Links 2003 Lake Gallcholar Resort

Lake Gallcholar Resort
by Roger Gallagher

LINKS CORNER REVIEW


Lake Gallcholar Resort by Roger Gallagher is a fictional course set in a woodland mountain setting. First it must be noted that Roger Gallagher has the best first name known to mankind. This doesn't get him any extra points, but I thought I would point that out.

Course statistics, Par 72, and plays 7456 Yards from the back tees, there are 5 tees to choose from.

Goodies included with the course are the following; hole previews, custom objects, custom flags, custom textures, a custom panorama, and a splash screen. Also included are crowds and tournament objects.

The hole previews are great, and look like Roger took the background used from the Microsoft hole previews, and added his own shots. They looked great. The custom 2D includes ball washers, also hole preview signs on near the tee boxes. There are benches, and well-done fences all along the way. The flags were custom made and look great. The panorama is a forest one, and looks custom. The panorama looks rough and isn't very well done compared to the rest of the course. The splash screen is a screen shot from the course, and it is good.

From what I read this is Roger Gallagher's first course using the APCD. I don't know if Roger designed courses using other programs, but for his first effort and all the extras, he put into this course this is a great, great first effort. Being a first effort there is a few flaws that I noticed, but other areas also looked like they were done a someone who has been designing courses for years.

The course is 7456 from the back tees, and it plays this length. There are a lot of elevation changes, but many of the par 4's play in the 450 and 460 range from the back tees. Obviously this means second shots are in the 190 to 220 ranges. Getting the ball close on these holes becomes a good challenge. The fairways are wide, but not that wide. PS players may have a harder time here because of the length and that some of the fairways are narrow. Also many of the fairways are cut in half, and divided by a sand or water hazard, meaning you have to lay up short if playing PS. There is the fairway, a first cut and the rough cut. The courses name is Lake Gallcholar Resort, because of name this seemed to mean water hazards were everywhere, and there are bunkers, big, big bunkers on almost every hole.

The planting on this course is excellent; this felt so much like a resort course I think one of the few things missing is a number to call to make reservations. The planting is a mix of wide grass and pretty to look at. Also Roger did a good job using wood and rock texture through out to give the course a believable mountain feel. I feel the signature hole is #6. This is a par 3 and highlights the rocks, the elevation, the grass planting, so well I thought it captured everything I have pointed out here in this review.

As I pointed out at the beginning this was Roger's first design. The flaws I saw were few, but I noticed some of the edges didn't seem very natural, also the course at some points captured a perfect mountain resort feel, and there were a few holes that looked too much like a fantasy course. This didn't impact play, but left me feeling like it didn't quite all flow together.

The greens are huge, and fairly flat, so putting isn't too tough if you get it close. However, in playing my 2 rounds there, I had several shots hit the green, but because I missed the snap, I ended up facing 20-26 yard putts. This along with the water, and bunker hazards gave the course a good challenge. I shot -4, and -3 from the back tees, with M/M/NW conditions, on Pro Click.

This is a great first effort, and I hope the man with the greatest name out there is working on his next effort.

Reviewed by Roger Worsham
October 2001