I played at Kastsuura Tokyu Golf Resort the other day and once again it was another very very hot. Luckily Katsuura is located just off the east coast of Southern Chiba so the winds from the Pacific ocean keep temperatures at at an acceptable level though it was exceptionally windy and overcast. Katsuura is considered a resort and is surrounded by seasonal cottages and other sports facilities like tennis. Because of this, the golf clubhouse also prides itself in service and the restaurant is pretty good as it serves up food for not only golfers but visitors to the resort. As always staff are present to greet us in their aloha shirts as we drive up to the club house. They gladly unload our bags from the car and check us in.
Katsuura is another very green course, constantly kept lush thanks to the moisture in the area. Being further south in Chiba, and as you get further away from Tokyo, the price for a round drops considerably. Compared to Hirakwa where a round with lunch and caddy cost around 200.00, playing Katsuura with lunch is less than half of that. My neighbors who I came with, a retired couple are members here but you don’t need to be a member if you want to play Katsuura.
With the strong winds I decided to bring both the Kamui Ray and my Ryoma D-1 Driver. Both drivers performed admirably with the Ryoma taking the edge on distance but the Kamui really helping on holes where there was a strong head wind.
The wind was certainly a huge factor today as the palm trees twisted and turned and on many holes it was hard to tell where the swirling wind would push our shots. Katsuura is located on higher grounds and with the strong winds from the Pacific most days have at least some wind. At the first tee above, with VERY strong follow wind (as you can see in the back the palm tree is bending right), I decided to use the Ryoma tee’ed up quite high to try and launch one and ride the wind. It ended up being my best drive of the day distance wise as using GPS to measure, it ended up just over 270 yards. I didn’t come close to hitting another one that far the rest of the day but needless to say it was a good start and I was feeling pretty smug.
My neighbor Y-san as I call her was driving the ball very well today and I was happy to catch this shot of her with the Lumix GF-1. Who says the Panasonic can’t take action shots?
The course was in superb condition though the rough was beginning to get very thick with the hot and moist summer. The greens were on the slow side again probably due to the excess moisture. I was leaving quite a few puts short which I would have to adjust. Katsuura has many interesting up and down and down and up holes as well as lots of water and blind dog legs. This always makes for a challenging and interesting day. We decided to play from the back tee which brings the yardage to just under 6700 yards and puts some added pressure on our driving game. I’m glad to say even wint the wind and desire to hit it hard, I only had one drive go OB after pulling a shot and hitting a tree on the left and getting a very bad kick just past the OB markers.
The Par 3’s a bit on the shorter side with the longest in the picture above being around 187y or so from the back tee. Katsuura does of course use power carts and the pace is reasonably good as being far from Tokyo, its rarely crowded especially on the weekdays even with its lower pricing. As we enter the hotter summer months of July and August, the prices will all dip slightly to promote players to bear the heat and come out for a round. I really like Katsuura and only wish it was not a 1 hour and 20 minute drive away. Then again if it was closer it probably would cost a lot more and be quite a bit more busy.
If you guessed I had noodles for lunch, you’re right as I rarely stray away from eating noodles during a golf round. Overall yet another fun but long golfing day. It amazes me how after playing a round in hot weather, the Japanese can then head into the club house for a hot 42-45C bath. I get in the bath and then come out sweating and shower again. Its crazy!
We’re planning to play either Oak Village or Brick & Wood Club, two of Chiba’s most beautiful courses in Ichihara in the next few weeks so ‘I’ll have a report soon. Both are designed by Desmond Muirhead.
In the meantime here are pictures taken with the GF1!
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