simulator play made me feel like camping out to play Bethpage from the tips with 25mph wind in real life just to get my confidence back.
How Simulator Play Works For those of your who don't know, simulators can be set up to run TGC 2019 (the simulator version). This particular venue has GC2's: the Cadillac of launch monitors (if Cadillacs were Rolls Royces). They are spot-on accurate. After some acclimation (much like VR), you feel like you're playing real golf. The ball does exactly what you'd expect it to do. TGC has absolutely nailed the realism with this, and makes the previous top-dog Foresight software play like trash. The ball spins, rolls, and flies with extreme accuracy. Which is why The Malibu Club destroyed us. There was no forgiveness.
When playing on a simulator, you usually shoot a bit lower than real life. There are no lie penalties. Meaning, if you're in the rough or bunkers, it doesn't matter. You're still hitting a real ball 100% from a flat, tight piece of turf. I believe TGC takes a little off bunker shots, but not much. This may make it seem like you'd play WAY better than real life, but the short game component compensates for that. You don't realize how much you rely on your eyes and feel for things like chipping and putting. This is why indoor golf is so good for offseason short-game work. By the end of the season I know exactly what a 26 yard, medium trajectory pitch with high spin feels like. I know exactly how much club to put on a 16 foot putt. It's invaluable, and I highly recommend finding a facility with a GC2 and TGC.
We also play the game with automatic gimmies inside of 9 feet. This is because putting is very difficult to get a feel for. It's much faster to pick up inside of close range than watch everyone miss 3 putts inside of 10 feet. Again, without looking at a real hole, your brain doesn't know what to do. You make very few putts in a simulator.
Disclaimers & Preamble The two of us were only able to play the front 9 of this course from the White tees at 6,965 (sorry, Dylan). We were unable to play the treacherous 16-18; and were unable to receive our Dick Punch Christening. That's because it took us an hour and 15 minutes. I've played quicker 9's with a foursome in real golf. Between lining up every single shot, and the amount of strokes we took, it was a tough one to get through quickly. For reference, we played our 9 holes (back nine) at Whistling Straits from the Blue tees (6,905) in just under 40 minutes afterwards. Then added two more holes for fun to round out the night.
About Us Me: I ended the season at a 7.6. I am what you would call a "weak" 7.6. I have shot even par at 72+ rated courses, and I've also shot 94 in a tournament as recently as July. I went back-to-back 74-91 in a tournament this year in the same conditions. Anything can happen with me. Today, my driver was off, and my short game and irons were very good.
My league partner: He ended the year as a 1.6. He is a consistent 1.6. Very rarely fires above 77-78. I only beat him when he's throwing clubs and I'm playing lights out. Today, he was his usual self. A little off on long game, but mostly solid.
THE REVIEW White tees, No wind, Default Greens/Fairway, Pin 1
Hole 1 Remember when I said my driver was very off? Not on this hole. I zoomed in before my shot and saw a tiny landing area at 260 with OB right and a tree left. Only an idiot would hit driver here. However, it's a 436 yard Par 4, and this is my real golf swing. I'm not trying to hit a 3 wood approach. I proceeded to smack a tiny fade off of the tree on the left side that landed just past the neck, dead center at 271 and rolled out to 311. Thanks for the firm fairways, because at this moment I felt like a God. My partner decided to hit 3 wood and hit a laser right into the base of the neck. I hit a 48 degree from 127 to 20 feet, 2 putt for par. My partner hit a short iron to the middle of the green and did the same. Pfff, this course is cake. Me: Even; Partner: Even.
Hole 2 This hole looks so intimidating from the tee. Almost everything is dead. Hit a 9 iron just short and left of the green. Chipped up to 3 feet. Par. Partner parred it as well. Again, dude, this course is so easy. Even, Even.
Hole 3 My partner drove this green. I didn't have the balls, and hit a 7 iron to 118 yards. I hit my approach a tad left, skulled my chip (remember, it's on a mat), and 3 putt for double. This is around when we started to grumble about the green slope. +2, -1
Hole 4 3 wood off this tee with the trench at driver distance. And I yanked it way left into the sh%$. My partner rolled his into the trench and had to chip out because of the steep lip. He then went into the bunker short right with his 5 iron. It took me 2 shots to get out of the junk left. I could not advance it through the trees. I then had to lay-up around the corner since I played out backwards. My approach landed on the front and rolled a billion yards down. The false fronts became a serious source of anger for us as the round went on. I chipped up to 2 feet for another double. My partner hit his bunker shot into the lip and it rolled back in. His second shot was a good one, and still rolled a mile away. +4, +1.
Hole 5 I popped up my drive a bit, but luckily played it out to the right so it didn't go in the junk, and had a long approach that landed short. Skulled the chip again and 2-putt. My partner tried to play it short of the junk, and ended up rolling in, not realizing it was OB. Not a huge fan of OB being in the middle of the fairway. I get it, it'd be hard to get out. But still, it's a rough one to swallow. He ended up tripling it. +5, +4.
Hole 6 Finally a breather: a nice big green from 173 playing ~45 feet down hill. I hit my pitching wedge to the front of the green and 2-putt. My partner went in the bunker, then couldn't get up and down. +5, +5.
Hole 7 @!$# you.
We both didn't clear the gap on our first shot. My second carried 256--which is absolutely mashed considering it's uphill--and only made it by about 2 yards. My partner wasn't so lucky and went in it again. He finally hit his third drive way on the left side leaving a huge second (6th) shot. We both managed to play clean the rest of the way, but still enough for me to card a bogey, and him a quad. +6, +9.
