Ponds, bunkers and a long finish in rural north Kumamoto

Tsukasa Kikusui Golf Club lies just off the Kikusui interchange of the Kyushu Expressway in northern Kumamoto. Opened in October 1974 to a design by Ken Sato, it is an 18-hole, par-72 course of gently rolling ground and wide fairways that look straightforward from the tee. The defence lies around the greens: subtle undulations, well-placed bunkers and ponds that come into play on many holes, making accuracy more valuable than length. The finale is the long par-5 18th, threaded between out-of-bounds with a pond short of the green.

It looks flat and friendly from the tee, but the approach shots tell another story.

Play is self-service with riding carts, and the clubhouse has a large bath and a second-floor restaurant. The club is part of the Tsukasa group, whose nearby Tsukasa no Yu hot spring and Tsukasa Royal Hotel make it easy to build a golf-and-onsen stay. The area is known for the Edafunayama burial mounds and the Tamana hot springs, and Kumamoto city, with its castle, is within driving distance. Kumamoto Airport is the closest air gateway; by rail, take a taxi from JR Tamana Station.