Seve's signature in the hills of Minokamo

Crescent Valley Country Club sits in the rolling hills of Minokamo in southern Gifu, about 50 minutes by expressway from Nagoya. Opened in December 1997, it is a rare Japanese design by the late Seve Ballesteros: 18 holes, par 72, 6,443 yards, laid out over roughly 127 hectares of hilly ground. Seve set out to keep the natural landscape intact, and the result is a course of varied holes with gentle ups and downs rather than bulldozed uniformity.

A course that carries its designer's name in the sand, quite literally.

Look out for the bunker on the 9th, shaped in Seve's own initials, and brace for the 12th, a long and demanding par 3 that rewards a brave long iron. Greens are bent, play is by riding cart, and you can choose a caddie or go self-play; there is also a compact 150-yard range for warming up. Minokamo makes an easy half-day from Nagoya, and the surrounding Mino region is good touring country, with the Kiso River gorges, the old castle town of Inuyama and Gifu's cormorant-fishing traditions all within reach. By train, take the JR Takayama Line to Mino-Ota Station and a ten-minute taxi ride; note the course closes on Mondays.