Arima Royal Golf Club (Noble)

Overview: Noble is the newer half of Arima Royal Golf Club in Kobe's Kita Ward, a par-72 mountain course measuring 6,856 yards from the championship tees. Robert von Hagge designed the routing, which uses changes in elevation, shaped ground and a sequence of water and bunker decisions to create a character distinct from the club's older Royal Course. The official card shows a balanced 35-37 split, with several par fives and carefully varied par threes. It is a course where the right line and the right landing area matter as much as raw distance.

History: The original Arima Royal complex began with 27 holes in 1972 under the design of Osamu Ueda. The club expanded in the mid-1990s, when von Hagge created a new nine and the former western nine was remodelled. The 36-hole complex reached its grand opening in September 1996, after which the original East and Middle courses became Royal and the western combination became Noble. That distinction matters because Noble is a later routing, not simply another name for the original club.

Did You Know? The official hole notes call the 7th an island green surrounded by white-sand bunkers. The 9th can offer a view toward the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge from the tee, while the 16th puts a pond in play on a par five. Those details show how Noble alternates visual openness with very specific target golf.