|
Post by theclv24 on Apr 23, 2018 16:29:40 GMT -5
I have too many works in progress, I know it. This one started on a whim, though, and is quite far along with 11 holes done. I thought it would be fitting to start revealing it today, as reports are strongly indicating that Detroit Golf Club will likely be joining the PGA Tour rotation. This is my first quasi-RCR, and follows the routing of the North course at DGC quite closely. The greens are my interpretation of what the land does around where the greens are located in real life, combined with what I think are classic elements of Ross greens (I could be way off though, lol). I've fudged the distances a bit, and will be converting two par 5's to par 4's to create a par 70 layout, as the original course is on the shortish side. It's still not a beast, though, and the intent for my first release is forgiveness and playability. I was unsure of whether I would do a Tour version, but the PGA news seals the deal, I think. Here are some photos, which may be on the dark side. I'll take a little more time and some better photos near the end. The holes are 1-9, and then 18 at the end.
|
|
|
Post by theclv24 on Apr 24, 2018 9:06:23 GMT -5
One more little touch I threw in to make the course different. I've looked a lot at another Ross, Augusta Country Club, while working on Magnolia, and I love the squared off bunker look there. Not quite Raynor square, but somewhat sharp edges. I've tried to incorporate a bit of that look here.
|
|
|
Post by joegolferg on Apr 25, 2018 3:15:26 GMT -5
Looks nice. Sort of like a Ross and Raynor love child.
|
|
|
Post by Royce on Apr 27, 2018 8:21:38 GMT -5
Looks excellent, can't wait to see this course in action, and about time the PGA Tour returns to Michigan! I always liked DGC and Rackham. I'm interested about how you handle the whores and crack dealers that populate the south side of the course lol.
Reading your other thread re quasi RCR's has got me thinking a bit, I really like the idea you guys (yourself, joegolferg etc) have of creating an "inspired by" type course, as there's so many local courses with limited data (Radrick Farms, Bloomfield Hills CC, Barton Hills to name few). I didn't see Crystal Downs in your list, I assume you are still working on this one?
|
|
|
Post by theclv24 on Apr 27, 2018 9:39:37 GMT -5
Looks excellent, can't wait to see this course in action, and about time the PGA Tour returns to Michigan! I always liked DGC and Rackham. I'm interested about how you handle the whores and crack dealers that populate the south side of the course lol. Reading your other thread re quasi RCR's has got me thinking a bit, I really like the idea you guys (yourself, joegolferg etc) have of creating an "inspired by" type course, as there's so many local courses with limited data (Radrick Farms, Bloomfield Hills CC, Barton Hills to name few). I didn't see Crystal Downs in your list, I assume you are still working on this one? Yeah, I ported my work in progress on Crystal Downs over from TGC1, and the plot and holes are measured out and holes 1-4 are mostly done. I was running into some spacing issues on 5 with the measurements not being as precise as I wanted, so I considered starting the entire course over. When I went to delete it, though, I had more done than I thought I did in my head. I just can't see myself starting over. At some point this summer or fall I will likely take our annual trip up to Glen Arbor, and it will light my fire to get back to work on it.
|
|
|
Post by joegolferg on Apr 27, 2018 10:36:23 GMT -5
Looks excellent, can't wait to see this course in action, and about time the PGA Tour returns to Michigan! I always liked DGC and Rackham. I'm interested about how you handle the whores and crack dealers that populate the south side of the course lol. Reading your other thread re quasi RCR's has got me thinking a bit, I really like the idea you guys (yourself, joegolferg etc) have of creating an "inspired by" type course, as there's so many local courses with limited data (Radrick Farms, Bloomfield Hills CC, Barton Hills to name few). I didn't see Crystal Downs in your list, I assume you are still working on this one? Lmao South side of the course sounds like a laugh.
|
|
|
Post by Royce on Apr 28, 2018 7:01:44 GMT -5
Looks excellent, can't wait to see this course in action, and about time the PGA Tour returns to Michigan! I always liked DGC and Rackham. I'm interested about how you handle the whores and crack dealers that populate the south side of the course lol. Reading your other thread re quasi RCR's has got me thinking a bit, I really like the idea you guys (yourself, joegolferg etc) have of creating an "inspired by" type course, as there's so many local courses with limited data (Radrick Farms, Bloomfield Hills CC, Barton Hills to name few). I didn't see Crystal Downs in your list, I assume you are still working on this one? Lmao South side of the course sounds like a laugh. I take it you've never visited the motor city, if you value life keep it that way. We used to drive down to the State fairgrounds to score dope when I was in high school, good times.
