The Forest Thanksgiving Day

The Forest Country Club

静岡県, Japan

The Forest Country Club is a 27-hole facility located in Morimachi, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, set within a landscape of rich forests and varied terrain. The course is divided into three distinct nine-hole loops: the Tenryu Course, the Tachibana Course, and the Ichinomiya Course. Each nine carries a par of 36, resulting in a total course par of 108. The layout is designed to take advantage of the natural topography, offering wide fairways and a flat, expansive playing surface that encourages aggressive play while demanding precision to avoid penalties. The Tenryu Course features a mix of long par-5s and technical par-4s, with the first hole presenting a 534-yard challenge from the back tees. The third hole is a 490-yard par-5 flanked by out-of-bounds on both sides, requiring a precise approach to the mountain foothills. The eighth hole is a short 148-yard par-3 that plays to a narrow, horse-back green, a feature that often complicates scoring. The course also includes a water hazard on the fourth hole, a par-3, where club selection is critical to avoid the pond. The Tachibana Course is characterized by its undulating greens and strategic use of slopes. The second hole is a 172-yard par-3 that plays to a three-tiered green, making distance control difficult and often leaving players with uphill putts from the back. The first hole is a 502-yard par-5 where the left side is out of bounds, forcing players to aim right for their third shot into an uphill green. The seventh hole is a 178-yard par-3 that plays over a valley to the right, with out-of-bounds penalties encouraging players to aim for the safer left side of the green. The Ichinomiya Course offers some of the longest holes on the property, including a 555-yard par-5 fifth hole that is guarded by water on both sides. The first hole is a 503-yard par-5 that requires avoiding a valley on the tee shot and navigating out-of-bounds on the right side for the second shot. The fourth hole is a demanding 199-yard par-3 played from an elevated tee, requiring careful wind assessment. The seventh hole is a short 154-yard par-3 that is tightly enclosed by out-of-bounds, testing accuracy over distance. The layout includes dogleg rights and lefts, such as the sixth and eighth holes, which require careful navigation of slopes and bunkers to avoid penalties.