Since you asked so nicely, you’re up next!
I won’t beat about the bush - this is quite possibly my favourite course so far. Right on the verge of fantasy and reality; a genuinely believable environment with a fantastic golf course winding through beautifully. I don’t know anything about Angola but this felt right.
If any course suits par 73, it’s this. The par fives were brilliant, and despite the stroke indexes, were a tough test for me. I managed one eagle, one birdie and four pars across the six par 5s.
Glad you enjoyed them so much and had fun with the strategy. I got knocked a bit for the split fairways on so many of them but I felt each one asked you to play it a different way and that was my plan. 9th was the strategy that didn't translate the best and most people miss the benefit of the left hand side (Safer second shot onto the "shelf" in front of the green but makes it a for sure 3 shot hole). 13 is probably my favorite Par 5, I've designed with the punch bowl just out of 3 wood range but 30 feet below. Just a big risk reward question that I've seen some fun plays on streams of.Okay, more specifically - the environment first. Loved the red, muddy clay kind of texture and the reddish rocks. Really gave this a non-traditional vibe right from the outset. You didn’t just stick to one thing either, with holes winding over jungly bush scrub later in the round. The little touches (like rock tee markers and stepping stone pathways) accentuated the feel, I can’t put any finger on exactly the description I’m looking for but wild African land, uncolonised and untouched before this development. My one tiny gripe is that perhaps, especially early in the round, the surroundings off the course looked a little “rounded over” compared to maybe a more jagged, natural look.
If you look at the pictures on my first post you see what I was trying to create but I agree wven that the erosion cliffs are a bit more rounded then they should be, I palyed around with it but that was the best I could get them. This is why I went with the messy lines between fairway and rough but that also wasn't recieved as well. SOme liked it but more fo the judges weren't a fan of it. Ohh well it was very much intentional and I knew it may be marked down in judging. SOmething I knew I would live with. I loved the layout. 9 and 18 returning to the same point from opposite sides is cool, really shows off your fantastic clubhouse very well. Sight lines all around were really special, but to be honest by the time I got to 3 I’d already fallen in love with the course and stopped making notes, just enjoying my round too much!
The “bearded” bunkers, and the bunkers bordered by boulders (try saying that without moving your lips) were both fantastic. A really good, native look that suited the course perfectly yet again. I only found trouble once in my round, and to be honest I should have taken an unplayable from where I was but it probably deserved to be out of bounds - deep in the rocks.
Yeah I thought about no OB but getting stuck behind things was why I added it in the burrancs. There's times people will still get stuck in non-OB, kind of nature of the beast when making a real elevated and rocky climate.I liked the fringes, wish they rolled out more but that’s not your fault. Also noticed one slight surfacing error on 3 with a patch of green appearing in the fringe, but I won’t hold that against you. One of the par threes (maybe 8) had a VERY steep fringe; I’d hate to be the greenkeeper mowing that every day! I understand why you went with that there, but I didn’t love it in that single instance.
Wow I missed that on 3 and haven't seen other find it on streams either. I eblieve you mean Hole 6. SO I bet there wasn't one single hole keeping me from round of 16 BUT if there way I bet it was 6. I took a lot of notes from Sussex Downs on Elevation movement on this course and maybe took that inspiration a bit too far on that hole haha. I feel it plays less penal then it looks but still the fall off as well as the green contours shoudl have been toned down. Still elarning where to push boundries.Pin positions were interesting. I played pinset three, maybe wish I’d have had a pin on the top tier on the second, but I’m sure there’s at least two up there. The green shapes were cool, contoured well and made for a very interesting round. I holed a bomb on three across a big break, so overcoming that test was a great feeling.
3 ended up being the hardest pin set probably. 2 seemed to be the easiest. I tend to set my pins where 1 is the pin that interacts THE MOSt with the main strategic element(s) of the hole and 4 is the most risk reward to try and stick it. Doesn't always mean hardest because if you make the shot you have a definte bridie or better. SO that usually means one of 2 or 3 becomes my hardest pin sets on my courses followed by 4.I’m just going to keep complimenting this course if I carry on. Honestly loved it, and I’ll be playing it again and again I’m sure. Thanks for a cracking effort!
Thank you so much and congrats again on making the main field as well! Really appriciate the effort you have been putting in these course write ups!
hahaha just kidding (kinda)
