Best golf courses: Japan - South

Japan - South: 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.
3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Okinawa
Unknown

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Okinawa

Designer

Unknown

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

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe

Designer

Robert Trent Jones Jr.

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe
Alison, Charles H.

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe

Designer

Original design and later modifications by Charles Hugh Alison (1931, 1948). Renovated by Martin Ebert (2018).

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe
Inoue, Alison & Jones

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe

Designer

East course designed by David Hood of Scotland (1923); renovated by Charles H. Alison (1930).
West course designed by Seiichi Inoue (1960); completely redesigned by Rees Jones and Bryce Swanson (2011).

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Fukuoka
Akaboshi, Shiro

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Fukuoka

Designer

Shiro Akaboshi

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

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Fukuoka

Designer

Osamu Ueda

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe
Crane & Alison

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe

Designer

Current course designed in 1927 by club members - the Crane brothers (Joe E., Harry C. and Bertie E. Crane). Later modifications drawn up by Charles Hugh Alison (1930).

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe
Ueda, Osamu

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe

Designer

Osamu Ueda

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe
Ueda, Osamu

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe

Designer

Osamu Ueda

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Miyazaki
Ohashi, Kokichi

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Miyazaki

Designer

Kokichi Ohashi

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

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe

Designer

Robert Trent Jones Jr.

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

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Kitakyushu

Designer

Osamu Ueda

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Miyazaki
Watson, Tom

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Miyazaki

Designer

Tom Watson

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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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Whistling Straits (Wisconsin, US)

Hamburger GC - Falkenstein, Germany

Littlestone Golf Club (Kent, UK)