Greg Norman golf in an old onsen valley

Set in the wooded foothills of the Aoyama Highlands near Tsu in Mie Prefecture, Sanko Golf Club Sakakibara Onsen Course opened in May 1994 as Fuji Country Sakakibara Onsen Golf Club, laid out under the design and supervision of Greg Norman with Shozo Ozasa. The 18-hole, par-72 layout rolls across handsome hill country lined with trees, with bunkers, water and doglegs that reward both a bold line and a careful lay-up. Rounds are played with a caddie in principle, and every cart carries GPS navigation, so first-timers always know the distances and the carries.

This is a club built for staying, not just for eighteen holes.

The clubhouse draws its own free-flowing hot spring, and Sakakibara Onsen is one of the region's classic old spa towns, so a soak after the round is part of the ritual. Stay over in the renovated clubhouse hotel or in the suite villas of Forest Villa Sakakibara Onsen right on the course, and dine on Mie produce in the teppanyaki and dining rooms. With Ise and the wider Ise-Shima coast within driving reach, the club makes a relaxed base for a golf-and-shrine weekend. The drive from Nagoya takes about 70 minutes via the Shin-Meishin Expressway, and golfers coming by train can ride the Kintetsu line to Sakakibara-Onsenguchi Station, where the club runs a free weekday shuttle when booked in advance.