Post by reebdoog on Feb 14, 2020 15:07:59 GMT -5
Fenyard Keep 2-0-1 7 points ADVANCES
Kaiuma Bay 2-1-0 6 points ADVANCES
Bahia Dorada 1-2-0 3 points
Cotswolds Golf Club 0-2-1 1 points
Cotswolds Golf Club vs. Bahia Dorada
Judge 1:
Cotswolds Golf Club - Planting was very sporadic with big slopes over all the greens, some of them unfair with yellow inside the 9 box on multiple holes and multiple pins. Landing areas were small making it hard to stick approach shots especially with firm greens as default. Course was not very enjoyable and was a bit of a chore to play all 18 holes.
Bahia Dorada - Not much wrong with this course. Was very enjoyable to play and was well routed and flowed well. Planting was done well where it was done and the extra things really kicked it up a notch or two. There were a couple of small technical issues but overall a good solid course that won this match-up hands down.
WINNER: Bahia Dorada
Judge 2:
Cotswolds Golf Club - Cotswolds had a lot of great hole concepts but lost points because of some areas where the technical work was sloppy. Narrowing fairways in driver landing zones were a bit of a repeated challenge that didn't seem necessary.The environment was nice but a little plain outside of the golf holes.
Bahia Dorada - This one was very close for me but Bahia got the edge by having a more immersive feel and had done some of the technical stuff a little better. Some of the views on this course are stunning and there were definitely memorable holes/shots.
WINNER: Bahia Dorada
Kaiuma Bay vs. Fenyard Keep
Judge 1:
Kaiuma Bay - This course is Ben's finest work to date with bold routing, scenic setting and good variety. This course had lots of options, strategy and memorable moments with one of the best closing approach shots that will make or break your round. It's very unfortunate to go up against Fenyard Keep as I think it would easily beat most other courses but there are a few moments throughout the round that let me go into autopilot and weren't as engaging as the rest of the course and that is just enough to drop it below Fenyard Keep.
Fenyard Keep - Fenyard keep is fantastic in every way. Every shot was terrifying and made you second guess all of your choices. I was completely engaged for the entire round and fought for every par or birdie earned. The routing overall is fairly simple but incorporates a lot of terrain features that make for some very interesting hole layouts and really cool golf setting in general. This is one of my favorite courses ever, a true masterpiece.
WINNER: Fenyard Keep
Judge 2:
Kaiuma Bay - Kaiuma Bay offers much of the drama found at Cape Kidnappers with a similarly gripping collection of golf holes. Most holes on this course have one preferred way to approach a particular pin, although there are a few that either let the player create a way to play the hole plus some others that are overly penal. I thought that while hole 4 visually may have been the star of the show (and is a wonderfully strategic golf hole as well) that the biggest successes were found on holes 8, 9, 10, 14, and 18. My least favorite hole of the course to play was definitely 15: it felt as if it were all about making a difficult par 3 and I didn’t think it flowed well with the rest of the round either. Hole 2 also turned into a really dull hole if unfortunate enough to play it with a strong headwind. There just wasn’t enough to keep that one interesting between the tee and 150yds from the green, but from there on in it was a joy to play.
There are a few spots where things slip away a bit, including a few tee shots that are ‘too easy’ and the really unnatural stream/waterfall/ocean situation going on by hole 12. In some places the lumpiness is a bit much and looks artificially ‘tiered’ within the fairway as a result. I also thought the lighting, while awesome when into the line of play, didn’t work so well on most other holes. Either it was a touch too dark or the ground textures could’ve been a bit lighter, but most of the down lighting holes fell flat visually. Overall an excellent and thoroughly enjoyable golf course.
Fenyard Keep - If you dislike a challenge, look elsewhere. If what you care about most is the eye candy, look elsewhere. If you’re looking for a golf course that will throw so many different yet feasible ways to play each hole with an incredible amount of variety in green sites, contouring, strategy, and golf-related visuals, look no further. Everything on this course works so well together, even the awkward tee shots on a bunch of holes, as they contribute to a lot of the variety and immersiveness that this course provides. They’re just awkward enough to make the player think but not so much so to pull one out of the round (hole 7 and 10 tee shots are close to being a bit overdone, though). If I were to pick on anything it would be some of the bunker sculpting and the course’s outright difficulty. The course might be a bit underplanted for some, but look at the golf-related visuals on holes 5, 9, 11, 15, 16, and 18 and it all makes sense.
WINNER: Fenyard Keep
Cotswolds Golf Club vs. Kaiuma Bay
Judge 1:
Cotswolds Golf Club - A lovely course to play that rewarded course management and shot execution. Fell short of Kaiuma when it came to immersiveness and overall polish.
