About the course- Yomiuri Country Club

The iconic Yomiuri Country Club in Nishinomiya, Hyogo, finally made a welcome return to the JGTO schedule following a 12-year hiatus when the Kansai Open Golf Championship got underway this morning.

The two trios comprising Koki Ikemura, Wataru Ishikawa and Genki Okada (first tee), and Kosuke Sunagawa, Gen Nagai and Masamichi Uehira (10th tee) had the honour of being the first group of players in the 7 am flights to officiate the first JGTO event being played at this venue.

It last staged the Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open Yomiuri Classic in 2010.

Although Yomiuri Country Club was opened in 1961, this marked only the first time it is staging

the Kansai Open, famed for being the oldest professional tournament in Japan.

However, Yomiuri Country Club had featured prominently in the JGTO calendar previously as the venue for Golf Nippon Series, one of the country's biggest events from its inaugural edition in 1963 until 1994 (except for the 1991 and 1993 editions).

This tournament saw some of the JGTO legends being crowned winners here, including Masashi 'Jumbo' Ozaki, current JGTO chairman Isao Aoki, Naomichi Ozaki, 

Tsuneyuki Nakajima and Teruo Sugihara.

Apart from being the battleground for the tickets to The Open through the Mizuno Open from 2007-2010, Yomiuri Country Club had also staged the Mandom Lucido Yomiuri Open in two separate spells from 1979-1995 and 1997-2006.

The venue has staged a total of 63 events to date.

Designed by renowned architect Seiichi Inoue, Yomiuri Country Club consists of two courses - with the main one being catered only for members, and the other Yomiuri West Course, which is opened to the public.

The main course underwent a revamp in 2008 and was turned into a 7,236-yard course.

The greens are undulated, while the bunkers are placed in a more strategic position. The ups and downs are tight, but it still makes a magnificent course. 

To succeed on this course, players need to read the distance and wind direction well.