APCD Courses

The Real Courses 1-6
   
Merion (East)
 
Dexter Gresh
6577 yards. Par 70.
Difficulty Medium

Parkland
Real - 89mb
Nov 2003

Course of the Month

Overall Rank 1st
The Merion Golf Club, East Course in Pennsylvania is one of the highest regarded courses in the world, and is ranked 7th on Golf Digest's 100 greatest American courses. The original course design was completed in 1911 by Hugh Wilson who drew on his Scottish roots to shape the course to include many steep Scottish style bunkers and wicker flagsticks. In 1930 Bobby Jones completed his grand slam win on this course with the US Amateur title. US Open major winners here include Ben Hogan in 1950, Lee Trevino in 1971 and David Graham when it was last held on the course in 1981. By todays standards this is a relatively short course, and its restrictions on spectator numbers make it perhaps an unlikely majors venue in the future. However its history and status as a top competition venue is assured. Dexter Gresh is possibly known to some links players for his release of Meadowood in May 2002, and this latest release is an absolute gem. The care and attention to detail that has gone into this creation is oozing from every screenshot, from the superb set of tree objects (including many wonderful custom made ones), through the excellent use of different ground textures and a patchwork of different wild dune grass plantings, to the beautiful double track paths that wind around the holes. It is truely realistic, and the water textures used for the rivers, and worn grass around the bunkers are fabulous. A lovely clubhouse area is viewed alongside the opening hole, and the other excellent main buildings around the course also add to the experience, with a main road also coming into view from time to time. Whilst the course is quite short, its par 70 ensures that it is no easy task to score well on, and the close proximity of trees and deep grass will always prove a threat to wayward shots. The course contains a lovely mix of straight holes, or left and right doglegs, with also a number of narrowing fairways to make the more daring drivers think twice, and it just plays so well and feels just right. The hole previews and start up screens are majestic and professional and just add to the feeling of playing what is a classic apcd course creation. This is an accurate and truely detailed and rather special real course design.
Hole Previews : Excellent Tournament Option : Excellent
     
Augusta National
 
Andrew Jones, Anders Bessermann, Mike Jones & Wayne Hewitt
7441 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Hard

Pine Forest
Real - 125mb
Apr 2006

2004 Course of the Year

Overall Rank 2nd
Augusta National is arguably the most famous golfing venue in the world, host to The Masters major championship event, and number 2 on the Golf Digest course list. Originally created by Andrew Jones in 2001, a new version of this famous course has now been developed, spearheaded by Andrew and comprehensively assisted by Mike Jones, Wayne Hewitt and Anders Bessermann. Hardly any other course has had more care and attention lavished upon it to make it as accurate and as immersive as this one. Visually this is beautiful, its manicured look has been recaptured with excellent textures and blending. Enclosing the fairways are the tall pine trees, with splashes of bright colour from magnolia bushes, and small pink and white blossomed trees will be glimpsed to the edges of the holes, it really is a stunning sight. The tree planting here is superb, carefully done and nicely varied. The whole design and lay out is extremely accurate to the real thing, and captures the quite severe elevations of the course. White sand bunkers, doglegs and water hazards guard the toughest greens on the circuit. This version of the course has mapped the new yardages, making it an extremely challenging one to play within Links, sometimes frustrating and stressfull. There is no need really to describe the holes to you, suffice to say you are getting the most accurate representation of the course that has been done. The tournament option including clubhouses and grandstands are all included and modelled in 3D. The creation of this design has been the inspiration behind Andrew Jones' new Links modification called 1.06. This allows the green speeds and ball roll to closely match the real thing, whilst also allowing slightly longer drives off the tee. It really presents a new gaming option to players and is very realistic indeed. The download file includes an astonishingly comprehensive 49 page history and guide to Augusta by Tom Davidson. Never has a real course demanded as much attention to detail, or looked so perfect, and full justice has been done. Ultimately we are all in debt to those who have contributed to the furtherance of our beloved game through this immense project.
Hole Previews : Excellent Tournament Option : Excellent
     
