Easygoing golf beneath Mount Akagi

Omama Golf Club lies in Midori City in eastern Gunma, about 330 metres up in the foothills, with Mount Akagi on the skyline. Opened in 2002 and built by Ichikawa Zoen Doboku, it is an 18-hole, par-72 layout of about 6,630 yards across two nines, with moderate slopes and single bentgrass greens. Riding carts, including two-seaters that can go onto the fairways, keep the pace relaxed, and the club is open every day except New Year.

A friendly, unpretentious round in the hills of Gunma, with Akagi watching over every hole.

This is the kind of welcoming country course that suits a casual round, a group outing or golfers still finding their game. Without a car, take the Tobu Isesaki Line from Asakusa or Kita-Senju to Akagi Station (about 110 minutes by express), or the JR Ryomo Line to Kiryu, and ride the club bus (book by noon the day before). Nearby, the Watarase Keikoku Railway follows a scenic gorge north from Omama, beautiful in autumn colour, while Kiryu's old textile-town streets and the onsen around Mount Akagi make good additions to a weekend in Gunma.