With his unorthodox putting style, Isao Aoki has become a resounding name in the Asian golf circuit.

At Eagle Ridge, he has taken advantage of the distinct topography to create a superb championship course where many levels of difficulty present a challenge to players time and again.

The Aoki Course was deliberately designed for the weekend golfer with its wide open fairways and negligible rough. The course is not that heavily contoured or bunkered but some of the greens could display a problem if you end up on the wrong side of the pin placement.

In deference to its designer, the clubhouse has sushi bar and fishponds. Even the lockers allow for a Japanese style bath and sauna.

Hole No. 1
Par 4 Hcp 17
452   436   415   379

Hit a long smooth drive off the tee, avoid the fairway bunker and your round will be off to a good start. The hole is not as short as it looks from the tee. The shape of the green and the placement of the two bunkers protecting it calls for shaping your approach, depending on the pin positioning.

Hole No. 2
Par 4 Hcp 3
448   414   387   344

This long hole is protected by a hazard running along the right and crossing the fairway just under 100 yards out. Compounding the difficulty is a small green with some interesting movement, some of it counter to the main slope trend..

Hole No. 3
Par 5 Hcp 11
⚑ 566   ⚑ 525   ⚑ 500   ⚑ 436

Here is a chance for the big guns to show off. The green on this downhill par-5 is reachable under favorable conditions. Of course, the first bunker guards the landing area. The second shot must flirt with the bunkers on the left. Shots landing beyond the last of them have a good chance of running onto an interesting green protected by mounds left and sand right.

Hole No. 4
Par 3 Hcp 15
157   137   114   91

Here is proof that short holes can have real teeth. The small tri-corner green has several rolls that serve to help the bunkers protect the green from easy pars. The green is very exposed to the elements, making club selection tricky.

Hole No. 5
Par 4 Hcp 13
⚑ 285   ⚑ 262   ⚑ 233   ⚑ 190

Count the defenses against scoring on this great short hole: 12 bunkers, a hazard of primeval proportions, wind blowing every which way, a mounded and sloping green and the pounding of your heart. Obviously, driving the green is a real possibility but be prepared to pay the price for extra testosterone. Over several rounds, a drive and a pitch may well yield the best average score.

Hole No. 6
Par 5 Hcp 5
⚑ 523   ⚑ 499   ⚑ 399   ⚑ 370

If you are willing to risk sand or the hazard on the left, you can shorten the dogleg by almost 50 yards on this medium length par five. A safer line keeps to the right but almost eliminates any attempt to reach the green in two. There is a swale on the right that will deflect approaches that are short and right. The green is quite long and the hole generally plays slightly uphill.

Hole No. 7
Par 3 Hcp 9
⚑ 212   ⚑ 190   ⚑ 163   ⚑ 132

Crosswinds can play havoc with your clubbing and the ravine can play with your mind on this medium-long par 3. Adding to your woes is a green with several distinct pin placements that are jealously guarded by mounds. The swale in front of the right bunker is not a happy place from which to be chipping.

Hole No. 8
Par 4 Hcp 1
⚑ 427   ⚑ 395   ⚑ 359   ⚑ 318

Thread your way between the two tall trees in the middle of the fairway to the perfect landing area and you will have only a mid-iron in. A small green with some slope, an imposing ravine on the left and a fairway that narrows the farther you get from the tee are this hole’s main defenses.

Hole No. 9
Par 4 Hcp 7
⚑ 327   ⚑ 304   ⚑ 281   ⚑ 249

The wide fairway is really an illusion on this clever hole. The fairway is in effect cut in half, since in order to attack the very long green, you must keep left to minimize the tree on the right. That creates a dilemma, since the hazard narrows the available landing area. Long hitters can easily run out of grass, so a strategic fairway wood or long iron might be a wise choice. Once safe, the real fun begins on a very deep and narrow roller coaster green.

Hole No. 10
Par 4 Hcp 16
⚑ 425   ⚑ 403   ⚑ 381   ⚑ 349

Thread your way between the two tall trees in the middle of the fairway to the perfect landing area and you will have only a mid-iron in. A small green with some slope, an imposing ravine on the left and a fairway that narrows the farther you get from the tee are this hole’s main defenses.

Hole No. 11
Par 5 Hcp 8
⚑ 602   ⚑ 572   ⚑ 542   ⚑ 483

The second bunker does not come into play on this par-5, serving more as an optical illusion and aiming point than hazard. But the pond further along is real and wet. It begins to come into play just where the fairway starts to narrow. The green is appropriately small, just 30 yards deep with a single bunker and falling off to the rear.

Hole No. 12
Par 4 Hcp 14
⚑ 363   ⚑ 339   ⚑ 308   ⚑ 253

Short holes often present the most interesting challenges. For most players driving the green is not one of the options at the 12th, but the various layup possibilities each offer different rewards. The farther away and left you land off the tee, the better the angle into the green. The closer to the end of the fairway, the narrower the green, but shorter the approach. Take your choice.

Hole No. 13
Par 4 Hcp 2
⚑ 431   ⚑ 412   ⚑ 360   ⚑ 319

The tee shot on this narrow driving hole will dictate all that follows. Laying up before the bunker calls for a long second to a very narrow green or another layup to avoid disaster on the right. Any attempt to find a shorter second shot means challenging the hazard on the right. Note the deep green.

Hole No. 14
Par 4 Hcp 10
⚑ 425   ⚑ 385   ⚑ 355   ⚑ 300

Another gem of a short hole, try to stay on the plateau between the bunker left and the 100 yard sprinkler or be faced with a delicate lob into a small green with a lot of movement. The green is tilted back to front and will accept a lower than normal shot, which may be wise – an aggressively hit short iron could back up and spin off the green.

Hole No. 15
Par 3 Hcp 12
⚑ 216   ⚑ 193   ⚑ 168   ⚑ 119

This long par-3 plays longer due to the prevailing wind and a green set on a hillock about 20 feet above the tees. You will be asked to hit a variety for his shots on this hole, depending on pin position and the disposition of elements.

Hole No. 16
Par 5 Hcp 6
⚑ 527   ⚑ 443   ⚑ 375   ⚑ 338

Add a tiny green with lots of slopes, a hazard crossing the fairway at driving distance and an iron for the second shot and you have a tantalizingly short par-5 that is rich with risk and reward.
Precision rather than brute strength will win the day there. Hit a long iron or fairway wood off the tee or fairway wood off the tee to avoid the hazard and you will have a long iron uphill to the very shallow green.

Hole No. 17
Par 3 Hcp 18
⚑ 144   ⚑ 122   ⚑ 101   ⚑ 84

Again the short hole triumphs with a challenge to shotmaking and precise clubbing. Once, on the green, a birdie is less likely than a 3-putt. Make sure you examine the line as you walk to the green and look at the hillocks surrounding the green and affecting the roll.

Hole No. 18
Par 4 Hcp 4
⚑ 460   ⚑ 435   ⚑ 410   ⚑ 381

The tee shot on this narrow driving hole will dictate all that follows. Laying up before the bunker calls for a long second to a very narrow green or another layup to avoid disaster on the right. Any attempt to find a shorter second shot means challenging the hazard on the right. Note the deep green.