Rolling fairways in the hills of southern Fukushima

Tanagura Densha Club (棚倉田舎倶楽部, the Tanagura “Country Club”) opened in April 1976 on gently rolling ground in Tanagura, a quiet castle town in the far south of Fukushima. Its 27 holes are split into three par-36 nines — East, Center and West — for a total of 10,605 yards, and the club bills itself as a championship course, having hosted the Japan–US college golf championship. The layout looks flat and open, but doglegs on the East, a tricky, shorter Center nine and a long West nine built for big hitters keep every round interesting, all framed by views of the Nasu, Abukuma and Yamizo mountains.

Play all day, soak in the club’s own hot spring, then sleep just steps from the first tee.

What sets Tanagura apart is that it is a genuine golf stay: the clubhouse has its own Tanagura hot-spring bath, and an on-site lodge means no driving after the round, making 36 holes over two days easy. A covered, floodlit 250-yard range and a nine-hole putting course round out the practice options. The surrounding countryside is classic rural Tohoku, with the onsen towns of the Nasu area and the old post town of Shirakawa within reach. Visitors can come by car via the Tohoku Expressway (about 29 km from Shirakawa IC), or ride the Tohoku Shinkansen to Shin-Shirakawa and take the club’s reservation-only shuttle.