Hole 8 I grabbed my 20 degree hybrid because this fairway was about as intimidating as it gets. Dead both sides, and pretty tight. I hit an absolute monster that carried 231 and rolled out to 257. The downhill + the firm fairways really made me want to drink Muscle Milk and cheat on my wife. I hit a 6 iron onto the green that rolled off the front edge; and I then chipped up to 5 feet for par. My partner hit a 3 wood into the junk right (which wasn't OB suddenly?) and then hit an amazing shot to about 15 feet and made the putt for birdie. +6, +8.
Hole 9 I tried to tee it up low for a fairway finder and got the heel. A 202 yard burner and stuck in its place in the sandy junk left. My partner tried to go deep, but ended up in the sh%$ as well. I had to play out, first, then we both hit approaches into the back bunkers. We then both hit pretty good looking shots that both rolled a mile off the front. I managed to get it up the hill and two-putt. He did not. His chip went up to about 5 feet then came the whole way back down. +8, +10.
RECAP Look, I love this course. A lot. Everyone who was in that facility stopped over to look at it and ask. When I said "some guy made it" they were blown away. It looks so good that it makes people angry it doesn't exist for real.
Don't play this on a simulator. Even from shorter tees. The distance wasn't the problem AT ALL. The greens are sloped for video game players who can hit pinpoint approaches and putt with precision. They can apply an exact amount of spin on the their wedges using a button before they hit. I get why this course was made this way; and I get that it wasn't made for a simulator. I didn't like the in-play OB. I didn't like the fairway bunker depths. I didn't like the amount (and severity) of false fronts. And the green slopes were just unbelievably hard. We both hit our irons VERY well tonight. For reference, again, I was -1 after 11 holes (10-18, 1, 2) at Whistling Straits from the same tee length. And it was entirely because when I hit an approach it stayed on the green, and near where it landed. My partner was -4, and that was with a bogey to close it. I could hit a 52 degree and zip it back a few feet. I didn't have to worry about it coming back another 60 feet and off the front. I didn't have to worry about bouncing a mid-iron to 10 feet only to watch it slowly trickle away, and then quickly continue to trickle away, and then slowly trickle away again before settling 30 yards from the hole.
Overall, I couldn't recommend this course anymore to look at and impress the sh%$ out of everyone who sees it. I mean, you made me look awesome for knowing about it and picking it. Even the guys who ran the place were in awe. They aren't aware of the skills of this community (and I didn't tell them, that way I can continue to look like a @!$#ing golf course connoisseur). But I do NOT recommend it--even to single-digit golfers--on a simulator.
VISUALS : 5/5 Immaculate, gorgeous, angeringly not-real. Rated based on how it looks, visually, on the big screen.
REALISM : 2/5 Fairway bunkers are too deep, greens are insanely sloped, and some landing areas are absurdly tight and/or long. Rated based on how the course plays between the lines compared to real life courses. Assumes the course is not an outlandish fantasy course.
MEMORABILITY : 4/5 The funny thing about playing on a simulator is after a while it feels somewhat real. And because of that, you remember holes and shots as if they were real. This is so strange after playing a fictional course like The Malibu Club, because the holes actually stick with you when you're done playing. "Oh man that hybrid on 8 was absolutely crushed." It ACTUALLY happened. This course has some very memorable holes. I barely had to look at my notes for most of it, as I remembered every shot and location. A few of them blended together, but that's normal anywhere after one playthrough. How easily am I able to remember holes, shots, landmarks, etc. on the course; and how much am I able to distinguish holes from each other afterwards.
PLAYABILITY FOR SINGLE-DIGIT HCP : 3/10 I'm sure there's worse out there, but I can't imagine spending money to play this again, knowing I'm going to feel this aggravated. The baseline being that the course is at least a well-designed, high-rated course in the game and in the community.
PLAYABILITY FOR BOGEY GOLFER : 1/10 The accuracy required means it'd be nearly impossible to play for the average golfer. There is nowhere to run the ball onto the green. Bunkers require a flop shot off the tight lie of simulator turf. And, there is at least one carry (7) that would make them have to concede the hole if not playing from the front tees (and even then, maybe not). Same requirement as above, but also with the stipulation that the course HAVE a front tee of reasonable length (<6,400ish).
OVERALL : 15/35
WOULD NOT RECOMMEND. I don't even want to know how we would've ended up through the back 9. Well, okay, maybe there is one reason to play it. It makes Whistling Straits feel like a muni course.
EDIT: Added Memorability category.
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mtkpa
Weekend Golfer
Posts: 112
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Post by mtkpa on Dec 26, 2019 23:30:05 GMT -5
TannerBronson I hope you take this as a badge of honor. I'm betting we don't shoot worse on any other course for the rest of the reviews I do. Thanks for being my guinea pig.
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Post by TannerBronson on Dec 26, 2019 23:31:58 GMT -5
TannerBronson I hope you take this as a badge of honor. I'm betting we don't shoot worse on any other course for the rest of the reviews I do. Thanks for being my guinea pig. Thank you for making me the test run! Honored to be chosen!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2019 22:42:11 GMT -5
I really enjoy that one, thank you, good luck, nothing bad with vf,vf,vf as well, course play way better but hey, Good job
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Post by Eduarshk on Jan 3, 2020 15:29:49 GMT -5
Hey Dylan,Outstanding course!!! This belongs IMO to a small group of courses that are top of the top! So thanks for giving us this gift and very good luck on the contest! Here a couple of screenshots... Scorecard during The Malibu Cup (Lesson learned on 17th) Eagle - 15th hole Cheers
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