A friendly self-play round on the edge of Asahikawa

Asahikawa Memorial Country Club lies in the Kamuicho district on the southwest side of Asahikawa, about ten minutes by taxi from JR Asahikawa Station and around ten minutes by car from the Asahikawa-Takasu interchange. It opened in September 1992 with Taisei Corporation as the builder and touring pro Hajime Meshiai supervising the design. The 18 holes play to a par of 72 and run to about 6,700 yards over hilly ground with moderate ups and downs. The greens are bentgrass.

An easygoing, good-value day of golf with all of Hokkaido's summer air.

Golfers like it for its value, condition and friendly staff. Everyone rides a GPS cart and plays on their own, and groups go out one at a time. There is a practice range with approach and bunker areas, and rental clubs and shoes are available. The clubhouse has showers but no restaurant, so plan lunch in town. The course is open from mid-April to mid-November. Asahikawa is the gateway to the Daisetsuzan mountains and to the rolling flower fields of Biei and Furano, and the city's ramen shops and Asahiyama Zoo round out a summer golf trip to central Hokkaido.