Hakone Kurakake & Ichihara Korakuen Golf Courses

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I finally was able to play some golf in Japan, but not in the best conditions. My friend, Yuichi, and I had tried to play at Hakone Kurakake Golf Course a few weeks ago, but got rained out. It's difficult to get good weather in this area because the course is in the mountains near Mt. Fuji. But our second attempt was a pleasant day, even though our first 4 holes we had to play in the fog.

Not long after beginning to play, I could tell that golfing in Japan would be a little different than at home. The golf course provided us with a cart that would follow its own track throughout the entire course, and you could start and stop it by a remote control in your pocket. We were also equipped with a walkie-talkie and a detailed map of the course with 3 or 4 color photo's of each hole. Because we could not see where we should aim, the photo's were extremely important. We also had to keep in contact with the group in front of us as well as behind us. Then, each time after we had luckily found our ball, we had to radio to the team behind us that it was clear for them to tee off. Thank god it was for only 4 holes. After a little while, the weather started to clear and I was able to see some spectacular views of the golf course and Lake Ashi, although it wasn't clear enough to see Mt. Fuji.

After the front nine we are required to take an hour break and have lunch, preferably in the clubhouse. There is no option to play through. Yuichi and I shot a better back nine and were pretty happy with our scores. After a long day of golf we relaxed in an onsen that overlooked Lake Ashi, and then started on our 2 hour journey back home. I was very fortunate to have Yuichi drive home. Thanks for a great day, I can't wait to play again!


August 22, 2006:

Well, a couple of weeks later I was able to play with my friend Jimmy at a professional golf course in Japan. I've been practicing and practicing, but Jimmy still beat me. This course was more difficult, but Jimmy gave me some great coaching throughout the day. Also, because Jimmy knows the manager of the Ichihara Korakuen Golf Course, we were able to play through without the 1 hour lunch break so I could get to work on time. I only have two pictures of this outing because I forgot my camera. Luckily, there was a professional photographer on the course and he took a few pictures of us. As we were leaving, we viewed the photos and Jimmy purchased them for me as a gift. Thank You. I had a great time.

Love,
Larry

JAPANESE FOR THE DAY: "Nainhoru wa ikura des ka?" - How much to play 9 holes?

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