Here’s the review I said I’d do for you. I always get a little nervous when doing these as I’m no ace designer or anything and I’m not here to make enemies so please take any criticism as purely constructive and an effort to simply provide perspective from a different set of eyes!
Hole 1: Right off the bat the tee shot is semi-blind. It’s not too bad but maybe not the best choice for the opening hole. The planting between the holes has nice variety but is noticeably multi-planted. Not a deal breaker for me and I know from experience that single planting is a pain but the finished look is so worth it. I also thought that opening with a 500+ yard par 4 was pretty brutal. Not that I don’t like a good challenge but forcing a player to hit driver then long iron/hybrid for their first two swings of the round could be frustrating for some players. My personal preference for opening holes is a par 4 or 5 where driver is definitely an option but not a necessity in order to score. The green complex on this hole was nice. My only critique here is that the middle of the green was almost dead flat. Some more undulations could have added a lot of interest especially since the ground game is in play with it being a long approach. Bunker sculpting was pretty good.
Hole 2: Nice design here. Good risk/reward with bunkers in the corner of the dogleg. Only two things on this hole are that I felt the texture splines could have been smoother ( it’s nitpicky I know but little detail stuff like this is so important when trying to get a course over the good/great threshold) and the planting on the right shifts very abruptly from bushes and shrubs to long grass. I thought some blending between the two would make it look more realistic.
Hole 3: Another nice hole design. Only critique on this one was that all the grass is the same plant and the same size. It would have looked awesome with some more variety.
Hole 4: The tree. Why oh why the tree. In all seriousness, it’s just too big and too close to the tee and the lack of planting around the base makes it stick out like a sore thumb. I’m guessing that you were trying to influence a draw off the tee to bring the O.B. into play more and increase the risk factor on the par five. If this were a tree-heavy course, it might have fit better but given the wide open nature of your plot, it just seems placed there to artificially create difficulty. The hotel on the right was nicely done but was way too close to the hole. They must have a window guy on call 24-7! I like the ob threatening the short way home but the hotel almost completely blocks out the interesting green complex.
Hole 5: The hedgerow needs variety. It looks like the same tree spam-planted all the way around the boundary of the course. Again, small details like this can make or break a course. Blindness was again an issue off the tee. I don’t know if it was intentional or not but it hides all the bunkers. It’s a moot point with the scout cam but visuals are important. I’d encourage you to avoid too many blind tee shots on future projects. The left front greenside bunker was a little on the bathtubby side but the rest of the green complex was interesting and fun to play.
Hole 6: Trees were again a major issue on the tee shot and blindness is again an issue. As mentioned before, I like when shot shaping is encouraged, but not when it’s forced. I did like the green on this hole after I finally got there😉.
Hole 7: good design. No issues here.
Hole 8: another blind tee shot that hides the water long and left. I don’t mind a blind bunker or two, but any hazard that costs a stroke should probably be at least partially visible from the tee. Thought the green could have used a bunker between the green and the walking path on the left.
Hole 9: another blind tee shot. Approach and green are awkwardly thin with no apparent reason to be. Could have worked with better framing.
Hole10: more blindness off the tee. Fairway camber over the knoll is borderline unfair. My drive landed right center and rolled into left heavy rough.
Hole 11: Driveable par 5!!!!! As a player, I loved this hole because who doesn’t want a putt for an albatross! As a designer, I thought this hole would have been much better as a par four. The fairway splits along the hole are unnecessary. Pinching them around a hazard would have had the same effect but looked better.
Hole 12: the weather station (?) is an interesting idea but I don’t think it added anything to the hole by being in play. The green/fairway transition was also a little awkward.
Hole 13: I loved the mist along the cliffs to create the spray effect! The cliffs themselves, however, were pretty severe. Not really your fault that the texture gets crappy with severe cliffs like this, but it is visually jarring. The planting along the cliffs unfortunately makes the green site blind. The hole itself is beautiful, just wish I could have seen it better!
Hole 14: the split fairway is again unnecessary here. Personally, I would have also nixed the fairway bunkers on the left and made the superb beach area the feature hazard on this hole. The green complex naturally sets up better for an approach from the right side so make the player flirt with the beach in order to get the best angle. Liked the contours on the green.
Hole 15: best hole on the course in my opinion. Wish the tee box was raised up above the grass to see the hole better. As is, it’s pretty blind (again) and is a real missed opportunity for a really stunning seaside vista. Absolutely loved the punch bowl green site. Easily the best on the course. Only gripes were the sculpting on the back left greenside bunker was a bit odd and some variety in the shrubbery could have helped it really pop!
Hole 16: the return of the tree 😂. Not so bad on this hole but still noticeably out of place. Other than the tree, this was a solid hole. Not necessarily a show stopper visually, but solid strategy wise.
Hole 17:favorite par 3 on the course. Loved the tee shot over the bowl in front of the green. Nice overall design. Only critique on this one is the sculpting on the back left bunker. A little severe on the mound that it’s set into.
Hole 18: semi-blind tee shot but not too bad. I wish the tall tree in the distance on the left was a little more to the right as it would have made a good aiming marker. Nice attempt on the riveted pot bunker. It’s a tough look to pull off. Really liked the “eye lashes” on it with the grass. Nice choice on green site for the closing hole. There’s some excellent views of the course and surrounding areas from there.
In closing, this course is brimming with great ideas and interesting concepts. Unfortunately, some sub par planting (just being honest) and poor sculpting around the teeing areas leading to blindness keep this one from achieving its true potential. On open style courses like this, long sight lines and scenic vistas really help to immerse players in the environment and add a lot of interest to the course. The course itself was good. Playability was pretty good for the most part and the strategic elements on most of the holes were interesting. I would recommend (humbly, of course) that you focus heavily on improving your sculpting and planting for your next project and thanks for being open to receiving honest, no bs feedback. Willingness to improve and learn is, in my opinion, the most important trait for designers to have. I hope this long, rambling review can help you in some way to grow as a designer! I’ll look forward to your next project 👍🏻!