Feel free to offer comments, suggestions, etc. Still a lot of work to be done here, this course is probably still a month away at the very least. http://www.twitch.tv/phj314/b/644241919
Looks great man, been playing a lot of this game the last week or so since i downloaded it. your courses are a lot of fun. We enjoy similar things from our tiger days haha. looking forward to this!
I probably played Shawshank like 6 times last night. lol That is a great track with a lot of familiar feels, great bunkering and tough long par 3s like oakmont, tricky small greens with tight fairways and elevation change like East Lake and some beauty drives with wicked dog legs like Bethpage. 9 might be one of the most challenging par 4s ive seen in a long time. Bunkers show a serious threat off the tee and if you opt for less club, good luck reaching this green. If you are playing for a GIR, best not leave yourself short in that guarding trap with a front pin, you could be there for a while. Typical PHJ, making 9 tough as shit. haha The only two holes I'm not crazy about would be 8 and 14. 8 only because the green is a tricky shape and the distance is awkward. maybe 15 more yards with a bailout somewhere or 15-20 yards shorter. 14 is just wicked long, hazard threat off the tee which if you find you are still going to have an iron out of the trap and then a 200 yard approach shot. I like the idea of a true 3 shot par 5, but it needs more true risk/reward. Of course just my opinion. I played MANY MANY hours of online golf games with PHJ so when I saw that he designed courses I knew they would be beauties. Keep it up dude, this is an amazing track and I can't wait for this one to finish!
As per our discussion the other night. Ill eventually releasing a final version of Shawshank. 8 will be shorter, 14 will become a par 4, bunkers fronting the green on 9 will be completely restructured. It was my first course and I was learning the creator. I'm very proud of it, but I do have areas on the course I'd want to go back and fix now that I have better grasp of the creator.
I cant wait til that course has 200+ plays to see the handicap line on each hole. I've been playing this game since it came out and Shawshank is still my favourite course (the original).
So last night I made some changes, and before you get too excited, it's not published yet. Let me first off state that I would LOVE to get feedback from people on what they think could be changed on this course. I gladly welcome feedback!! Go out and play Shawshank Lakes, The original version of the course not the Thr, Fri, Sat, Sun versions, but please do so soon, as I plan on releasing the new version under a different name at the end of the week. The hated 8 - 9 duo: 8 has been shortened to 204, playing about 21 ft downhill. Green was expanded to the right. 9 has maintained it's length, but the bunkers fronting the green are now a more realistic pot bunker style. All three are at slightly different elevations, but below green surface level. Both holes remains as 'play for par holes', which was the original intention. (Actually 9 was meant to demoralize you as you make the turn, or completely ruin a great front nine, but that's beside the point. lol) The par 5's: 5th had a bunker in the middle of the fairway off the tee, that was removed. The fairway was narrowed and bunkers now sit to the left side of the landing area. Length has been maintained, it's a 3 shot par 5. 14th, I hated this hole. It's been completely trashed and re-made. it's an uphill Par 4 playing around 422 if I remember correctly. Drive is straight away, with the green offset to the left on a slightly elevated area. Bunkers to the right off the tee, being on the left side of the fairway is not favorable because trees could come into play on the approach. This went from being my most hated hole, to perhaps my favorite. Some of the greens on the course have also been re-worked. What lies ahead: 1) Beautification - Planting mostly. 2) Par 3 - 15th, while I don't want to change how this hole is to be played (meant to land short and roll onto green), I may restructure the green and bunkers to make it look a little more realistic/natural. Also thinking of extending the pond so that it wraps from the right side to back of the green, anyone attempting to fly the green and rolling off the back could risk rolling into the water. 3) Par 4 - 2nd, want to restructure bunkers running up the left side of the fairway. The style of them just doesn't feel right to me. The more and more I look at this hole, the more I feel it needs change. I just haven't put my finger on what to do yet.
Update #15 - Similar in length and feel, green runs front to back. A perfect shot that is short and in line with the pin will funnel to the hole. Anything slightly off to the right or left will fall off the table. Water stretches from right to back of the green. Retaining walls added. Bunkers guard front and right of green. #2 - Bye Bye Bunkers, hole has been narrowed and tree lined. Fairway was lowered to afford a view of the green on the approach. Pin is at the front of the green, you'll have to land short to hold for birdie. Too much strength on the approach and you'll have a long, long uphill putt for birdie. Land it just short of the green and and you could be tapping in. There is a very fine line between playing for birdie and making a Bogey.
