JSwift - The Loggers Club (Published)

[jswift]

I finally have gotten to where I feel comfortable enough with my course that I'm not just going to scrap it.  Been through 4 courses so far for this contest before this one finally stuck.

I have the entire course routed and 3 holes 85% done.  Still need to build a short par 3 and sculpt a few greens.  Then the plan is to do a lot of detail sculpting to get it looking natural and finally my nemesis... planting.  Still no course name for this yet, but hopefully something will hit me over the next 2 months.

Without further ado:

Hole 1: Par 4 - 439 yards

A pretty open par 4 to get you onto the course.  There is a slight slope even with the fairway bunkers about 290 yards off the tee.  They pinch the fairway a little bit.  Laying back will leave 160-180 yards in, while carrying up onto the slope will leave a wedge.  Be careful to carry the ball far enough onto the green, as a large false front will pull your ball back into the fairway

Hole 2: Par 3 - 232 yards

The longest par 3 on the course with a bunker protecting the left side of the green.  The bunker short is there for intimidation and shouldn't be in play.  The green has three tiers with the highest furthest back.  Looking out over the green is the par 5 7th hole with its creek and the lake that the course is about to wind its way around.

Hole 2: Par 4 - 396 yards

From a long par 3 we move to a shorter par 4.  Three fairway bunkers test you if you want to pull driver.  Otherwise a layup short gives a good view and possibly a better angle to some flags.  This hole is pretty wide open, don't want to make anyone claustrophobic just yet.

Thanks for looking!  I'm going to be looking through the other threads and at some of the betas out this week.  Good luck to everyone.

[Leecey]

I know how you feel with having various versions on the go at the same time. I've spent so much time on stuff that I've ditched that it's a bit frustrating - trying to comfort myself by thinking that it's all part of the learning process!

Love the rolling nature of your layout so far. Looking forward to seeing how it progresses.

[Andy Meade]

Looks really good! I love the lighting you have going here!

[mctrees02]

I hear you on ditching projects. The one that I was posting in my WIP thread is on the back burner now. I routed and started building 3 other courses but didn't care for any of them. I'm now about 2/3 of the way through surfacing the course I'm going to move forward with and I'm finally excited to find out how this project will end up.

[jswift]

Thanks for the kind comments on my course so far.  I'm feeling good about it, just have a few things to work out before I'm totally happy with it.  The structure of all but 1 hole is there, just have to polish polish polish now.

Hole 4: Par 4 - 428

A slightly awkward angle off the tee, this hole doglegs back to the right and goes significantly uphill to the bunker protected green.  Can hit 3-iron short right and have an unimpeded, but long shot into this green. Can hit an easy three wood into the fairway but have to fight a blind second shot.  or just pull driver and try to either carry the corner or take it straight at the center bunker.  Careful to not pull the shot or you can easily end up in the lake.

Hole 5: Par 3 - 148 Yards

The shortest par 3 on the course, with bunkers guarding each corner.  Your tee shot is down hill a little bit to a very sloped green.  Theres a hole in the back middle that will collect your ball and a few shelves scattered throughout.  Big slopes on the left and right will deflect your ball from pins tucked behind those bunkers.

Hole 6: Par 4 - 423 Yards

The end of the opening of this course could be a good birdie opportunity, or a bad start to the middle of the round.  A creek runs along the left of the fairway, and a massive bunker pinches the landing area.  Good news, the further you can hit it the more open it gets.  A large hill obscures part of the green especially if you attack the left half of the fairway.  The green features a spine running the length of the left edge making it very difficult to get close to a pin put along it, but you can use it to get close to the other pins.  Be creative on this hole, have fun!

[jswift]

Finally "done" with my first pass on the front nine.  Going to get the back to a similar state then push out a Beta for some real feedback.  I'm enjoying this course so far.  I don't feel it's the flashiest course out there but hopefully my intentions are clear and well executed

Hole 7: Par 4 - 489 Yards

A wide fairway that is really separated in half by a large mound in the middle.  A good tee shot leaves a mid-iron downhill into the green that is guarded by the water left.  Slopes short right will let you run the ball onto the green especially to pins in the front right.

Hole 8: Par 5 - 550 Yards

The first par 5 of the round and it's reachable if you risk the bunkers off the tee.  A small creek divides the second half of the fairway and runs along the right of the small relatively flat green. 

Hole 9: Par 4 - 469 Yards

The front ends on a very uphill par 4.  A shear cliff face dominates the left side of the fairway and will block out your approach if you try to flirt too much with it.  Going further right opens up the green but brings in a couple of fairway bunkers.  The green gives a nice backstop to front pins and there is a large bailout long and right.

[jswift]

Continuing on to the first 3 holes of the back 9.  Might be a bit before I get to the next 3, 13 is no where near complete and I'm not sure if I like 14 enough to keep it or go a little different direction with it.

