A championship test in the Ibigawa hills

Sanko Golf Club Tanigumi Course lies in the gentle mountain country of Tanigumi, in Ibigawa town on the western edge of Gifu Prefecture. It opened in 1991 as Gifu Golf Club Tanigumi, and its 18-hole, par-72 layout was designed by Japanese tour star Masahiro Kuramoto. Stretching to 7,285 yards from the back tees, it is a course with no blind holes: from every shot you can see where the next one should land, while broad, rolling fairways, scattered trees and finely shaped single bent greens ask for precision.

Tanigumi has twice hosted the Japan PGA Championship, in 2006 and again in 2025.

That tournament pedigree is the draw, and the course is kept in condition to match, with caddies accompanying groups as a rule and a 300-yard range for warming up. The marble clubhouse looks out over a Japanese garden that shows off cherry blossom in spring and maple colour in autumn, and the second-floor restaurant has panoramic views across the course. Nearby, Tanigumi-san Kegon-ji, the historic temple that closes the Saigoku pilgrimage, makes a fine side trip, especially in the autumn foliage season. The club is members-oriented, so visitors need to play with, or be introduced by, a member; Nagoya is the natural gateway, about an hour away by car.