Mana Golf Club ☆ Follow

Located in Hitachi-Omi, Ibaraki Prefecture, Mana Golf Club is a 72-par, 6,837-yard course designed by Fujio Ishii, a consultant for the Japan Professional Golf Association. The layout is divided into a front nine and a back nine, each carrying a par of 36, with yardages varying by tee box from the back tees at 6,837 yards down to the ladies' tees at 5,678 yards. The course is characterized by its strategic demands, featuring numerous out-of-bounds areas that require precise shot placement rather than raw power. The front nine presents a mix of long par-fours and challenging par-fives. The opening hole is a 477-yard par 5 that plays straight but demands a conservative approach to the center of the fairway to avoid left-side out-of-bounds. The fourth hole, a 456-yard par 4, serves as the handicap 1 hole, featuring a right dogleg where the fairway narrows and out-of-bounds lines both the left side and the mountainside on the right. The ninth hole, a 502-yard par 5, is highlighted as a drive-distance recommended hole, requiring a precise tee shot to the center of the fairway to set up an approach to the green. The back nine introduces significant elevation changes and blind shots. The eleventh hole is a 227-yard par 3 played from an elevated tee, with out-of-bounds flanking both sides and a green that slopes away from the player, necessitating careful distance control. The thirteenth hole is a 546-yard par 5 dogleg left, where the second shot plays uphill and requires accurate club selection. The sixteenth hole, a 572-yard par 5, is a right dogleg where players must wait for a signal before teeing off, with out-of-bounds guarding the left side of the approach. Signature challenges include the twelfth hole, a 442-yard par 4 that plays left dogleg with out-of-bounds surrounding the tee shot and the green, and the fourteenth hole, a short 356-yard par 4 with narrow fairways and a steeply sloped green. The eighteenth hole concludes the round with a 199-yard par 3, where the large green and varying pin positions test the player's distance management and club selection under pressure. The course design emphasizes accuracy and strategic course management over length, with out-of-bounds areas penalizing errant shots throughout the layout.