Hole 10: Par 4 - 514 Yards

The longest par 4 on the course, but it doesn't play it if you catch the correct side of the ridge that bisects the fairway.  Play a cut off the fairway bunker and you'll be in great shape.  Missing left of the ridge and you'll be a lot further back but might take a little bit of danger out of play since there is a massive slope off the left side of the green.  The green is relatively flat and you can run the ball up onto the surface if needed.

Hole 11: Par 5 - 640 yards

A true three shot par 5 unless you get a big helping wind on your second.  This hole is just simply put, big.  The largest part of the fairway is up high and left giving an easy shot if you don't want to challenge the 2 large bunkers protecting the shorter route.  Options abound for the second, with a few bunkers protecting some areas.  This hole is mainly about angles and getting in position to hit a good third into the small and very sloped green.

Hole 12: Par 3 - 172

The "vista" hole of the course. From the tee you can see 6 holes and 2 more are visible from the green.  A huge downhill shot to a generous green.  A bunker short left protects a shelf there and a runoff area long of that makes that pin very tricky to get close to.  A couple of ridges and valleys make this green exciting and unique.  In the picture, the tee box is not level.  This has been fixed already

 

[jswift]

Beta Published

Just published my first beta: JSwift RDC1.0

Would love some feedback.  I haven't started any of the smaller planting or underbrush.  Just have the trees in place as I think they need to be.  Please play!

[jswift]

After b101's playthrough I did some soul-searching and decided to redo my 15th hole.  I wasn't a fan of it anyways.  So I moved the green to the left of the 2nd and the tee box back and to the right.  This created a nice dogleg left into a punchbowl-esque green complex. On the scorecard it is 458, but can play much longer if you don't challenge the creek that bisects the fairway.

[jswift]

I also shortened 14 by 40 yards, so now it plays 466.  I did add a pair of bunkers on the right, so now driver will take on the bunker and a layup 3 wood has to at least have some thought and focus behind it.  It's about 230 to the first and 280 to the second with a ridge running diagonally across the fairway deflecting layups in behind the far bunker and giving an angle where the greenside bunkers are definitely in play.

[aeastwood54]

Looked fantastic on Ben's play through. I find it very interesting on peoples styles of designing, their ideas, thought process and even how they design.

[jswift]

Just published my second and final beta for this project: JSwift RDC1.1

Changes from the first are:

• Lots of planting, still only about 50% done, but I at least have a plan and just need to slowly and methodically make it work.  Going for a really wild feel to the course.
• Reworked hole 7, it now plays a bit longer and brought the water more into play for the second shot. This is probably the hardest hole on the course now
  
• Shortened hole 14 and put in a few bunkers to add some options off the tee
• New hole 15!  a fun little dog leg that rewards you handsomely if you take the tiger line
• New green complex on hole 18:  Much bigger green with some interesting bunkers for a few of the pin placements

Please let me know what you all think of it!.  Not much longer until we're done with these.

[jswift]

Nov 7, 2020 10:27:22 GMT -5 aeastwood54 said:

Looked fantastic on Ben's play through. I find it very interesting on peoples styles of designing, their ideas, thought process and even how they design.

Thanks for the comment!  Yeah, it's very interesting looking through others WIP threads here and seeing how everyone is progressing

[aeastwood54]

Hey mate, played your beta. Couple of things I saw (in amongst the kids running around)
10th green a touch unfair with it being a long Par4 and the green being an upturned bowl. Feel the green should help a hybrid approach shot generally.
13th and 18th tee box on slight slopes.
A couple of pins a bit close to red slopes feeding away imo. When on the 1st green I could see the back of the 2nd tee box jutting up quite sharply. A few fairways maybe a little bit bumpy.

I'm not an expert by any means but these were the things that jumped out at me a little. Overall looks very good though. Looking forward to the final product and seeing how the rest of your planting goes.

[jswift]

Nov 22, 2020 10:18:58 GMT -5 aeastwood54 said:

Hey mate, played your beta. Couple of things I saw (in amongst the kids running around)
10th green a touch unfair with it being a long Par4 and the green being an upturned bowl. Feel the green should help a hybrid approach shot generally.
13th and 18th tee box on slight slopes.
A couple of pins a bit close to red slopes feeding away imo. When on the 1st green I could see the back of the 2nd tee box jutting up quite sharply. A few fairways maybe a little bit bumpy.

I'm not an expert by any means but these were the things that jumped out at me a little. Overall looks very good though. Looking forward to the final product and seeing how the rest of your planting goes.

Thanks for the play.

For 10 green, pin 1 is definitely the hardest on the hole and will be very difficult to get it close.  You need to be very aggressive off the tee which gives you a 6ish iron for your approach to have a birdie chance there.  If you go left of the hogsback off the tee then you're going to have to hit an impeccable shot to have a decent birdie look.  Hard green sure, but I'd argue it's not unfair.  There has to be a reward if you risk off the tee.

Again, thanks for taking a look at it and your kind words.  I'm hoping to finish planting and then do all of the touch up stuff over the next 2 weeks.  Gotta be done before Christmas