Heading up here for the grand opening in August. Very excited...place looks really cool.
Some good photos up on the website:
http://www.gamblesands.com/-photo-gallery
Also they have the animated tour my company produced up and running gives you a good feel for the lay of the land as well as some of the stunning vistas the place offers:
http://www.gamblesands.com/-course-tour
Animation flyover for a course opening in 60 days? Seems like using a real photography with a drone or chopper would have been a better idea.
Animation is much less expensive than choppers. Though Drones have started to bring some of the cost down. You still lose a ton of control in doing flyovers with real video/photography. Elevation is flattened in real video, animation allows you to accentuate features that would be easy to see with the naked eye in person, but impossible to portray in a video. Hence why a vast majority of golf broadcasts are using 3D animation work in lieu of video / heli flyovers.
With an animation you can control the setting 100%....since the course isn't open some of the concerns with shutting down, privacy and liability are some what alleviated...others such as: Weather and Course Conditions can't be overcome.
Weather. Drones work fine in wind but not so great in rain, fog, haze, etc. In some cases and locations it may take several days to find a weather window that will work for filming.
Conditions. Unless the course is in perfect condition, drones will record bare patches, dead trees, stressed areas, construction areas, working staff, maintenance equipment, etc. It is most likely that the drone flyovers will include undesirable footage showing the course in less than ideal conditions.
The main reason for the animations... cost. It's a low cost, high quality piece that can showcase the property easily and quickly.