Weird that the new course comes up when I search "Devon" but not "Devon Quarry", only the old one shows up.
Devon Quarry CC
Hole 1: Dogleg left par 4. Good opening hole sightline and lighting. Green complex is a little punchbowl-ish, possibly intentional. Bunkers are generic shapes but the sculpting is decently done. Lol, default 119 greens, give me a break. A little on the flat side, but having played Gobhar, I'm sure the greens will be tricked up in the redux.
Hole 2: Dogleg right par 4. Another good sightline. I like the dead tree by the tee box, but man these cart paths are like avenues. Hmm, I thought I was risking it by going for the peninsula fairway, but now I'm hitting into a side sloping green. Unfortunate. Maybe I should've risked driver for the better angle. Green complex is good, a nice smooth bender from about 15 feet away.
Hole 3: Short par 3. Not in love with the bunker shapes on this par 3. Green seems pretty large for a 124 yard par 3, but not something I haven't seen used before in real life. Undulations are natural looking.
Hole 4: Straight par 5. Another notable sightline and lighting. Curving bridges are a little bit of a pet peeve of mine, but I'll allow it. Lighting really makes the fairway bunker sculpting pop, and I like that the dead tree is in my line of approach because I went too far right on my tee shot. Green contouring looks really good but I think I'd like to see the complex as a whole raised up a few feet.
Hole 5: Driveable par 4. Don't mind if I do. Very fast into the water. Another curved bridge, eh, okay. Sculpting is a little weird on the mountains surrounding this one, lots of pot holes in them. I like the greenside bunker with the islands in it. Course could use some
Terry Grayson planting though I think. Green shape is a little funky, but the contouring is good again. Wouldn't mind seeing some red slopes though since these 119 greens are like putting on shag carpet.
Hole 6: Straight par 4. I think this one is my favorite so far. Love how the sculpting blends in with the backdrop. I actually thought the mountain on the right was part of the plot. Sightline off the tee is good again. I do think the bunker shapes cutting into the fairways looks off. Like in the front left one, the peninsula part should be rough, doesn't make sense as fairway since it's very unlikely a ball will land or stop there. Nitpicking though. The green complex is good but I would like to see the runoff to the back sloped more naturally. I like how it's angled with the cross bunker in front, but I wish there were an angle to approach from where you didn't have to go over the bunker into the green though. Would make the hole a little more strategic off the tee.
Hole 7: Straight par 4. Another A+ sightline off the tee. I don't think the land mass that the hole sits on running right through the middle of the lake is very natural looking, and I'm still not a fan of the bunker shapes, but at least they are consistent, and they're sculpted well. I don't like the way the fairway cuts into the greenside bunker and it also looks to be the same shape around the entire green, just enlarged. The undulation on the green itself is excellent, but the way the complex as a whole is sculpted makes the green look like it's just laying on top of the fairway rather than complimented by it, if that makes any sense. I have a feeling this hole will get a nice renovation in the redux.
Hole 8: Long dogleg right par 5. Sightline is good, crosswind is going the same direction as the camber so the tee shot is scary. Yep, ended up off the right side and rolled through the heavy rough down past the OB stake, but apparently this area is barrrrely between the stakes and what's actually marked out of bounds. Another nicely contoured green but an overall flat-looking complex. Hoping for some mounding or something around the greens in the new course that I can play off of.
Hole 9: Long par 3. Love the view, hate the bridge. Seriously, who curves a bridge? I'm a little worried that this green isn't deep enough to hold my long iron with this much downhill and an 11 mph tailwind. I clubbed down and still overshot so didn't even get a chance to test it. Would've had a chip in here but it's like rolling out through molasses.
Hole 10: Long dogleg right par 4. I don't like the way the fairway is sculpted, but it was a nice kick plate that kept my tee shot from overshooting the landing area so that was nice. 217 yard blind approach into a green complex surrounding by 3 big bunkers. And a pin on a side slope for icing on the cake. You savage.