Kaiuma Bay - Another course that highly rewarded course management and shot execution. The environment was lovely and natural. Felt like I was playing what could have been a real golf course.
WINNER: Kaiuma Bay
Judge 2:
Cotswolds Golf Club - Course comes up shy in a lot of areas. It was playable. At times seemed to push the boundary of fairness a little too much. Sculpting planting and surfacing was inconsistent throughout. Nothing was horribly wrong with the course it just lacked the polish of a lot of the other courses in the contest.
Kaiuma Bay - Fun course if you are ready for a challenge. If you just want to turn your mind off and score, this is not the place. Really enjoyable course on a great plot. Will be a course I go back to often. I can see where a below average golfer would struggle. May not appeal to everyone, but definitely did it for me.
WINNER: Kaiuma Bay
Bahia Dorada vs. Fenyard Keep
Judge 1:
Bahia Dorada - This is a great looking course, but the lag (from rock and water?) took my enjoyment away.
Fenyard Keep - What a fantastic course! Fun to play, multiple options and a fair but difficult challenge!
WINNER: Fenyard Keep
Judge 2:
Bahia Dorada - I felt Bahia Dorada fell short on certain parts of the design, mainly planting, bunkers and strategy in parts. If these aspects were addressed I think it could be a good enjoyable course.
Fenyard Keep - Fenyard Keep was a great looking challenging course and was expertly thought out and executed. Definitely one worth playing a few times.
WINNER: Fenyard Keep
Cotswolds Golf Club vs. Fenyard Keep
Judge 1:
Cotswolds Golf Club - A decent rendition of a rural English course which would have benefited from a little toning down of the default settings to bring a fairer return to the player for the shots played raising the level of enjoyment. Some technical improvements to the bunkers would have brought it up to the level of planting.
Fenyard Keep - A very competent links course which was demanding without being unfair. Enjoyable and immersive though ultimately it felt like many had already trodden this path.
WINNER: Fenyard Keep
Judge 2:
Cotswolds Golf Club - Very nice course. Nicely laid out and not overstated. Love the routing and the flow. Immensely enjoyable.
Fenyard Keep - Another very nice course and I can see it's appeal to many. However for me it was just missing something to beat the other course.
WINNER: Cotswolds Golf Club
Bahia Dorada vs. Kaiuma Bay
Judge 1:
Bahia Dorada - Probably very polarizing of a course.. I can see it being loved or hated. The lighting for me distracts from an otherwise nice course. Has that naturally difficulty feel to it. Not a bad course, just overmatched in this matchup.
Kaiuma Bay - Most likely the class of the group and going to be a tough out in the knockout. This course has a bit of everything... long, short, tight, narrow, hazards. Also has probably the best green sculpting I've seen so far in this contest..
WINNER: Kaiuma Bay
Judge 2:
Bahia Dorada - This looked like a Tropical theme course to me. I did feel this theme could have been presented much better, especially with the planting. Not enough bushes were used and where bushes were used along the river on hole no 7 were just too small to be noticed. This left the course feeling empty, except on the massively planted areas with all the rocks, yet so many rocks were laid down and the planting around them is so thick that you can barely see the rocks.The waterfall on the 3rd left of the green looks amazing but where does the water come from? Similar to the other waterfall on the 3rd it looks great but has to be looked for to be seen. This could have been nice if it was made visible -- in line of sight-- on the course. Some of the sculpting and bunkers on the first holes were pretty good. Elevation changes were done well, but ultimately this course had a low score on shot values due to the big greens and wide non strategic fairways. Long par 3s and a lack of par 5 took away some of the "fun factor". The T boxes could have been presented better. This course was one of missed opportunities, with what seemed some "rookie" mistakes and unfortunately for Bahia it comes up against a better Tropical themed course this time around.
Kaiuma Bay - A very playable and mostly fun course. The many and perhaps overuse of centre line bunkers could be monotonous and too many fairways feed your ball towards them. These bunkers are also the reason the designer felt he could give fairways so wide which meant you could choose your shot but not worry too much if you missed your target. and some T shots required less strategy than others but there was enough strategy here to keep you focused in anyway. The planting was well done. Bushes have been used where as many designers in this contest have not planted bushes. I could argue that the overall look might feel too green and some rocks or brown grass could have given a more contrasting and colorful look. This course can fit in on CC without changing the course conditions too much. Ultimately Kaiuma wins this round due to the lack of finesse and check of green sizes from Bahia.
WINNER: Kaiuma Bay
