＊ I estimated
the course layout and difficulty level as if I had played from the championship
tees. In fact I actually played from the black tees about 400 yards shorter. I
also estimated the course rating as 74.0 to play from the championship tees as
the official course rating from the black tees is 72.1. |
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The
course is laid out beautifully on Mount Fuji’s foothill, 500 meters (1600 ft.)
above the sea level. It is set on the gently undulating hilly terrain. The fairways
are enamored with subtle undulations and are beautifully separated by cedars and
Japanese cypress. The strategically placed water hazards and bunkers make the
course more challenging. The front 9 holes are characterized with big elevation
changes, more doglegs and more water carries. The back 9 is an almost flat woodland
course with the more demanding putting surfaces due to very strong undulations.
It has been hosting one of the major tournaments of JPGA every year since 1997.
The 'Visa Taiheiyo Masters Tournament' invites many famous international players
and the likes of Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman have won the tournament in the
past. It also hosted the World Cup Golf 2001. It was very impressive to know that
Tiger Woods made the chip-in-eagle, on the last day to tie the leader. The shot
was from the thick rough on quite difficult downhill lie on the right side of
the green. Top players like Tiger could make that cip-in from there I believe
only once per thousand. He proved that he is truly a superstar by making that
miracle chip in such a crucial situation.
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| A dogleg to the left, downhill
par 4. A bunker on the left is 260 yards from the tee. The green is slightly elevated. |
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| A downhill par 3 over water. The
right club selection is important as it is hard to read the direction and the
strength of the wind. |
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| A slight dogleg to the right. The tee
shot is a gentle downhill with a right bunker 260 yards off the tee. A long hitter
can reach the green in 2 but water guarding the front right of the green will
await a shot short. If you hit to the left avoiding the water, a bunker at the
back left comes into play. The key to success is how to conquer the water in front
of the green. |
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A dogleg to the left. You need
to drive onto the right side in order to have a clear view to the green. If left,
the trees ahead will hinder your second shot lowering the chance to hit the green
in regulation. The ideal position is the from the center to the right side of
the fairway. The green is double-tiered. |
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A straight, long par 4. Bunkers
on both sides come into play off the tee. Another large bunker protecting the
front side of the green comes into play on the second. |
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A
straight hole with water in front of the green. The green slopes to the left with
a drop off toward left on the left side of the green, so a big drive is advantageous
as you can use a shorter iron on your approach. (No pictures) |
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A demanding hole that doglegs right.
The fairway is tight and long, both accuracy and distance are required from the
tee & second shots. The green is double-tiered right & left with bunkers
in the front and at the rear. Be also careful of an OB behind the green as it
is close. (No pictures) |
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A slightly downhill, long par
3 over a lake. The lake, bunkers and a towering tree in front of the green are
in play. Mt. Fuji is reflected on the lake on a find day and it is said that the
grand Mt. Fuji seen from the green is very beautiful. The hole is not only pretty
but also challenging. |
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A slight dogleg to the left, very
scenic par 5. Long hitters can reach the green in 2 but need to have the courage
because the double-tiered green is tucked closely between a large pond in front
and three rear bunkers, and shots short often roll back to the water. There are
2 options if you deiced to lay up: to hit the second shot safely to the area around
120 yards in front of the green or to the extremely narrow fairway, squeezed by
a pond on the right and sloping the right pond, starting 100 yards in front of
the green. This is a dramatic hole enabling come-back from behind wins depending
on tee shots. Besides the chip-in-eagle mentioned above by Tiger Woods, it was
also dramatic that Greg Norman made eagle here on the last day of the tournament
in 1993 to score come-from-behind victory. Mt. Fuji stands majestically in the
distance behind this great hole which has been selected as one of the best 500
holes in the world in 2000 by US Golf Magazine. |
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It is a 1 hour 20 minute drive from central
Tokyo. It takes 1 hour from Tokyo Station to Mishima Station by Shinkansen bullet
train and anther 30 minutes by taxi. You need to submit to the caddie master
the official handicap certificate of 7 or below to play from the championship
tees and 15 or below to play from the black tees. However, nobody can play from
the championship tees from September up to the middle of the November when a PGA
tournament is held because the turf needs to be nurtured.
The course was awarded 13th place in 2004’s Japanese golf course rankings
by the Japan Golf Classic Magazine. The other Shunsuke Kato designed courses
are Taiheiyo Club –
Mashiko PGA Course (92nd of the above ranking), West Course, Karuizawa
Course, Sagami Course, Takahara Course, & Ichihara Course, Setonaikai
GC (46th of the above ranking), Hanna GC, CC The First, Kyushu GC – Yahata
Course, Katayamazu GC – Hakusan Course & Kaga Course (remodeled both)
in Japan, Tomson
Shanghai Pudong (湯臣上海浦) GC in China, Palm
Lakes (棕梠湖) Resort, Lily (立益)
G&CC, Yong Han (永漢) GC in Taiwan and
Chung Ju (清州) CC, Loadland G&V in Korea.
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1st Par 4 459 yards (2)