Japan

Top 100 Golf Courses - Japan

Ibaraki (West)

21^st

Originally designed by Seiichi Inoue in 1960 with double greens, the West course at Ibaraki Country Club was renovated by Rees Jones creating single green complexes, reopening to acclaim in 2011.

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Takanodai

22^nd

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.

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Hakone

23^rd

Designed by Shiro Akaboshi in 1954, the course at Hakone Country Club was built with no expense spared, including the importation of thousands of tons of volcanic soil from the Mt Fuji region.

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Shimonoseki

24^th

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).

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Nagoya (Wago)

25^th

Nagoya Golf Club was established in 1929, with Mitsuaki Otani setting out the Wago course for the founding members with the double green system that’s still used in the modern era.

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Wakamatsu

26^th

Set close to the city of Kitakyushu, near to where the Onga River empties into the Tsushima Strait, the course at Wakamatsu Golf Club is an Osamu Ueda design, dating back to 1959.

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Sagami

27^th

Sagami Country Club is a 1931 design from Rokuro Akaboshi, who was not only a pioneer of Japanese golf course design, but also the winner of the inaugural Japan Open in 1927.

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Katayamazu (Hakusan)

28^th

Established in the late 1950s, Katayamazu Golf Club brought the Hakusan course into play within three years of its formation.

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Otaru

29^th

Kokichi Yasuda designed a new 18-hole golf course at Otaru Country Club in 1974 and the layout was selected to host the Japan PGA Championship four years later.

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Sagamihara (East)

30^th

A three-time host of the Japan Open Championship (most recently in 2007, which Toru Taniguchi won) the East course at Sagamihara Golf Club dates back to 1955 and it’s a thoroughly challenging layout.

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Leaderboard

Rank	Name	Courses Reviewed
1	Fergal O'Leary	7
2	David Davis	5
3	John Sabino	4
4	Kimi Hoshiyama	2
5	Mark Jasayko	1
6	David Worley	1
7	Masa	1