Nasu

Situated close to Mount Nasu, in the northeast section of the Nikko National Park, the 18-hole layout at Nasu Golf Club is a heavily forested mountain course that stretches to 6,615 yards from the back tees. It’s a Kinya Fujita and Seiichi Inoue co-design that dates back to 1936, with holes draped across a dramatically undulating landscape. The course closed during World War II and only re-opened in 1949.

Not to be confused with Nasu Country Club which lies 25 kilometres to the southeast, Nasu Golf Club lies in the hilly terrain to the north of Nasushiobara, where “the undulations of nature and the wind peculiar to the plateau play a role more than a hazard,” according to the club’s website.

“Therefore, there are very few artificial hazards, with 18 holes, 18 bunkers and only one pond. The skill of Seiichi Inoue, a master of course design, is utilized and misunderstandings of distance and inclination often occur. It is better to think that you can take a flat stance only on the tee ground, and unlike golf on flat ground, advanced technology is required.”