Located in the south-central part of Japan’s main island, Honshu, the Kinki or Kansai region of Japan is considered to be at the heart of the country’s history and culture. Five UNESCO World Heritage Listings put Kansai at the top of any Japanese region. Kansai, specifically the city of Osaka, is the food centre of Japan with popular dishes that include kitsune udon, takoyaki, okonomiyaki and kushikatsu.
Kinki (Kansai), Japan
Hirono Golf Club has played host to all the major Japanese championships and, although it measures a mere 6,925 yards from the back tees, it’s a supreme test of golf.
Kinki (Kansai), Japan
Kinki (Kansai), Japan
Kinki (Kansai), Japan
Kinki (Kansai), Japan
Kinki (Kansai), Japan
Naruo shares all the traditional aspects of Japan’s older golf clubs. The continuity in tradition here is maintained by the 700 members whose average age is 71.
Influenced by Hugh Alison, Osamu Ueda designed the course at Ono Golf Club in 1961 and it’s often regarded as the sister course to the fabled Hirono Golf Club. Host to the Japan Open in 1969, Ono is a testy track.
The hilly course at Higashi Hirono Golf Club is a 1989 Yukichi Kobayashi creation, which staged the 2012 Panasonic Open, won by the architect’s namesake Masanori Kobayashi.
Opened in the late 1980s and designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., the mountain course at Golden Valley Golf Club was one of the first in Japan to employ single greens.
The East course at the 36-hole Rokko Kokusai Golf Club is a Fukuichi Kato design from 1975 that was renovated by Nicklaus Design in 1996.
Designed by Seiichi Inoue and opened in 1965, the 18-hole layout at Ise Country Club is one of three golf courses used for Senior Tour Qualifying by the PGA of Japan.
Osamu Ueda originally designed the course at Osaka Golf Club back in 1937 and it’s routed across high ground where panoramic views of Osaka Bay will be enjoyed from the rolling fairways.
Situated to the north of Akashi, the 18-hole layout at Onotoyo Golf Club bears the architectural mark of Osamu Ueda. Playing corridors have narrowed a lot since the course debuted in 1971, placing a real premium on accuracy off the tee.
Located an hour’s drive north of Kobe, the 18-hole layout at Pine Lake Golf Club is an impressive mid-1980s Robert Trent Jones Jnr design, one of more than twenty Japanese projects the American architect has worked on down the years.
