Links 2003 White Wolf v 2

White Wolf v.2
by Mat LeClair
LINKS CORNER REVIEW
Reviewed by James Wood
March 2002
Course Overview
A good looking desert course was created here with the usual scrub trees and sparse desert planting. The textures are of a light color and looked very good. The hole previews are unique and were well done. The APCD work is very good. Quite a few fences dot the course and these were a welcome addition as well.
Tips for Playing the Course
Fairly narrow fairways with multiple tiered greens and plenty of contours make this a difficult course for all but the good Pro Clicker. This one is not recommended for other swing types. The brownish colored rough looks fairly benign while playing but it adds a 4-club penalty on approach shots if you venture into it. A few holes are very penal because of their design. A few examples are shown in the following hole descriptions. These were played with moderate greens, difficult pins, no wind, from the back tees.
Hole #3 Par 3 140yds
A large water hazard fronts this very narrow green and that makes it difficult to hold the green. A short shot is doomed by water and a long shot will be in the sand.
Hole #4 Par 5 562yds
Even though this isn't a long par 5 and it's reachable in 2 the second shot has more risk than reward. Another pond fronts the green and there is no real good bailout area if the shot is missed long or to the left. The downhill lie in the fairway compounds the problem. Bunkers heavily guard the lay-up area but a simple 4I will leave you with around 80 yards left with a good angle into the flag.
Hole #7 Par 5 586yds
This one is not reachable in 2 shots. After hitting a good tee shot you are left with about 300yds to the green. The problem here is the lay-up area. You can lay-up well short with a 7I to avoid the stream crossing the fairway but that leaves you with about 145yds left. Hitting 8I as a third shot into a Par 5 is a little unusual. A tree and bunkers along with a narrow opening heavily guard the shorter route. A well-struck 3I leaves you with less than 90yds remaining and you should be able to avoid the tree by going over it with a SW. I would suggest the shorter route and you should have a good birdie opportunity.
Hole #9 Par4 404yds
Another tough approach to a small green with water in front. To avoid the water a player will invariably miss long and wind up with a chip shot from the fringe. This is not a good birdie opportunity.
Hole #12 Par5 586yds
Reachable but again there is quite a bit of risk involved because of the island green. This shot is makeable if you can hit the snaps. A large bunker in the middle of the fairway guards the lay-up area. A well struck 5I will you leave you with a simple SW and a good angle into the flag.
It doesn't get any easier after the 12th but the holes described here give you a few good examples of what to expect while playing.
Favorite Hole
I liked the short par 3 11th hole. It plays downhill from 153yds and a nice 8I will get you there without any problems.
Overall
This is definitely a challenge even for the good Pro Clicker. It's a good addition to anyone's collection particularly if desert courses are your preference. Architectural design flaws as noted keep it from getting into my personal Top 25 but that's due mostly to the fierce competition and quality of courses that continue to be designed. I would recommend trying this one out without reservation. I enjoyed playing it.