Nihonkai (West & Middle)

Set within a coastal pine forest, the West and Middle nines at the Nihonkai Country Club form the 18-hole combination of first choice at an excellent 27-hole golf facility which is located near the city of Niigata.

The course appeared in The Rolex World’s Top 1000 Golf Courses with the following edited narrative extract:

“Nihonkai Golf Club dates from 1973 and is the work of respected Japanes architect Sho Okubo. The original nine holes, made up of the West and Middle nines. Measured just over 7,000 yards. The arrival of a third nine holes, the East, some years later created a supplementary but different layout. This is a beautiful seaside course looking out over the Sea of Japan and facing North Korea. As such, golf here is best played in the mid-summer/autumn months to escape the torrid summer months elsewhere.

In common with a lot of seaside courses in Japan, trees were planted both to help the protect the soil against erosion and provide individuality to the holes; the bleak open spaces so familiar on British links are not so fashionable here. The trees are mostly red Pine and even overhang some of the fairways putting a premium on accuracy from the tee. The later east nine is on flatter, more open land, adding a welcome variety to the 27-hole complex.”