Resign yourself to getting on the green in 3 shots if all goes well with hitting the ball. Anything to the right means trouble; too far left can present issues, but nothing too terrible. 1st shot: hit it straight not more than 260 yds. After that

it's a serious downhill slope. You should be about 250 - 300 yds out, so think about two controlled shots to cover that distance, say two 7 irons, or at most a 3 wood and pitching wedge. Don't get greedy.

It's easy if you hit it relatively straight, which I rarely do.

Now here's a forgiving hole, but be careful about not getting into the woods on the right side. One other little tidbit...a 200 yd drive to the top of the hill probably means being in a sand trap. Play this to the right and take advantage of the dogleg. The second shot should be no more than a 6 iron, and if you're still not on the green, it's a pitch and a putt for par.

Again, easy...

Like many par 3s, it can be relatively easy or it can be something from hell. Hitting to the right is safe. Hitting short or too far left is another story. I use a 3 wood and hit it soft, which generally gets me either on or in the vicinity of the green. Just make good contact and get the distance close, don't go too far left and you'll be okay.

A par here is like having a good dream.

Easiest hole on the course! Why. Because the view is so good. You can see Mt Fuji on a clear day; you can see the Fuchu horse race track, Seibu Dome, and much of Tokyo as well. I think this must flush your mixed up mental state and relax your swing, because my experience is that I almost always hit it good. Trees on the left are a minor hazard. However, if you slice one right it could easily be out-of-bounds, and in some snarled jungle undergrowth. A month ago I found 35 good balls in the jungle to the right (and that was taking only the cleanest ones I found). If you find the fairway on the 1st shot, your second shot should only be a pitch, but be careful as both greens imperceptibly slope to the right, so play you shot a bit left.

I've blown a bunch of birdie attempts on this hole, which is a whole lot better than most where I'm trying to save something over par.

There's a big dip off the tee and a ridge about 240 yds out. If you get somewhere near the crest you're in great shape, but don't let your ball go to the right. There's a catch basin with a hard dirt surface coupled with over-hanging trees, and further right is OB. It'll cost you at least one additional shot if you go there, so be warned. The left side has trees, but usually you can find an errant shot in that direction. The most important key is to hit it straight! Use a 7 iron if that's what it takes; after all it's only about 350 yds total.

For the high handicapper, play conservative and get your first shot on the fairway. Next, hit an iron to somewhere near the green. Third shot gets you on and then pray for a 1-putt (odd words coming from 3-putt). If you're in the fairway on your 1st shot, getting on in two is entirely possible.

Personally, I hate this hole.

This hole is fun and forgiving. Hit your drive moderately long and straight and you risk getting in a sand trap that traverses the fariway. So hit it a bit easy and come up short of the sand. From there it's an easy pitch to the green, unless of course it's the right green which is guarded by numerous sandtraps. Going way right is OB, so don't do that. Playing to the left is actually not too bad. The angle to the green is better, and it takes most of the sand out of play (something we all like to do).

I like this hole. Why else would it have such a high handicap.

Do this right and it's a lot of fun. Hit a bad shot and this is not a fun hole at all. Play the ball left because the sloping terrain will feed the ball onto the green. Hit it right and you may be OB, or will find a not-so-great 2nd shot.

Putts on these two greens feed toward the highway, even though it doesn't look like it. If this ever gets you a birdie, you shall owe me big time.

I will never condon playing in the opposite direction from a parallel fairway, but if you're going to do it, this is not a bad time to try. The ideal drive is down the left side of the fairway (over the cart path). While it's possible to reach the green in two, think about hitting two controlled shots to get there in three...and then 2-putt (again, not in keeping with my name-sake).

It's an easy par 5 with no major hazards. Aaahhh, the kind of thing I dream about. But then again, the kind of hole I double bogey with some regularity. Life is unfair!

Have you lived an evil life...even a little? Well, here's your payback! This miserable hole can be par'd, but only with a bit of energy and luck. Hit it right and you risk going OB. Hit it left and you will likely be hitting from a lateral slope. A 250yd drive, straight, will get you under a strategically misplaced tree (meaning, it's always in the way of excellence). A good drive leaves you about 220 yds out, so hit away and hope for accuracy. On your second shot, to the right is the driving range, so beware. Getting on in three is normal, but 1-putting seems awlfully hard.

Not a bad hole, but getting par is a challenge. It's better to concentrate on ordering a hotdog and beer at the snackbar once the hole is completed. Forget your handicap-building score on this hole and normalize your life a bit. That brings us to the back side, which I think is a bit easier than the front.

