A Grand Layout on the Japan Sea Plain

Nakajo Golf Club lies in Tainai, northern Niigata, a members' club that also welcomes visitors. Opened in August 1988 to a design by tour professionals Kiyoo Arai and Hideyo Sugimoto, it is an 18-hole, par-72 course stretching to 7,090 yards from the back tees, set amid natural woodland and described by the club as a majestic course that shows a slightly different face each visit. It has hosted professional golf as the former venue of the Aderans Wellness Open.

A tournament-length test in quiet countryside, finished with a soak in natural hot springs.

After the round, the clubhouse offers a natural hot-spring bath and a restaurant serving dishes made with Niigata ingredients, and a 250-yard range lets you warm up properly. Niigata is famous for its rice, sake and seafood, making this an easy add-on to a food-focused trip along the Japan Sea coast. The course is about 4 km from Nakajo IC on the Nihonkai-Tohoku Expressway; by train it is around 10 minutes by taxi from JR Nakajo Station, about 40 minutes from Niigata Station and some 30 minutes from Niigata Airport.