Links 2003 Southerness 2011 HD

Southerness 2011 HD by Stewart Parker COURSE NOTES March 20th 2011 The version now available for download has had some 'steel heather' removed. CLIPNOTES Description Real, links course Location Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland Conditions I'd prefer M*/F* to F*/F* Concept 7/10 The seaside wilderness, tight fairways and dense rough all scream Scottish links, right from the first tee, and this is a course with an amazing economy of presentation. The old-fashioned layout is something we don't see enough of, and the barren landscape is an expression of some of the poorer aspects of links golf, as well as the better ones. As far as authenticity goes, though, there are few to match this most careful and precise of Stewart's creations. Appearance 9/10 The luscious heather and grass planting look awesome from all perspectives, but the prize here is for the economic but perfectly-placed tree planting. There is a strong 'feel-right' appearance to the trees and shrubs, particularly as the round draws to a close. The textures have been chosen excellently, and the yellowing colour set is a good complement to the location. There are still a few hard lines about, and the mid-textures are really quite sharp, but it would be difficult to claim that spoiled the view! Playability 7/10 Good, traditional links courses are still fairly thin on the ground, despite a recent flurry of excellent Scottish designs (not least from Mr Parker!). The over-riding goals of hitting the fairway and coping from the rough stuff don't taint the course at all, and the visibility and open-ness in all hole designs is an aim which other courses could learn from. I suppose my real problem with the course is the monotony of the challenge: the vast majority of holes are simply all about staying out of the heather. Challenge 8/10 Southerness has quite a bit of length for a course below regulation par, and the rough is the omnipresent hazard that it absolutely should be. Even with a strong recovery game, you'll scramble a lot of strokes in - there are very few pushovers here, setting the course apart from its peers. Dropped shots are a likelihood, and with only two long holes, it's not too easy to pick them back up again. Unfair? Never. But demanding? Certainly. Technical 10/10 Constant improvement has been the watchword at Southerness, and the fine-tuning that has gone into the course over its many incarnations is evident. In terms of sheer perfectionism alone, this is Stewart Parker's most awesome creation. Overall Beautiful, playable and punishing Scottish links. A deceptively simple-looking course. CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson