Golden Valley Golf Club

Golden Valley Golf Club is located in a quiet valley hillside in Nishiwaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, 10 km from the Takino IC of the Chugoku Expressway. This course was designed by world-renowned architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. and skillfully incorporates a creek flowing in three directions from the clubhouse into the course. Of the 18 holes, 16 are intertwined with creeks and ponds, making for a beautiful and challenging course. The greens are large and the difficulty can double depending on pin placement. In 2014, the 82nd Japan Professional Golf Championship was held here. The starting hole is a par-5 with a left dogleg and a downhill shot. A creek runs along the left side of the fairway, creating a natural sense of tension on this hole. Since it is a long hole, it is best to keep to the right side without overdoing it and aim for a par save. The par-4 second hole has a large undulating fairway with a creek running along the left side. Keeping to the right side is most important on this hole. The par-3 third hole has a large pond on the left side that continues all the way to the green, making it a difficult par-3. Here too, it is wise to keep to the right side. The par-4 fifth hole has a creek running along the left side that crosses the fairway in front of the green. The fairway has mounds and depressions that can easily induce misshots, so caution is needed. The par-5 eleventh hole has a creek running from the right side that crosses the fairway at the second shot point and flows to the left side and continues to the back of the green. The green slopes to the left from about 30 yards in front, so you'll want to hit it firmly with a larger club. The thirteenth hole is a long par-4 at 469 yards. The fairway slopes towards the creek on the left side, making it a difficult hole where distance and direction are both tested at the same time. The final 18th hole is a beautiful long hole where you have to cross ponds on both your first and second shots. It is a condensed version of Robert Trent Jones Jr.'s design philosophy of "risk and reward" and he himself says it is tougher than Pebble Beach's 18th hole.