APCD Courses

The Fictional Courses 31-36
   
Nautilus Bay
 
Adriaan Maarschalk
7324 yards. Par 71.
Difficulty Medium/Hard

Links
Fictional - 58mb
Apr 2006

Overall Rank 31st
Buffalo Springs was the fine debut links design from Adriaan Maarschalk and was released in October 2004. Whilst its elegance captured the course of the month award, its abundance of water eventually made it feel a little too difficult and prescriptive to play and led to its departure from the top 40. This follow up release called Nautilus Bay is much more appealing, a coastal links course set on the south coast of South Africa and appears both natural and beautiful. Adriaan again tries to push some boundaries in design with a modified fairway texture around the greens which makes it more a bump and run approach into the flag. This can be disconcerting at first, and im not sure works well with fast conditions, but ultimately i began to enjoy the different challenge it offered. The amended sand texture allowing longer shots i am less convinced by, but may well grow to like it more as time progresses. This different approach to the design does test you out, and for now i like that as a new challenge. Visually this course is very appealing, a highly contoured course with sea views and very realistic planting. It is truely a links style challenge. The deeper grass texture is inspired and really helps to make this course stand out. The course is pretty long, but many holes are downhill which helps mitigate some of the distance off the tee. Another great design from Adriaan which not everyone may take to, but in real life not all courses play the same so i like this as a new option in gaming.
Hole Previews : Very Good Tournament Option : Excellent
     
Oklahoma Crossings
 
Johnny Holland
7312 yards. Par 71.
Difficulty Medium

Links / Parkland
Fictitous - 87mb
Jun 2004

Overall Rank 32nd
Johnny Holland, designer of Sandalot Shores, features on the chart for the first time with this excellent creation called Oklahoma Crossings. This is a fictional links style course themed around the vast Native American history of Oklahoma, and is set right outside downtown Oklahoma City. It feels like a cross between a links course and an open parkland one, as light coloured trees do feature here, all well chosen for their good looks, although some do seem a little pastel and slightly unreal in looks. The edge of the course features a lovely woodland backdrop, complete with some occasional redwood and autumnal foliage which really worked well to shape the boundaries. This is a smooth looking course, beautifully created with excellent texturing and blending, and with just the right amount of ground plant colour, mainly in yellows and whites. Wild grasses border the fairways which are reasonably generous, but are quite heavily potted with bunker hazards, and featuring plenty of doglegs and curves, creating interesting shot choices. The bunkers come in three different types of design techniques, which include greenside, fairway, and pot styles. Also littered around the course are many small ponds, often partially dried up in the heat and leaving overgrown muddy banks, they look superb. The overall feel of the course is neat and well kept, although fairly wild and very natural too in its planting. It is a clever balance and is perhaps unusual for a links design, but is a feature i feel that makes it stand out from the crowd. There is so much little detail to be found, the native indian theme features strongly, and the clubhouse buildings are excellent, even complete with a totem pole, which must be a unique feature. Playing the course was extremely enjoyable, with plenty of shape to the holes to keep you thinking, but not too hard on easy settings. However turn up the wind and green speeds and it'll certainly play tough enough. Greens all seemed nicely sloped and contoured without anything unnatural. This is a beautiful to look at, it is clever to play, and is detailed and tidy in its lay out, with a great tournament option too. The hole previews even provide a history lesson while you play.
Hole Previews : Excellent Tournament Option : Excellent
     
Coogans Bluff
 
Gary Campbell
7224 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium

Parkland / Lakeside
Fictitous - 60mb
Jul 2005

Course of the Month

Overall Rank 33rd
Gary Campbell is one of the great new designers to emerge in 2005. His first design, Los Lagos was a superb looking course, although a little penal for my taste, but Coogans Bluff is a perfect mix of strategy and visual beauty, and is his first 2003 specific design. This parkland style course is located around a large lake, which particularly comes into play down the excellent finishing stretch. There are moderate elevation changes here, a par 4 that is drivable, par 3’s that vary both in appearance and yardage, and most of the par 5's are reachable in 2 shots. Coogans Bluff is a second-shot golf course where learning the best position on the fairway is key, and club selection important. Many greens are slightly raised and have a first cut fronting them, which can often cause you to underclub your approach shot leaving you a chip shot to save par. The challenging greens are large in size but play smaller due to the many tiers and occasional run-offs around the edges. If you find the proper tier you will leave yourself a relatively straight flat putt, if not then you may have some lengthy uphill, downhill and/or sharp breaking putts. It is a clever design, fair and so playable, not too menacing off the tee but tough to hole out under par and perfect for tougher play levels. The textures are excellent with nice blending apparent, and the planting is one of Gary's highest abilities and in the Mike Jones league with great tree and bush colours, superb low level wild grasses and flowers, and some of the best ever wild planted lakesides ever seen. It is extremely natural and feels very real, and the only downside is that the panorama is blurry in places. As already mentioned the closing holes are amazing, the 15th is one of the best par 3's ever seen, and the clubhouse looks superb viewed across the large lake as you turn home. The hole previews are top class and very informative. This is a quaint, beautiful and natural golf course and a players dream.
Hole Previews : Excellent Tournament Option : None
     