|
|
|
Post by Royce on Apr 28, 2018 7:07:04 GMT -5
Looks excellent, can't wait to see this course in action, and about time the PGA Tour returns to Michigan! I always liked DGC and Rackham. I'm interested about how you handle the whores and crack dealers that populate the south side of the course lol. Reading your other thread re quasi RCR's has got me thinking a bit, I really like the idea you guys (yourself, joegolferg etc) have of creating an "inspired by" type course, as there's so many local courses with limited data (Radrick Farms, Bloomfield Hills CC, Barton Hills to name few). I didn't see Crystal Downs in your list, I assume you are still working on this one? Yeah, I ported my work in progress on Crystal Downs over from TGC1, and the plot and holes are measured out and holes 1-4 are mostly done. I was running into some spacing issues on 5 with the measurements not being as precise as I wanted, so I considered starting the entire course over. When I went to delete it, though, I had more done than I thought I did in my head. I just can't see myself starting over. At some point this summer or fall I will likely take our annual trip up to Glen Arbor, and it will light my fire to get back to work on it. Starting over is just the worst, but glad you hear you are still giving it a go, Crystal Downs really flies under the radar of great courses, always wanted to see how that boomerang green would play in TGC....... I used to fish Crystal Lake from Beulah years ago, wonderful area and some of the best inland fishing around.
|
|
|
Post by theclv24 on Apr 29, 2018 11:23:52 GMT -5
I'm ripping through this one, so let's do some hole previews. 1st Hole - Par 4 - 378y A short opener to get settled into the round. You will see the 1st hole of the South Course branching off to the left. Three bunkers guard the landing area off the tee. In most winds a Tour Clubs player could take a crack at clearing all 3, while a Player Clubs player will more likely need to thread the needle, or lay-up short. This short hole is defended by a severely sloped back-to-front green, with a small plateau in the back to support two pins, and a steep false front. The closer your drive ends up here, the more you will need to carefully plan out your spin or runout on approach.
|
|
|
Post by theclv24 on Apr 29, 2018 11:34:36 GMT -5
Hole 2 - Par 5 - 564y One of the best scoring opportunities on the course, the next par 5 does not come until the 17th hole. The dogleg left is protected on the inside by two deep bunkers, and the small driving range runs down the right side of the fairway. Any lay-up must contend with the left side approach area bunker, while those going for two will find a small opening into the front of the green, leading to a generous putting surface. Pins on the right half will have plenty of access, while left side pins will be better protected by the two greenside bunkers. Shots from these bunkers will have to contend with a green that slopes away.
|
|
|
Post by theclv24 on Apr 29, 2018 11:38:35 GMT -5
3rd Hole - Par 3 - 182y A fairly classic push-up or volcano style green, the front of the green provides a back-to-front slope to catch approach shots, while the back of the green starts to slope away, so distance control is key. Probably my favorite hole on the course so far.
|
|
|
Post by theclv24 on May 2, 2018 9:42:05 GMT -5
Took a bunch of pics last night of 4-6 and was going to post them, but realized I forgot to grab the hole yardages and had already shut the game down. Decided to skip it and will do it later.
I pretty much finished the 17th hole last night, which means I have all 18 done. My next step I think will be to publish a beta version for wind testing. I will post the name here when I do if anyone wants to take a spin. Just know that while I have the beta published I will still have a lot of external additions and planting to do, and I am likely to make not necessarily wholesale, but still large changes to a lot of holes to help them play as interesting as possible.
|
|
|
Post by theclv24 on May 2, 2018 21:33:12 GMT -5
Published a beta named DGCWind1
The course follows the layout and design of Detroit Golf Club fairly closely, and so far I would say it plays pretty straightforward and forgiving off the tee and on approach, but the greens can be tricky if you aren't knocking them in close. My impression on my initial playthrough is that, while I don't mind a forgiving course, and I intentionally made the first version more forgiving, you don't get enough rewards for playing angles off of the tee. Some holes it really doesn't matter where you put it, and there are a few outside dogleg hazards which don't serve much purpose. I'm going to try to clean up some bunker placement, green angles, and fairway patterns to maximize the strategy of the course the best I can. It may likely still yield a ton of low scores, but there should be fewer shots on the course that don't require thought.
|
|