Sapporo Bay Golf Club

About the club

The architecture team of Pete and Perry Dye designed this course in 1995 on level terrain by the body of water after which the club takes its name. The setting is not unlike the coastal wetlands of Georgia and South Carolina, making the course the closest thing to an American-style links in Japan; it recalls in particular Dye's well-known course at Kiawah Island near Charleston, which hosted the 1991 Ryder Cup. Thus the layout at Sapporo Bay conforms to the land, exploiting natural shifts in elevation rather than relying on earth moving for its topography. The site itself allows for real oceanside play, which is a relative rarity in a mountainous and often forested country like Japan. Because of the climate, the course is open for only six months a year, so be sure to visit during the summer.