Fab & The BadBody at the Links

With Guest Reviews By Dave

06/11/01

Death Valley By D.B. Lewis and D.L. Bunch

Fab: Call me a typical tourist, the family wanted to go visit the great west and of course I had to take my clubs.  While the rest of the family was taking a burro ride, and panning for gold…..I figured I’d hit the links.  Never mind that it was 135 degrees in the shade, or the fact that the sun was strong enough to fry eggs on the ground, its time to play 18. 

Death Valley is a fictional course located as the name says at Death Valley.  But this doesn’t look like your typical fictional course.  The “D” brothers did a great job of research and texture development to bring us this wonderful rendition of what a course would look like in the area.  Now one thing I must warn everyone about this is not a course in the caverns itself so don’t expect 300’ elevated tee boxes, the elevation changes are modest but with a beautiful backdrop. 

Death Valley is a challenging course especially if wind and dry conditions are added.  Do not expect to go here and birdie every hole.  A good round is possible however if you stay in the fairways and out of the desert sands. 

As I have said before no course is perfect, and this one is no exception.  If this course had been built by your average designers it would have received two thumbs up, however DB Lewis & DL Bunch are not your average designers, so we hold them to a higher standard “At The Links”. 

So grab your suntan lotion, your snakebite kits, a lot of bottled water, and a pair of polarized sunglasses, head on over to the download page and download this fine course. As soon as the BadBody gets his third IV of D5W, he’ll follow up with his review…lol 


Nice Course Worthy of Keeping

BadBody:  Water, I need water. Just what I needed, a course that’s nothing but sand…lol. Death Valley is an excellent rendition of a desert course. DB and DL seemed to find a nice blend of textures and scenery.

Play on this one big sand trap of a course was tough if you strayed off the tee. If you managed to find the fairway off the tee you still had to contend with desert sand on your 2nd shot. I found the greens to be tough yet fair.

Sorry for this short review, Death Valley deserved better. I totally enjoyed my round in the desert. If you like desert courses with a challenge, grab this one quick. I think after the 15th hole I was starting to get a heat stroke. I’m sure glad that there is a 19th hole clubhouse. Oh geez…just my luck….turned out to be a mirage

 
Excellent – A Definite Keeper 

 

Coldtream Country Club By Dr. Jeffrey Krueger

Fab:  I believe Coldstream Country Club is Dr. Krueger’s first attempt at designing a course for PGA golf, and as such I will try to keep that in mind during this review.

Coldstream CC is a mostly flat course with a few rolling hills, however the fairways have no texture to them but instead just follow the contours of the surrounding area.  The fairways are either (mostly) overly wide or extremely narrow.  Hitting the fairway from the tee even in wind will not be a problem here.  And if you should stray from the fairway the rough used for this course imposes almost a zero penalty.

The greens are also for the most part excessively large, and as such are the only obstacle from being able to birdie every hole.  I can normally putt pretty well but it helps if I can see the cup….lol.  The contours of the green are pretty simple and if you don’t leave yourself 90’ away then getting down in 1 and at worst 2 putts is pretty easy.

The main problem with this course is simply that it lacks any sort of challenge whatsoever.  It’s a simple Grip & Rip course.  The sand traps do not really come into play and neither does the vegetation. 

Coldstream is a rather boring course, however for a first attempt at course design it is not bad.


Don’t waste your time downloading

BadBody:  Coldstream Country Club offered no challenge at all to me. This is your classic “grip and rip” course. On very few occasions did I have to adjust my shot.  I also found the contrast of the course very bland but that’s just personal preference.

The fairways were rather easy to hit without much adjustment off the tee. If you did wander off the fairway, don’t worry, the rough was very easy to get a nice shot. The bunkers really never came into play on my round. When they did, it was very easy to get “nice outs”. The greens were a different story. I found them to be a little tricky and I think some of them were a bit overdone with some high slopes.

Overall for a 1st course design, it was a nice attempt. It was really lacking a lot of detail. I think visually the course would have looked much nicer with mowed grass. Some of the greens could have used a bit more smoothing. I just found my round not that enjoyable because of the easy play and dullness this course presented. I would like to see more courses from the Doc in the future. Everyone has room for improvement.


