Best golf courses: Japan - North

Japan - North: the table below provides brief details about the top golf courses in this country or region. Each golf club has been visited and/or researched by Where2Golf. Click on the course name below to discover more. The course ratings below range from 5 highest, to 2 lowest. They attempt to provide an indication of the golfing experience you might expect at the course (based on its design, condition and surroundings). Hover your cursor above the Rating Key for the rating definitions.
Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Nagoya
Inoue, Seiichi

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Nagoya

Designer

Original design by Seiichi Inoue (1954); redesign by Taizo Kawata (2004).

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Fukushima
Fream, Ron

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Fukushima

Designer

Ron Fream

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Nagoya
Ueda, Osamu

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Nagoya

Designer

Original design by Osamu Ueda (1964); redesign and improvements by Taizo Kawata (1994, 2006, 2007).

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Nasushiobara
Jones Sr, Robert Trent

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Nasushiobara

Designer

Robert Trent Jones Snr

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Sapporo
Nicklaus, Jack

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Sapporo

Designer

Jack Nicklaus

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Karuizawa
Jones II, Robert Trent

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Karuizawa

Designer

All six 18-hole courses at Karuizawa 72 were designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr, and opened in 1972.

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Karuizawa
Kodera, Yuji

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Karuizawa

Designer

Yuji Kodera

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Karuizawa
Kato, Shunsuke

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Karuizawa

Designer

Shunsuke Kato

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Nagoya
Otani, Mitsuaki

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Nagoya

Designer

Originally designed by Mitsuaki Otani and Charles H. Alison (1928); modified by Sho Tobari (2010).

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Nasushiobara
Fujita & Inoue

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Nasushiobara

Designer

Kinya Fujita & Seiichi Inoue

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Nasushiobara
Nicklaus & Muirhead

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Nasushiobara

Designer

Jack Nicklaus & Desmond Muirhead

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Niigata
Okubo, Sho

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Niigata

Designer

Sho Okubo

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Ltd access
Nasushiobara
Inoue, Seiichi

Visitors?

Ltd access

Nearest city

Nasushiobara

Designer

Seiichi Inoue

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Sapporo
Palmer, Arnold

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Sapporo

Designer

Arnold Palmer

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Sapporo
Tsutsumi, Yoshiaki

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Sapporo

Designer

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Sapporo
Yasuda, Kokichi

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Sapporo

Designer

Current layout by Kokichi Yasuda (1974); modifications by Damian Pascuzzo.

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Sapporo
Dye, Pete & Perry

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Sapporo

Designer

Father-son team of Pete & Perry Dye.

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Sapporo
Inoue, Seiichi

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Sapporo

Designer

Seiichi Inoue

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Tournaments

The Sentry: known for many years as the Tournament of Champions, the PGA Tour’s 2025 season-opener gets underway on Kapalua’s Plantation course (Jan 2-5). Chris Kirk defends.

Tournament of Champions: the LPGA Tour’s 2025 season is launched at Lake Nona with the their Tournament of Champions (Jan 30-Feb 2). The 2024 edition gave Lydia Ko her 20th LPGA Tour title.

Who's Who

Attahya Thitikul: also known as “Jeeno”, the Thai golfer won the LPGA Tour’s 2024 CME Group Tour Championship … and an eye-watering $4 million, the richest first-prize in women’s golf.

Rory McIlroy: scooped the 2024 European (DP World) Tour season-long Order of Merit title, joining Seve Ballesteros as a six-time winner of this prestigious award.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.

Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.

Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

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Littlestone Golf Club (Kent, UK)