Royal Throughfare
 
Kristoffer Selberg
7428 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium

European Parkland
Fictitous - 46mb
Apr 2004

Overall Rank 34th
Kristoffer Selberg has released a number of great designs now including Te Lhi O Te Rangi and Sherwood River, and this update to an existing course is another one that really is quite special. Set in an open looking English countryside, its natural beauty is immediately impressive, with an excellent choice of tree varieties and some amazing use of different grasses at ground level. The new 2003 textures here are generally quite rich and bold looking, and are merged and blended really very well together, overplanted with a covering of grass varieties. Is is actually hard to believe this isnt a real venue, it is complete with some highlighting effects to the greens. The round begins alongside the rock strewn beach, as you tee off to a tight par 3 green. You will progress across a great mix of holes, backed by open rolling fields, and littered with small lakes which are beautifully planted up with reeds and grasses. The par 3 peninsular green at the 8th hole is one of the best anywhere. The design is well thought out, some is actually based on real holes from Sweden, and visually there are little touches of colour here and there, and the occasional wildlife, the cows at the 5th in particular were superb complete with sound effects. The strategy is also exceptionally good, fairways are mixed in difficulty, and contain some great shapes to them, and greens are often quite small and require accuracy and good chipping to play them well. The whole course is full of clever hazards, and needs some careful thought before playing each shot. So many holes have the attributes to become memorable, with individual tests and lovely visuals, that it is sure to grow on you more each time it is played. A clever, natural and realistic course that may especially appeal to those who like European looking venues. The 2004 update really enhances the overall experience of playing, with some lovely looking textures, improved planting and objects, and the offer of a more polished course overall. The tournament option is also much more comprehensive now too.
Hole Previews : Excellent Tournament Option : Excellent
     
Chateau Bourrache
 
Mitch Sirk
7142 yards. Par 71.
Difficulty Medium

French Parkland
Fictitous - 91mb
Jun 2005

Course of the Month

Overall Rank 35th
Mitch Sirk is one of the very best designers at creating a realistic fictional landscape which really does feel like a real course venue. To add another dimension he also sets the scene of his creations with a depth of imagery and history which is unprecedented and just makes you eager to play them. If you do not normally read the course notes then on this occasion you really should. Set in the beautiful vineyard countryside, the Château Bourrache club de golf was built amongst the boulevards of mature parallel lined trees which, despite some war damage, remain a distinguishing feature of the golf course. Your round begins at a stunning ornamental pond in front of the chateau, at a course where the main hazards comprise the trees, a scattering of key bunkers, and two man-made streams which wind their way to the natural lake, first seen whilst playing the third hole. The streams, although narrow, can have a disproportionate effect on the strategy, as they seem ever present in some tight target areas. Many of the greens are quite large and all have slopes and borrows that make putting here a test if your approach is offline. Playing back towards the Château involves hitting most shots slightly uphill, thus making club selection more tricky, and the Château wall itself becomes another hazard alongside the 9th green in true St Andrew’s style. The is a natural well maintained golfing venue which definitely has a European feel to it. In design terms it seems a little less demanding than Mitch’s previous high profile releases including Owelstery and Brydestone, and playwise is better for it too. Bunkers are mixed in style which is not to everyones taste, but is a feature of this course's style. A neat panorama works well, but is not as distinctive a feature as in the visual treats of Owelstery for instance. This is yet another lovely fictional design, arguably for strategy and for natural realism it is the best one yet from this designer, as it doesn’t dictate your shot choices quite so much. There is so much detail in this course from the bridges, statues, flower pots to the magnificent chateau itself, and it all just feels so right.
Hole Previews : Excellent Tournament Option : Excellent
     
Kalusa Lakes
 
Gary Turner
7064 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium/Hard

Woodland / Lakeside
Fictitous - 52mb
Jul 2005

Overall Rank 36th
Gary Turner appears to have dabbled with the apcd back in 2001, but has suddenly surprised everyone with a stunning piece of work some 4 years later, called Kalusa Lakes. This fictional woodland course is beautifully designed, has quality planting throughout, good hole creations, and lovely views. In many areas visually (the 3rd hole for instance) i can see some Mike Jones influences, which can only be a good thing. The course winds its way through a number of small lakes and is cross-crossed by many creeks. It is here that the course gains its identity, not only are the lakes and creeks superbly designed with brown muddy banks and planted up with small bushes, grasses and rocks, but they strategically impact your game. The 4th, 9th and 18th holes all need careful choices off the tee to avoid falling into the creeks. The tree planting is amazing, a forested mix which blends really well together, has some really nice colour here and there via autumnal leaves, and also has some great key trees which stand out for extra visual attention. At ground level the grasses look excellent too, and the darker green long grass really matches the rough texture well. This is a joy to play, very slightly on the narrow side, but not overly so, and you can choose to drive over some of the bunker hazards if you feel confident. The par 3's are varied in length, and the par 5's offer different choices with the 16th wrapping itself around the largest lake. The textures work well, with some similarities to DriftWood, and the blending is exceptional to create a really smooth transitional effect. This is just a highly polished, quality course that really does look fantastic from almost every screenshot.
Hole Previews : Very Good Tournament Option : None
     

APCD Courses

  

Courses 37-42