Hole 11: Straight par 4. First uphill tee shot I believe, and also the first sightline that wasn't good. Fairway bunker isn't visible, but also isn't really in play here either. Camber at the top of the hill took my tee shot from the right side of the fairway down the left side and into the rough. I think the green complex is a bit oversized for the short approach in, also is very, very flat. Hoping this hole is one that gets a lot more of the axe than the scalpel.
Hole 12: Par 3. I really like this one. I also recognize this rock work from one of the redux screenshots I think. And I see a red slope for a backstop!
Hole 13: Straight par 5. Ah the old chrome cart paths, made that mistake on Maka Sichu myself. Low lighting looks good though. Not a fan of the the landing area choke that took driver out of my hand on a par 5. Might not have if it weren't for the crosswind, and I ended up in a fairway bunker anyways. There's still something about the green complexes that I can't quite put my finger on that make them look so flat. I think it may be that they are too macro sculpted and not micro sculpted enough? It's like there's good contours, but it's the same contours as the fairway and rough surrounding it, so the green itself doesn't stand out, when it should be the main event. I'm going to nitpick the sh%$ out of these redux greens. We gotta get these babies looking right.
Hole 14: Dogleg left par 4. Not a fan of getting cut down to 3-iron off the tee. Takes away any risk/reward element, and even the 3-iron landing area is squeezed and protected by a big fairway bunker. I like the greenside bunker on the slope and the sightline it provides on the approach. Would like to see some deeper bunkers though I think, a lot of these feel like Florida flat pan bunkers.
Hole 15: Straight par 4. Cool looking hole from the tee. I like the ridge along one side with the lake on the other. I think the fairway is narrow enough to not need the bunker protecting the landing area. This green complex is a lot better, it's lifted up from the fairway and the rough around the bunkers has some mounding.
Hole 16: Par 3. The is about where I started noticing that it seems like every hole is a 30' downhill elevation change from the tee boxes, and think it's feeling pretty repetitive.
Hole 17: Dogleg right par 4. This uphill tee shot is good in that the front hazard is visible, but the bunker over the hill that is blind is also in play and the crosswind is blowing directly at it. Looks like the planting around the tee area is stepping up a notch. I like that the green complex is perched a little bit, but I think the punchbowl back portion is sculpted a little awkwardly.
Hole 18: Dogleg left par 5.
Cactus splitting the fairway is a nice touch. Sightline is good. I like the use of elevation on the risk/reward approach instead of a hazard, but the bunker shape on the tier below the green needs to go. I see some mounds in the rough around the green, but the same macro sculpting issue as mentioned before is pretty apparent on this one I think.
Overall: I don't want this to feel negative as I'm mainly just commenting on this one as a point of reference for myself going into the redux version of the course. It's obviously an older course from TGC2 before things like splines and second surfaces were heavily used. I'm curious to see the difference in the sculpting around the green complexes, I think from seeing and playing Gobhar it will be night and day there. I don't think there was a single par 4 or par 5 that didn't have a fairway bunker protecting the landing area, which was a little annoying and repetitive as a lot of the fairways were already narrow. I thought the sightlines were great for the most part, but maybe relied too heavily on elevated tees, which felt forced at times, especially when zooming out and looking at the surrounding terrain. Overall, a course that plays well, and knowing the improvements you've made since it was created, I think the look and feel portion was a lot of the reason for the renovation and I'm expecting it to be a big step up in that department. If I get to the first green and their 119's though, I'm quitting.
Lakes @ Devon Quarry
Hole 1: I do feel the familiarity of this hole. Right off the bat, I can tell this course is not going to be for me, playability wise. I am nowhere near good enough to hit these fairways lol, it is PGA level as advertised. The bunkers look much more natural and the brush shapes are masked in this version. Sightline is great as always. Swiss theme is much more appealing than the desert theme. Planting and details are night and day from the original. Now, this green complex has the macro sculpting that makes the contouring smooth and gradual, but also separates itself well from the fairway neck and the bunkers, which I'm glad to see have a lot more depth to them than the original. I can tell as bad as my scoring is going to be it will still be a more enjoyable course to play as it's nicer to look at by miles. I went bunker to bunker and used the slope perfectly to funnel a flop shot down to the hole and save par. Very satisfying. Very Sweetens-ish on green #1.
