Cool highland golf in the hills of eastern Aichi

Tsukude Golf Club lies on the Tsukude plateau above Shinshiro in eastern Aichi, at around 550 metres above sea level. Opened in 1994 and designed by Kazuo Okada, the 18-hole, par-72 layout stretches to 6,691 yards. It is a hilly site, but the changes in height are absorbed between holes and on the short holes, so the fairways themselves play largely flat. The front nine is open and easy on the nerves with wide views, while the back nine tightens up with more doglegs, water and bunkers guarding bentgrass greens that mostly receive the ball well.

When Nagoya swelters, Tsukude stays fresh, with breezes that make summer golf a pleasure.

Run by Accordia Golf as a self-play course, Tsukude is a relaxed, good-value round with GPS-equipped riding carts, rental clubs and a bath to finish the day, and it is open all year. The elevation is the big draw in summer, when the plateau stays noticeably cooler than the city below. The surrounding Okumikawa hill country is quiet farmland and forest, and the drive in is part of the charm: around 30 km from the Toyokawa interchange on the Tomei Expressway or the Toyota-Matsudaira exit of the Tokai-Kanjo Expressway, so a car is the way to get here, easily paired with a trip to Toyokawa Inari or the Horaiji mountain temple area.