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Wild Beast Woodlands By Robear Labranche

Fab:  Robear is back to form on Wild Beast Woodlands.  This is a much-improved course over Voodoo swamp.  More of what I have come to expect from Robear.

If you like elevated tees and some dramatic drops this is a course for you.  The scenery is great and the play is a blast.

Now considering that this is truly a fantasy course I won’t mention that there is no way to climb up those 160 foot tee boxes, but I would like to ask Robear to install a first aid station as I had numerous nose bleeds climbing up those tee boxes.  And BB, heck he could have used an ambulance, should have seen him climbing those same tee boxes with a walker…..lol.  I would have felt sorry for him but it was just too funny….lol.

I think Robear is making steps in the right direction and has a chance of becoming one of the better course designers for PGA, but he still has some work to do.  His bunkers are much improved, but there is still room for improvement, and I feel his fairways could be a little more contoured especially on a course with this many elevation changes.  I think its time for Robear to go for a little more realism and add grass cuts to his next design.  Grass cuts add a lot to the overall appeal of a course.  It’s like a Christmas gift, although the same thing is in the box, the one with the bows just has that final touch of someone who cares enough to go the extra distance.

Nice course, one worth the trouble to download.  Some may view as a keeper and some may not.


Nice Course Worthy of Keeping

BadBody: Seems Robear has taken it to the next level. This is my kind of course. The elevation changes were a big surprise. On a couple tee boxes my knees were shaking from the high heights..lol.

I found the Beast very interesting to play. This course has a lot to offer in terms of challenges. I found myself thinking a lot on those high tee boxes on how I should play the hole. I think I hit the majority of fairways but honestly I don’t remember cause I keep saying OMG at the heights. The bunkers were laid out nicely and in critical places…damn you Robear..lol. The greens were a bit tough but in my opinion fair. Overall, I enjoyed my round.

Since reviewing courses, it’s nice to see designers improve. IMHO, this is a much better course then the Swamp but I guess it’s just personal preference. I like courses with elevation changes and a challenge. The old saying goes something like this….you win some and you lose some. This course is a winner in my book. Nice job Robear.

    
Excellent – A Definite Keeper 

 

Before I get started on this review I’d like to welcome aboard a dear friend of mine, so here goes Welcome Dave.  Normally you will hear me refer to Dave as my bro.  Dave is a pretty fair golfer, and a better friend.  He will be filling in for the Bad Body who is still recuperating from surgery.  He should do a pretty fair job since he to likes the sand…lol.

Grizzly Summit By Damma & Dammpa Heider

Fab:  Reviewing a Dammpa course is really a waste of time IMHO.  Not that his courses are not great but who’s going to pay any attention to what we have to say.  We could rag this course out and 99% of you would still download it because it is a Dammpa course….lol.

This time though there is a little twist, the woman behind the man gets top billing on this course design with her fantastic artwork and dedication to the PGA community.  I think we all knew that she was the brains of this outfit, and in today’s society finally gets the credit she deserves…..lol.

No surprises are to be found in this course, its typical Dammpa.  The views and artwork as always are top notch, and there is no exception here.  Grizzly Summit as you can imagine is a course located in a mountainous area full of Grizzly Bear.  Now usually when I play a Dammpa nature course I take some weapons with me, because the wildlife is always “Up Close & Personal.”  However on this course I suggest you all take a M16 with you as the bear are everywhere…lol.

This course is also typical for Dammpa in the fact that it is not extremely challenging.  The fairways are plenty wide, landing areas are generous and the greens although no where’s near flat are fair  and yield birdies with enough frequency. 

Great job Damma & Dammpa, keep up the good work, looking forward to the next one.  Hoping it will be an African Safari course, I think you two could pull that off nicely.


Nice Course Worthy of Keeping

Dave:  Hello everyone and thank you Bro for the opportunity to help out in BB’s absence.  Bob, hurry back buddy! I am sure everyone will be waiting for your next review and to see me out of here..lol. As for the sand bro, well I DON’T like it but I have some big shoes to fill, so I will play in it.

