Taiheiyo Club - Minori Course
Taiheiyo Club Minori course and clubhouse.
My first game of golf in Japan was early 2014 and I was lucky enough to be invited to play the Taiheiyo Clubs Minori course. For some reason it is the course I have continued to play quite often since then and probably for good reason, it is just a really enjoyable place to play. The course is always in great shape and the greens are some of the best surfaces I have played in Japan.
Taiheiyo Minori is situated northeast of Tokyo in Ishioka city which is part of the Ibaraki prefecture. From the center of Tokyo, it takes about 1 hour by car and under an hour by train to Ishioka station from either Ueno or Tokyo stations. From Ishioka station either a Taiheiyo Club bus or a taxi will have you at the course in about 15 minutes.
Upon entering the Minori gates it is immediately apparent that you are somewhere quite special. The heavily tree-lined driveway gives an occasional glimpse of the course which will be enough to increase your anticipation. As you pull up to the contemporary styled clubhouse, two or three smiling caddies will greet you as others wisk your golf bag and any luggage into the clubhouse. As you enter the foyer and spot the registration desk you will be surrounded by the in-house Taiheiyo `Select the club` Pro shop. This shop has a collection of the most stunning logo goods and bespoke apparel, so make sure you spend a few minutes browsing before or after your game.
The Course
Taiheiyo Minori is very simply a championship-level golf course. Designed by Shunji Kurakami and opened in 2002 the course is just under 7,000 yards from the men’s tees and just over 5,000 yards from the ladies making it an average length course by today’s standards. The course held the 2016 and 2017 TOTO Japan Classic, a co-sanctioned tournament between the LPGA and JLPGA players. To have held such a prestigious event shows the caliber of the course with eventual China`s Shanshan Feng winning both years.
I would say the course tends to favor players who are more strategic compared to players who can overpower a golf course. The further you play down the fairway the riskier it becomes as the fairways narrow and water features await.
2nd shot to the reachable Par 5 17th during the TOTO classic.
The course is a heavily treed parkland-style course with the architect using both bunkers and a nice amount of water as its main defense. There are no forced carries off the tee and although there are some water hazards guarding greens the architect-designed bail out areas for the higher handicappers. The course has a nice amount of undulation considering the flat landscape that surrounds the course and is always in immaculate condition. Minori has a great mix of medium length and well-designed risk/reward shorter par 4 holes with three of par 5s being reachable for the longer hitters. All of the par 3 holes are mid-length with three of them having a water feature awaiting an errant shot.
The strength of the course is the immaculate bent greens which are large, fast, and undulating. The best way to describe the greens is eclectic and fun, constantly providing a challenge for every golfer. The greens are well bunkered but always allow an avenue for the player to run the ball onto the green from the fairway or a difficult position.
Minori 1st green looking back down the fairway. Large, undulating, and fast.
Trying to pick an iconic hole on the course is a difficult proposition as all of the holes have their own distinct personalities. I do believe however that the 7th and 18th are truly memorable and both iconic, but for totally different reasons.
7th Tee shot (forward tees). Middle right is the group ahead on the green.
The 7th hole is probably my favorite hole with the perfect mix of risk, reward, and terrific architecture. It’s also a hole that allows the high handicapper a chance of par and the professional an easy bogey if they are not thinking clearly. The hole is a short dogleg right Par 4 measuring 340 yards or about 290 yards as the crow flies. The front/right side of the green is protected by 3 tall Japanese pine trees and a large pond to catch a push or slice for the right-hander. Two large deep bunkers guard the front of the green and a pot bunker looms about 50 yards short of the green which is to be avoided at all costs. An easy par awaits any player who can land on the fairway but for most, the opportunity to go for the green is to enticing. A high towering fade is a shot necessary to land on the shallow green but anything short or right makes the next shot very difficult to get on the green. The intelligent player will hit a long iron or fairway wood into the fairway taking all the trouble out of play. The subsequent shot is a simple uphill pitch that provides the best angle to get the ball close, a smart play indeed but seldom played.
The second shot into my favorite hole. Minori 7th. The dormant winter grass is also a fabulous surface to play from.
The 18th hole is your typical tough finishing hole that demands 4 excellent shots to make a par. Left to right Par 4 of 440 yards from the back tees has a generous fairway that tends to make players overreach and inevitably end up in the rough. The second shot is the most difficult on the course as this shallow green has a pond protecting the whole right side and most of the front of the green. Only a shot from the fairway will spin enough to hold the green and anything finishing above the hole will leave a devilishly fast downhill putt. What I do like about this hole is that although it demands excellence to have a par it is relatively easy to have a bogey. The second shot can be played short or left of the green which leaves an easy pitch up the length of the green. It's a great finish to a refreshingly enjoyable golf course.
For anybody considering coming to Japan to play golf, the Taiheiyo Minori course must be considered. The whole experience from beginning to end is truly first-class and should not be missed.