Hirono Golf Club

Course Data
LocationHyogo, Japan
Yardage7055 yards Par 72
Course Rating74.0
Playing Date29 Jul. 2003
DesignerCharles Alison
Opened1932
CaddyYes
Golf CartNo
Rating
Overall Rating
5.35
Course Layout
6
Difficulty Level
5
Greens Conditions
5
Fairways Conditions
5
Landscaping & Views
5

クラブハウスから見た9番グリーンクラブハウスから見た18番グリーンThis is the best course in Japan according to various rankings. This relatively flat course is man-made and each hole is completely separated by fully- grown pines, which gives it a great feeling. Each hole has different characteristics. The front 9 holes are flat with many demanding par 4s. The back 9 holes have some moderate ups and downs with many beautiful and challenging holes. Alison bunkers, named after their designer, are as deep as your height and the bunkers surround all greens. If your ball is in such a bunker, it will be extremely difficult to save par, so you need to have good course management to avoid them. All the relatively big greens are elevated and approach shots from off the greens are difficult. Even if you hit the greens in regulation, your putting is tough due to fast and undulated greens. The pictures below are the 9th and 18th greens seen from the clubhouse.

Updated in 2016  
   
3rd Par 4 440 yards

You must hit an accurate second shot on this long par 4. The right half of the green borders the lake and if you hit the left side to avoid the water, a deep bunker awaits your shot.

3番 パー4 440ヤード
3rd Par 4 440 yards
   
4th Par 4 425 yards

A slight dogleg to the left with well positioned grass bunkers on the left and bunkers on the right. The closer to the green, the narrower the hole becomes with big pines on both sides. There is a steep slope in front of the green and if your shot is just short of the green, the ball will roll down the slope, so you had better hit the center of the green.

4番 パー4 425ヤード
4th Par 4 425 yards
   
7th Par 4 210 yards

A par 3 with over a ravine. The highly elevated green with deep bunkers may intimidate you. The green is small and only 20 yards deep.

7番 パー4 210ヤード
7th Par 4 210 yards
   
9th Par 5 542 yards

The tee shot is hard because there are trees on both sides off, hanging over the fairway. A bunker on the left of the fairway is in play.

9番 パー5 542ヤード
9th Par 5 542 yards
   
12th Par 5 595 yards

A very long par 5 with a slight dogleg to the left with a drive over water. It is a very exotic hole which makes you feel as if you were in a jungle such as in Thailand or Malaysia. Recently a Japanese overhauled this hole to make it 40 yards longer, so the pines hanging over the left of the fairway 100 yards off the green come into play. Also the new green is excellent and could have been designed by Alison because the shape the green and greenside bunkers is almost the same and many deep “Alison” bunkers guard the green.

12番 パー5 595ヤード
12th Par 5 595 yards
   
13th Par 3 180 yards

A gentle downhill pretty par 3 over a creek.

13番 パー3 180ヤード
13th Par 3 180 yards
   
14th Par 4 380 yards

A steep uphill dogleg to the left. The fairway slopes sharply from left to right, so the second shot will be from strong uphill lie and you will need to hit a precise shot considering how much the ball curves to the left.

14番 パー4 380ヤード
14th Par 4 380 yards
   
15th Par 5 565 yards

In 2000, this slightly bending dogleg to the left was selected as one of the best 500 holes in the world by US Golf Magazine. A splendid pine is well positioned on the left turning point of the dogleg and it will be a factor on your second shot. There is a 50-yard long hollow right behind the tree, and if you hit into the hollow, the rough is deep. There is another hollow in front of the green, which makes the slope of the elevated green steeper.

15番 パー5 565ヤード
15th Par 5 565 yards
   
17th Par 3 230 yards

Not only a very long but a very demanding par 3 over a lake. If you don’t hit the green, deep bunkers guarding it might catch your ball or trees might hinder your approach shot.

17番 パー3 230ヤード
17th Par 3 230 yards
   
18th Par 4 460 yards

A long par 4 dogleg to the left. You need to carry 280 yards on the left side of the fairway or 240 yards on the right side of the fairway. The green is elevated with big bunkers on both sides.

18番 パー4 460ヤード
18th Par 4 460 yards
   
19th hole

ゴルフミュージアムYou need to be accompanied by a member. A Japanese curry at lunch was delicious. The golf museum at the course has many valuable displays and makes you understand the history of Japanese golf.

This was my second time to play here and I played in 2000 for the first time. Although I was impressed by the course, it didn’t feel difficult because I played from the front tees. I played this time from the back tees and I needed to struggle to save par on most holes. It is a tough course for beginners and is a challenging course for medium–advanced players because the course design penalizes you to pay a penalty for bad shots.

名物15ホールのフェアウェイ左側に大きく迫り出している松The course was awarded 1st place out of 2400 courses in 2002’s Japanese golf course rankings by the Japan Golf Classic Magazine. More impressive is that US Golf Magazine ranked it the 35th best course in the world in 2005. The other selected courses in Asia and Oceania are Royal Melbourne GC (10th), Kingston Heath GC (Australia, 20th), Cape Kidnappers (New Zealand, 27th), New South Wales GC (Australia, 34th), Barnbougle Dunes ( Australia, 49th), Royal Adelaide GC (Australia, 54th), Kauri Cliffs GC (New Zealand, 58th), Kawana GC – Fuji Course (Japan, 80th), Tokyo GC (94th) and The Club at Nine Bridges (Korea 95th) and Naruo GC (Japan, 100th).

Charles Alison designed other courses in Asia and Oceania are Kawana GC – Fuji Course and supervised Naruo GC and Kasumigaseki GC – East Course. He designed Huntingdale GC in Australia, too.

Regarding the great hanging pine on the left of the fairway on the signature 15th hole, it is not an exaggeration to say the hole wouldn’t have been selected as one of the top 500 holes in the world without that tree. Too many players have hit balls into the tree trunk, so it is now covered by wire nets to protect it. The club has insured this tree for about 5 million Japanese Yen (equivalent to US45,000 dollars). I imagine that this is the tree with the highest insurance coverage of any tree at any course in the world.

Bunkers as deep as your height are often called “ Alison bunkers” only in Japan. They are called deep bunkers elsewhere.