Doghead Ranch - WCoD 9-Hole Side-Contest Entry

[jayraygun]

Welcome to Doghead Ranch. You must be pretty important to warrant an invite to this privately owned 9-hole course which sits within the property line of a working horse ranch. Ole' Bigguns McOilyboots bought the 600 some odd acres back in the late nineties after he found a way to drill for oil on the internet and got out right before the proverbial bubble burst. 

Now Mr. Bigguns spends his days literally looking gift horses in the mouth. And when he's not showing off his prize-winning studs at the Maggie Mae Show Jumping and Rodeo Arena (named after his mother, God rest her soul) he tends the grounds of his nine-hole golf course which he's mighty proud to tell ya'll he designed his own self. Not one to cut corners, Doghead Ranch features nine full-length holes; none of that executive pitch-and-putt stuff out here. All Mr. Bigguns asks is that you don't go chasing lost balls into a stampede of stallions, keep your boots off the greens, and stay away from his daughters no matter how many times she asks you to go for a boat ride. 

Mr. Biggun's personal favorite hole is the par 3 third nestled betwixt the rolling hills that shows off just some of natural beauty of Hill Country, Texas. If you're not too distracted by the scenery or your golf game (or the crowds gathered for the rodeo), take a look out across the lake when you get to the number 5 green and you'll see Doghead Hill in the distance. Then you won't have to bother asking Mr. Bigguns where he got the name and he won't take you for some city-slicker tourist out to work his charms on his girls. 

Enjoy your round but remember, you can pet almost any horse that comes up to the fence line but watch out for Sweetie Pie. We got a rancher nicknamed High-Three cause that's all he can give you when you want a high-five. And now Sweetie-Pie has a taste for man-flesh so be careful. Have fun, pardner!

8.6.1

[blueblood1995]

Love photo 4. Assuming this is the signature par 3 3rd?

[jayraygun]

Mar 11, 2021 2:18:15 GMT -5 blueblood1995 said:

Love photo 4. Assuming this is the signature par 3 3rd?

Yessir, there she is, in all her glory.

In all seriousness though, it may not be the favorite of everyone, and it may get some specific critiques, but it's probably my favorite hole I've ever designed and maybe my best.

8.6.1

[blueblood1995]

Mar 11, 2021 2:40:50 GMT -5 jayraygun said:

Mar 11, 2021 2:18:15 GMT -5 blueblood1995 said:

Love photo 4. Assuming this is the signature par 3 3rd?

Yessir, there she is, in all her glory.

In all seriousness though, it may not be the favorite of everyone, and it may get some specific critiques, but it's probably my favorite hole I've ever designed and maybe my best.

8.6.1

Why do you say she's not for everyone? Or should I play it first?

[scootmcgoot]

Fun little track. Liked the rolling hills and contours of the greens and fairways. Textures were really nice as well. Definitely will go back and give it another run with a different pin.

[bravecaleb]

Sweet course man, the visuals are awesome! And Playability is great also.

[jayraygun]

Mar 11, 2021 3:06:21 GMT -5 blueblood1995 said:

Mar 11, 2021 2:40:50 GMT -5 jayraygun said:

Yessir, there she is, in all her glory.

In all seriousness though, it may not be the favorite of everyone, and it may get some specific critiques, but it's probably my favorite hole I've ever designed and maybe my best.

8.6.1

Why do you say she's not for everyone? Or should I play it first?

I just mean that even the best courses have their detractors so even if this course or more specifically, that hole, maybe gets criticisms for whatever reason, in my mind at least, it's my best work.

8.6.1

[jayraygun]

Mar 11, 2021 6:48:21 GMT -5 bravecaleb said:

Sweet course man, the visuals are awesome! And Playability is great also.

Thanks a lot. I set out to make a course that might not blow your doors off, but it's going to have a cohesive theme and give you a good round with (hopefully) a few holes you need to think about how you want to play.

8.6.1

[jayraygun]

Mar 11, 2021 5:38:35 GMT -5 scootmcgoot said:

Fun little track. Liked the rolling hills and contours of the greens and fairways. Textures were really nice as well. Definitely will go back and give it another run with a different pin.

Pin set 4 is my favorite. I didn't set the pin locations up to have them play easiest to most difficult 1-4 so each set has a few difficult pins. Pin set 2 maybe has the most difficult pins, especially on 187 greens, but pin set 4 has my favorites. 

8.6.1

[bradleystuart]

Brother, don't sweat who is gonna like what. If you say that a hole on this course is your best work thus far then I'm all in. Going to play some real golf this morning but look forward to a run through your dog park later this evening

[Deleted]

I enjoyed my playthrough. I think that you have a good grasp of the designer's tools, and as long as you keep plugging away, you're going to keep improving. You mentioned on a Twitch stream today that you thought there were some "bathtub" bunkers, and I definitely saw a few. However, when that becomes the focus instead of basics, you know you are on the right path. Just keep playing other designers courses and pay attention to the smaller details, and then try to replicate techniques that appeal to your personally. Keep up the great work bro!

Also, lessthanbread loves these kind of "course back stories". It adds a good sense of the course having a life instead of just having bare bones descriptions(which I am most definitely guilty of).   

[jayraygun]

Mar 11, 2021 14:29:16 GMT -5 @babybull said:

I enjoyed my playthrough. I think that you have a good grasp of the designer's tools, and as long as you keep plugging away, you're going to keep improving. You mentioned on a Twitch stream today that you thought there were some "bathtub" bunkers, and I definitely saw a few. However, when that becomes the focus instead of basics, you know you are on the right path. Just keep playing other designers courses and pay attention to the smaller details, and then try to replicate techniques that appeal to your personally. Keep up the great work bro!

Also, lessthanbread loves these kind of "course back stories". It adds a good sense of the course having a life instead of just having bare bones descriptions(which I am most definitely guilty of).   

Thank you, sir. I appreciate the play. I feel I have a decent enough grasp of the tools to get across what I want to do. Now it's just refining "what I want to do". There's still a lot to learn about they "whys" of course design. I watch almost every YouTube video out there whether its in-game design or real-world design. Now it comes down to putting it all together for 18 holes. 

8.6.1

[blueblood1995]

Played this last night. Enjoyed my round... and yes the par 3 3rd was the signature hole. Played pin set 1 where the cup was tucked in the back right corner. Had a medium breeze blowing off my right shoulder and hit a gentle fade to hold the ball up against it. Landed nicely but a little too far onto the putting surface and ran out over the back. Ended up with a par so happy days. Loved the contrast of colours in this design but mostly enjoyed the fact this was a 9-hole course. Very refreshing! The lighting was also spot on. Course design was well done also. A good mix of hole shape and variety in length. One other hole stood out. An approach back towards the ranch with water behind the green. Maybe this was a par 5? Well done, keep designing and good luck as an alt in the design contest!

[mayday_golf83]

[richnufc99]

Very nice jayraygun... really good relaxed feel... only had time for a quick round, parring every hole!.... I’ll pop back for a closer look at the weekend!