It’s almost 100 years since a group of British expatriates established Japan’s first golf club in Kobe. Today, the country is home to almost 2,500 golf clubs and countless driving ranges, suiting players of all types. Whether you’re a committed golf traveller, an amateur who enjoys getting out on the course once in a while, or a complete beginner, Japan has something for you.
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Golf with Mount Fuji views at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba
Golfing with a backdrop of Mount Fuji might distract you from your form, but a round or two at Taiheiyou Club Gotemba is a real “only in Japan” experience, and you’ll soon learn why this is one of the country’s most loved courses.
With well-tended greens surrounded by pine trees, ponds and dramatic views, this is the flagship course of Taiheiyou Club, operators of 18 golf courses across Japan. Originally laid out by Japanese architect Shunsuke Kato in 1976, the course was completely remodelled in 2018 by American golf course architects Rees Jones and Bryce Swanson in consultation with pro-golfer Hideki Matsuyama, the first Japanese player to win the Masters in 2021. Tees were rebuilt to increase length and improve angles, fairways changed, and bunkers redesigned to suit evolutions in today’s modern game.
Gotemba plays host to a number of major Japanese tournaments, including the Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheyou Masters and the World Gold Championships EMC World Cup, so play here and you’ll be playing a course that has seen much excitement over the years.
Practice makes perfect
For those who want to get a bit of practice in before hitting the course, Jinji Golf International Community in Tokyo is a great place for beginners to learn top techniques from certified golf trainers in both indoor and outdoor ranges around the capital. And with lessons provided in English, there’s no need to worry about language barriers.
Conveniently located in the Hilton Hotel in Tokyo’s Nishi Shinjuku neighbourhood, beginners can start their practice at the indoor hitting range, enjoying controlled conditions without fear of the cold or bad weather. And it’s also a great family activity, with a private and group lessons available for children, as well.
Once you’ve mastered the basics, Jinji Golf also offers excursions to golf courses that are easily reached from Tokyo so you can put your new-found techniques into practice on a real green.
The Phoenix rises – golf and much more in Miyazaki Prefecture
One of the top 100 courses in world, one of the top 3 courses in Japan, and the site of the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament since 1974, the Phoenix Country Club is located within the Phoenix Seagaia Resort, on the Hitotsuba Pacific Coast. Lined by pine groves and lusciously designed, the beauty of this course is matched only by its excitement.
TOM WATSON Golf Course is the 18-hole golf course designed by PGA golfer Tom Watson, perhaps less famous than the legendary Phoenix, but equally exciting and challenging. With a narrow fairway and subtly-placed bunkers, this course requires some skill.
But it’s not only about golf at Seagaia. With a wide variety of restaurants on site, ranging from the famous Miyazaki beef to sushi, Japanese hotpot, or burgers at the Californian-beach style burger house and much more, golfers and non-golfers alike will have plenty to keep them happy. And with a Banyan Tree Spa and Shosenkyu Hot Spring onsite, muscles tired from all the efforts made on the course can be soothed in calm surroundings, setting you up for another successful day on the green.
Nostalgia on the greens at the historical Kawana Hotel
One of the most historical golf destinations in Japan, the Kawana Hotel in Shizuoka Prefecture first opened in 1936, catering for the early generation of golfers who were establishing the sport in the country. With easy access to two courses – Fuji and Oshima – it’s still an extremely popular spot today, offering spectacular views of the Sagaminada area and palm-filled landscaped gardens which are best enjoyed from the observation deck on the hotel’s fifth floor.
It’s also a great place to feel a sense of nostalgia and appreciate the architecture that has survived the ages. Many celebrities and politicians have stayed at the hotel throughout the years, but perhaps its most famous residents were Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio, who stayed there on their honeymoon.
One of the joys of golfing in Japan is the ability to sink into the soothing waters of an onsen hot spring. The Kawana’s onsite Brisa Marina offers both indoor and outdoor baths, blessed with calming sea breezes and beautiful views of the bay and distant islands. The water is famed for its calcium, sodium, sulphate and chloride content, known for their healing effects on neuralgia, muscle pain, arthralgia and fatigue, making them the perfect waters for post-golf recovery, or for relaxation at any time.
Soaking in an onsen usually helps work up an appetite, and the hotel’s restaurants are a highlight of any stay here, but for a really special dinner head out into the grounds in search of Inakaya, a 300-year-old traditional Japanese thatched house hidden among pine trees. A beautiful piece of history where you’re guaranteed an equally beautiful evening.
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