GOLF: North Hampton GC
Written on August 21st , 2024 by Eliot Cochrane
AKITA: North Hampton Golf Club
秋田県 - ノースハンプトンゴルフ倶楽部
Community Building in the Mountains
Just outside of Akita City are a plethora of golf courses that were built during the golf bubble in the 70’s and 80’s. The North Hampton Golf Club (GC) is another of those that was much more grandiose in previous years. Yes, unlike some of the other courses that have been closed or scaled down, North Hampton GC largely remains as it was when it was built because, unlike the other courses, this was built in 1991.
Built in 1991, the golf course was built with the core idea of…
Clubhouse
The idea of a golf life at North Hampton begins and finishes at the clubhouse. The clubhouse has a classic composed nature when pulling in front. A long road wraps around the parking area to the clubhouse in the middle of the woods. With many places, the maintenance around the clubhouse is getting out of hand at the entrance. Although, not that bad.
Photo: Bag dropoff and entrance to North Hampton Golf Club.
Inside is where the North Hampton GC clubhouse shines. The floors, carpets, and marble surfaces are clean and soft. The bathrooms are just as clean. But more than anything, the staff and members are quite friendly. Not only were they interested in my foreign roots, but were also up for basic chats about the local news and even about themselves.
Photo: Large area on the first floor of the clubhouse at North Hampton GC.
It was a weekday, so there were only 7 groups for the day. Yet all the groups properly greeted each other and the members of my group as well. A few people were new to the course and both the staff and members alike were more than willing to talk about the course. As it was a weekday, most of the others on the course were those over 50 years old. Maybe that’s why they were so kind, but I’d like to imagine that it’s like there day in and day out.
Pre-Round
Practice Greens / Bunker
Coming out from the clubhouse to the main area is like stepping onto a terrace. There is a walled area with a path left and right for the in and out course, and within the wall itself there are steps leading down to the practice area with a single large practice green, a chipping area, and a large bunker in front of the chipping green.
Photo: Flowers overlooking the practice greens at North Hampton GC.
The putting green has three stairwells from the main clubhouse terrace. On the westerly end of the practice green, there is a two-tier level design that
Photo: Practice bunker at North Hampton GC.
Often the practice bunkers get the leftover sand at the bottom but not at North Hampton GC. Here the practice bunkers were nearly identical to the bunkers on the regular course. Not only was the sand within the bunkers identical, but the usage of the bunkers around the greens was identical as well. Many times the bunkers sit down low next to a raised green on the course and this provides the best practice for what is coming ahead.
Driving Range
The driving range is tucked off to the side but relatively close to the clubhouse for easy access both pre- and post-round. There are 10 mats available for practice. The machine that dispenses the balls was covered in spider webs, so it clearly isn’t actively used every day. However, the mats are relatively clean, and the rubber tees are covered with small bowls to prevent UV damage.
Photo: Driving range at North Hampton GC.
The Course
Photo: Layout of the course at North Hampton GC. Source: North Hampton GC
Course Statistics |
Tee Grounds
North Hampton has their tee grounds in great condition. There were no waves or bumps on the tee grounds and the grounds were completely level. From time to time the tee markers were in deceptive directions, but that is up to the course maintenance staff.
All tee grounds have divot repair material for those who may prefer a driving iron on some par 4s and also for those who may have difficulty with low point consistency. The tee markers are also in good condition and not chipping paint or damaged in any way.
Fairways
Largely, the fairways at North Hampton are in great condition and wind through the terrain. On the elevated holes, the fairways are largely in great condition as the watershed was maintained. The fairways were for the most part in nice condition.
Photo: Picturesque par 5 at North Hampton GC.
Areas that weren’t well maintained were clearly in areas that had poor water management. Japan often gets a lot of rain during their rainy season and many times the grounds crew can’t cut the grass. There were a few holes that were at lower elevations where the fairways had not been cut yet the rough had been cut. So it was almost a reverse fairway.
Rough
The rough is quite a bit more penalizing than most Japanese courses. It’s very common for many Japanese courses to have shorter rough that are stiff enough to slightly lift the ball. This leaves a flyer situation for amateur golfers where they can not be penalized by the rough very much if such players have slower swing speeds. North Hampton has their grass a little longer than usual and any ball that enters the rough will be slightly obscured and sure to grab the club head when making a swing in the rough.
Photo: Dogleg left par 4 at North Hampton.
