APCD Courses

The Real Courses 37-42
   
Stonebridge
 
Dan Kilbank
6567 yards. Par 71.
Difficulty Medium/Easy

Parkland
Real - 44mb
Nov 2003

Overall Rank 37th
Dan Kilbank designed Ottawa Great 18, a lovely autumnal course back in 2001. Since then he has been quietly working on this next design called Stonebridge Golf and Country Club, a real course design based on one of the finest 18-hole championship public courses in Ottawa. Professionally it was designed by noted architect Ted Baker, a Canadian designer best known for the Lionhead Golf Club in Toronto. Stonebridge offers a wonderful blending of parkland and linksland golf, and is nestled within a lush rolling landscape of verdant parkland and the picturesque Jock River. This creation is apparently a very accurate replica using contour mapping as a starting point. The end result we see now is quite beautiful. Everything on this design is executed just right, it plays like a dream allowing players to choose how they play each hole, and never really dictating the decisions. Its fairly kind off the tee, but does ask some great questions of how bold you wish to be. The elevation work is right up with the very best, the contours are excellent and the greens roll beautifully, proving sufficiently tough to test the putter, perhaps over tough at times. It offers a natural playing experience, and as a whole it does remind me somewhat of Microsoft's style in designing courses, which is meant as a real compliment. Visually the course is very strong, with great textures, realistic planting with a good mix of long fescue grass around the course. The trees and bushes are well chosen, and the 2D buildings look great, becoming more evident down the back nine. To pick out special holes is difficult, as they all seem to offer up something great, and the par 5's are all reachable if you wish to take them on. The par 3 semi-island 2nd hole is noteworthy and tests your nerve early on, and the 6th is a classic, asking a drive over the line of bunkers and backed by a really lovely pink walled house. I rate this course very highly indeed, and just love playing it. In easy conditions it offers quite a relaxing round off the tee, but its greens will bite back. A magnificent design, and one of my all time favourites.
Hole Previews : Excellent Tournament Option : None
     
TPC @ Scottsdale
 
Jess Gagnon, Eric Dorsey & Ross Mackenzie
7089 yards. Par 71.
Difficulty Medium

Desert
Real - 41mb
Mar 2005

Course of the Month

Overall Rank 38th
This is a very famous PGA Tour venue known as the Stadium Course and is the home of the annual Phoenix Open. The course was the debut design from Jess Gagnon and was the first that was originally created using the MAC version of the apcd. As a first release this was an amazingly good recreation of a superb looking course in real life. The visual appearance is nicely captured, a mix of rolling soft green fairways bordered by desert sand areas, deep bunkers, and lighter wild bermuda grass areas, with lakes coming into play, mainly down the back nine. The hole design lay outs match very accurately to my comparisons with the real thing, and this is a real credit to the designer and elevates this into a must have status. Houses border the edges of the course early on, the planting seems accurate and well chosen given the palette limitations, and all the edging to fairways and lakes seems nicely smooth. The course is a great one to play, especially given its tour status and has beautiful contrasts in colours. The back nine especially offers up some great golfing, with the closing holes among the best around any real course. Hole previews are really good but could have benefitted from some extra distance markers being added at 250-275 yards from the tee. The tournament option is also comprehensive with some excellent amphitheatres created using tents and grandstands. In 2005 Eric Dorsey and Ross Mackenzie updated the design to include latest textures and blending, some tweaks to increase accuracy, and general polishing of this design to match the higher standards we now see. The new textures especially lift this near the top bracket of designs, becoming smooth and lush as you see it on television coverage, albeit wihtout the proper panorama for the venue. It is a great addition to the PGA tour collection.
Hole Previews : Excellent Tournament Option : Excellent
     
