Toyotako Golf Club: a lakeside test in western Yamaguchi

Set on the slopes above Lake Toyota in the quiet countryside of Toyota-cho, Shimonoseki, Toyotako Golf Club is an 18-hole, par-72 course designed by Hajime Tanaka and opened in 1971. Stretching to 7,027 yards from the back tees, it is a genuine championship layout: the club notes it has hosted the Kansai Pro Golf Championship, and its course rating of 74.3 marks it as one of the toughest tests in Yamaguchi. The front nine is broad and largely flat, while the back nine climbs and falls across the hillside, with views of the lake framing many holes.

A course that uses the land's drama, with a lake for company all the way round.

What sets Toyotako apart is that you can stay the night: the club has its own lodges and a small hotel, plus a 260-yard driving range with bunker and approach areas, making it an easy base for a two-round golf break. This is rural Japan at its most unhurried, with the coast of Nagato and the hot springs of Tawarayama Onsen within reach for an evening soak. Most visitors come by car, about 35 minutes from Otsuki or Mine interchanges on the Chugoku Expressway; without a car, take a taxi from JR Nagato Station or JR Otsuki Station. Pair it with a few days around Shimonoseki for fresh fugu and views across the Kanmon Strait.