Ise

The city of Ise (once known as Ujiyamada) is located on the eastern tip of Kii Peninsula on Japan’s main island of Honshu and it’s probably best known for the Ise Grand Shrine, comprising a number of Shinto holy places based around the two main shrines of Naiku and Geku, which are dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu and Toyouke-Ōmikami, the goddess of agriculture and industry.

Designed by Seiichi Inoue in the mid-1960s, the course at Ise is set out on gently undulating terrain on the outskirts of the city, where the dual green system favoured by so many clubs in Japan still holds sway. Water comes into play occasionally, most notably at three of the four par three holes, but the main hazards here are the trees lining the fairways which can in places impinge on play.

Feature holes include the right doglegged par four 2nd, the left doglegged 6th, and the par three 9th – probably the signature hole on the course – which is played across a large irrigation pond to a peninsula green complex. On the back nine, the 453-yard 12th is not only the second longest par four on the card, it’s also considered the second toughest hole, rated stroke index 2.