Doral, Blue Monster
 
John Andersen
7125 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium

Tropical
Real - 38mb
Mar 2003

Course of the Month

Overall Rank 39th
John Andersen, continues his set of superb real course Florida designs with the Doral Blue Monster course, now updated for Links 2003. A wonderful style is apparent, with a natural tropical style setting complete with palm trees and edged by a large complex of lakes. It offers a rich green view off the tee and is nicely laid out, with tee areas containing excellent signs showing the hole lay outs, and planted with red and pink flowers. White sand bunkers litter this course, all offering different shapes and are of an excellent standard now. The lakes really set the scenes, and deep rough borders the fairways, offering tough shots if you stray, but planting is not dense, consisting mainly of palm trees and reflecting the real course design as you do look over large expanses of the rough to the waters. The course excells at feeling alive. Herons and water birds are located in streams and at the lake edges (2001 version only), and the clubhouse looks amazing as you reach the back nine of the course. The first tee is well worth looking around to see a fountain, and a putting green, and the 10th holds sound effects from the driving range and a tannoy announcement of the tee off pairings. A giant leaderboard can be seen from a peninsula jutting into a large lake. All these are excellent features. Playing the course is not too tricky, as fairways and greens roll gently and if you avoid the water you should score quite well. Par 5's are mostly reachable in two shots, but you have to take on some water, and the 18th, a par 4 is a great hole. There is variation in play around the course, i liked the huge fairway bunker at the 11th, and the par 3's are generally quite long and need woods to hit the greens. The 2003 update has worked wonders with lovely blending although there is little underplanting on this course and still a lot of duplication in the trees. Playwise the lay out and real PGA venue makes this course is one of the better available to play.
Hole Previews : Very Good Tournament Option : Very Good
     

Jackson Hole
 
John Dudis
7168 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium

Mountains
Real - 86mb
Dec 2004

Overall Rank 40th
John Dudis is the creator of the neat fictional design Hop Farm released in December 2001. His follow up, 3 years later, is a real course known as Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club. This new course is located in the Northwest corner of the state of Wyoming, in one of the most rugged, wild and beautiful places on earth. The Grand Teton mountain range is nearby, as is Yellowstone National Park. The course uses all the latest textures and is set in a river valley overlooked by imposing snow capped mountains. It really does capture right feel of a local course, winding among the creeks and small lakes and overlooked by many small huts and shacks. The dramatic panorama is excellent with foreground hills backed by the snowy mountain range, and this is one of the keys to making this course look so good. The lay out is varied and interesting, the par 5’s narrow menacingly, and most of your clubs will be in use during the round. The shorter par 3’s are well protected by lakes which will test your nerve, with the longest one at 220 yards being surrounded by 3 bunkers. The 11th hole is perhaps the most testing and rewarding, a par 5 tee shot over the river to the left needs to find the area between more out of bounds makers on the right, a tricky hole but an eagle chance too. The planting is excellent, low level wild grasses give it some added realism and the trees are well chosen and blend well together, an important aspect in designing nowadays. An elk features on the approach shot to the long 8th hole. Overall this course is generally fairly flat and without significant elevation changes, and so reflects its valley style. This is a really good course design, it plays extremely well, being fairly narrow but with kind greens. It looks and feel right and with the buildings and panorama becomes visually enjoyable too. The hole previews and start up screens are excellent. A highly recommended course design.
Hole Previews : Excellent Tournament Option : None
     
Torrey Pines South
 
Chuck Clark
7607 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium/Hard

Coastal
Real - 25mb
Jul 2002

Course of the Month

Overall Rank 41st
Chuck Clark has already completed a few designs including the Players 18 before tackling this famous venue at Torrey Pines. Well known to Links players, the South Course is available under a conversion from Microsoft, however this release surpasses it in every respect. This apcd design is quite simply outstanding with grass textures that are beautifully chosen and still work nicely in Links 2003, bunkers that are wonderfully smooth and nicely edged, and the greens are gently rolling to provide the slopes. The tree planting is awesome, containing loads of custom pines which blend really well to form a superb thin canopy around the fairways, and matching the look of the real course extremely well. There is some sparse grass planting here and there in the rough areas, but believe me this is not a course that needs deep undergrowth. The fairways are quite tight and challenging for elite level play, but not overdone and the rough is set as normal to always give you a change of running shots up to the greens. It plays quite tough, but superbly well, the bunkers often pinch the entry into the greens. Visually the course is excellent, the wild areas together with the beach and cliffside providing an amazing backdrop to the course. There are some nice objects to look out for too, occasional benches, hole signs, rabbits and 3 paragliders to see. The is a majors venue, and expected to become host to the 2008 US Open. This design appears accurate to tv coverage, well presented, plays really well, and the tournament option and hole previews are both among the very best on any course released to date.
Hole Previews : Excellent Tournament Option : Excellent
     
