Casual golf above the Kanmon Strait

Kanmon Kikugawa Golf Club lies in Kikugawa on the outskirts of Shimonoseki, at the western tip of Honshu, about 15 minutes from the Ogori interchange of the Chugoku Expressway. Designed by Hajime Tanaka and opened in 1979, it is an 18-hole, par-72 hill course of 6,491 yards that bills itself as an open, casual course overlooking the Kanmon Strait. The front nine is shorter and friendly for scoring, while the back nine brings doglegs that demand accurate tee shots, a water carry on the par-5 11th and a downhill drive on the 17th with the strait in view.

Moderate distances for every golfer, and lights for playing into the evening.

Distances are kept sensible for women, seniors and beginners, yet the uphill par-5 sixth over a valley will test anyone. Floodlights allow nine-hole night rounds in season, a rare option in western Japan. Shimonoseki is famous for fugu and the Karato fish market, and the bridge and tunnels across the strait put Kitakyushu's Kokura just beyond. Reach the club by taxi from Shin-Shimonoseki Station on the Sanyo Shinkansen or Ogori Station on the JR Sanyo Line; the partner hotel Sangreen Kikugawa is about 10 minutes away by car.