Wood Friends Shinrin Koen Golf Course (East)

Overview: Wood Friends Shinrin Koen Golf Course's East Course is one half of a 36-hole public facility in Owariasahi, east of Nagoya. The current official card gives it 18 holes, par 72 and 6,808 yards from the champion tees. Its higher ground opens views across the surrounding landscape, while pools, creeks and valleys are used to break up the broad fairways. The outward nine is described as spacious from the tee; the inward nine brings more elevation and wind-reading into play. The course therefore combines the generosity of a public parkland setting with enough changing ground to keep club selection active.

History: Shinrin Koen began as a nine-hole public course in 1955, designed by Osamu Ueda. The first 18 holes came into use in April 1958, and the facility later expanded through 27 to its present 36-hole form in 1963 and 1964. This East routing is part of that later two-course identity, but its history remains connected to the original public-golf experiment in the prefectural forest. That continuity is unusual: the facility has grown considerably without losing the basic idea of making golf available in a natural setting.

Did You Know? The official East-course description singles out the 17th as a notable hole because a valley divides the possible routes. It also records that Arnold Palmer struggled with the trap there during a past visit. The hole is a useful example of the course's design language: the natural landform is not decoration, but the central decision that determines how the hole should be played.