Welcome to Mojave Wells GC!

Carved out of the wasteland of the Mojave Desert this par 3 desert oasis was 
designed by Neil Bonner.  It is intended to be used with Accolade's Jack 
Nicklaus Unlimited Golf & Course Design game.  This course is free to use, 
copy and distribute to others.  I only ask that you do not modify any of the 
course files.

Mojave Wells GC possesses a "terrible beauty".  It's solitary Joshua Trees 
and cacti stand as stark reminders that the forbidden reaches of the Mojave 
Desert lie just beyond the comfortable boundaries of this natural oasis.

Using ancient Indian wells as a water source I was able to tap into a fairly 
large underground reservoir.  The wells were then used to create several 
small ponds.  Besides the fact that the ponds are used to frame several 
challenging holes, they also act to raise the humidity level of the oasis to 
a more comfortable level.

Since this golf course is in the midst of the Mojave, I decided that a par 3 
course would be well suited here.  There are not many golfers that can stand 
4 plus hours under the intense sun of the western desert.  Using the JNU 
game a round at Mojave Wells can be played in a half hour!  Also, if you are 
looking to work on your approach shots and putting game then a quick round
at Mojave Wells may be just the thing to tune up your game.  But remember to
take some time to enjoy the natural beauty of the desert that surrounds
you.  And if you tell the Starter that you're a friend of mine, use of the
golf carts are on the house.

Mojave Wells GC plays at 3307 yards from the pro tees.  Par is 54.

Custom background and objects are courtesy of those prolific designers, 
Scott Chesney and Jay Johnson.  Thanks guys!


NOTES ON DESIGN:
----------------
In the fall of 1989 my wife and I vacationed in Palm Springs, CA.  While we 
were there we took a day trip to see the Joshua Tree National Monument, 
which is a national park where two deserts converge-- the Arizona Desert 
from the east and the Mojave Desert from the west.  We were both fascinated 
and awed by the raw, untamed beauty of these American deserts.  That 
experience guided me into designing a golf course in that great American 
wilderness.

Since there are not many par 3 courses that have been designed using the JNU 
course designer, I wanted to push the design tools of the JNU design module 
to their limit.  I'm happy to say that I am pleased with the versatility of 
the course designer.  I was able to realistically portray rock formations, 
buttes, the desert and the transitional areas between the oasis and desert 
very well.

My major design goal for this course was to create a course that would be 
very popular!  If this becomes one of your favorite courses to play then 
I've fulfilled my design goals.  So please let me know if you like Mojave 
Wells.

The principles guiding the design of a popular par 3 course are, 1) if you 
don't have a lot of time then a course you can play in a half hour or less 
will probably be played more often. 2) The course MUST BE INTERESTING!  If 
each hole is interesting and unique, and if after playing a round you are 
able to remember several holes (i.e., Boy, Neil did a great job with the 2nd 
hole.  The water cascading down the rocks behind the green was awesome!) 
then you've played an interesting course and one in which you will most 
likely want to play again.  3) Part and parcel with point #2 is that the 
course has to look beautiful.  How can a round of computer golf be fun if 
the terrain is flat and the vegetation/objects are nondescript?

The difficulty in designing a par 3 course is that you cannot make a course 
that is "strategic" since every shot from the tee is to the green.  
Obviously, there is not too much strategy involved in that.  Secondly, 
coming up with 18 interesting par 3 holes is HARD WORK!  On a typical par 72 
course you only have to come up with 4 holes.  Let me tell you designing 18 
fun, thrilling, visually exciting holes is difficult!  Because of this 
difficulty, I took several liberties.  For instance, on #18 you tee off from 
the top of a butte and aim at a green that is perched on top of another 
butte!  This is more reminiscent of some of those fantasy golf calendars 
that portray the "world's 18 toughest holes" rather than what you can expect 
to find at a "real" golf course. But I did not take too many liberties and I 
hope you're not too much of a purist to appreciate the creative effort 
involved.

Mojave Wells GC is dedicated to my newborn son, Neil Ryan.  Sweet dreams my 
precious jewel!

If you enjoy playing Mojave Wells GC you might also enjoy my other designs: 
Pirate's Cove, Eagles Nest GC, and Dakota West CC.  Once again, I would 
appreciate your feedback!  My Prodigy ID: JNJD71A.

Neil R. Bonner
Herndon, VA