Aaaah, a new start on a new set of 9 holes. This easy par 4 can be a devil in disquise. For example, hit left (short) and you are either in the woods or on a steep lateral slope. Hit left (long) and you might be in a clear area, but without a clear shot to the green, or possibly in the jungle.

To the right the hole plays longer, but it is relatively safe, with the excption of a fairway sandtrap along the right edge about 200 yds out. You should be able to get on in two, but if not it's a short chip to arrive in 3. Putting is straight-forward, so at least sink a bogey putt.

This is not a hard hole at all. The trick is to get on the green with your first shot, otherwise you might find yourself tangling with a greenside bunker. Still, an easy hole.

...except for me most of the time.

Here's another "stick-in-the-eye" holes. It's long, a bit uphill, and narrow right where it hurts.

Hit your drive too far left and you're behind a large hill (with thousand foot high trees on top). It might cost you another shot just to get back onto the fairway where you can see the green for your next shot. Too far right off the tee and you're, in order, OB, in the sand, or down a very steep incline. Unless you hit your driver straight, I'd suggest hitting a 3-wood or iron off the tee just to keep yourself in play. Second shot for me is usually a fariway wood, but even that usually only gets me close. Two 7 irons might be more conservative, and more effective.

Think about getting on in three and two putting....I know that's playing for a bogey, but I've seen far worse many times on this one.

Aaaah....back to some fun holes. This not-so-long par 5 has a narrow landing area for the drive, but there's a hill along the left side that usually catches any errant shots in that direction, and then feeds them back onto the fairway. But if you hit right, you will likely find yourself on a descending slope under trees. If you really slice one good, you may get to the opposite fairway. From there it's a lofted iron back onto the correct fairway, or if you're alone on the course, play down the parallel fairway for a shot or two, then come back.

There seem to be lots of sand traps around these greens, so stay out of them.

Hit a driver or 3 wood off the tee. Then it's a long fairway wood to within striking distance (and usually before any sand), then a pitching wedge to get on. Easy...or at least fun.

Don't let the fun of the last par 5 confuse you on this one. If you don't hit your drive onto the realtively wide fairway, you'll be in serious touble. To the left is OB into the jungle, and if you just get close to being OB there's a sand trap that sucks in passing balls. To the right is a wooded ridge that drops off down to the last fairway. It's almost impossible to play from this area, so a drop or provisional is the best option.

Keep the second shot t the right. There's a parallel slope along the right side to keep you in play. The left side slopes off to a large drainage ditch and is shaded by large trees. Anyway, the third shot should be some kind of a pitch to the green.

Note: if you're playing to the left green, beware getting long or left as the terrain drops off quickly. Better to play to the right of that green.

This is a slightly long par 3 that looks easy, but has stolen more of my balls than I care to remember. It's wide open in the middle, but has trees on either side. Find a way to stay in the middle on this hole and you should be on with your first or second shot. Get on the slope to the right and it could be awhile before your arrival. The only big hazard to the left is the possibility of losing your ball.

So don't do that and you'll be realitively okay.

FUN hole! Why not crank it up a notch just once during your round? Here is the hole. If you kill it to the left you might find a small aquatic pond, and if you hit it due right off the tee you could hit trees, but neither are likely.

My recommendation, after hitting the cover off the ball, is to hit something that will get you in the fairway. Then hit a wedge to the green and two putt. Pretty easy hole.

This is a straight shot to the greens, a bit uphill, but nothing too difficult. Duck hook off the tee and there is a miniscule amount of water to the left. Not other hazards besides a sand trap on the left side. Hit a wedge, or other iron, to the green on your second shot and life is good.

This is another relatively easy hole. But wait, just when things are getting easy, number 18 shows up....

This is a crazy hole that should be...should be...well....changed somehow. Off the tee to the left is OB; hit it straight on the left side and there's a huge sand trap; hit it safely on the right side and the hole suddenly becomes three times longer. Best shot: aim for the sand trap and miss it ever-so-slightly to the right. Alternatively, hit a solid drive over the sand and into the fairway. Second shot will be a long uphill challenge, with some green-side bunkers to worry about. The left green is relatively easy to putt, but the right one is plagued with magnetic forces that pull golf balls away for a good line toward the hole.

Best advice: see a witch doctor and get a special potion for playing this hole...and...cross your fingers before hitting.

Aaaah...the clubhouse...cold beer...and possibly the makings of another 18 holes.