WHY IT IS SPECIAL?
Hirono Golf Club was founded in 1932 and an Englishman called Charles Alison, who was responsible for the design of many of Japan’s great courses, laid it out. This intensely private Japanese members club is located about fifteen miles northwest of the city of Kobe, which is Japan’s most important seaport. Sadly, Kobe hit the news headlines in 1995 for the wrong reasons after an earthquake, measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale, devastated the area of Hyogo killing more than 5,000 people. Natural disasters tend to place golf clubs and courses into perspective but Hirono is the most important golf course in Japan and it’s the yardstick for which all other golf courses across the whole of Asia are measured. Charles Alison and Harry Colt fashioned some of Britain’s greatest golf courses and Alison used all of his knowledge and design skill to create the magical Hirono, which would not look out of place along England’s Surrey/Berkshire sand belt.
GREAT DESIGN.
“Sadly, Hirono was requisitioned by the Imperial Air Force as a runway during the Second WorldWar, destroying much of the course,” wrote Henry Lord & Peter Pugh in Masters of Design. “After the conflict a huge restoration project was carried out by Toyohiko Inui and Osamu Ueda (designer of the prestigious Koga golf course) using Alison’s original plans. In many ways this was a great success, but some of Alison’s intentions were lost. For example, a lot of the rugged sandy wasteland was converted into ordered grass-faced bunkering, and aggressive tree planting has since left the course with a distinctly parkland feel. Nevertheless, Hirono still ranks as the best course in Asia and many of its holes provide a truly incredible test of golfing skill.”
Hirono has played host to all the major Japanese championships and, although it measures a mere 6,925 yards from the back tees, it’s a supreme test of golf. It just goes to show that if you employ clever and thoughtful design, you don’t need to fashion a 7,500-yard monster to create challenge and intrigue. We must briefly mention the green sites at Hirono. They are pure magical theatre, with most raised proudly on plateaux, protect jealously by deep bold bunkering.
There are far too many brilliant holes to discuss at length, but we’ ll first mention the par three 13th which is rather similar to “Golden Bell” the famous 12th at Augusta National, but we think Hirono’s 13this more natural and dramatic.
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