Riverside golf two minutes from the train

Kuzuha Golf Links lies on the floodplain of the Yodo River in Hirakata, between Osaka and Kyoto, and it may be the easiest course in Japan to reach without a car: the clubhouse is about a two-minute walk from Kuzuha Station on the Keihan Line. It opened as a public course in 1957, when Keihan and Sumitomo group companies backed its founding, and grew to 18 holes the following year. After a redesign it reopened under its current name in 2019 as an 18-hole, par-70 layout of just under 6,000 yards. The ground is flat, but many raised, bunker-faced greens punish missed approaches, and the 16th features a huge waste bunker.

Bring your clubs on the train, and be on the first tee within minutes.

With riding carts allowed on the fairways, rental clubs and simple showers, Kuzuha is a relaxed, unpretentious round that suits travellers and casual golfers rather than a formal club day. It slots neatly into a Kansai itinerary: Kyoto's temples and Osaka's food streets are each a short Keihan ride away, and the KUZUHA MALL shopping complex sits beside the station. The open river setting is especially pleasant in spring and autumn, and you can easily play in the morning and be sightseeing by afternoon.