Three Flat Nines in Natural Woodland, Five Minutes from the Inner Bay

Tokyo Bay Country Club sits on low hills at Kuranami in Sodegaura, a short way inland from the Chiba shore of Tokyo Bay. In Japanese it is Tokyo-wan Country Club, and it opened in October 1979 as a Mitsuo Yoshizaki design. For much of its life it ran as Tokyo Bay Springs Country Club, the "Springs" referring to a then-new strain of grass used on its greens; after the original owner went through restructuring in 2003 and 2004, Accordia Golf took over operations in July 2004 and the name was shortened. Anyone searching under the old name, or under Tokyo-wan, will find the same course.

There are 27 holes in three nines named after the surrounding districts: Nagaura, Kubota and Kuranami, totalling about 10,000 yards at par 108. The terrain is gentle and much of the original woodland has been kept between the holes, so the course feels enclosed rather than open to the water, though the breeze off the bay is a regular companion. The club describes the layout as a blend of older, garden-style holes and newer holes with more teeth. Fairways look flat but carry soft undulation that leaves awkward lies, the routes to the green are deliberately narrowed, and creeks and ponds feature on each nine, so a round played on autopilot does not add up to much of a score.

Twenty-seven holes on gentle ground near the bay, where creeks, ponds and narrowed lines do the work that elevation does elsewhere

Playing the three nines

Combinations rotate in a fixed order: Nagaura into Kubota, Kubota into Kuranami, and Kuranami into Nagaura. Nagaura and Kubota is the fullest pairing, at roughly 6,770 yards from the back tees with a 71.1 rating, and it is the combination most often on the tee sheet. Greens are a single bent green per hole. The club pitches the course as comfortable for women and senior golfers as well as stronger players, and self-play is the norm, in four-seat riding carts fitted with touch-panel GPS navigation; caddies are available. On busy afternoons the final three holes may be played under lights, so late starters should not be surprised to finish under floodlights.

Access and practicalities

By car the course is about 5 kilometres from the Anesaki-Sodegaura interchange on the Tateyama Expressway, and roughly 25 minutes from the Ukishima junction on the Aqua-Line, which makes it one of the quicker Chiba rounds from Kawasaki and southern Tokyo. By train, Nagaura on the JR Uchibo line is the nearest station, around 70 minutes from Tokyo Station on a rapid service, and a scheduled shuttle bus runs from the south exit in about five minutes. A reservation-only weekend bus also runs from the Sodegaura bus terminal, which is served by Aqua-Line highway buses from Tokyo. Bus timetables change, so check the current schedule when booking. The practice range is short at 13 bays and 130 yards.