Kawana - Fuji Course
The iconic Par 5 15th hole at the Fuji course. A long par 4 by todays standards at 480 yards.
The Fuji course at the Kawana hotel is ranked as the second best golf course in Japan. It also has global acclaim having been ranked as high as 26th in the world in 2020. Kawana is the current site of the Fujisankei Classic on the Ladies Japan Golf Tour and past site of the same event on the mens tour. Jumbo Ozaki won the event five times at Kawana with highlights of his victories all over Youtube. In May 2021, after having lived in Japan for 7 years, I finally had the opportunity to play Kawana and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Our tee time on a Thursday was 10.06am so we decided to travel from Tokyo that morning. The trip takes about two hours and is a shinkansen – local train – taxi journey that costs about 6,000 yen ($55 USD) or $110 both ways. The alternative transport mode is private transport which takes a little longer but cuts out the hassle of taking public transport. The cost is about $250 per person if there are four players which is worthwhile considering.
Tokyo Station. Ready to jump on the Shinkansen.
The Fuji course was opened in 1936 and was designed largely by C.H Alison who also designed the legendary Hirono, Naruo and Tokyo Golf Clubs. Kawana is a walking course with the caddies who use a turf mate to ferry the golf bags around the course.
The caddies turf mate on the 15th fairway. You can also see how beautiful the fairways are too.
The piece of land the Fuji course is built on is quite extraordinary with the first hole plunging downwards where your tee shot seems to take an eternity to hit the fairway. The second shot is an enticing one as the green sits with Sagami Bay as its backdrop. The tee shot on the second hole reminds me a lot of the 9th at Royal Melbourne West with beautiful views of the water down the right side of the hole. The rest of the front nine works up and down some tremendously steep hills and is a mixture of stunning views and terrific short par 4 and 5 holes. The par 3 holes, especially the 5th, are slightly disappointing. Its quite strange because the par 3 holes at Naruo GC, another Alison design, are the best i have played in Japan. The back nine begins with an average short Par 3 but the swooping par 5 11th begins a stunning stretch of holes. The wonderful views of the surrounding coastline is picture book stuff and the second shot into the 14th is a great example. The 15th is a par 5 and the most iconic hole on the Fuji layout. the tee shot and views are quite spectacular but without the wind its just a drive and a mid iron to this short par 5. The last three holes work back up towards the clubhouse with the 18th being one of the most beautiful holes I have played in Japan. It once again reminds me that short, well designed holes can be difficult.
The elevated 1st tee at Kawana.
The tee shot on the 2nd. If you carry the bunker on the right the shot into the green is considerably easier.
The course is a par 72 and only 6,700 Yards from the tips. The soft spongy fairways are magnificent to play from but do not create much roll, especially if you are hitting into the wind. The layout requires wind to be a factor because on a still day the course is quite easy. There are only four holes that run parallel with the coastline so most holes play either directly into or with the wind. The most difficult aspect of the course are the small putting surfaces. If you drive the ball well there are plenty of scoring opportunities, especially on the Par 5 holes which are reachable for the longer hitters.
The par 3s holes at Kawana are the weak. The 5th. Case in point but a great view to distract you.
As wonderful as the experience was there were a couple of negatives. The greens. I understand that seaside courses cannot have greens that are to slopey or quick in fear of strong winds rendering them unplayable. However, these korai greens were the slowest surfaces I have played in Japan. I am not joking when I say you can literally hear the ball as it runs across the grass. The greens, apart from two or three, are small, round and sloped from front to back. The only upside is the grass is so long and thick that I did not see one pitch mark, not one. What does camouflage the greens is the beautiful greenside bunkering, especially the “Alison” bunker which guards the 18th green. Another negative, albeit a small one, is the property is without a driving range. There are some indoor hitting nets in the bowels of the clubhouse but i would have expected a course of this level to have proper range. There are a couple of dinky little putting greens beside the first tee but otherwise practise facilities were an afterthought.
The 14th hole second shot. Notice the small round greens.
The only other negative was the cost. 64,000 yen (US $585) for one round of golf and a hotel stay (which is compulsory if you want to play the Fuji course). The hotel has that old world charm and the rooms have been recently renovated which I did enjoy. I am never fussed where i stay on a golf trip as the hotel is just a place to sleep. We were allowed to play the Fuji course on the second day which was an additional 26,000 Yen (US $240). Including food and travel the total cost was north of $1,000 US for the 2 days. Was it worth it? Mmmmm, Yes. But only as a bucket list proposition. Would I do it again? Probably not due to it being cost prohibitive. Would i play if i was travelling from overseas knowing that there are thousands of amazing courses for a quarter of the price or less? Im still not sure. If I was able to play just the Fuji course, without the compulsory stay in the hotel, I would consider making the journey more often but unfortunately this is not an option.
The sitting room at the Hotel excudes that old world charm.
The Kawana hotel does have another course called the Oshima course which was the original layout. I didn't play it this time but it's a course that doesn't require a hotel stay to play. I will play that in the future and let you know my thoughts on what I am sure will be another fun adventure.
The “Alison” bunker which guards the front of the 18th green.