When you reach the clubhouse at Taiheiyo Clubs Sano Hillcrest course take a moment to walk down to the dining area and take in the panoramic view in front of you. It’s like a picture on a postcard as your eyes scan the length of the back 9 with the mountains as the backdrop. The center of your view will be the 18th green which is as spectacular as it is difficult. As you watch the golfers try to navigate the perils of the penultimate hole you sense its difficulty but also begin appreciate what is in store for you on this Desmond Muirhead design.

Sano and the Hillcrest Course

Sano is a city in the southwest of Tochigi Prefecture which is almost directly north of Tokyo. Taiheiyo Clubs property sits exactly 100km from the center of Tokyo and is easily accessible by car or helicopter. Sano city is well known for its Ramen and lesser-known as Japan’s home of cricket. It is however fast becoming known as the destination of the Taiheiyo Clubs Sano Hillcrest course.

The course was opened in 2001 and was co-designed by the legendary Desmond Muirhead and Japanese designer Eiichi Motohashi. The English born golf course architect had great success for many decades although was always seen as slightly controversial. He drew inspiration for his courses from art, literature, and mother nature with many of his courses having marine forms integrated into his courses, especially in his bunkers.

Muirhead believed his golf courses are best viewed from the air, which is a shame, as his artistic flair cannot be fully admired as you stroll the fairways. However, if you are aware of his design preferences they do become apparent while you play.

`Hillcrest’ describes this course very well. There are 3 distinct areas of the course with holes 10 to 18 sitting in front of the clubhouse within the basin of the surrounding lush green mountains. Holes 1 to 4 holes are built on the crest of a hill with holes 5 to 9 sitting in a low area. Modern earth moving equipment has allowed the hillcrest holes to be playable with the 1st and 4th holes having stepped fairways allowing flattish lies. Each hole at Sano is absolutely distinctive with the only similarity being the elevated tee boxes, a design element that Muirhead preferred. It's a design characteristic that I like as almost every hole the ball can be seen as it lands on the immaculate fairways. The other element of Sano that golfers enjoy is the short rough, making golf balls easy to find and good contact possible. The greens at Sano are large, quick, and rolling with an advantage gained for those who can keep their ball below the hole. The greens are very firm year round with approach shots only leaving small pitch-marks keeping them ultra-smooth.

The finish to Sano is really interesting with my favorite hole being the 17th. It's a slightly downhill par 3 of 208 yards from the championship tees to an open-fronted stepped green. The hole is an amphitheater with about 270 degrees of the hole surrounded by dense mountainside brush that always plays in the shadows. It’s eerily quiet and a hole that's appealing to my eye.

There are many iconic holes at Sano but the 18th is the most memorable as clear days can give an unobstructed view of the Tokyo skyline directly behind the green. It is a straight downhill par 4 of 451 yards for the men and 348 yards for the ladies. The second is played to the green which is almost totally surrounded by water. The design feature of this hole is the marine shaped putting green which is also bordered by a huge bunker that gradually disappears into the water hazard.

The Sano course has 2 excellent large sloping practice greens behind the 1st and 10th tees and a 250-yard driving range just a sand wedge away from the clubhouse. The course is a buggy and caddie course but I would always suggest walking rather than sitting in the buggy. The views from the fairways and tee boxes, especially on the back nine, show the beauty of rural life in Japan.

Oh, and before I leave I must say that while having your lunch make sure you try the ramen, it's the best ramen I have had at any golf course in Japan and rightly so, it’s what the city is famous for!

Access

Sano Hillcrest is a course that can be accessed by train from Tokyo but I would spend a few extra dollars and take either private transport, hire a car or take the helicopter. The train lines are local and although doable it's a lot more time-efficient in a car, taking just over an hour to get to the Taiheiyo Sano Hillcrest from central Tokyo.