Japan Golf Guide: Phoenix Seagaia

The Sheraton Grande Hotel

Food:
Variety is the spice at Phoenix Seagaia - choose from Italian, Chinese, three Japanese eateries serving sushi, tempura and teppanyaki, a bakery, and several bars with music from jazz to karaoke and a sophisticated cocktail bar.

Rooms:
Surrounded by black pine forests and overlooking the Pacific coast, the 45-story 500ft tall Sheraton Grande skyscraper complex has 744 spacious rooms, including with five star luxury all-mod-cons singles, twins, triples and suites, set in 700 hectares of land. Its prism design magically offers all rooms a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean and the Miyazaki mountains. The exclusive Grande Floor and Luxury Grande Floor has been designed as a 'hotel within a hotel'. For a slightly lesser price tag, stay in one of the 290 western or Japanese style rooms of the Sheraton Phoenix Golf Resort itself.

Facilities:
If you like your attractions big and cosmetic, there's so much to do in Phoenix Seagaia. A fitness centre includes a pool, gym, Jacuzzi, Banyan Tree spa; shops selling golf equipment, clothes, and crafts; plus a bowling alley, tennis club and Hitotsuba beach will keep you amused.

Activities

Ocean Dome

What could be more enthralling than a trip to the world's biggest indoor water park? Listed for its enormity in The Guinness Book of Records, Ocean Dome measures 1000ft by 350ft, with a tropically warming 86 Fahrenheit temperature year-round. On the pure white sand beach, enjoy an eternal summer in this indoor paradise, which could remind you of being trapped inside 'The Truman Show'. Try surfing or 'body-boarding' on the artificial waves, with no fear of great whites or stinging jellyfish! There are many pools to choose between: the floating pool, a 100 Fahrenheit heated pool, children's pool, and fast and thrilling steep water flumes like Powerful Water Slider with speeds of up to 25 miles per hour, or plummet through mist and rain on Dragon Slider. Safety, fun, and comfort with beachwear, a 3D motion theatre, and local cuisine inside the center make this an ideal day to spend with the family. Bring flip-flops or sandals as outdoor shoes are not allowed on the beach area.

Spas & baths

Located on the 39th floor of the Sheraton Grande, check out Japan's only Banyan Tree Spa - offering facials, body wraps, body scrubs, and a variety of massages. Banyan Tree Spa's re-create a tropical garden spa which incorporates oriental medicine to provide holistic, natural therapies that restore the harmony of body, mind, and soul. Treatments cost from 8000 yen ($70) to 29,000 yen ($260).

For more ancient healing, try the traditional Shosenkyu Onsen next to the Ocean Dome, with six private baths and two communal offering tranquility and relaxation amongst the whispering pine trees. It is open 6am until midnight daily, with priority given to guests at the Sheraton Grande. Make a reservation for a private bath.

Background to the course: Phoenix Country Club

Architect:
Goukichi Ohashi, constructed in 1971

Type:
Parkland course on the ocean

Landscape:
An evergreen course expertly blended into a 200-year-old black pine forests, where sounds of waves breaking on the nearby beach accompany your game.

Course facts:
- Rated in the top 100 courses in the world and within the top three in Japan.
- Phoenix Country Club has been host to the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament since 1974.
- It has the legacy of being the only course in Japan that Tiger Woods has played twice. See photos and signed caddie bags of its visiting stars Woods and Sergio Garcia in the foyer of the elegant clubhouse, which is adorned with Miyazaki's famous Obi Japanese cedar.

Playing the course

The 9-hole Sumiyoshi played with either the Takachiho or the Nichinan course make up the 18 holes of the championship course. Its location next to the turbulent sea, combined with strong coastal winds and thick low pine forest cover, means judging the effect of the wind can be deceptive. Once you hit your ball above the level of the treetops it is very difficult to control its distance or direction if the wind catches it. Buggies are not allowed on these courses, but it is flat and not particularly strenuous to play, unless the temperatures soar, so avoid the heat of summer.

Course views (click for enlargement)

Score card

Address:
3083 Hamayama, Oaza Shioji, Miyazaki-shi, Miyazaki 880-0122, Japan

Website:
www.seagaia.co.jp

Phone number:
+81 985 39 1301, fax: +81 985 38 1188

Courses and lengths:
Three nine hole courses: Sumiyoshi (3,422 yards), Takachiho (3,568 yards), and Nichinan (3,386 yards). Also within the Phoenix resort is the tropically challenging Tom Watson Course.

Dress code:
A smart jacket required in the clubhouse

Tee times:
8am until dusk

Handicap:
No certificate required

Green fees:
Course visitors: weekday 31,465 yen ($300), weekends 38,290 yen ($370). Hotel guests: Weekday 26,845 ($260), weekend 33,145 ($320).

Packages:
ANA, JAL, JTB, KNT, and other travel agencies' holiday packages include golf and the hotel.

Other costs:
Caddies fee 3,700 yen ($36). There are no buggies.

Facilities:
A stylish and relaxing clubhouse and restaurant, pro shop, and David Duval's Academy with coaching facilities and a driving range.

Location:
A 90 minute flight from Tokyo's domestic airport Haneda (HND), or a 20 mins drive from local Miyazaki Airport (KHI)

More information

Adventure Golf: Japan