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Post by micahman on Oct 6, 2024 15:39:50 GMT -5
I'm sure there's a thread for how to get your course 'Tour Worthy' and what it takes to make that happen. But I figure I'd just ask straight up if my course is good enough. The course is titled "Old Wickie's Links" and I posted it quite a bit earlier this year. I haven't made any changes or anything, I just want to see more people play my course. I'm sorry in advance for not having any photos of the course. I mainly just want some feedback. Thank You!
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Post by sroel908 on Oct 6, 2024 17:42:39 GMT -5
Just played a round here, default conditions, Pin 4, blue (the only) tees. I am not a course reviewer, but I do schedule 3-Click and Platinum.
Right off the bat, the only tee set plays to 7,700-plus yards. This is pretty long, and might make it not even useable on the CC tour due to its length. Also, only having one set of tees is OK, but it does limit any kind of flexibility for set ups as all 4 rounds would play from the same tees.
Hole 1 - not too bad...I am noticing that planting is kind of sparse. Some tall grasses are used here and there, but then some trees are just dropped straight into heavy rough with no other planting around. Planting is also really far away from playing surfaces, so there just feels like a lot of open space.
Hole 2 - I get the design concept here, but the execution is just a bit off. The centerline hazard is positioned in the fairway so that the left section of it is basically useless as it's maybe 10 yards across in spots. I'd go right of the bunker 100% of the time.
Hole 3 - neat hole here, so I'm getting a bit nitpicky, haha. I'd have planted the right side a little bit differently, so that the ocean views were opened up and the green could be visible, too, as it is a potentially drivable par-4.
Hole 4 - pretty straight forward par-5 here. Not bad.
Hole 5 - another decent hole, nothing too much to talk about. Only thing might be that high wind could really make the hole play tough if it fights the fairway shape.
Hole 6 - cool par-3!
Hole 7 - another hole where I'd have slightly adjusted planting here a bit. The ocean views left are very nice, but it would be good to see the green from the hole. Maybe just bury the trees a bit more and sink everything down. This is very minor and more of a personal preference thing, though. Also, the bunker to the left and in front of the green really isn't in play ever, so it probably doesn't need to be there.
Hole 8 - sculpting left of the tee box could open up more of a coastal view. Otherwise, totally OK.
Hole 9 - same here...the land in front and left of the tee box could be moved so that the view could be even more dramatic. Also the last couple cliff/coastal edges have not had any planting, whereas other areas previously had lots of trees/bushes. Just feels a little bare and a tad inconsistent.
Hole 10 - routing is a bit awkward here...while I might have a longer approach in, I think the better play here in some situations is down the previous fairway. You avoid the massive centerline hazard and sculpting that pushes everything away from the middle of the fairway by hitting down Hole 9. Not a major problem, but it does kind of feel a little odd, how these holes are laid out next to each other.
Hole 11 - decent par-3
Hole 12 - really good sightline off the tee - can see the flag from the tee box on this par-5, and the framing is well done. I do wish there was fairway up near the green, so that the ground game could be utilized to run a second shot up near the flag. Either way, I was on in two with a 5-wood due to the helping slopes, which are fun to try and play!
Hole 13 - the centerline hazard is only going to be a problem here for shorter hitters, which does feel a bit overly penal for players that choose not to hit the longest clubs. I have a 300-yard carry driver, and will always fly that bunker, probably even into very high winds.
Hole 14 - a solid par-5
Hole 15 - this hole design didn't quite work for me, as again the centerline bunker doesn't add any strategy. In fact, it really makes the only option off the tee here to go right of it.
Hole 16 - not my favorite view off the tee, as the bushes right in front of me are a bit intrusive. Some bunkers could be sculpted a bit better, too...just some lumpy surfaces. Not too bad, just something I noticed.
Hole 17 - again, the bushes near the tee box are a bit intrusive. I again think the view could have been enhanced with some more sculpting and land movement off to the left.
Hole 18 - the finisher here wasn't all that exciting. With all the coastal holes this course has had, I was hoping for a similar hole to Pebble Beach's No. 18 to conclude the round. Instead, it's a pretty basic par-4 back inland to end. The waste area could be sculpted a bit better, too, as it's again kind of lumpy and bumpy.
I don't actually review courses here, like I said, but if I did...I'd say this is a solid "Approved" course. It's quite well done, and plays nicely. Greens are subtly sloped and have interest to them. There are cool views out here, and a decent environment.
Where it might be held back from potential "Tour Worthy" status, in my opinion, is in some of the hole designs, some sculpting, and some planting. A few of the holes with centerline hazards actually lost some strategic value due to their positioning and the design of the hole. Bunkers were generally fine, but some more attention could have made them really stand out. And there was quite a bit of wide open spaces with little planting, and then dense areas with planting that actually took a bit away from views off the tee and of the coast.
Also, the one tee box isn't a deal breaker, but it does mean less adjustment of setups. This course measures 7,702 from the only tee box, which is a lengthy track, even for top tiers on tour. Since you're forced to use the one tee box for all four rounds, it's likely that this course would be ruled out for some flights even if it were Tour Worthy.
Overall, this is a very nice course with some very good bones. It has a solid Pebble Beach feel to it, in terms of being on the coastal cliffs. It's not far off from Tour Worthy in my eyes, but it's not quite there yet.
Great work, and thanks for sharing!
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Post by micahman on Oct 6, 2024 22:25:15 GMT -5
Thanks for the feedback sroel! Yeah the planting is a bit sparce and I think thats due to how underprepared I was before I made the course. And you're spot on with the centerline bunkers, honestly I mostly put those in because I didn't know what else to do with some of the holes. I'll try to make these adjustments!
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Post by axelvonfersen on Oct 8, 2024 14:41:11 GMT -5
Thanks for the feedback sroel! Yeah the planting is a bit sparce and I think thats due to how underprepared I was before I made the course. And you're spot on with the centerline bunkers, honestly I mostly put those in because I didn't know what else to do with some of the holes. I'll try to make these adjustments!
Step 1: Read all you can on The Fried Egg Step 2: Play the top courses from all the contests from the past few years (Dream Team, National Treasure, World Cup, CC Contest) and take notes Step 3: Embrace the grind, keep publishing courses, seek out feedback
Good luck  |
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Post by sroel908 on Oct 8, 2024 15:22:36 GMT -5
Step 1: Read all you can on The Fried Egg Step 2: Play the top courses from all the contests from the past few years (Dream Team, National Treasure, World Cup, CC Contest) and take notes Step 3: Embrace the grind, keep publishing courses, seek out feedback Step 4: Profit? :-) |
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