Ponds and rolling hills south of Kumamoto city

Kumamoto Golf Club's Jonan Course, formerly Kumamoto Jonan Country Club, opened on April 29, 1992 in the Jonan district on the southern side of Kumamoto city. Designed by Shozo Kozasa, it offers 27 holes in three par-36 nines, totalling about 10,700 yards across gently hilly ground. Ponds come into play on many holes and the course is known as a long, testing layout, with two greens per hole in Korai and bent grass.

Three nines threaded with water, an easy hop from the Kyushu Expressway.

The appeal here is convenience and variety: with 27 holes you can mix and match nines, remote-controlled riding carts with GPS navigation are allowed onto the fairways, and the course is open year-round. A 210-yard driving range with approach and bunker areas makes warming up easy. The club sits only a few minutes from the Matsubase IC on the Kyushu Expressway, roughly 40 minutes from central Kumamoto and about 30 minutes from Kumamoto Airport, so it fits neatly into a Kyushu road trip. Combine a round with Kumamoto Castle and the city's famous horse-meat and ramen dining, or head south toward Yatsushiro and the coast of the Ariake Sea. There is no club bus, so plan on a car or taxi from JR Matsubase or Uto stations.