Carl's Bait Shop vs Hill Valley Country Club
Judge 1:
Carl's Bait Shop vs Hill Valley CC
Carl's Bait Shop- The course starts off with a nice looking first hole. In fact most of the holes look nice. There are some really nice hole designs here. Hole 4 is one of the best looking holes for me, with the lighting and natural planting, and a really nice looking tee shot. The greens are done well and fit the course and conditions very well. As I played through the holes and made notes, I began to notice it was very repetitive on two things. There were rakes in the middle of almost every single bunker. This is a no-no because you can't move the ball or the rake if the ball rests up against it and the player will be punished. I also noticed there are generated rocks littered throughout the course. This does not hurt the game play, but aesthetically it doesn't look great...at least to me. This being a competition, it's points off for me. Most of the hole designs were really good here, the exception being hole 17 where there is a fairway off to the right. I looked at it several times and couldn't figure out why you would hit it to the right. There is no benefit and just didn't make sense to me. Sculpting was done pretty good here as well. Hole 12, which is an elevated par 3, could have been AWESOME if you could have seen the green below you. Instead, you get to see just the edge of the tee box and there is a view, but not of your hole. I like the eye candy in the courses, but couldn't figure out the placement of the gazebo on 11. I also think the course name should resemble the course or vice versa...where is the bait shop? There is barely a clubhouse. There things don't hurt game play in any way, but are things I'm looking at in a competition. I do like the fact there are some par 5's that are eagle chances and even a reachable par 4 depending on wind conditions. The challenge here is minimal. I played in 18 mph winds and had a couple mistakes and managed a -14. Some challenge would be nice, but this seems like a great course for the lower CC guys and gals.
All in a nice course, with some flaws.
Hill Valley CC- The first hole here is very nice, clean and simple. I felt like this was a real course. Hole 2 has a nice rock wall behind the green, but I noticed a couple generated rocks
Move on to hole 3 and we have a nice tee shot with options off the tee...love that, but the bunker near the green is in two cuts of rough. Hole 4 and we have a straight forward 3 shot par 5 and more generated rocks. It starts to get repetitive from there. What the designer has done here has taken a minimal approach and created a nice course. You're not going to get a whole lot of eye candy here, but you will get some nice golf. I can see some may think this is plain, and may not care for that look. I like it, and it makes me feel like I'm playing on a real course. This course does suffer from the same thing as his competition...generated rocks. You start a hole, looking good and then there are rocks next to a bunker or next to a green...that kind of makes no sense to have rocks just littered here and there. Personal pet peeve. Most of the sculpting here is pretty good. But on 16, the steep drop to the waters edge seems unrealistic and too exaggerated. A smoother more gradual look would have been better for me. Hole 17 has only two ways to get across to the green...swim or walk on the fairway of the previous hole...not very realistic, but it also doesn't hurt the game play aspect at all, just an observation. The designer did no really nice work in regards to the clubhouse area. Really nice job there. Ending my round, I always look forward to the finishing hole! What will I remember, what's going to bring me back?
I get on 18, looks pretty nice, get ready to hit my tee shot and oh no.....A VERY OBVIOUS SLANTED TEE BOX
This doesn't ruin the hole or my round here, but makes me a little sad the designer did not double check the tee boxes.
This is a nice course. I love the look and feel. The designer did some nice things here, but also made some silly errors. This was a very close call for me. A nail biter...
Hill Valley CC- 7.3Carl's Bait Shop- 7.1
Judge 2:Carl's Bait Shop thoughts...
Pros:
I love the quirky name.
Great look off the first tee. That to me sets the tone for a course, and this is a solid opening look.
Subtle break on 2nd green that makes a simple looking putt go wide...I like that.
On 4: I like the tee shot...I like the sculpting around the water...
I like the dangling green shadow on 8. Gives that "early AM" feel a warmth. And the gazebo is at least in a logical place.
I love the sky-high tee on hole 12. Makes the wind come into play more than on most holes and that increases difficulty without tricking up the course.
Love almost all of 13...if it didn't have fairway around the green I'd really love it. The design is the most unique looking of the last 9 holes.
Like the layout of 14. Nice use of the par 5 to give risk/reward.
15...the step hills work on the layout for the tee box.
18....the lone tree on the drive a plus. Green the most creative on the course.
Cons:
OK, it's well known that I'm not a fan of the things that aren't impacting game play, but the gazebo on 3 irritates me. First, it's unnecessary, but it's in an illogical place. It's not on the highest hill to give the best view? It's across the 3rd green from the water? At the very least it should be on the water side so people could watch the ducks or the green.
...I don't like the fairway around the green on 4. It just doesn't look right to me.
Two sets of "step hills" in the first 5 holes? Seems repetitive too early. Tee box on 5 feels claustrophobic with the tree there.
Another green in front of a squarish hill on 7. I REALLY dislike the obvious repetitiveness of a non-natural looking feature.
ANOTHER green cut into a hill on 8.
Hole 10 is sculpted a little more than the other hill cut greens but it seems that way.
Red on the green on 11 seems really out of place compared to other greens.
Hill Valley Country Club:
Pros:
Love the lighting.
Love the opening shot on 1...big and inviting. The lighting REALLY enhances the look.
*** RARE "non-playing" compliment here: I like the fact you can see the parking lot behind the golfer on the opening tee shot when you see the shot in reverse view. Mentally, it reminds me of many small local courses I've played.
LOVE the rock work and planting on 2. That's a darn near perfect par 3. Subtle breaks on the green.
Perfect bunker placement for the drive on 3.
I like the look of the hill surrounding the green on 3. Nice planting of trees.
Great look off tee at 5.
The pin placement on the Africa shaped green on 6 is fantastic. Real challenge for the approach shot.
A very subtle but nice risk/reward on 8's second shot.
WOW...seriously deceptive green on 11. That will give guys fits.
I like 14's green up against a fence and roadway. I've seen that quite a bit on real life courses and it always resonated with me.
Great planting on 15.
Great use of water on 16 and 17.
Cons:
Many other courses with the same name. Hard to find in the list.
Hole 1...there's that fairway around the green. I just personally don't like that.
Landing area for drive on 3 a little narrow for my liking when a bunker's involved.
I don't like 10. I can't explain it...it's well designed...but it feels kind of out of place compared to what was before it. Like a whole new course at the turn...makes you wonder if it's two 9 hole courses someone stuck together as 18.
OK, in matchup one for us IMO,
Hill Valley wins.