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Japan

Japan is a country of surprises, formality, exemplary manners, reliable cars, sumo wrestling and sushi. The Japanese people are also proud of their four seasons, which can be quite extreme in terms of weather conditions. This is why many Japanese courses have dual greens, one for summer and one for winter.

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  1. Hirono Golf Club

    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.

  2. There are two courses on the Izu Peninsula at the Kawana Resort and the Fuji course is universally considered to be the best.

  3. Naruo Golf Club

    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.

  4. Tokyo Golf Club

    Kanto, Japan

    You’ll need an invite to play here at Tokyo Golf Club but if you are lucky enough to receive one, take it immediately. This is a world-class golf course that is mature way beyond its years.

  5. Yokohama Country Club was founded in 1960 and over the following six years architect Takeo Aiyama designed and built both the East and West 18-hole layouts.

  6. Ono

    Kinki (Kansai), Japan

    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.

  7. The East course at Kasumigaseki Country Club employs the traditional Japanese dual green system, one for the winter and one for the summer, which takes a bit of getting used if you’re not familiar with this feature.

  8. Abiko

    Kanto, Japan

    Yoshiro Hayashi won the Japan Open Golf Championship here at Abiko Golf Club way back in 1950, but the club hosted the Japan Women's Open Golf Championship as recently as 2009.

  9. Oarai

    Kanto, Japan

    Oarai is known by knowledgeable golfers as the location of Oarai Golf Club, one of the best golf courses in Japan.

  10. Koga

    Kyushu, Japan

    Koga Golf Club hosted the 62nd Japan Open, won by Australian Craig Parry with a score of two over par for the competition.

  11. Nikko

    Kanto, Japan

    Originally designed by Seiichi Inoue and opened for play in 1955, the layout at Nikko Country Club is a lie of the land parkland golf course that wends its way through dense trees that frame many holes.

  12. Ryugasaki

    Kanto, Japan

    Ryugasaki Country Club is another high quality parkland golf course from the prolific architect, Seiichi Inoue. Opened for play in 1958, Ryugasaki still has dual winter and summer greens in operation.

  13. Hokkaido Classic

    Hokkaido, Japan

    One of seven golf facilities operated by the same management company in Japan, the course at Hokkaido Classic Golf Club is a Jack Nicklaus Signature design that debuted in 1991.

  14. Fujizakura

    Kanto, Japan

    ​Located in the northern foothills of Mount Fuji, Fujizakura Country Club is set at altitude in the heart of the popular resort area of Fuji Five Lakes.

  15. Shimonoseki

    Chugoku, Japan

    Founded in 1956, the course at Shimonoseki Golf Club was designed by Osamu Ueda and proudly played host to the Japan Open in 1991 (won by Tsuneyuki Nakajima) and 2002 (won by David Smail).

  16. Tokyo Classic

    Kanto, Japan

    Built on the site of a former cedar tree farm, an hour’s drive west of downtown Tokyo, the course at Tokyo Classic was more than a decade in the making.

  17. Takanodai

    Kanto, Japan

    A dual green Seiichi Inoue design from 1954, Takanodai Country Club has played host to the Japan Open on four occasions, most recently in 2011.

  18. A major change to the West course at Kasumigaseki Country Club was made by Taizo Kawata when he converted the traditional Japanese dual greens into conventional putting surfaces...

  19. Katsura

    Hokkaido, Japan

    Named after the Cercidiphyllum Japonicum, the elegant Katsura tree, the course at Katsura Golf Club is a 1993 Robert Trent Jones Junior-design and it’s one of the very best layouts to be found near Sapporo city.

  20. Karuizawa

    Chubu, Japan

    The Yuji Kodera-designed course at Karuizawa Golf Club dates back to the Golden Age and it’s located at altitude in one of the nation's most popular summer resorts. You’ll need to befriend a member to play here, however.