Ibaraki Country Club

The Doctor's Appointment In Japan

Jones is eliminating one set of greens, rebuilding tees and bunkers, and regrassing the surviving greens.

Rees Jones, the "Open Doctor," is heading East, to oversee an overhaul of the West course at Ibaraki Country Club in suburban Osaka.

Like many Japanese courses, Ibaraki's 7,056-yard West course has two greens on each hole, one for summer play and one for winter play. Jones will eliminate one set of greens, rebuild the layout's tees and bunkers, and regrass the surviving greens. The work, scheduled to begin in early 2011, will be overseen by Bryce Swanson, one of the associates in Jones' Montclair, New Jersey-based firm.

Jones says that the West track was designed by Seichi Inouye and opened in 1960.

Also this year, probably in the fall, Jones expects to open the first 18 at Yunling Mountain Golf Club in suburban Kunming, China. Yunling's unnamed developers plan to add a third nine in the future.