Just played this beta...default conditions, black tees, pin 2.
Bunkers here are an interesting mix of single stock shapes, as well as wavy, unusual shapes. They two look a bit jarring when used along side each other.
The transitions from fairway to green surfaces could be smoothed out. Sometimes, the fairway runs into the green at almost a 90-degree angle.
Hole 3's green might be too big for a par-4 that's just over 400 yards.
Hole 7 - I can tell it's very clear you're pulling inspiration from a very famous course in Georgia that hosts the first major of the year every April. This is basically Hole 13 at that course - a short par-5 that bends right to left and requires a second shot over a creek. The greenside bunker here looks odd, with the little island of grass in the middle of it. It doesn't match any other bunker I've seen so far.
Hole 8 - I had this one, a 437-yard par-4, directly into a 12 mph wind. My drive went 285 yards, and I am 188 away from the hole. Problem is...the trees to the right of the fairway completely block my shot into the green. I had to banana slice a 4-iron to try to reach the green. This hole's green complex looks odd, too, with the strange transitions from fairway into green, and another bunker with the island of grass in the middle.
Hole 9 - split fairway is...OK. Not my favorite design, with an almost 90-degree dogleg where the fairway splits. Again, surface transitions around the green are off.
Hole 10 - I believe this is the third par-4 hole I've played up to this point that's exactly 407 yards on this pin set? We now also have a fairway bunker with Oakmont-like "church pews" in it...these just don't really fit here. The waterfalls actually look pretty solid here, but the strange planting of the bulrushes kind of stands out. I might remove those.
Hole 11 - another 90-degree, dogleg-right short par-4 hole. Bridge is kind of a distraction on the second shot...it's blocking my view of the green/greenside bunkers.
Hole 12 - more strange bunkering here. I actually don't mind the strategy here at all...player is forced to decide if they and to squeeze driver in, or lay back with 3-wood.
Hole 13 - some more aggressive contours on this green here. A lot more red slopes than on previous holes.
Hole 14 - another hole that has a green with lots of movement and undulation. Another odd "island" bunker and harsh surface transitions from fairway to green.
Hole 15 - this is definitely not a replica of Hole 12 at ANGC... :-) Not much to say here though, since it's very clearly inspired by a "Golden Bell". Looks good.
Hole 16 - don't mind this hole, either. The green is kind of an odd shape and there's still some surface transition quirks, but I think it plays fine.
Hole 17 - another 90-degree dogleg- right short par-4 hole. This is at least the 3rd or 4th one of these on the course. They are quite repetitive. This one also has a humongous green that is almost all flat, except for some red slopes that run off the edges into heavy rough. As the penultimate hole of the golf course, this one is quite boring, to be honest.
Hole 18 - split fairway off the tee. If you go right, it's wider but you lose over 70 yards compared to if you go left. A 300 yard drive to the right leaves you 311 yards from the hole, while a 300 yard drive to the left leaves you just 245 away. Also, a drive to the safer right side needs to be over 325 yards to be clear of a tree that will cause issues on your second, even if you're in the fairway. Essentially, I am never going right.
I have a 9-12 mph wind in my face on the tee, so I am never clearing 325 with driver. I chose left, hit a 303 yard drive and have just 241 in. I declared an unplayable and went back and hit to the right. Hit a 314 yard drive, but...
Had to hit a power hook on my second to avoid tree trouble. Like I said, I am never choosing to go right, especially if the wind is in my face. The right, while being the "safe" option, actually makes your second shot a pain.
The 18th green is also basically one big yellow back-to-front slope. There's not a whole lot of interest on the green here, compared to the others that had different tiers and some internal undulations. As a finishing hole, it kind of falls flat.
General thoughts - the tee boxes look a bit odd to me...they are all circles of green surface with fringe and light rough on them. Not my personal preference there, as I don't ever recall seeing a tee box with green fringe. Fairway to green transitions could be done a bit better. I did like the planting - it felt like it fit the clear inspiration you're taking from ANGC. And while having that inspiration is fine, the two holes that basically were just Nos. 12 and 13 at ANGC seemed a little too obvious to me. I think you have some really good ideas and plans here - you don't need to basically just plop in two real-life holes that everybody knows and has now played in a video game dozens of times.
I would also reconsider having this many short par-4s that are 90-degree dogleg-right holes. With only some slight differences, these were basically the same holes repeated 3 or 4 times. Hole 17 was kind of the least of these, and felt like it was just tacked on to get players to the 18th.
Bunkers were a bit odd to me, too. I might suggest sticking to one style or type. Using the squiggly ones in combination with sharp-edged single stock shapes looks out of place. The ones with the grass sections in the middle of them didn't fit this setting either, IMO.
Also, just a heads-up - on the scorecard, Holes 10 and 17 are essentially the exact same yardages for each tee. Hole 10 is 421, 428, and 437. Hole 17 is 421, 427, and 437. Hole 5 is pretty close to them, too - 418, 423, 436. Might want to mix those up by add/subtracting some yards so they aren't basically all the same distance.
But in all honesty, I really did enjoy the round here. Lots of nice planting areas and good sightlines. Strategy made sense and it was fun to play. Nice work, and I look forward to the finished product!
