Gotemba Course, at the Taiheiyo Golf Club, at the foot of the imposing Mount Fuji, the highest peak in Japan. On hole 18 of this course, this week’s venue for the ISPS Handa Championship of the DP World Tour which starts this Thursday, golfers have come across a tremendous curiosity.
It’s a 480-meter par 5 where you can get there in two. Except for the very hitters, who will have options to overcome the bunker on the left of the street and make many meters, the rest will have a long club in their hands to look for an eagle option. The great defense of the green is a huge lake located on the right, although in this case, and here comes the most novel aspect, it is not so intimidating since it is a ‘playable’ lake.
But what’s wrong with these gentlemen from Ten Golf, have they gone crazy, how can a lake be ‘playable’? That’s not possible. How are they going to hit a ball from the water. Well no, we haven’t gone crazy or, at least, not more than we already were. This Gotemba Course has invited a new penalty area. We tell you…
They have built a kind of beach submerged in the water about three meters wide, so that the ball stays below the liquid, but does not sink completely as it rests on the sand and can be played. It is not the first time we see a player hit from the water, very close to the edge, because the ball has stayed in a sandy area and you can try the impact, but it is the first time we see an artificial construction of this caliber, obviously aimed at inviting players to shoot in two with more freedom, since there is more margin for error.
In this video you can see Iván Cantero precisely putting from this area. We will have to create a new concept which is recovery from the water…
Ivan Cantero's Spanish hands, chipping in from the water 🤯#ISPSHandaChampionship pic.twitter.com/cJGckLiAtu
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) April 23, 2024
Undoubtedly, this new concept of obstacle will be one of the great attractions of the tournament that starts tomorrow. On the other hand, it is a long course, par 70, with two par 5s converted into par 4 and that is going to play even longer, since it has rained quite a bit in the previous hours. It is good ground for hitters who go straight (on the 18 Iván Cantero has come to hit an iron 8 of two), since you don’t have to move the ball much. Of course, in case of missing the street, you will have to cross yourself, since on both sides a forest awaits where it gets dark due to the thickness. There are two par 3s, holes 4 and 17, quite demanding and the greens are perfect. The ball rolls impeccably and they don’t have much movement, so we will probably see many medium and long distance putts holed.
