Rolling woodland golf in the forests of Kasama

Golf5 Country Kasama Forest Course sits in Fukuhara, Kasama, in central Ibaraki, just two minutes from the Kasama-Nishi interchange on the Kita-Kanto Expressway. Opened in 1985 and designed by Kokichi Yasuda, one of the pioneers of Japanese golf, it is an 18-hole, par-72 layout reaching 7,008 yards from the championship tees. The course flows over gently rolling hills with around 40 metres of elevation change, and each hole is shaped differently, with doglegs, ponds and bunkers cleverly placed among the trees.

A full-length forest course that rewards thought, with two greens to make every visit different.

Two bentgrass greens on every hole mean the same course can play quite differently from one visit to the next, and a 250-yard, 20-bay range with bunker and approach areas makes it easy to warm up properly. Caddies can be requested, rental sets are available, and after the round the large bath looks out over the forest. Kasama is a rewarding place to linger: it is famous for Kasama-yaki pottery and its craft villages, the Kasama Inari Shrine draws visitors year-round, and the area's chestnuts are celebrated in autumn. Mito and its Kairakuen plum gardens are a short drive away, and the course is reached by car from Tokyo via the Joban and Kita-Kanto expressways.