Looking for feedback

[jarednich]

Hi guys, I just published a mostly finished course in the Boreal theme.  It is under HSLv1. It is difficult, green speed at 75%, firmness at 100%.  I aiming for this course to be in tournament play, so please be brutally honest.  I am going for realism for the most part.  There are no enormous elevation changes here.  Par 71, around 7200 yards or so.  

Job, I know you are super busy but I would love to hear your thoughts before I publish the finished version.  I have designed it so a members version can be published, 6600 yards and less firmness.  Thanks everyone in advance.

[maceotago]

Hey Man,

I've played your course and thought I'd give you some feedback (for what it's worth!).

I've played it a couple of times now, the first time was to just get a feel for the course and to get a general overview of how it plays.  The second time I looked more closely at the hole layouts themselves.  Both rounds had relatively light winds.  I didn't score particularly well at all but the focus was on assessing the course. 

My overall impression after the first round was that you have used length well to add difficulty (this would be further enhanced in windy conditions).  The thing that struck me was that from the tee positions it looked and felt like a real course - good use of scenery and blind tee shots.  I also felt there was good use of some shorter holes which presented risk/reward situations and gave the player a chance to score well.  The only negative I picked up was that the last 3 par 3's seemed pretty similar (particularly in length) and some variety may enhance those.

The second round I paid more attention to the layout and here's some specific feedback on some of the holes:

1.  Great way to open the round.  Although shortish, it has a good tight landing area and a small green.  Accurate play will be rewarded.

2.  Love the look of this hole.  Accuracy off the tee a must again which is important due the shorter length.  The elevated green works well and adds a dimension to this hole.

3.  When I played this hole in the first round I thought, man this is a fairly bland and short par 5 - it wasn't till I reached the green that I realised it was a par 4!!   Good use of length.

4.  Short, good birdie chance.  Perhaps look to shrink the green even further?

6.  Love this risk/reward hole.  Well placed bunkers and table top green to watch out for but a real birdie/eagle chance if you get it right.

12. As mentioned above the last 3 par threes are fairly similar in length and feel.  Perhaps some variety in distance and/or green sizes or hazard placement could be considered. I felt like I was using the same club for each.

13.  Liked the fact you need to think about the tee shot here.   Great hole.

15.  I thought this hole broke up the length of the course nicely.  Great lake scenery in the background makes it a spectacular hole to play although being accurate is a must.

18.  A nasty sloping fairway that feeds into a middle of the fairway bunker provides a good test off the tee here.  Gets you thinking about club selection again.


Overall I really enjoyed this course.  As mentioned additional wind will really test a player.  A few minor tweaks maybe worth considering but at the end of the day this is a great effort. 

[jarednich]

I can't thank you enough for all this detail. When you are in the middle of a project you lose perspective very easily. I've shortened #12 to 155 yards while steepening the bank behind the green. It plays much more fairly more while a big number still lurks, especially downwind.

The repetitive part 3s was an obvious thing as soon ad I read it, but I never would have noticed it myself. I'm making some other tweaks as well. Thanks again, I really appreciate it.

[maceotago]

No problem!