Hole 2: Referring back to my notes, it appears this one has had the alternate fairway removed, as well as those awful cart highways. Love the bunkers in the hillside, sightline is flawless. Planting is subtle and top notch, but we're here for these greens. The complex is good, the second surface feature helped tremendously as I thought it would. The fairway neck transition is flawless. Pin 1 does sit in a little bowl where water would puddle though if I'm going to nitpick. Glad to see they went from carpet to concrete though.
Hole 3: I think this one would benefit from the rock work extending back toward the tees and maybe even cutting into the line of the shot in front of the tee boxes. I'm not a fan of the rounded edge drop off look. The hole itself is good though, the green complex has some mounding around it, but it does look like water runs down into the middle of the green instead of off the green. Bunkers around the green look great again.
Hole 4: I'm not going to say the tee shots are unfair yet because I know I'm out of my league, but shaping a drive against the wind in between two bunkers to hit an angled fairway maybe 25 yards deep? There is a little bit of a backstop so we'll give a try. Nope, slow downswing power fade ran through the fairway and into the bunker. I actually like the front to back sloped green and not being able to see the contours from the 3rd shot, makes for an uncomfortable approach. Green may be a little on the large side but it also looks like a lot of it isn't pinnable. I'm sure if I hadn't been in the bunker I could've used that nice slope to funnel a 2nd shot right at the pin. Nothing will make me rage quit faster than 3-putting from inside 10 feet because of a side slope pin, but luckily I got in in 2, so we'll carry on lol.
Hole 5: Mounding in the fairway really makes you think off the tee. I think I clubbed down to 3-iron just to get a flat spot to hit to. Don't know if I like the shape of this green, and it feels a little flat looking at it from the landing area, but I think that may just be the way the bunker blocks the view. Love the contours on the green itself though, especially the ridge created by the front bunker that funnels into the middle of the green. Stuck my approach and sank the birdie.
Hole 6: I think the water's edge leading to the fairway needs some rock work or something, it feels a little bare. Great sightline, though once again I power-faded over the carry hazard but straight into the fairway bunker. Not the way I wanted to get my unobstructed angle of approach to the green I asked for in the previous round lol. The green complex is legit though, the contours are bold and the run off in back looks like it was improved. I still see a puddling spot on the green, but we only have to worry about drainage in real life right?
Hole 7: I think a couple pictures are needed here.
Exhibit 1. I hit my drive way too far right, and I love that the hillside blocks my view to the pin the further off line to the right I go. Very good.
Exhibit 2. A nice double (triple?) punchbowl green. Small drainage issues aside, there some good red slopes here that you can use to play the ball wherever you want if you're accurate enough. Also good, but I might've opted for a plateau in front between the two back punchbowls instead, because
Exhibit 3. It looks virtually flat from eye level, you don't get to see most of the contours and the rough around the green complex is pretty flat and uninteresting too. Compare that to hole 5 where that bunker fronting the green had a mound that basically created a ridge in the middle of the green that created some height, but also made the approach look intimidating. I didn't really pick up on this until working on Sweetens.
Exhibit 4. You can see how the bunker creates a ridge in the green and the false front drapes around it, and then the big bold "catcher's mitt mound" in the back I think Rob Collins called it.
Exhibit 5. Yellow circles are where I'd like to see bolder mounds, which would create the natural ridge lines between them that are already on your green. So the blue could be a plateau between the two red bowls, or probably even better, the two red circles could be plateaus, and the blue could be a bowl (or really more like a horseshoe) and the false front could run off down to the fairway, which would also be the most natural way for the green to drain. I think I just nerded out a little too hard on this hole lol. I hope this isn't coming off as harsh, I wouldn't take the time to do this if I didn't think the course was worth it.
Hole 8: Terrifying tee shot with the power fade I've developed this round. Holy elevation change on the 2nd shot, but I just put it to 9 feet from 263 yards out. This green complex is another good one where the bunkers create your mounding for you. Looks much more dynamic than the previous hole, and that backstop to pin 1 played perfectly as intended.
Exhibit 6. Beautiful curvature.
