Design League Season 2, Contest 5

[zacheroni]

Will we be judged by how we execute the imitation or how we build the course/environment?

[mattyfromcanada]

Sept 1, 2021 15:57:21 GMT -5 zacheroni said:

Will we be judged by how we execute the imitation or how we build the course/environment?

Both, however the main objective of this is to emulate the style of one of these designers.

[zacheroni]

Ok, thanks matty.

[zacheroni]

I expect sebk to be done in a good 2 days

[virtualgolfer65]

Aug 31, 2021 19:21:49 GMT -5 mattyfromcanada said:

The Imitation Game

Create a 6 hole course in the style of one of the great old architects listed below. If you have done a course in the style of one of them already, try someone new.

We will be giving a full 2 month window to allow you to do some research and really understand their design philosophy/style. If you haven't already, please check out golfclubatlas.com and the Completed Courses section, there is a ton of information there on all of these architects.

There are so many great things to learn from these Golden Age architects, they didn't have the equipment to move tons and tons of dirt, so they really had to make the best of the land they were given. Ground game was often alive and well, and target golf wasn't the way to go (save for some special circumstances, and some devilish par 3s).

Designers to choose from:
- Alister Mackenzie 
- Stanley Thompson
- Perry Maxwell
- William Flynn
- Devereux Emmet

Requirements
- 6 holes, 2000 yard minimum
- Include which designer you are imitating in the course name when you publish
- No file sharing
- No design specific advice allowed
- Any theme is allowed
- Publish deadline is October 31st at 10pm EST (spooky!)

This will be fun (and casual), as I'm looking forward to learning about all the designers, before deciding which one to tackle.

[sebk]

Sept 1, 2021 16:51:51 GMT -5 zacheroni said:

I expect sebk to be done in a good 2 days

I'll leave you all with this:

"Many poor golf courses are made in a futile attempt to eliminate the element of luck. You can no more eliminate luck in golf than in cricket, and in neither case is it possible to punish every bad shot. If you succeeded you would only make both games un-interesting"

[cd06]

After the Stanley Thompson file got jacked up I started a Mackenzie thingy. The setting is inspired by Pasatiempo's back nine but the greens have a little Crystal Downs to them. Also pays tribute to two of my favourite courses in-game, The Pastimes Club by gamesdecent and Santa Ynez Valley Club by PithyDoctorG (both on the Pasa plot that Ben did).

Hole 1 is one of my favourite looks on any hole I've designed (includes bridge for jwtexan):


Here's a shot of hole 5 looking back over to the first green. This is the other hole on the property crossing over the barranca:


Really love this contest idea mattyfromcanada. The last few days of researching these architects has been great fun and I'm happy to be making a return to Design League here.

[cd06]

Had loads of spare time this weekend and actually managed to publish this thing earlier.

DL2.5 cd06 (Mackenzie)

For those thinking that I rushed this one out, see above. Also, a Mackenzie thing was one of my very early CC ideas, so I spent a lot of time researching his style of architecture back then (and a fair bit in the last few days). After the Stanley file corrupted I started this thing on Wednesday evening, and I sped thru the project with a Fried Egg article by my side.

Inspired by Pasatiempo and the greens of Crystal Downs, which really shows on hole 5 with a huge 6ft between lowest and highest point on the green.



mattyfromcanada

[zacheroni]

Charlie, the new seb...

[cd06]

Sept 5, 2021 12:38:07 GMT -5 zacheroni said:

Charlie, the new seb...

The plot really clicked with me. Planting wasnt too much of a b%& this time around too, so it ended up going really smoothly.

[graemevood]

Never participated in this yet, so I think it’s time to give it a go.. seems a good contest idea too. Not going to pretend I’m familiar with golf architects and the way they design, no idea who the other four architects are so I’ll just take Mackenzie as I’m more familiar with his courses.

[sebk]

Hey Folks,

mattyfromcanada DL2.5-SebK has been published. With such a contest, I thought it prudent to talk to the design elements, or rather architectural elements with my submission
Dr. Alistair Mackenzie:
Incorporated in my submission is a mix of many architectural elements presented by Mr. Mackenzie in courses such as Alwoodley, Cypress  Pasa and Lahinch (old).

