Rolling foothills and a resort stay in rural Mie

Cocopa Resort Club Mie Hakusan Golf Course opened in 1986 in the gentle foothills of Hakusan, Tsu, with views toward the Aoyama Plateau. Designed by Shoichi Suzuki, the 18-hole, par-72 course measures a generous 7,015 yards and carries a course rating of 72.6. The terrain is softly rolling rather than steep: the front nine asks for accuracy, while the back nine opens up with wide fairways, and the bent greens were renewed with the 007 variety. Caddies can be booked, or you can head out in a riding cart.

Golf, a hotel and a hot-spring town, all in one easy trip.

As part of the Cocopa Resort Club, the course has its own hotel, so golf can be paired with a relaxed overnight stay. Nearby Sakakibara Onsen is one of Mie's historic hot-spring villages, and the shrines of Ise and the castle town of Matsusaka, home to celebrated wagyu beef, are within reach for a longer Kansai or Chubu itinerary. By car the club is about 20 minutes from the Isshi-Ureshino interchange on the Ise Expressway. Rail travellers take the Kintetsu Osaka Line to Sakakibara-Onsenguchi Station, where a free club shuttle meets guests with at least two days' advance booking.