Woodland and dunes in the open spaces of Hokkaido

SIR Le Petaw Golf Course sits in Oiwake, in the town of Abira in southern Hokkaido, about 10 minutes from Oiwake IC on the Doto Expressway and around 40 minutes from New Chitose Airport. Opened in 1992 and designed by the American firm Golf Resources Inc., it combines two contrasting nines into an 18-hole, par-72 round of about 6,783 yards. The Woodland nine is a parkland-style layout framed by Hokkaido forest, with rolling terrain and big bunkers flowing into the slopes; the Dunes nine moves through a valley of sand dunes and grassy undulations, finishing on a long closing hole. Bentgrass covers tees, fairways and greens, a rarity in Hokkaido.

Two very different nines on one card, both laid on pure bentgrass.

Play is fully self-service with riding carts, rental clubs are available, and a 250-yard range lets you warm up properly. The season runs from mid-April to late November, when Hokkaido's cool, dry summers and blazing autumn colours make for superb golf. Le Petaw fits easily into a trip based in Sapporo, around an hour away, or into a drive toward Tomakomai and the Lake Shikotsu area, with hot-spring stays and Hokkaido's famous seafood never far away.