Links 2003 Atana Hills

Atana Hills
by Larry Dale
CLIPNOTES
Description
Fictional, farmland course
Location
Hard to place this one, but I'd say NE England if pressed.
Conditions
Despite some very moderate greens, one or two poor choices mean you should stick to S*/S*
Concept 6/10
One of those easily-overlooked creations, Atana is a course that has clearly occupied someone's mind for some time and has been carefully realised with the APCD. Some errors are immediately obvious, but to those who aren't looking to nitpick, they should find - at heart - a well-wishing round of golf, perhaps with a slightly over-large error margin in terms of player ability. Individual hole design is cunning without being outwardly challenging, with much of the emphasis on club selection when playing against gradients.
Appearance 6/10
Sadly, for a 'Hills' course, the plot has been managed quite poorly; the sharply-gradiated hills contrast badly with the acres of flatness that are a trademark of APCD inexperience. But the planting has been worked carefully, with some apparent effort to avoid clones and create a thick, yellowing undergrowth that is really quite credible. My favourite touches are the strips of fenced farmland that add character and realism at stages throughout.
Playability 6/10
With the explicit conceit behind the course, it's not surprising that you'll grow quickly tired of blind, uphill approaches, and many of the tee shots are also to unseen fairways. But, this niggle aside, there are a variety of interesting little situations and shotmaking challenges around Atana Hill, and there's an underlying strategical challenge that should appeal to many.
Challenge 3/10
The Par 3s here, though pretty, are generally pushovers, and birdies can be frustratingly easy to pick up with the pins in the right place. A handful of driveable Par 4s, and a few completely unprotected greens, don't help matters, and the overall conclusion can only be that this is a rather easy course.
Technical 5/10
It's good to witness a designer thinking closely about location and golf, but for all that there are a fair few rough edges at Atana Hills, not least some very poor plot handling, and rather nondescript and featureless textures. Given its age, it's almost as good as can be expected, but these days we do tend to expect so much more.
Overall
Interesting strategy on the face of things, but all a bit too pat and easy once you dive in.
CLIPNOTES by Ben Bateson