Pinehurst #2
 
Robert Miller
7229 yards. Par 70.
Difficulty Medium

Pine Forest
Real - 100mb
Apr 2008

Overall Rank 3rd
Welcome to Pinehurst #2, home of the 1999 US Open , 2005 US Open, and upcoming 2014 US Open. Pinehurst in North Carolina is a historic golf resort established in 1894 and now comprises a staggering 8 playable courses. One of them, Pinehurst #2 has become an integral part of golfing history, a regular and beautiful US Open venue and the memorable scene in 1999 of Payne Stewart making a 15 foot par putt on 18 to win the US Open title, his second of the 1990s. Rather obviously from its name, this is a forest location surrounded by stunning pine trees underlaid with the fetching red tinge from the layered pine needles. Its unique attribute is the dome shaped greens which when playing fast make it one of the most difficult courses to play in and around the pin, your touch and precision must be spot on and your chipping game at its best. Unlike other well known course names such as the cliffside Pebble Beach and the rolling colours of Augusta, there seemingly is not the run of unforgettable holes in visual or dramatic terms, but the feel and beauty of this as a whole course holds its own against them, and the clubhouse is a fabulous focul point. Robert Miller has become our key US Open designer adding Pinehurst to existing classics Bethpage Black and Shinnecock Hills, and has become one the greatest exponents of the apcd we have seen, modelling courses with accuracy and immense attention to detail. This remake of Pinehurst is simply immersive, the tee areas, houses and buildings ooze quality and the textures and blending are excellent. You will also find little extras like telegraph pylons, sprinkler heads, divots and wind machines at the greens. Playing the course is excellent, visually this a complete picture from every tee as you overlook the red pine areas and adjoining fairways, you feel like this is a complete replica of the course. In design terms i believe this to be one of the great courses, it also gains extra value from being a well known majors venue, and whilst it doesnt offer loads of elevation or signature style holes, it just has the feeling of a complete course package which when played is greater than the sum of the individual holes. An excellent and classic design, and one of the all time greats.
Hole Previews : Excellent Tournament Option : Excellent
     
Wagga Wagga
 
Wayne Hewitt
6749 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium

Woodland
Real - 116mb
Jun 2004

Course of the Month

Overall Rank 4th
The Wagga Wagga Country Club is the follow up release to the highly regarded Tall Pine Estates by Wayne Hewitt. This is a real course first established in 1895 and set in New South Wales, Australia. What will strike you immediately you start playing is the detail to which the course has been recreated, not just what you can see in front of you, but the buildings, roads, power cables, drainage and signs that are located to the fringes of the course, and make it much more of a course venue simulation than a game. This is a woodland course, trees are in close proximity to the fairways and will often impact on your shot selections. The choice of planting is striking, and this is a generally a bright looking course with colourful foliage, a rare beast for links players, but not particularly autumnal in style, just beautiful to look at and packed full of excellent custom trees. At ground level the abundance of texturing is just about the best seen, with loads of different shades and comprehensive blending, and with long dry grass to the edges of the deeper rough. Unlike the designer, I havent ever played this course in real life, but this really does give you the feeling that Wayne has captured the course as close it can possibly be. Often real courses play a little on the easy side, but this one is clever and play is set seemingly just right, with doglegs, bunkers and criss-crossing streams impacting on your distances, you really do have to think your way around here. I find this a very immersive design, the whole feel of the course is of visual beauty, and at the end of the round is the added bonus of overlooking a superb lagoon panorama. It is worth noting that the tournament crowd option here is extensive, and just listen for all the local bird sounds too. This is a course packed full of little details, it looks extremely pretty, is somewhat unique too in its appearance and is so delightful to play.
Hole Previews : Excellent Tournament Option : Excellent
     
