October 10, 2026. The first day of a three-day holiday weekend in Japan.
I headed to Olympic Country Club for another round of golf.
The last time I played here, it was pouring rain.
Unfortunately, the weather was so bad that I hardly had a chance to enjoy the scenery.
But this time, the weather was absolutely beautiful!
Clear blue skies and sunshine made it a wonderful day for golf.
Golf is always more enjoyable when the weather is this good!
- Early Autumn Colors: Only About 10% of the Trees Had Changed
- Playing the Rindo and Fujizakura Courses
- 1. Bunkers: Not Too Many, and in Good Condition
- 2. Thick Rough Even in October! My Friend Lost Two Balls
- 3. Watch Out for the Large Pond on Fujizakura’s Final Hole
- 4. Beautifully Maintained Greens, but Quite Fast!
- A Ball Marker to Remember This Round
- From Heavy Rain to Sunshine: A Wonderful Autumn Round!
Early Autumn Colors: Only About 10% of the Trees Had Changed
Although it was already October, most of the trees on the course were still green.
I would say only about 10% of the trees had started changing color.
But that was part of the charm.
Here and there, touches of red and yellow were beginning to appear among the lush green trees.
Looking at the scenery, I could really feel that autumn was slowly arriving.
Of course, fully colored autumn leaves are beautiful too.
But there is something special about this early stage of autumn, when green still dominates the landscape.
With such wonderful weather, it was a truly pleasant round.
Playing the Rindo and Fujizakura Courses
This time, we played Rindo Course first, followed by Fujizakura Course.
In my previous article, I focused mainly on the rainy weather and didn’t describe the course in much detail.
So this time, I’d like to share four things I noticed while playing.
1. Bunkers: Not Too Many, and in Good Condition
I wouldn’t say that Olympic Country Club has an unusually large number of bunkers.
What impressed me was their condition.
The bunkers had a good amount of sand and were well maintained.
At some golf courses, the sand can be thin or the bunkers can become quite hard.
But here, the bunkers were in good shape and comfortable to play from.
Good course maintenance really makes a difference to the overall golfing experience.
2. Thick Rough Even in October! My Friend Lost Two Balls
One thing that surprised me was the rough.
Even in October, the rough was still quite thick!
If your ball landed just outside the fairway, finding it could be a real challenge.
In fact, one of my friends lost a ball in the rough on each of the first two holes.
He knew roughly where his shots had landed, but the balls were nowhere to be found.
And it happened two holes in a row!
He looked really frustrated.
3. Watch Out for the Large Pond on Fujizakura’s Final Hole
Overall, I didn’t feel that there were too many water hazards on the course.
However, the final hole of the Fujizakura Course has a large pond along the right side.
It’s always nice to finish a round on a good note.
So this is definitely a hole where you’ll want to be careful about hitting your ball to the right.
4. Beautifully Maintained Greens, but Quite Fast!
One of the highlights of this round was the condition of the greens.
They were beautifully maintained and a pleasure to putt on!
There’s something very satisfying about putting on a smooth, well-kept green.
However, the greens were also quite fast.
One important thing to remember is to avoid leaving your ball above the hole.
A downhill putt can make distance control much more difficult.
Whenever possible, I’d rather approach the pin from below the hole.
These greens reminded me just how enjoyable and challenging putting can be.
A Ball Marker to Remember This Round
I also wanted to keep a photo of the ball marker as a memory of this visit.
Collecting these little reminders is a nice way to remember the golf courses I’ve played.
Looking back at them later often brings back memories of the weather, the course, and the scenery.
From Heavy Rain to Sunshine: A Wonderful Autumn Round!
Last time, heavy rain. This time, beautiful sunshine.
It’s amazing how different the same golf course can feel depending on the weather.
This time, I really enjoyed playing while looking at the trees slowly beginning to change color.
The bunkers and greens were in excellent condition, and I was very happy with the overall course maintenance.
Of course, there were a few challenges, including the thick October rough and the large pond on Fujizakura’s final hole.
But what I’ll remember most is the beautiful scenery.
Only about 10% autumn colors, but that made the landscape even more special.
A sunny round of golf at the beginning of autumn is hard to beat!