Things to note throughout the course.
Lahinch (old) mounding around the greens. this is stated within the green complexes but not throughout the fairways and other play surfaces. Heavily noted in hole 2.
Hummocks and Hollows (In Lahinch, Pasa and Cypress, and most definitely Alwoodley) are shown throughout the course and in the bunkering creation (both penal but also visual hazards) High faced bunkers placed into mounding (hummocks) nestled into natural land undulations (lahinch), as well as engineered into the design (Alwoodley).
shot shaping and ground game (Alwoodley + Lahinch) there are places to be on the hole that is not always meant to be gained by pumping a driver out as far as you can. Wide open fairways with intentional pinches to make the tempting shot (but no the right shot) come into mind. Again, wide sprawling fairways (and 'somewhat' geomteric shaped) is also used quite often to make you feel comfortable with just being in the fairway, but with slight fairway sculpting and camber pushing you into or out of the ideal position (Alwoodley) (see in course Hole 3)
Green sloping, while slow, is quite drastic. See 3, 4 and 5 on course. Notorious for big greens (Alwoodley + Lahinch) you can easily find the putting surface, but finding the right place on the putting surface is the issue.
Planting and layout is to somewhat mimicking the look of Alwoodley noted in cutouts of rough and heavy grass planting and then wide open and clean fairways. Trees create chutes and directional aides as well as high bush work to frame the holes.

Club house is a trailer, because you're here for the golf. Enjoy it hopefully as much as i enjoyed building it.

[virtualgolfer65]

Sept 10, 2021 12:23:03 GMT -5 sebk said:

Hey Folks,

mattyfromcanada DL2.5-SebK has been published. With such a contest, I thought it prudent to talk to the design elements, or rather architectural elements with my submission
Dr. Alistair Mackenzie:
Incorporated in my submission is a mix of many architectural elements presented by Mr. Mackenzie in courses such as Alwoodley, Cypress  Pasa and Lahinch (old).

Things to note throughout the course.
Lahinch (old) mounding around the greens. this is stated within the green complexes but not throughout the fairways and other play surfaces. Heavily noted in hole 2.
Hummocks and Hollows (In Lahinch, Pasa and Cypress, and most definitely Alwoodley) are shown throughout the course and in the bunkering creation (both penal but also visual hazards) High faced bunkers placed into mounding (hummocks) nestled into natural land undulations (lahinch), as well as engineered into the design (Alwoodley).
shot shaping and ground game (Alwoodley + Lahinch) there are places to be on the hole that is not always meant to be gained by pumping a driver out as far as you can. Wide open fairways with intentional pinches to make the tempting shot (but no the right shot) come into mind. Again, wide sprawling fairways (and 'somewhat' geomteric shaped) is also used quite often to make you feel comfortable with just being in the fairway, but with slight fairway sculpting and camber pushing you into or out of the ideal position (Alwoodley) (see in course Hole 3)
Green sloping, while slow, is quite drastic. See 3, 4 and 5 on course. Notorious for big greens (Alwoodley + Lahinch) you can easily find the putting surface, but finding the right place on the putting surface is the issue.
Planting and layout is to somewhat mimicking the look of Alwoodley noted in cutouts of rough and heavy grass planting and then wide open and clean fairways. Trees create chutes and directional aides as well as high bush work to frame the holes.

Club house is a trailer, because you're here for the golf. Enjoy it hopefully as much as i enjoyed building it.

Congratulations on the publish Seb.  I haven't even figured out which architect I'm going for....and you're done! 

[zacheroni]

virtualgolfer65, charlie finished faster than seb...

[cd06]

Okay, another little thing from me about this being done quickly.

So when you're on Switch, you have an obvious burden that planting is a @!$#ing nightmare. Believe it or not, the object meter on mine was 23% or so (without background trees because I just couldn't be bothered). But I've found that file size is a bigger burden than actual plant meter, which is why I multiplant grass a lot to speed up the planting scheme. Getting the ravine to look natural took a little bit of time as well, and it ended up providing my favourite look I've ever done (view from hole 1).

As for the Mackenzie stuff, he is one of my favourite architects and I've studied his work in the past. By the way, if you haven't already, please do go and play theclv24's Crystal Downs LiDAR - it helped me a lot in green sculpting which you will see on the 5th. However, another Mackenzie green inspired the 5th as well, hole 9 at Cavendish Golf Club over here in the UK - I had the privilege of playing there back in 2019 and loved the greens, especially the par three greens, and the 9th probably had closer to 10ft of slope from back to front (I only managed 6ft on hole 5 on mine lol). I spent a while getting the greens right here, and ended up changing the speeds from 173 to 158 so I could get more slope in on them. The golf holes kinda found themselves, and I spent a while on the fourth trying to make the tee shot interesting with its camber. Going down the slope to the right gives a shorter shot but it's more blind, whereas the left is a longer approach and leaves a bit more visibility.

I had a great time building it, and I'm delighted in how well it came together so quickly! Hope you will all give it a play, DL2.5 cd06 (Mackenzie) is the name of the course.

Oh, and congrats on your publish sebk