Dove Valley Ranch
 
Art Patscheck
7010 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium

Desert
Real - 19mb
Aug 2001

Course of the Month

Overall Rank 42nd
Art Patscheck is one of the most accomplished designers around and he has crafted yet another fantastic course. Dove Valley Ranch is set in the desert of Cave Creek, Arizona and was originally designed in real life by Robert Trent Jones II. The course is backed by a lovely rocky mountain skyline and as expected features sand heavily as a surround to the holes, both via large bunkers and broad waste ground areas. The textures here are once again superb, with flavours of the Arrowhead design, and the fairways and rough look great edged by the whiter desert. Dirt paths wind around the course and are visually distinct from the desert waste. Planting here is nicely varied taking into account the nature of the terrain, with bushes and cacti plentifully covering the waster areas. Buildings are also excellent, and heavily feature all over the course, from clubhouses to many small houses set on the hillsides. The course feels wonderful to play, being nicely varied with a mixture of island fairways and the more standard continuous design. The playing areas are not too tight, but hazards play a key role and the desert will trap anything which strays too far, leaving you with a sand style shot out of it. Bunkers and lakes are beautifully made, the former featuring an extra browny green rough texture around the edges. Atmosphere abounds again with bird calls and hole by hole previews which also highlight a close up of the greens. The 18th is a beautiful finishing hole, with a bunker set on a greenside bank by the lake. This is another excellent course by Art Patscheck, it really looks good, being so smooth and with lovely edging to lakes and bunkers and with a good backdrop via the mountains. It simply is still one of the best desert courses around.
Hole Previews : Very Good Tournament Option : Very Good
     
Arrowhead
 
Art Patscheck
6646 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium

Forest & Lakes
Real - 16mb
May 2001

Overall Rank 43rd
The Arrowhead course complex is set near Myrtle Beach in the Carolinas, and has the feel of being located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This design by Art Patscheck puts together the front 9 of The Waterway course and the back 9 of The Cypress to create an outstanding experience. Originally released as a small file it offered fantastic value for its size, it has now been re-created as a Special Edition which brings it up to date using greater depth of planting, and much better textures. This course is superbly laid out, with the smoothly sloped fairways surrounded by dirt textures in which most of the fir type trees are planted. Lakes are extremely common, often running alongside the holes, and where they are absent long bunkers take their place. The hole designs seem simple yet so effective, containing a very smooth finish, and with enough strategy to always keep you interested. Hazards are provided by the water, bunkers, and some key placed fir trees, and the course always seems to play fairly, with differing degrees of difficulty all around the course. Greens are also nicely sloped and often offer a challenge. The course has a very neat overall feel to it, with a lovely fresh new grass texture. Strategically the par 5's mostly offer a chance at hitting the green in two, but risk is always attached. The course is quite beautiful to look at, ground level planting is very realistic, and it remains true to its original release. Course notes are provided, and in game overhead previews contain wonderful hole by hole descriptions of the challenges. There is a very nice tournament option here too. This course has been improved via a series of updates, and for its file size this is still one of the best courses you can download.
Hole Previews : Excellent Tournament Option : Very Good
     
Mount Juliet
 
William Carano & John Aherne
7282 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium/Easy