Hole 9: Brutal honesty - I think the waterfall detracts from the hole. It doesn't look natural because you have a little bit of water spilling over the cliff at the top that somehow turns into multiple cascades of the same height and width. You can't have more water at the bottom than what came over the top, so if it's going to widen out as it goes down, the drops would be a lot shallower. But the hole itself is awesome. And again, the mound in the front part of the green makes me not even want to try and aim at pin 1 because it's probably going to skip right off the back of the green. I'm playing to the slope in the back right instead and just trying to get it to funnel somewhere close. Spoiler alert, I didn't. Quad on this one thanks to tempo.
Hole 10: Amazing sightline. This was the first one that I didn't immediately recognize from the original. The clubhouse, the peeks at other holes in the distance, the backdrop. Incredible combo that came together on this one. Actually played the power fade into the fairway too. I like how the green complex goes infinity edge from the approach. My only suggestion would be some kind of sculpting behind the back right of the green near the bunker. Something about the flatness around that back pan is a little off to me. Fantastic hole.
Hole 11: Nice lighting. I don't love the 2nd bunker, it's invisible from the tee and in play. It's also too flat for my taste. The approach into the green looks good and I can't tell if the bridge is curved from this angle so I'm all for that. Another nice backstop on the green complex.
Hole 12: Awesome rock work and I like the fence. The fairway to green transition is clean as a whistle and the sculpting around the green is interesting. The undulation on the green itself is diabolical, which I support. Love the planting behind the green with the pink Andres on the hill between the rocks. I think this is my favorite hole by a good margin. Can't even find anything to be petty about.
Hole 13: Maybe my favorite sightline off the tee here. Wonder how many people will notice the illusion created by the forward bunker that make it look like the green complex is surrounded by bunkers? I like the green itself but it's another one that looks a little flat from head on. I snuck a peak around after seeing the clubhouse and I'm guessing the big hike to the next tee is because a hole was removed or shortened maybe? Planting behind the green is top notch, not sure what member let Terry on the property to do that.
Hole 14: I like the risk reward on this one. I'm trying to decide if the reward is worth trying to bend it around the trees after the nerf to the shot shaper, and I'd almost like to see the fairways connected, because even if you hit the fairway, if you don't go far enough left the tree still blocks your angle. Having to hit it from the rough is almost double the punishment. But I like having to think through that off the tee before hitting. I laid all the way back to 5-iron off the tee on this one. Good green complex, backstop played perfectly on the approach, and it looks like it would drain well in real life, which always makes for a realistic looking green in my opinion.
Hole 15: Sightline still elite. Everything is laid out right in front of you to see, mountain backdrop is phenomenal, land sculpted naturally from the ridge down to the lake, which reminds me of the hole in the original where, checking back in my notes, it looks like I said the same thing about it the first time. Good bunker sculpting around the greens. Nice contours, planting, details, everything.
Hole 16: I mean, do I need to keep repeating myself about sightlines?? Big fan of the redan kicker slope and the backside run off.
Hole 17: I think the blind hazard critique is still valid in this version but Jesus, this planting and camber of the land and the framing and the view off the tee. Flawless. And I think this might be the best green complex on the course. And the way the hillside is planted on the approach. I think this may be the new favorite hole.
Hole 18: I like the changes to the tiers up to the green with the rock work and new, more natural looking bunker shape fronting it. I actually ended up in it, and still was able to flop to the middle of the green, run it down the slope to the pin and sink the birdie.
Overall: Blown away by the changes. Other than stuff that doesn't affect the playability of the course, I don't think I would change anything. Some of the stuff like mounds around the greens and bare heavy rough vs planting in front of tees, rounded slopes vs sunken rock slopes, etc. are just personal preferences on how a course looks. I think the only real miss for me was the waterfall. The course itself plays like a dream, looks phenomenal, and I actually scored better on the redux than the original. Taking away that stupid quadruple bogey, I would've broke even, which I'm happy with. Lots of strategy on some holes, playing from the green backwards on pretty much every hole, and enough of a pleasure to play that I just spent 3 hours playing and writing about it lol. So now you owe me one when I release my Invicta. Congrats on the update, I think you got a real winner here. That 12-17 stretch is really something special.