Taiheiyo Club - Rokko
The Rokko course is the Taiheiyo Clubs’ flagship course in the Kansai region. This course is a true championship venue that has held tournaments on both the men and women’s professional tours in Japan. It is also the current site of the Maruhan Cup, a popular event on the Japanese men’s Senior tour.
When you arrive at Rokko your eyes will widen at the sight of the beautiful tudor-style clubhouse. I strongly suggest everyone arrive at the course early enough to enjoy the traditional Japanese breakfast in the club’s restaurant, it’s absolutely worth getting out of bed a little earlier for. When you finish breakfast and wander down the marble staircase, turn left and check out the gear in the pro shop. It’s one of Taiheiyo Clubs’ in-house pro shops and is really a great opportunity to buy something not available outside of Japan.
The Rokko course was opened in 1975 and designed by Tomizawa Seizo. The renovation was completed by Norio Honma who decided to change it from a course with two sets of greens to only one. He chose the larger more dominant green on each hole and although I had never played it before the renovation it seems he knew what he was doing. The greens are hard, fast, and slopey with the 4th and 18th greens the best examples. If the head superintendent is in a bad mood he can tuck some pins behind bunkers that not even Tiger woods could find. The greens are one of the strengths of the course which makes it a real delight to play.
Rokko has a nice amount of undulation and although an easy walk there are some long walks from greens to tee boxes so please take the buggy when the caddie suggests. The course plays longer than the 7,000 yards from the back tees and 5,600 yards from the ladies as shorter clubs are necessary off the tees to stay short of hazards. The course is a parkland style, heavily treed property that is quite reminiscent of some traditional US Open courses. The tee shots provide a sense of freedom as there is ample space between the trees lines but the fairways are quite narrow. There is a real premium on hitting the fairways as the rough is often quite thick.
The course starts with a short meandering downhill par 5 and the thoughtfully designed short uphill dogleg left par 4. The third is a shortish uphill Par 3 surrounded by the Augusta like bunkers and then reality sets in. The next 6 holes are a real test of strong par 4 holes, a very long downhill par 5, and a par 3 requiring a water carry.
The stunning par 3 17th @ Taiheiyo Rokko.
The back nine is reasonably long, especially the par 5 14th which plays 608 yards slightly uphill but the variation in the design of the back nine makes them interesting. The short par four 12th and 16th give players some respite before tackling two of the most iconic holes in the Kansai region. The 17th is a downhill par 3 of just over 200 yards and is a stunning setting. The small well-bunkered green requires a very precise shot. The 18th is tough and a testament to simple but great design. Jumbo Ozaki who won the Mitsubishi Galant tournament in 1987 at Rokko said the 18th is one of the best finishing holes in golf. The 18th is a dogleg left Par 4 of 435 yards with water left. If you play bravely towards the water your second shot is relatively simple. Every meter you play to the right makes the hole increasingly more difficult and a shot from the right rough, where most people end up, requires a layup. The 18th green has three very distinct sections and looks like Mickey Mouse’s face, allowing for a huge variety of pin positions. It’s a great looking hole especially with the iconic clubhouse as its backdrop.
The Rokko experience, from start to finish is special, and being so close to some major Kansai cities means travel time is kept to a minimum. I suggest staying in Osaka but if you prefer Kobe, the ANA Crown Plaza which is a 30-second walk from the Shin-Kobe station is a great and reasonably priced hotel. It’s convenient too as it’s only a 10-minute walk into the centre of town.
Getting there
Take a taxi or private transport from either Osaka (50 mins) or Kobe (40 mins). Forget taking public transport because the Taiheiyo club buses only run on weekends and I always suggest playing golf in Japan on a weekday. The trip from ANA Crown plaza in Kobe to Taiheiyo Rokko is only 25 kilometers but the trip over Mt Taishaku makes it a little slow due to the winding road. It does have some great views however and seeing rural Kobe is a treat.