While longer rough is completely fine. The length of the rough was not consistent. This was mostly down to the water management and watershed runoff leaving some areas unable to be cut by the grounds crew. These areas were almost always on the lower elevation holes and were extremely frustrating for higher handicapped playing partners.
Bunkers
Surrounding the greens, the bunkers were very nicely prepared by the ground crew. The greenside bunkers’ sand and usage were mimicked very well by the practice greenside bunker. Much of the flowing feel and raised green shape was consistent throughout the course. The consistency of the depth of the sand to the underlying harder material was quite deep and could prove difficult for amateurs not comfortable with bunkers at the club could dig and feel stuck.
Photo: Practice greenside bunker at North Hampton GC.
At North Hampton GC, there were also quite a bit of fairway bunkers which was a refreshing strategic surprise! While their size may not have been intimidating, their placement was. Sometimes being a large menace on one side of the fairway put fear into a slicer’s mind. Other times they were right at the textbook “Best Position” for a slight dogleg par 5. And other times they were just the right distance for long hitters to have their balls carry directly into the bunker, or for slower swing speeds to have their balls roll in. This made many of the tee shot planning exciting and interesting for both high-swing speed and low-swing speed players.
Greens
Unfortunately, this was the biggest letdown of the day. The greens were spotted with dead or dying spots and the edges of the greens were sometimes in worse condition. This is not a problem exclusive to North Hampton GC, though. Reading the reviews of many higher-end golf clubs and facilities, the greens are spotted with dead spots regardless.
Photo: Overlooking the green on Hole 2 at Kitakami Shimin.
This began close to 5 years ago and has been rapidly becoming a bigger problem. This is down to the climate change that is providing record-setting temperatures and heavier rainfall. With the pooling water, record temperatures, and magnifying sun, this essentially cooks the grass in the very water that it needs. This leads to dead areas on nearly every green except the practice greens and the greens near the clubhouse.
Marking
The distance marking is like many other clubs, one band for 100 yards and each additional band is 50 yards to the center of the green. The colored stakes were also very easy to spot in case a player was unfamiliar with the terrain for out-of-bounds or unplayable areas.
But it’s not all perfect…
Photo: Typical best position flag for dogleg par 5 at North Hampton GC.
Best Position Flag
Many other courses have this clearly marked with a shorter red flag that is also indicated on most maps. North Hampton uses the same pins used for their greens. It was confusing on some blind par 4s where it was not clear whether the group in front was in the fairway or on the green due to the distance perspective.
Front Tee Grounds
Many times, the front tees are an afterthought when designing golf courses. Unfortunately, this is even more so at North Hampton as the tees are not marked on the small map provided in the cart, nor are many of the visible from further back tees as they may be obscured by terrain.
Lunch Break
The lunch was served in a side room with an outdoor extension which would be great for events or parties. Both the staff and preparations were professional and with not very many players on the course that day, the food was served extremely quickly.
Photo: View from the second-story dining area at North Hampton GC.
The second story provided some great views of a difficult No. 18 leading back to the clubhouse. Of course, a great position for groups and competitions to heckle each other.
Post-Round
Following the round, the onsen is a great place to wind down the round. Built towards the rear of the locker room, the tile floors provide a nice relaxing atmosphere to clean up and change into different clothes. Both face towels and drying towels are provided along with the necessary toiletries.
Photo: Onsen area within the locker rooms at North Hampton GC.
Many times these higher-end clubs will be a bit more traditional than most clubs by requiring a certain level of clothing. Be prepared to not just wear running shorts, a t-shirt, and flip-flops. Prepare some respectable clothing like a collared shirt, clean shoes (trainers are OK), and shorts or slacks.
Overall Experience
North Hampton GC is a step aside from many other golf areas that focus on the sporting aspect or the competitive area. North Hampton GC focuses on camaraderie and building relationships. The members and staff provide a welcoming atmosphere that elevates the enjoyment.
Positives
- Friendly atmosphere
- Great short-game practice area
- Well-maintained carts
- Varied strategies
- Interesting layouts and views
Negatives
- Dead areas on greens
- Misleading best position flags
- Front tee box placements unclear
- Poor watershed management at lower elevations
A very positive experience for beginners to experts that will remain in memory for years. Within the same area, there are many courses yet North Hampton GC stands apart from them by providing a different experience based on friendliness and creating a welcoming and warm atmosphere.
Photo: Scorecard from North Hampton GC.
My Score
| Par 36</center> | ||||||
