Excellent Golf Club Ise Ootori Course is located in Tsu City, the capital of the Mie Prefecture that became famous worldwide for the golf match between Tiger Woods and Hideki Maruyama. The 18 hole golf course opened for play in 1998 and has a choice of four tee positions, with the back tees playing to just over 7000 yards.

Upon arrival to the golf course and stepping into the clubhouse, you cannot fail to miss the large pond which is 87,000 square meters and sits in-front of the clubhouse. In addition to this significant pond, there are two additional ponds which come into play on 5 of the 18 holes at Excellent Golf Club Ise Ootori Course. The golf course is hilly throughout and this provides one of the many challenges when playing the course.

The round begins on the 1st hole with a par-4 which is played uphill towards the green. You may need to take an extra club, especially on the second shot to the green to compensate for the hilly approach. Water first becomes a problem on the 9th hole due to a large pond. It is a difficult layout playing to a long distance as the back tee plays to 444 yards and the hole is a par-4. In addition to the significant distance, the green is not easy to reach as it is on a floating island. This not only looks spectacular but offers a strong test of confidence and nerve on approach.

Bunkers also come into play throughout the round and a good example is the par-4, 11th hole. The ‘S’ shaped hole features a fairway bunker on the right side plus a bunker which protects the left side of the green. You must also be aware that anything over the back of the green is out of bounds so you cannot afford to overhit the shot.

Another great example of how water is used effectively at Excellent Golf Club Ise Ootori Course comes on the par-3, 14th hole. In addition to the water situated in front of the green, there is also a bunker protecting the front of the putting surface. The green itself is two-tiered so accuracy is key to avoid a very tricky putt.