【Saitama】Tokyo Golf Club (Part2) – The first golf club made by Japanese to celebrate the 110th anniversary of its opening

Let’s take a look at each hole of “Tokyo Golf Club”.

The 1st hole (368 yards, par 4) starts next to the driving range on the left side of the clubhouse. The fairway is wide and you can hit the ball in a relaxed manner. The second shot is slightly uphill, but it is a hole where you can get a par if you have a good sense of distance.

But soon Tokyo Golf Club will show its fangs!

The 2nd hole (419 yards, par 4) is a relatively long and difficult middle hole with a 3 handicap. Between 200 and 250 yards in front of the teeing area, which is said to have been the site of a mansion in the Sengoku period, three large cross bunkers await, and from there, turn right toward the green. Furthermore, there are many guard bunkers and the undulations on the green are very strong, making putting difficult.

The 3rd hole (519 yards, par 5) is a straight long hole, and the fairway in front of the teeing area is narrow with tall trees on both sides. In addition, the cross bunkers on the left and right of the fairway are putting pressure on the second and third shots.

The 4th hole (138 yards, par 3) is a relatively short and easy hole, but be careful of the deep and large bunker on the left front of the green.

The 5th hole (585 yards, par 5) is a long hole. The tee shot and the second shot can be hit without much pressure, but there is a creek in front of the green, so approach shots are key. Also, the green has large undulations, making it a high-risk hole for many putts.

The 6th hole (445 yards, par 4) is a long and difficult middle hole with a No. 1 handicap.

A slight dogleg to the left with a creek across the front of the teeing area that runs along the left side of the fairway to the front of the green. It’s a little uphill and there’s some distance left on the second shot, but there’s a creek, so it’s a hole that should be approached carefully from the right side without overdoing it.

The 7th hole (401 yards, par 4) has a slightly dogleg fairway to the right with a large cross bunker on the right. Furthermore, OB continues on the right side of the fairway, and the creek in front of the teeing area cannot be seen, so be careful on the tee shot.

The 8th hole (208 yards, par 3) is an unusual hole with two separate teeing areas for the greens that cross each other for tee shots. This is also unique to a course with spacious grounds. It is not easy to hit the green with a tee shot due to the relatively long distance.

The 9th hole (471 yards, par 4) is a relatively long middle hole that doglegs to the right. If the tee shot does not reach about 250 yards, you will not be able to hit the green on your second shot. Also, the green is bowl-shaped with a high center, making it a difficult hole where the ball will fall if it does not stop firmly.

The 10th hole (446 yards, par 4) is a straight middle hole with a wide fairway and less pressure on the tee shot. However, there are large cross bunkers around 200 yards, and the green has severe undulations, so you should attack from the front side of the green. The neighboring prestigious Kasumigaseki Country Club can be seen behind the green.

The 11th hole (403 yards, par 4) is also a straight middle hole, but be careful as there is an OB on the right side.

The 12th hole (226 yards, par 3) is similar to the 8th hole where the fairway crosses to two greens. Although it is a short hole, it is relatively long, trees on the left and right narrow the fairway, and the slope of the green is complicated.

From here onwards, there will be more difficult holes with many bunkers that can be said to be the true value of the club.

The 13th hole (603 yards, par 5) is a relatively long hole with a handicap of 2, with three large bunkers blocking the fairway in the middle at around 300 yards. Moreover, the fairway is S-shaped and there is a large cross bunker on the left hand side.

The 14th hole (349 yards, par 4) is a relatively short middle hole, but the green is surrounded by large bunkers like a sea of sand. There is no runway, so if the approach doesn’t hit the green, the ball will definitely go into the bunker, making it a scary hole.

Furthermore, the 15th hole (542 yards, par 5) is the shortest long hole, but there is a large bunker on the left side of the fairway that extends from around 200 yards to over 50 yards. This is a dogleg to the left, but you need to avoid the bunkers and approach the green carefully from the right.

The 17th hole (187 yards, par 3) is a relatively short par 3 with a narrow creek running along the right side of the fairway and seven large and small bunkers guarding the green and almost no runway. There are two islands in the largest bunker. Unless your tee shot is on an island-like green, you need to be prepared for a difficult bunker shot.

The final 18th hole (460 yards, par 4) is a long par 4 hole. There are cross bunkers on the left and right in front of the green, and the green is guarded by 6 bunkers, making it difficult to hit the green on your second shot. In addition, the slope of the green is very complicated, so you can’t relax until you hole out.

My impression of Tokyo Golf Club is that all holes have bunkers around the fairways and greens, and the smaller greens have tight undulations that make them difficult. However, the course layout, which is beautiful and dignified like a garden, is a course with a charm that makes players want to try again and again. I feel that is the proof of a prestigious course.

Access to “Tokyo Golf Club” is about 15 minutes from Kanetsu Expressway Kawagoe IC and about 1 hour from central Tokyo.

“Tokyo Golf Club” is a prestigious course that represents the Kanto region, along with the adjacent “Kasumigaseki Country Club”, which was the venue for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Of course, the skills of the caddies and the hospitality of the employees are also wonderful, and I think that if you are a golf enthusiast, you should find an opportunity to play at least once.