Koga

In 1948, the Nishi-Nippon Railway Corporation made available a parcel of land along the sandy coastline that faces the Tsushima Strait for the construction of a golf course. The first circuit built at Koga was a very rudimentary affair, amounting to nine “sand holes” laid out amongst the dunes with only the greens made of grass.

The will of Koga's members to have a “proper” course prevailed so within five years – after many tons of red clay had been brought in from nearby Hanami – the layout was reopened with all nine fairways fully grassed. Architect Osamu Ueda then extended the course to eighteen holes in 1957, using labour supplied by local municipalities and American servicemen, and the additional holes now form the front nine of today’s course.

In 1994, a two-year renovation program was undertaken by Shoichi Suzuki, a protégé of the late Osamu Ueda, resulting in the replacement of all the greens. As due reward for this significant development, Koga hosted the 62nd Japan Open a year after work was completed and this tournament was won by Australian Craig Parry with a score of two over par for the competition.

Within a decade of this event, designer Ko Tanihira was called in to upgrade the course again and all the greens were ripped up and rebuilt to USGA standard with new mounding and bunker complexes installed. In 2008, three years after this work was finished, Shingo Katayama won his second Japan Open at Koga.