It’s all about the courses…

What better source to chat with about GT 2010′s five new gems than the actual source himself. In a five part series (aka five new courses), I sat down with course designer Jim Zielinski to discuss some of the intriguing factors you can expect to see when playing the update in a matter of weeks.

So let’s go down the line, starting with our first course on the left, The Great Wall.

AK: Thanks for joining us, Jim. What are some of the finer aspects when creating a GT course, and how did this process come into play when creating the Great Wall?

JZ: The first thing we do when creating a course is we research the environment pretty extensively. The architecture, the tress, the plants, the surrounding backgrounds – everything is brought over into the game as if it were real life. For China this was even more important, and since it was our first Chinese course, a lot of things needed to be captured so we matched the environment appropriately.

AK: What distinguishes the Great Wall from any other course in Golden Tee? Let me guess, perhaps it’s the fact that you’re playing near the Great Wall?

JZ: Obviously having such a well-known structure in the game really separates it from anything we’ve done before, but it’s more than that. You can see the wall on almost every hole and as you play through your round you get closer and closer till it actually comes into play. The greens also take into account the culture, and some of them are really going to impress and test player’s skills in terms of the unbelievable shapes and cutouts.  On the fun side, we created actual Mandarin Chinese symbols as sand traps throughout the course. I won’t say what they mean, but players can figure it out for themselves. Nothing dirty, I promise.

AK: In terms of difficulty, how would you rate The Great Wall versus the rest of the 2010 courses?

JZ: The Great Wall is a course that has been built for your beginner and average golfers, plain and simple. Some of our better players will also enjoy the possibility of putting up a huge round because it’s definitely there. With all that being said, I don’t feel that the course will play easy, but there will be more opportunities to make eagles than any other spot in 2010. There will still be very important and challenging holes, particularly down the stretch that will be very deciding moments in the game, but as a whole this will be a great course to go at for someone looking to shoot a score.

AK: Out of these critical holes you were referring to, which would you pinpoint as your personal favorite?

JZ: While both 17 and 18 will provide outstanding finishing challenges, Hole 15 to me is really my personal favorite. It’s a par-5, and you are forced to actually hit on top of the Great Wall if you want to have a shot at reaching the green in two. Missing left or right when shooting for the landing area can be really punishing, and the tee shot provides an outstanding amount of risk versus reward. The wall curves a bit also, so playing the hole perfectly won’t be an easy task, especially with a tough wind. There will be lots of looks here, and I think players of all skill levels will really enjoy it.

AK: Thanks a lot, Jim! Can’t wait to play them!