Pebble Beach
 
Chuck Clark
6840 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium

Coastal
Real - 86mb
Jun 2005

2005 Course of the Year

Overall Rank 5th
Pebble Beach is one of the most famous courses in the world and is set around Stillwater cove in California. Ranked at number 5 on Golf Digests list, it is a regular tournament venue on the PGA Tour hosting the Pro-Am, and is also a classic venue for the US Open, boasting mature trees, tricky roller coaster greens and large bunkers, and uses the natural coastline location as direct hazards for a number of its awesome holes. Visually this course is one of the most impressive and beautiful in the world, with dramatic sea views creating a unique atmosphere. In 1972 Pebble Beach hosted its first US Open golf Championship which was won fittingly by Jack Nicklaus. In 1982 the US Open returned, and featured one of the most talked about battles between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus, where Watson sunk a chip shot on the 17th to effectively win. 1992 saw Tom Kite victorious for his first major, and in 2000 it hosted the US Open for the 100th anniversary of the championship, where Tiger Woods captured the trophy beating his nearest competitor by a massive 15 strokes. This course famously features an amazing run of coastline holes from the new 5th hole through to the 10th, returning again for the most famous drive in golf at the 18th. Pebble Beach should be well known to most golf fanatics, and this recreation is not only extremely accurate but outstandingly beautiful too, complete with superb planting at ground level and fabulous buildings throughout (some are 3D courtesy of Pat Auge). The cliffside holes and views across the cove are magnificent. The greens here are small, and the rough set deep according to US Open traditions. The key to unlocking a decent score on the course will surely be in finding the fairways. This is a unique venue, and Chuck Clark has superbly crafted this accurate simulation, with realism just oozing from every view it really captures the way the fairway slopes make the approach shots extra tricky. His other releases such as Prairie Dog and Torres Pines South were also great courses, but this one tops them all and i am sure will be appreciated in the same breath as Augusta National.
Hole Previews : Excellent Tournament Option : Excellent
     
The Brabazon at The Belfry
 
Dark Horse Team
7120 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium/Easy

English Parkland
Real - 61mb
Apr 2003

Course of the Month

Overall Rank 6th
The Brabazon course at The Belfry is quite simply one of my favourite real life courses, designed by Peter Allis and Dave Thomas, it is the host course for the annual Benson & Hedges European Tour event, and features some quite fantastic holes for drama and risk reward. It is also the place for Europeans to enact the dramatic wins for the European Ryder Cup team in 1985 and 2002. The Links LS version has been around for a lifetime now, featuring the 1985 lay out, it still looks pretty good and is actually tougher to play than this newer lay out and design. However this apcd version is far and away the best version of the course ever made. This is the debut release for the Dark Horse Team comprising famous designer names John Pineda, Eddie Schmidt, Kevin Fraser, Lars Rudbeck, John Dudis, Andrew Jones, Anders Bessermann and Dlunatic, and the team approach has certainly worked well. If you follow golf then the course should need little explanation, a superb parkland challenge with plenty of water hazards, a most famous drivable par 4 at the 10th and a finishing hole which throws up a real nervy tee and approach shot. To play this course is a delight, and whilst this version is not overly tough, tweaking the conditions will truly yield a magnificent challenge. It is hard to see how this replica could have been made any better really, the parkland planting is consistent with the location, the wooden edging to the lakes and streams is excellent, and the 3 dimentional clubhouse, buildings and bridges are so accurate its an amazing credit to the team, and certainly enough to make your eyes light up when you see the clubhouse area. The new textures too are superb, and together with the mown grass lines it really works well, and the course even holds some subtle visual variations too in textures from hole to hole. Crowds are extensive in a Ryder Cup style to add a real atmosphere. I haven’t revealed too much of what you will see, you know by now how the course should look I’m sure, and this is an amazingly accurate replica. When you play this design, you really are playing at the Belfry. It is one of the greatest courses in real life and equally one of the greatest apcd designs ever made.
Hole Previews : Excellent Tournament Option : Excellent
     

APCD Courses

  

Courses 7-12