Hokubo: a forest course on the karst plateau

High on the Bitchu Plateau near Maniwa in northern Okayama, Bitchu Kogen Hokubo Country Club opened in September 1990 at around 430 metres above sea level. Designed by Masuta Ishimi, this 18-hole, par-72 layout is split into the Tsubaki (out) and Momiji (in) nines and stretches to 7,027 yards from the back tees, with a course rating of 73.5. The club describes itself as a true forest course carved into karst tableland, framed by green mountains on every side.

Long, strategic and wrapped in woodland, with every season painting it differently.

Spring brings cherry blossoms and autumn turns the Momiji nine into its namesake maples, while the plateau elevation keeps summer rounds a little fresher than the coast. The clubhouse has two large baths and a restaurant, and an on-site lodging wing with single and twin rooms makes it easy to stay over and play two days. Kitabo IC on the Chugoku Expressway is about ten minutes away, roughly 50 minutes' drive from Okayama, so the club pairs naturally with a trip taking in Okayama's Korakuen garden, the canal town of Kurashiki, or the onsen villages of the Maniwa highlands.