need_my_wedge
Has Now Found His Wedgie
Have just had a fantastic weekend away. Was invited down to Hamamatsu (the home of Suzuki company) to play golf at Suzuki Cars own club. Started Saturday lunchtime with a 90 minute ride on the bullet train from Kobe to Hamamatsu
Once there we were met by our very good friends, who picked us up and whisked us away to a hotel on the edge of Lake Hamanako (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Hamana). I was taken to the driving range for a practice swing with my borrowed clubs while the girls went shopping.
The hotel was literally on the edge of the lake with the waves lapping outside the window.
Early evening was spent in the onsen (hot bath). This is something that needs a bit of acclimatization, the water in general is about 43 degrees C and scalding hot. You shower before getting in the bath, sit in there (once you`ve managed to actually get in) for 10 or 20 mins, get out, move in to the rotenburo (outside bath) where you sit out under the moolight for 10 mins or so, back inside, shower again and then get back into the main onsen for another 10/ 20 mins. This may seem strange to us, but it`s a national institution over here and common place everywhere.
On then to dinner, a viking (eat all you can) buffet
One or six visits to the buffet later
Then back to our room for a nightcap or two. Early start in the morning for the drive up to Inasa-Suzuki Golf Club. Arrived at the front door to be greeted by two of the female caddies who unloaded the bags from our car and took them away. We wandered into the main reception to be greeted by two bowing receptionists, who after siging in gave us each a a leather scorecard holder with a barcode, scorecard and locker key attached. Into the locker room where we found our allocated lockers, quick change and then out for a putt on the warm up green. The sun had decided to come out, so I ran back in and picked up a hat as I didn`t have one with me, they just scanned the barcode on my scorecard.
Back outside where our 4 seater cart had been loaded with bags and our partner joined us. We had to wait for the group in front to go, Mr Suzuki himself, 81 years old and still playing golf, with a massive entourage. He had two 4 seater carts fully loaded - 4 players, female caddy and aides, along with another 4 "suited gentlemen" walking alongside. Interesting watching them tee off as Mr Suzuki`s strike was greeted by a large number of cheers and clapping.....
Anyways, not long after it was our turn to tee off, didn`t get time to take a pic on the first tee, but the second one
Have to say, that this is one of the most beautiful placed courses I have ever had the pleasure to play
There were some interesting aspects to the course. The grass was very thick, but laced with sand, both on the fairways and on the greens, made the fairways strange to play off, very little run, and made the greens like glass, both in run and bounce.... Took a lot of getting used too, probably another few rounds..... Since we were in the mountains, nearly every hole had out of bounds on the upside, and a chasm of lost balls on the down side... Mr Suzuki is also very fond of peacocks, and there were vast cages dotted around the course with large white and coloured peacocks screeching about. On the 6th tee, there was even a shinto shrine for the golfing gods
Our buggies were driver-less, completely remote controlled by the remocon in our partners pocket, following a line under the asphalt path
Although we had the buggy, the only time we rode them was between green and tee, as there was usually quite a distance up/ down the mountain between each. We walked each hole between shots, my sunburn today is testamount of this.
The halfway house was the biggest surprise. After 9 holes, you are forced to take an hour break in the restaurant. Here we had a very nice lunch of Tenzaru udon (tempura prawns and cold noodles) and beer, just what the doctor ordered in the heat, well, not really (and scanned on your barcode). I have to say, that whilst very pleasant, taking anhour out just when you seem to have hit your rhythmn is absolutely the worst thing you can do. I`d had a shaky start, a little nervous under the circumstances, borrowed clubs, no idea of the course conditions/ hazards/ lie of the land etc. Finally got into to gear around the 6th and was playing reasonable golf when bang, we have to but the breaks on. Going out after lunch and I opened up with 6, 7, 8.......twice hitting 250+ drives and then taking 6/7 sots to get down from inside 150 yds, just couldn`t get back into it. Finished the round with a very unflattering and disappointing score, but made up for by the experience as a whole.
We returned to the clubhouse where we were met by more female caddies who immediatelt started cleanning our clubs before taking them away to wait for us to bring the car round. We went inside to change, a soak in the Suzuki onsen, sitting in more scalding water, gazing out of the big full wall length window at the mountain view outside.
Changed and back to reception where yo hand in your card, the barcode is scanned and your total spend is brought up (green fee, buggy, lunch, hat etc...... I didn`t have to pay for it all.....fortunately..). Then a 45 min drive back to the statio, met the girls and jumped on the shinkansen for the trip back to Kobe.
