Updated on November 10, 2026
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What is the best golf course in Japan? Hirono, near Kobe, ranks No. 1 in the two most recent rankings and 28th in GOLF.com's world top 100. Next are Kawana (Fuji Course), on the cliffs of the Izu Peninsula, and Naruo. Seven of the fifteen courses in our ranking are located in the Tokyo area, many of which are private clubs.
Top photo: the Kawana Hotel golf course in Itō. 江戸村のとくぞう, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The 15 Best Golf Courses in Japan: The Rankings
15 courses shown.
| Rank | Course | Location | Golf Digest 2025 | Top 100 2026 | GOLF.com World |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hirono Golf Club | Miki, Hyōgo Prefecture | 1 | 1 | 28 |
| 2 | Kawana Hotel — Fuji Course | Itō, Izu Peninsula, Shizuoka Prefecture | 2 | 2 | 61 |
| 3 | Naruo Golf Club | Kawanishi, Hyōgo Prefecture | 3 | 3 | — |
| 4 | Tokyo Golf Club | Sayama, Saitama Prefecture | 4 | 4 | — |
| 5 | Yokohama Country Club — West | Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture | 6 | 5 | — |
| 6 | Kasumigaseki Country Club — East | Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture | 5 | 10 | — |
| 7 | Abiko Golf Club | Abiko, Chiba Prefecture | 14 | 6 | — |
| 8 | Osaka Golf Club | Misaki, Osaka Prefecture | 9 | 11 | — |
| 9 | Tokyo Classic Club | Chiba, Chiba Prefecture | 8 | 13 | — |
| 10 | Kasumigaseki Country Club — West | Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture | 10 | 20 | — |
| 11 | Ryugasaki Country Club | Ryūgasaki, Ibaraki Prefecture | — | 7 | — |
| 12 | Ono Golf Club | Ono, Hyōgo Prefecture | — | 8 | — |
| 13 | Phoenix Country Club | Miyazaki, Miyazaki Prefecture (Phoenix Seagaia Resort) | 7 | 26 | — |
| 14 | Shimonoseki Golf Club | Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture | — | 9 | — |
| 15 | Golden Valley Golf Club | Nishiwaki, Hyōgo Prefecture | — | 12 | — |
Consensus ranking = average of the Golf Digest (October 2025) and Top100GolfCourses (January 2026) rankings; GOLF.com’s world top 100 ranking is provided for reference. “—”: Course not included in the ranking. Click on a column header to sort.
Where are the golf courses in Japan?
Click on a number to view the golf course, then click on its name to read its profile. Base map © OpenStreetMap.
How We Ranked Japan's Golf Courses
We compared Japan's two most recent rankings: Golf Digest (October 2025, Top 15) and Top100GolfCourses (January 2026, Top 50). The consensus ranking is the average of the two; a course not ranked in Golf Digest’s top 15 is assigned the 25th rank. In the event of a tie, the Top 100 ranking is used to break the tie. The ranking at the GOLF.com's World Top 100 (2025-26) is displayed for informational purposes. This ranking is reviewed annually.
The Rankings in Detail
Architects and years of opening: official websites of the courses and the ranking lists cited, accessed on November 10, 2026; no information is provided when the source does not specify it. Photos under a free license via Wikimedia Commons.
1. Hirono Golf Club 🇯🇵
Rankings: Golf Digest 2025 1 · Top 100 2026 1 · GOLF.com Worldwide 28
Nicknamed the “Pine Valley of Japan,” the course designed by Charles Hugh Alison (1932)—which was restored in 2019—ranks No. 1 in Japan in both rankings and 28th on GOLF.com’s list of the world’s top 100 courses.
2. Kawana Hotel — Fuji Course 🇯🇵
Rankings: Golf Digest 2025 2 · Top 100 2026 2 · GOLF.com Worldwide 61
The “Pebble Beach of Japan,” located on the cliffs of the Izu Peninsula: the country’s first golf resort, host of the 1962 Eisenhower Trophy and the Fujisankei Classic from 1981 to 2004.
3. Naruo Golf Club 🇯🇵
Rankings: Golf Digest 2025 3 · Top 100 2026 3 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
Founded in 1920 in Hyōgo Prefecture, it is the most mountainous of Japan's courses in Golf Digest's world rankings, nestled among pine trees and ravines.
