Bando Golf Club: tree-lined fairways an hour from Tokyo

Set on flat ground near Bando in southwestern Ibaraki, Bando Golf Club has been welcoming golfers since 1964. Designed by Makoto Harada, the 18-hole, par-72 layout measures 6,274 yards and threads its way through mature woodland, where tree lines and well-placed bunkers reward accuracy far more than raw power. Two-seat riding carts are allowed onto the fairways in any weather, and each hole has two greens, one bent and one Korai.

A classic Kanto woodland round, without the long drive.

The appeal here is ease and value: a relaxed, unpretentious club with a gentle walk and a course that asks you to think about position off every tee. Bando IC on the Ken-O Expressway is only a few minutes away, putting the club roughly an hour from central Tokyo by car, and those without a car can ride the club bus from Moriya Station on the Tsukuba Express (reservations required). It makes an easy day trip from the capital, and the nearby Tone River plains and the town of Tsukuba, with its science museums and Mt. Tsukuba hiking, round out a day in rural Ibaraki.