Two Curtis Strange courses beneath Mt. Yotei

The River and Wood courses are the Curtis Strange half of Rusutsu Resort Golf 72, the big four-course golf complex at Rusutsu, in the mountains of south-west Hokkaido. Both opened on June 1, 1992, and each is an 18-hole, par-72 layout with bent greens. The River Course is the more demanding of the pair, with steep fairway undulations, out-of-bounds on both sides of several holes, and carries over creeks and ravines. The Wood Course is a long, wide, tree-lined hill course, stretching to 6,817 yards, with a three-tier green on the par-5 5th.

Mountain golf with Mt. Yotei on the horizon, and an onsen waiting at the end of the day.

Rusutsu is a full resort, so golf fits naturally into a summer stay: shuttles run from Rusutsu Resort Hotel & Convention and The Westin Rusutsu Resort to the Riverwood Clubhouse, play is self-play with a cart per group, and a large hot-spring bath soothes tired legs afterwards. Views of Mt. Yotei and Mt. Shiribetsu frame the round, and the Riverwood restaurant serves hand-made soba with a view of the peak. Nearby Niseko and Lake Toya make easy side trips. The season runs from late May to mid-October, and the courses close on Mondays and Thursdays.