Dune-like contours on a thousand-metre plateau

Nagano Dunes Golf Club spreads across a plateau at around 1,000 metres at the foot of Mt. Iizuna, north of Nagano City. It opened in July 1998 as Nagano Keikyu Country Club and took its current name in 2024 under new management. The 18-hole, par-72 championship layout by Kajima Corporation stretches to 7,045 yards, its rolling contours recalling natural dunes, with each hole framed by groves of birch and larch and moderate changes in elevation adding strategy throughout.

A highland championship course shaped like the dunes, framed by birch and larch.

Bent two-green holes, GPS-equipped riding carts, rental clubs and a 200-yard range make it straightforward for visiting players, and the high plateau keeps summer rounds refreshingly cool. The season runs from early April to early December, when snow closes the course. The surrounding highlands are a year-round playground: the club is linked with the Madarao Kogen hotel and ski areas, Togakushi's shrines and soba are nearby, and Zenko-ji temple in Nagano City is an easy drive down the mountain. By car, allow about 25 km from the Shinshu-Nakano interchange on the Joshinetsu Expressway.