Not something I will get a chance to do too often, but a hugely enjoyable experience very much worth the journey.
Once there we were met by our very good friends, who picked us up and whisked us away to a hotel on the edge of Lake Hamanako (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Hamana). I was taken to the driving range for a practice swing with my borrowed clubs while the girls went shopping.
The hotel was literally on the edge of the lake with the waves lapping outside the window.
Early evening was spent in the onsen (hot bath). This is something that needs a bit of acclimatization, the water in general is about 43 degrees C and scalding hot. You shower before getting in the bath, sit in there (once you`ve managed to actually get in) for 10 or 20 mins, get out, move in to the rotenburo (outside bath) where you sit out under the moolight for 10 mins or so, back inside, shower again and then get back into the main onsen for another 10/ 20 mins. This may seem strange to us, but it`s a national institution over here and common place everywhere.
On then to dinner, a viking (eat all you can) buffet
One or six visits to the buffet later
Then back to our room for a nightcap or two. Early start in the morning for the drive up to Inasa-Suzuki Golf Club. Arrived at the front door to be greeted by two of the female caddies who unloaded the bags from our car and took them away. We wandered into the main reception to be greeted by two bowing receptionists, who after siging in gave us each a a leather scorecard holder with a barcode, scorecard and locker key attached. Into the locker room where we found our allocated lockers, quick change and then out for a putt on the warm up green. The sun had decided to come out, so I ran back in and picked up a hat as I didn`t have one with me, they just scanned the barcode on my scorecard.
Back outside where our 4 seater cart had been loaded with bags and our partner joined us. We had to wait for the group in front to go, Mr Suzuki himself, 81 years old and still playing golf, with a massive entourage. He had two 4 seater carts fully loaded - 4 players, female caddy and aides, along with another 4 "suited gentlemen" walking alongside. Interesting watching them tee off as Mr Suzuki`s strike was greeted by a large number of cheers and clapping.....
Anyways, not long after it was our turn to tee off, didn`t get time to take a pic on the first tee, but the second one
Have to say, that this is one of the most beautiful placed courses I have ever had the pleasure to play
There were some interesting aspects to the course. The grass was very thick, but laced with sand, both on the fairways and on the greens, made the fairways strange to play off, very little run, and made the greens like glass, both in run and bounce.... Took a lot of getting used too, probably another few rounds..... Since we were in the mountains, nearly every hole had out of bounds on the upside, and a chasm of lost balls on the down side... Mr Suzuki is also very fond of peacocks, and there were vast cages dotted around the course with large white and coloured peacocks screeching about. On the 6th tee, there was even a shinto shrine for the golfing gods
Our buggies were driver-less, completely remote controlled by the remocon in our partners pocket, following a line under the asphalt path
Although we had the buggy, the only time we rode them was between green and tee, as there was usually quite a distance up/ down the mountain between each. We walked each hole between shots, my sunburn today is testamount of this.
The halfway house was the biggest surprise. After 9 holes, you are forced to take an hour break in the restaurant. Here we had a very nice lunch of Tenzaru udon (tempura prawns and cold noodles) and beer, just what the doctor ordered in the heat, well, not really (and scanned on your barcode). I have to say, that whilst very pleasant, taking anhour out just when you seem to have hit your rhythmn is absolutely the worst thing you can do. I`d had a shaky start, a little nervous under the circumstances, borrowed clubs, no idea of the course conditions/ hazards/ lie of the land etc. Finally got into to gear around the 6th and was playing reasonable golf when bang, we have to but the breaks on. Going out after lunch and I opened up with 6, 7, 8.......twice hitting 250+ drives and then taking 6/7 sots to get down from inside 150 yds, just couldn`t get back into it. Finished the round with a very unflattering and disappointing score, but made up for by the experience as a whole.
We returned to the clubhouse where we were met by more female caddies who immediatelt started cleanning our clubs before taking them away to wait for us to bring the car round. We went inside to change, a soak in the Suzuki onsen, sitting in more scalding water, gazing out of the big full wall length window at the mountain view outside.
Changed and back to reception where yo hand in your card, the barcode is scanned and your total spend is brought up (green fee, buggy, lunch, hat etc...... I didn`t have to pay for it all.....fortunately..). Then a 45 min drive back to the statio, met the girls and jumped on the shinkansen for the trip back to Kobe.
Not something I will get a chance to do too often, but a hugely enjoyable experience very much worth the journey.