European Parkland
Real - 69mb
Mar 2007

Overall Rank 44th
Mount Juliet was chosen as the first and only Jack Nicklaus signature course in Ireland, sited 12 miles south of the medieval city of Kilkenny and opened in 1991. It has hosted many major golfing events including the World's Top 50 golfers playing in the World Golf Championship American Express Championship in October 2004 won by Ernie Els. Other events include the Irish Opens of 1993-95 along with the Shell World of Golf match between Tom Watson and Fred Couples in 1998. The par 72, 7300 yard layout boasts rolling fairways, many feature water hazards and contoured greens, enclosed in the spectacular setting of the famous old Irish Estate. Feature holes abound on the course, but the 3rd hole, a stunning par 3 from an elevated tee to a green guarded by a natural stream and lake is one that golfers always remember. The par 5 10th hole with its copse of trees which tests the golfers strategy is also a favourite. The final hole, a long par 4 with water all down the left and a narrow approach to the green can decided many a tournament result. Originally this was designed for Links in 2002 by William Carano and some five years on received a full upgrade for Links 2003 by the well known designer John Aherne who produced The K Club courses. As an addition to the Irish set of playable designs this is a simple but beautiful course, a European parkland style with an excellent blend of trees that work fantastically together. Nothing seem over elaborate here, but what you get is a smooth, and extremely playable course that lends itself well to difficult conditions or elite play levels. The rough is never deep so recovery is always an option unless you hit into the water hazards. The excellent tournament option includes numerous advertisements championing the WGC-American Express Championship. It is really enjoyable course to play and adds to the impressive list of European tour venues.
Hole Previews : Excellent Tournament Option : Excellent
     
Aitch Heath Municipal
 
Mitch Sirk
7130 yards. Par 69.
Difficulty Medium

English Heathland
Real - 59mb
May 2002

Overall Rank 45th
Mitch Sirk is the creator of some great and inventive courses including Van Zandt Kanaal and Brydestone. Aitch Heath Municipal was first released in May 2002, but has now been updated for 2003 with seam blending and texture mapping. As the title infers, this design is a fictional rendition of a real course called Hounslow Heath Municipal situated close to Heathrow Airport. This really works well as a course design, the textures for the trodden grass paths, the realistic planting, rubber mats at some of the tees, and a worn grass textures all create the environment of playing a local course. The greens and fairways have a more distressed look than most other 2003 designs, with textures mapped across from the 2001 version. Playability and difficulty also seems perfectly presented, punishing poor play but rewarding you when careful and accurate, it is not an overly difficult course, and thus can be a low scoring venue, but the back 9 can cause some triky moments. This designer has a knack of presenting courses with excellent custom panorama’s and this one overlooks a city landscape complete with appropriate sound effects. At times you really do get a feeling of playing high up on the heathlands. At the end of the round a nice clubhouse appears, with a driving net which takes an award for one of the best new game objects. If you like real local style courses, then this is definitely one for you. It is another wonderfully interesting and somehow unique course which is well worth a place in apcd collections, and for British players it really will remind you of a local pay to play venue.
Hole Previews : Very Good Tournament Option : None
     
Oakland Hills North
 
Steve Avery
6671 yards. Par 70.
Difficulty Medium

Parkland
Real - 35mb
May 2003

Overall Rank 46th
Steve Avery brought us a much overlooked fictional design called Twin Rivers Golf Club which featured on the chart a few months back. Time has moved on and that course is rarely mentioned now, but Oakland Hills North will i hope get the credit it definately deserves. Oakland Hills is a venue familiar to us all through the Microsoft South course which is a majors venue. The North course itself was used designed by Donald Ross in 1924 and was redesigned by Robert Trent Jones in 1969, and plays 6671 yards as a par 70. The opening rounds of the 2002 US Amateur Championship were held here. I will have to accept other peoples comments ive seen that this is a pretty accurate lay out of the course as i've never seen the real thing. However there are elements of the design that ring true to the Microsoft South course especially in the tree planting which even contains the occasional grey fir tree. The design overall is smooth and uses 2003 texturing and great blending. There are no wild grasses or underplanting here, but on this occasion i certainly didnt feel it detracted from the overall experience at all, as the dark rough texture looked great. The tree planting here is exceptionally good, and the buildings were placed far enough away from the holes so as not to look out of place at all, but enhanced the views. The green roofed clubhouse sitting on top of the hill behind the 9th and 18th holes was particularly nice. Bunkers had good smooth edging as did the lakes, and at the tee areas you will often find benches and ball washers. The greatest strength of the course for me was its playability. Its not an overly long course, and scoring well is a real possibility, but at the harder levels of difficulty it really became most enjoyable. For the extras a little more could have added to the crowds to give a slightly deeper tournament feel, but overall this is a lovely design. A course design that has been kept simple and natural to look at, and one that offers a very fair golfing challenge. An updated version was released in September 2004 adding extra blending to the original.
Hole Previews : Good Tournament Option : Good
     
