Olympic National Golf Club Sakawa Course ☆ Follow

Located in Kanagawa Prefecture, the Olympic National Golf Club Sakawa Course is an 18-hole facility designed to take advantage of the natural terrain and views of Mount Fuji. The course layout totals 7,000 yards from the black tees, with a par of 72. The design features a mix of uphill and downhill shots, doglegs, and strategic hazards that require players to utilize various skills to navigate the course effectively. The front nine begins with a short par-4 that favors a center-right fairway placement to avoid a left-side penalty. The third hole is a demanding par-3, a downhill shot over a dogleg right where a single cedar tree marks the green front; the two-tiered green slopes heavily from right to left. The seventh hole presents a tee shot over a valley, while the ninth requires a precise approach over a valley to a par-3 that is particularly challenging when the wind is blowing. The back nine opens with a long par-4 where the second shot faces a slight uphill climb, making distance off the tee crucial. The twelfth hole is a par-4 with a two-tiered green flanked by bunkers. The fourteenth hole features a crescent-shaped green fronted by a large bunker, making the center-left the safest landing area. The seventeenth hole is a par-3 that plays over water to a three-tiered green, where missing to the upper right is often penalized. The signature hole of the course is the eighteenth, a 574-yard par-5 that serves as the closing challenge. This straight hole narrows in the middle, requiring accurate driving, while the second shot must avoid a water hazard on the right. The green slopes steeply toward the water, demanding precise distance control. The course operates primarily as a self-play facility with motorized carts and features a wooden clubhouse with a restaurant and competition rooms.