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Post by statelyowl on Mar 22, 2018 19:21:36 GMT -5
This will be my first effort in the designer, it won't be up there with the best designers, but the aim is that it is a learning experience resulting in a half playable goat track. The location is real and provides the inspiration only. There is no real golf course there it would be a disgrace to place a course in this beautiful national park, but if in an alternative universe it happened, it might look like this. So the course, like the story is a blend of fact and fiction. The real locale looks like this:
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Post by statelyowl on Mar 22, 2018 19:26:38 GMT -5
In the mid-1800s, shepherds searching for grazing land beyond the Canterbury Plains were the first Europeans to explore the mountain wilderness of Arthur's Pass National Park. The lure of gold however, was the driving force that shaped the destiny of the region. Gold was first found on the West Coast in 1863. The settlers of Canterbury were prepared to leave their homes and trek hundreds of kilometres on the merest chance of making their fortune. The awesome barrier of the Southern Alps lay between them and the alluring goldfields. In 1864 the surveyor Arthur Dobson rode horses up the Waimakariri River in search of a new route west. Arthur DobsonOn his return Dobson pronounced the route extremely difficult, if not impossible, because of the precipitous descent from the pass on the western side. In 1865 Arthur's father, Edward Dobson senior, the Canterbury provincial engineer, decided a road would be cut through Arthur's Pass. A thousand men with axes, picks, shovels, crowbars and wheelbarrows, rock drills and explosives worked in the rugged terrain. They would often spend a whole day clearing snow, only to find the next morning they had to do it over again. The road was completed in 1866. The first attempt to establish a town near Arthur's Pass was named Klondyke, the site was very cold, receiving no sunshine in winter. The year 1865 saw about 100 people encamped. Eighteen months later everyone but the telegraph operator and a police sergeant had moved to a much sunnier site. Today the township is a handful of homes. Arthur’s Pass National Park was established in 1929, New Zealand’s third national park and first in the South Island. The park is very distinctly split by the main divide of the South Island. The eastern side is typically drier and consists of beech forest and wide riverbeds, while the western side contains dense rainforest. Much of the geography was formed by ancient glacial action, forming flat bottomed U-shaped valleys. In the middle is a high range, consisting of large, snow-covered peaks and scree slopes. The park covers 1,185 km² of mostly mountainous terrain.
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Post by statelyowl on Mar 22, 2018 19:34:48 GMT -5
The Arthur's Pass National Park Course, is the only course situated in a National Park within NZ and exists due to a series of happy little accidents. In 1865 when construction of the road over the pass began, the thousand men building it only had Sundays off work and with no church or pastor within a hundred kilometres the men quickly picked up on the developing game of golf due to their largely Scottish, English, Irish and Welsh heritage. Two of the supervisors though were American, and they encouraged the development of this Sunday activity as a church replacement as it kept the men close to the camp, sober for at least half the day and provided them enjoyment. Supervisor Nesbit knew a bit about a lot and was able to assist the men in developing the course. Supervisor NesbitWhile Supervisor Grayson had a more artistic eye than most of the labourers and the men related to his hillybilly ways well, he was able to provide direction in the look of the course. Supervisor GraysonThe only other American in the work gangs was a strange chap named Kessler, he was run off by the men in short order after he tried to introduce some odd practice he had picked up during his time in Japan. KesslerBy 1900 the men had all left the area as the road was complete, and the course fell into disuse for over 100 years.
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Post by statelyowl on Mar 22, 2018 19:37:55 GMT -5
In 2011 following killer earthquakes in the Canterbury area, a new group of men were in the area doing remedial roadwork for an extended period, and they re-discovered the old course.
This time it required a lot of negotiation with the government of the day and the Department of Conservation before they were allowed to get the course re-established.
The red tape required minimal impact on the environment, the course to be largely run as a non-profit (any profits were to go back the National Park itself) and for the course to be environmentally self-sustaining. As a result, no corporate was involved, it was a labour of love by golf enthusiasts. The clubhouse generates it own electricity via solar panels.
This left a current course that looks wedded into the surrounding national park. It also means no carts are allowed, the course has to be walked and the bag carried, just like the original players did back in the late 1800’s.
A round at Arthur's Pass National Park is largely risk free, New Zealand has no large wildlife such as bears or cougars, is free of snakes, and essentially free of poisonous spiders. The biggest living threat in this area are the cheeky Kea’s, these birds will probably strip the rubber from your cars windshield wipers while you are on the course.
Earthquakes in the area are common, it is acceptable to hold a shot until the shaking is complete and any movement of the ball by the quake can be either accepted or replaced to its original position under the local rules.
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Post by statelyowl on Mar 22, 2018 22:58:08 GMT -5
The new club just uncovered a dusty old box in the basement of the clubhouse, not a lot was readable due to being over 100years old, but there was one interesting story that occurred during an earthquake back in 1889. A Mr Smedley was playing the course when a significant earthquake occurred, a tree fell hitting Mr Smedley in the head on the 18th green. He was never quite the same after the accident and was prone to running around tapping himself on the chest and yelling out "J2" repeatedly. No one was ever able to understand the significance of this. Mr Smedley of "J2" fame
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Post by statelyowl on Mar 22, 2018 23:16:51 GMT -5
Also unearthed in the recent box discovered under the clubhouse was a photo of the very first clubhouse and the two Englishmen that built it, a Mr Gale and a Mr "Taff" Thomas, it was a reminder of their lavish home from the old country in Leeds. (L to R) Mr Gale and Mr "Taff" Thomas
Original Clubhouse
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Post by statelyowl on Mar 22, 2018 23:22:05 GMT -5
Preview Video for Hole 1
It is a forced lay-up of a Tour 3w club, you can't play down the 10th fairway as the trees block that shot.
As a rule, I'm not a fan of a forced lay-up but it works in this instance and is the only one on the whole course. The 3w is a natural risk-free shot if hit straight with no wind or a headwind. A tailwind probably means adjusting the shot or dropping to the 5w.
From the tee the dangers are left into the water and right into a bunker or into the rocks, although every playtest into the rocks has seen the ball bounce out to the fairway due to the underlying slope, but not a recommended approach.
If you are off the fairway from the tee, then it will be a risky shot across water to the green.
If you are in position on the fairway then it is 140-155yd approach for a birdie putt.
This is a signature hole of sorts showing off the river.
Hope that all hangs together and the look of the hole is not a disaster, welcome any suggestions, happy to be given something to think about.
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Post by Energ1ser on Mar 23, 2018 0:18:42 GMT -5
This is your first course right? It's looking really good from what I can see in that video.
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Post by statelyowl on Mar 23, 2018 0:28:11 GMT -5
Yep first effort, at this stage I have all 18 in and multi pinned, now it is just a planting thing. Not sure when to draw the line, feels like there will always be more planting that can be done for incremental improvement, but then will anyone even notice the incremental improvement?
ALso unsure if the pins are too easy, too tough or just right.... feel like Goldilocks on that question. Need to keep playtesting on that question.
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Post by Giraffe72 on Mar 24, 2018 10:49:17 GMT -5
Looks really good Justin, looking forward to playing it! And thanks for allowing me to be part of the story Loved the bit about J2
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Post by statelyowl on Mar 29, 2018 1:17:08 GMT -5
An unsent postcard was unearthed. Can't quite make out the Canadian recipient but presumably, he/she was being invited to take a slow boat to New Zealand and enjoy the course. They may have missed out on a once in a lifetime experience.
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Post by statelyowl on Mar 29, 2018 1:22:48 GMT -5
The course is now published, any comments/criticism are welcome, I'll attempt not to be too defensive of my first born.
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