Golf beside the launch pads on Japan’s space island

Tanegashima Golf Resort lies in Nakatane on Tanegashima, the long, green island south of Kagoshima best known as home to Japan’s rocket launch center. Opened on August 1, 1991 to a design by Karl Litton, the 18-hole, par-72 course stretches to 7,024 yards over gently rolling hills close to the Pacific. Fairways are generous, but the inward nine is full of doglegs that demand accuracy, water comes into play on the 2nd, 7th and 18th, and 66 sand bunkers and 50 grass bunkers guard the way. It is often described as Japan’s southernmost all-bent-grass course, and about half its greens are two-tiered.

Ocean breezes on every tee, and a front-row seat for rocket launches.

The club calls the 16th and 18th holes the best rocket-viewing spots on the island, and the clubhouse bath looks out over the course. Rooms attached to the clubhouse make it a true stay-and-play resort, with a 300-yard grass practice range for warm-ups. Off the course, Tanegashima rewards a few days’ exploring: the Tanegashima Space Center, surf beaches, and the island’s place in history as the arrival point of the first firearms in Japan. The course is about 10 minutes by taxi from Tanegashima Airport, with flights from Kagoshima, or around 40 minutes from Nishinoomote Port, served by fast ferries.