Karuizawa Golf Club

About the club

The course at the Karuizawa Golf Club was one of only a few places to play golf in Japan when it debuted in 1919. Situated just outside the resort town for which it is named, the club's elevation of some 3000 feet makes it especially attractive in the summer to players from Tokyo, only a little over an hour away by car and less than an hour by high speed rail. Japanese architect Kodera Yuji managed to create a fine course even in the absence of modern construction equipment, and his design has been left essentially as he realized it. An effort at adding length only brought the course up to around 6100 meters, and the high elevation causes it to play even less. So what Karuizawa really offers is resort golf, enjoyable and framed by breathtaking alpine vistas in every direction. The hard part is gaining access to this members-only course.