4. Tokyo Golf Club 🇯🇵
Rankings: Golf Digest 2025 4 · Top 100 2026 4 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
The club was founded in 1913 and holds the record for hosting the Japan Open, having hosted the tournament eight times, most recently in 2024. Since its pre-war course was requisitioned by the military, the club now plays on the Komei Ohtani course, which was renovated by Gil Hanse.
5. Yokohama Country Club — West 🇯🇵
Rankings: Golf Digest 2025 6 · Top 100 2026 5 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
Redesigned in 2015 by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. The club hosted the PGA Tour's BayCurrent Classic in 2025.
6. Kasumigaseki Country Club — East 🇯🇵
Rankings: Golf Digest 2025 5 · Top 100 2026 10 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
The course for the golf events at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, renovated by Tom and Logan Fazio in 2016.
7. Abiko Golf Club 🇯🇵
Rankings: Golf Digest 2025 14 · Top 100 2026 6 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
A course dating back to 1930, located between Teganuma Pond and the Tone River, which hosted the 1950 Japan Open. Its 2012 renovation eliminated the two greens per hole, a Japanese tradition.
8. Osaka Golf Club 🇯🇵
Rankings: Golf Digest 2025 9 · Top 100 2026 11 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
A cliffside course overlooking Osaka Bay, opened in 1937; its par-3 14th hole runs along the ocean for its entire length.
9. Tokyo Classic Club 🇯🇵
Rankings: Golf Digest 2025 8 · Top 100 2026 13 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
Jack Nicklaus’ course, set in a former cedar forest in Chiba, at the heart of a club that bills itself as Japan’s only true country club.
10. Kasumigaseki Country Club — West 🇯🇵
Rankings: Golf Digest 2025 10 · Top 100 2026 20 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
The extension to the East Course, opened in 1932, features an island green on the par-3 16th hole.
11. Ryugasaki Country Club 🇯🇵
Rankings: Golf Digest 2025 — · Top 100 2026 7 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
The Seiichi Inoue Course, opened in 1958, hosted the Japan Open for the last time in 1992.
12. Ono Golf Club 🇯🇵
Rankings: Golf Digest 2025 — · Top 100 2026 8 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
Osamu Ueda’s course laid out around ponds, host of the 1969 Japan Open.
13. Phoenix Country Club 🇯🇵
Rankings: Golf Digest 2025 7 · Top 100 2026 26 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
The history of the Dunlop Phoenix since 1974 in Miyazaki: Seve Ballesteros, Tom Watson, and Tiger Woods have all won there. Ranked 7th by Golf Digest.
14. Shimonoseki Golf Club 🇯🇵
Rankings: Golf Digest 2025 — · Top 100 2026 9 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
The club was founded in 1956 and hosted the Japan Open in 1991 and 2002.
15. Golden Valley Golf Club 🇯🇵
Rankings: Golf Digest 2025 — · Top 100 2026 12 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
Robert Trent Jones Jr.'s course in Nishiwaki, host of the 2014 Japan PGA Championship.
Where can you play golf in Japan?
The Tokyo Area includes seven courses from our rankings (Tokyo GC, the two Kasumigaseki courses, Abiko, Tokyo Classic, Ryugasaki, Yokohama), Kansai five (Hirono, Naruo, Ono, Golden Valley, Osaka GC). That leaves Kawana, on the Izu Peninsula, Phoenix in Miyazaki, and Shimonoseki. Most are members-only clubs; Kawana and Phoenix are resort courses affiliated with hotels.
See also
The Countries with the Most Golf Courses
The 15 Best Golf Courses in Spain
The 15 Best Golf Courses in South Africa
The 15 Best Golf Courses in Thailand
The 12 Best Golf Courses in Dubai and the Emirates
The 10 Best Golf Courses in Mauritius
The 15 Best Golf Courses in Portugal
Top 100 Golf Courses in the WorldFrequently Asked Questions About Golf Courses in Japan
What is the best golf course in Japan?
Hirono Golf Club, in Hyōgo Prefecture: No. 1 on Golf Digest and Top100GolfCourses, and No. 28 on GOLF.com's list of the world's top 100 courses.
Where were the golf events held at the Tokyo Olympics?
At the Kasumigaseki Country Club (East Course) in Kawagoe, in 2021.
How many golf courses are there in Japan?
3,140, according to the R&A's "Golf Around the World" report; the second-highest number in the world: see The countries with the most golf courses.
Can you play at the best golf courses in Japan?
Many are members-only clubs: check with each club before you go. Kawana and Phoenix are resort courses affiliated with hotels.