51 on the par three third and seventeenth holes, where there is 30 yards between the A and B greens. Swanson highlights other factors that add variety between the two targets on those holes. On the third, for example, the teeing grounds are placed so that the routes to the A and B greens cross, forming an X shape, and providing a substantially different direction of play. While the seventeenth is one of several holes where there is a significant change in grade between the two greens, in this case the longer B option playing to lower ground. On par fours and fives, the green locations can give the holes a very different character too. “Some of the angles mean that playing to one of the greens almost turns a straight hole into a dogleg,” says Swanson. With so many options presented by the existing layout, Jones and Swanson felt no need to make routing changes, or significantly alter the placement of the greens, in order to return the course to Fujita’s original design intent. They did, however, see the opportunity to make substantial improvements by evaluating the challenge presented by the bunkering, which has been impacted by 60 years of play and maintenance, as well as advances in club technology. “They weren’t in the right spots for today’s players, and they didn’t create a strategy,” says Jones. “They were just penal and didn’t give you the shot options.” The designers carefully evaluated the location of each bunker and created a new scheme where every hazard had a strategic value. “It’s harder to redesign bunkering for the twin green system,” says Jones. “If you introduce a bunker that is designed to drive the strategy for play to one green, you have to be Photos: Shizuoka Country A bunker between the two greens on the par-five tenth has been replaced with short grass, increasing the variety of recovery shots required “ Many green complexes in Japan are guarded by either bunkers or rough. Chipping areas give players more options for the recovery shot”
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