A quiet country round on the edge of Okayama city

Shin-Okayama Golf Club lies in the Nagano district on the northern edge of Okayama city, around 7 km from the Okayama-Nishi interchange of the Sanyo Expressway. Opened in November 1974 to a design by Keiji Matsuyama, it is an 18-hole, par-72 members' course of 6,301 yards from the back tees, with a course rating of 70. Once part of a larger 36-hole complex, it is a modest, manageable layout that rewards steady play rather than sheer length.

An easy escape from the city, open all year round.

The club runs a shuttle bus and is roughly 25 minutes from JR Okayama Station, a stop on the Sanyo Shinkansen, which makes it a practical round to slot into a western Japan itinerary. Reservations are required, so arrange your tee time in advance. Back in town, Okayama rewards a day of sightseeing: stroll Korakuen, one of Japan's three great landscape gardens, and the black-walled Okayama Castle beside it, or ride a short train to the canal-side warehouses of Kurashiki's historic Bikan quarter. The region is famed for its white peaches and Muscat grapes, best enjoyed in summer, while spring and autumn bring the most comfortable weather for golf.