A hillside test for all fourteen clubs

Chikushino Country Club spreads across gently rolling hills in Chikushino, southeast of Fukuoka city. It opened in 1974, conceived by Tokuyuki Miyoshi, a three-time Japan Amateur champion, whose idea was simple: a course that asks you to use every club in the bag. The 18-hole, par-72 layout stretches to about 6,800 yards from the back tees, mixing wide, mostly flat fairways with dramatic uphill and downhill shots, doglegs and four holes where you play over ponds, including the downhill par-3 3rd and the par-3 16th.

Every shot asks a question, and the bent greens ask the hardest ones.

The bent greens are sloping and full of character, with raised and two-tier surfaces that reward a delicate touch, yet the course is designed to be enjoyed by beginners and seasoned players alike. A clubhouse renewed in 2025 offers a restaurant, pro shop and bath. The club is about 40 minutes from Tenjin or Hakata Station, and Dazaifu, home to the great Tenmangu shrine and its plum blossoms, is only minutes away. Futsukaichi Onsen, one of Kyushu's oldest hot-spring towns, is close by for a post-round soak.