The Sand Slopes (71.4 MB)
| Architect: | Brian Zager |
|---|---|
| Year Built: | 2018 |
The Sand Slopes is a fictional golf course set on the property of Sand Valley. It is a 9 hole par 3 course playing to a length of 1,436 yards.
Recommended normal course conditions –
| Fairway Firmness: | Hard |
|---|---|
| Green Firmness: | Hard |
| Stimp Meter: | 11-12 |
| Wind: | Strong Breeze |
The firm conditions simulate the compact sandy soil at Sand Valley. Even after a large amount of rain, the terrain at Sand Valley plays firm. Besides simulating the real world setting, I strategically designed the course with hard firmness in mind. Multiple options for line of play using various slopes are not as viable in softer conditions. As a part time member of the grounds crew at Sand Valley, I sometimes see the greens stimped and they typically fall somewhere between 11 and 12. I placed pins in such a way that if you crank it up to 14 it still plays fair though. Due to the wide open nature of the location, there is typically at least a strong breeze there, if not more.
In playing some rounds with friends on Friday night, I really feel that the course rewards good shots and creative thinking. I find it particularly hard to design strategic par 3s because the player is always playing into the green from the same spot. I tried to use the natural contours of land around the property to give the player multiple options for play. I came up with the name "The Sand Slopes" based on my extensive use of these slopes and the naturally sandy soil there. As in past fictional designs, I found the most enjoyment in creating the green sites. For a lot of the green sites I started with a classic "golden age" green site in mind and gave it a unique twist based on what fit the local contours. In naming the holes, for the most part I reflected the classic hole as part of the name.
| Hole | Name | Yds. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Easy Eden | 128 |
| 2 | Redan Climb | 181 |
| 3 | Breaking Biarritz | 225 |
| 4 | Reverse Road | 200 |
| 5 | Fast Alps | 162 |
| 6 | Double Plateau | 182 |
| 7 | Hourglass | 174 |
| 8 | Sidewinder | 80 |
| 9 | Short-Sided | 104 |
| Starting Date: | 8/5/18 |
|---|---|
| Ending Date: | 8/31/18 |
This was an entry into the 2018 Trackman Par 3 Design Competition, finishing in the top 10 and receiving recognition and a small cash prize. While I hoped to finish higher, considering the circumstances I still consider this an achievement. I found out about the contest late and didn't start until less than a month before the deadline. On top of that I never used Course Forge before so I was learning it from square one. Early on I didn't think there was much chance I could complete something worth submitting by the deadline. It's a credit to how easy Course Forge is to use, and the video tutorials provided by Mike Jones, that I was able to. Things cut due to the deadline include creating a full 18 holes and spending a little more time on the routing. I was trying to move as little land as possible, however the routing I settled on necessitated that I raise tees on two of the holes enough to look less natural. It's not a major issue and you only notice this if you use the F5 key to fly around the course and examine the tees, but it's something that went against what I was trying to accomplish with the design.
My main reason for entering the contest was to showcase my skills to Trackman using the software they use. At the time Trackman advertised a job opening and the potential for contract work available. Despite my deficit in knowledge about Course Forge compared to the other excellent designers with more Course Forge experience, I hoped to show the value of my experience with other golf course design software, my ability to learn new software quickly, and how I bring innovation to realism, with my pin placing tutorial as an example of this. While it didn't pan out for me to get any work out of it, I am still pleased that I did it. It served as an excellent deadline and motivator to learn how to use the new software quickly. The only change from the original contest submission is the removal of a rouge pin in the sand on hole 5 which Mike Jones made me aware of shortly after receiving it. The delay in release was due to the fact that Trackman and Perfect Parallel were to make the course available as an official release, however on May 25, 2020 Mike Jones notified me that Trackman was no longer doing so and I was free to release it myself.
I am very pleased with how the course plays overall. I didn't really like the idea doing all par 3s but that was a requirement of the contest. The challenge for me of creating unique, fun holes under this restriction in some ways made the results more gratifying. If there is another contest in the future, I am interested in participating again. Despite some of the imperfections mentioned above, I do not plan on doing any updates for the course as I am currently more interested in doing new regulation length courses. Some projects are in the works, however there's currently no timeline for completing them. Opportunities for paid work remain my priority when available.
