Trial Golf & Resort Wakamiya: easygoing golf in the Fukuoka countryside

Set among the green hills of Miyawaka, between Fukuoka and Kitakyushu, the Wakamiya Course opened in 1977 and is now part of Trial Golf & Resort. The 18-hole, par-72 course is unusually gentle for Kyushu, with less than 30 metres of elevation change across the whole property. Ponds and dogleg holes provide the strategy, and every hole has two greens, bentgrass and Korai, with the blue tees measuring up to 6,733 yards.

Flat, friendly and full of strategy, an hour from downtown Fukuoka.

It is a course that suits everyone from beginners to low handicappers, with a choice of caddie or self-play, rental clubs and shoes, and a practice area with bunker and approach greens. After the round, the onsen bath and a calm mid-century-modern clubhouse make it easy to linger over a meal. Wakamiya is about 15 minutes from the Wakamiya interchange on the Kyushu Expressway, 35 minutes from Fukuoka IC, and around an hour by car from Hakata Station or Tenjin, so it slots neatly into a city stay in Fukuoka, famous for its yatai food stalls and tonkotsu ramen. Combine it with a visit to Munakata Taisha shrine on the nearby coast, or head on to Kitakyushu.