Longston Pines

Kyle Bowen pulled off a semi-realistic feel, on a unique 8,000+ yard course. The main reason I enjoyed his 1st (non co design) course was the theme which was stuck to throughout the course. The course simply plays great, and with only one hole that I found stupid, it plays perfect and fun. The stupid hole is a 300 yard par three, that Kyle admits is "a bit excessive."

If you download this great course I know you won't be disappointed because of the cleverness. It is the longest course I know of on JNSE and with it being a par 72, it plays long on every hole. Longston is very fair, and is easy for how long it is.

The course isn't the most picturesque, but it does have some very solid scenery. I feel if you can get over the fact that this course isn't just like every other standard JNSE course, you'll love it.

I really have to applaud Kyle for taking such a huge risk, especially for his first solo design. A lot of people hate long courses, and do one at 8000+ yards, it is a big risk. He stuck to the idea throughout the course.

The course plays fairly for an 8000 yard par 72. The only too long hole is the par 3 3rd, which plays at about 300 yards. That is too much. Otherwise, the course is definitely playable, but you have to play smart.

There are no major design flaws in the course. The scenery isn't that great, but it doesn't look horrible. The 18th hole is a spectacular ending, playing over water and since you're going to be hitting a 5 iron or higher, it's a tough shot.

For a long course, it is fairly easy. In my last two rounds, I have shot rounds of 66 and 64. I think that this can be contributed to the fact that a lot of greens are somewhat flat, which makes putts from any distance reachable.

I recommend downloading this course because it is so different and so fun. It is a great test for any golfer, but can definitely be conquered.