Southern Hills
 
Ross Mackenzie
7017 yards. Par 70.
Difficulty Very Hard

Woodland
Real - 60mb
Dec 2003

Overall Rank 47th
Southern Hills Country Club was established as a private country club in 1936, and the course was designed by Perry Maxwell, who designed the Colonial and Prairie Dunes golf courses, with renovations by Keith Foster taking place in 1999. It is ranked the 24th best US golf course by Golf Digest, and has hosted 13 major championships, including 3 US Open Championships, 3 USPGA Championships, and 2 Tour Championships and has been selected as the site of the 2007 USPGA Championship. Retief Goosen won the last major held here, the 2001 US Open, after some dramaticly tense scenes at the 18th green. Ross Mackenzie has put together a wonderful recreation of this great course playable for both Links 2001 & 2003. To begin with the chosen textures work really well in both game versions which is very commendable. This is a long course for a par 70, and in true US Open style may well favour the accurate longer hitters. The rough is deep after the first cut, and the 5th hole is a monster at 655 yards. The fairways are closely tree lined, and the choice of tree varieties blend extremely well, making for a superb look. There are loads of realistic touches to make this course extra special, buildings, fences, creeks and dam walls, a clock tower at the 12th hole, and a terrain made clubhouses and pro shop. There is little in the way of underplanting here, but this accurately fits the set up of real course, and really isn't needed given the close proximity of the trees. A tournament option is well represented and lovely hole previews work well to guide you around. This is another top real life venue, and it looks and plays beautifully. A wonderful design which is well worth the immense time invested by the designer. It is a course that offers up a very tough challenge too.
Hole Previews : Very Good Tournament Option : Excellent
 
     
Augusta Par 3
 
Lee Harris & Eddie Schmidt
2070 yards. Par 54.
Difficulty Easy

Pine Forest
Real - 54mb
Apr 2006

Overall Par 3 Rank 1st
This beautiful design was a joint effort initially laid out and elevated by Lee Harris, famous for his apcd tutorials and Bomber's Tour. Eddie Schmidt, the creator of Spyglass Hill then undertook the second stage of bringing the course to life by improving the accuracy and via planting and custom object creation. Comparing this design to photos of the real course, it is quite probably the closest real course replication that has been created with the apcd. The lay outs, grass textures, colours, buildings and planting all looks just like you would expect it to from the pictures. Additionally there are so many extra features, often hidden away within this design gem. Scoreboards, one at the 9th showing the 2002 leaders, signposts, benches, an excellent crowd option for the tourneys, and many other custom built items too, including a boathouse cabin and pier at the 8th and the wonderful steps leading away from the final hole, together with drainage ducts in one of the lakes. The course looks amazing, with Eddie Schmidt becoming possibly the best apcd planter we have for this style of course. The trees, custom made flowers and bushes have been crafted with care and precision to make this so enjoyable. In terms of playability, it is very hard if not a little unfair to compare this course to an 18 hole one, as it offers a very different experience, so i have ranking it on its own. This is a 9 hole par 3 course which tests your short iron and wedge shot capabilities, with greens that are extremely well designed and do make life tricky at times. To get the best out of the course it is recommended that you play it on a harder level than you are used to, turning off all the usual aids you may normally use. This is an outstanding design and provides some of the best fun you’ll ever have with the game. The 2006 update added new textures and more custom plants which are just fantastic visually! I cant compare this to a full 18 hole design so it gets its own number one rank, it is that good and may be the most fun you will have with this game!
Hole Previews : Excellent Tournament Option : Excellent
     

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