Grizzly Summit, hmmm what can I say? Knowing it was a Dammpa course I expected to be entertained. Did he let me down there? NO! As usual Dammpa opens the game with a good laugh from the homespun music welcoming you to the course complete with bears growling in the background as he talks to you about what your getting into.

This course is just what one would expect from a designer that has been putting out fun, good looking courses for some time. Once again Dammpa this course is yet another feast for the eye with many things to be on the look out for as you play. From bears in the bushes to one standing in the way of your tee shot. ( I tried to hit a couple figuring if I did, they would come after Fab, not me. lol) And I do mean they are everywhere.. there are even some bringing up their dinner. ( a nice salmon in the mouth of a couple of them) and I loved the bear crossing sign!

Ok, now for the course itself. I always enjoy mountain courses with plenty of variations in tee to green differences and that’s what you get here. The turf is, as usual, very well done with great cuts and fair fairways. Its not probably the hardest course I have ever played by far but, it IS a fun course, and after all that’s why we play is it not? To have fun. And in this course Dammpa provides that with plenty left over for subsequent visits.

Just watch out and be careful. I think those bears are moving around a bit and I am sure I saw more than one eyeing Fab and I a bit. And I didn’t like the look in their eyes! Looking forward to further installments from the Dammpa/Damma team! Keep ‘em coming, another great job!

    
Excellent – A Definite Keeper 

 

Tobacco Road By Aaron (Rattlesnake Designs)

Fab:  Tobacco Road is part desert, part wooded area.  Although the playing surfaces are all grass surrounded by sand.  I wouldn’t call it a true desert course but for those of you who like desert courses you should enjoy Tobacco Road.

Aaron has done a very nice job of texturing the fairways on this course, you have to look at them carefully before making your drive if you are playing for position on your approach shot.  I think the fairways are the strongest point of this course.  The layout and overall course design is good.

There are some areas that I think could have used a little more work however.  Most of the trees were all the same height, and like my main pet peeve water that is not flat, trees that all grow the same height is not natural, even on tree farms…..lol.

The transitions from sand to grass also could have stood a little more work as the shapes were squared off too much and were in need of some extra smoothing.  For the most part the greens were fair although there were a few holes that would be next to impossible in dry to very dry conditions as the elevation changes were a little drastic.

Overall it’s a nice course with a few minor problems.  If you like desert courses then download and take a look at this course.  For some this may be a keeper, however not being a big fan of desert courses, I won’t be keeping it.


Nice try -  With a little more work could be a keeper 

Dave:  Tobacco Road, from the name I expected to see a course with a taste of southern plantation flavor to it, however after starting the round I found myself ,and Fab, in what seemed to be a desert course surrounded by areas of pine trees and scrub brush.

Now I am not a big fan of desert courses, however, the course seemed to have some very good ideas for some of the holes. There are shots that, if one is not careful , you will find yourself out in the LARGE sandy areas, looking for a match to burn off the brush and try to find a way out. As well as some teeoff’s that bare a closer look before one strikes the ball to keep it from hitting a tree. All in all some very good attempts at trying to make the golfer think.

While the over all concept for the course does have some merit to it, I found that some of the grass cuts could have been more distinct. There are many areas where the turf runs into the sand that could use a bit more smoothing (some areas seem to have very squared off corners on them as they round a curve), and whole areas of trees that are all the same height.

While those are minor problems and easily ignored while enjoying the game, the one I could not get over were the greens. On the 3rd hole I found myself with a 30yd putt. (others were longer!). Needless to say some of the greens could stand some downsizing, and smoothing. More than one has a huge hill with the pin sitting on the ridge of the green making it almost impossible to stop the ball at the top before it rolls off the other side of the hill and into the fringe.

On the other hand the areas of sand/scruff had, in my opinion, a very nice look and feel to it and I did like the paths running through them from one hole to the next, (this course even has a highway running through it!). It just seems that with a bit more time and attention to detail could have made this course into a Excellent desert like course.

A nice attempt, but needs a little more work, Aaron  If you’re a fan of desert courses, get it and try it. As for me? I have seen enough for now.


Nice try -  With a little more work could be a keeper 

 
Excellent – A Definite Keeper 


Nice Course Worthy of Keeping


Nice try -  With a little more work could be a keeper 


Don’t waste your time downloading