Nara Country Club ☆ Follow

Nara Country Club is a 7,227-yard championship course located in Gokicho, Gojo City, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Designed by renowned architect Osamu Ueda, the layout takes advantage of the natural topography to create a dynamic and demanding test of golf. The course features a variety of tee boxes—black, blue, white, gold, and red—allowing players of different distances and ages to navigate the 18 holes. The front nine plays to a par 36, while the back nine is a par 37, totaling 72 strokes for the full championship setup. The terrain is characterized by elevated positions that offer expansive views of the Katsuragi mountain range and the surrounding Nara landscape. The design incorporates prominent features such as plateau greens and difficult Alison bunkers that challenge approach shots. The course is known for its width off the tee on some holes, but this is often offset by out-of-bounds hazards and strategic bunkering. The 1st hole, a 520-yard par 5, is a gentle uphill opening hole where the fairway is wide but flanked by OB, requiring a precise drive to set up a manageable second shot. The 17th hole, a 554-yard par 5, presents an S-shaped dogleg with a significant uphill approach, demanding careful club selection to clear the front guard bunker. Nara Country Club holds a reputation as one of the most difficult courses in the region, with a course rating of 75.6. As of early 2026, it ranked first in Nara Prefecture, fourth in the Kansai region, and 14th in Japan. This challenging nature was evident during the 2017 Nara Open, where the lowest two-day score for professionals was only -5, underscoring the course's resistance to low scoring. The course has been in operation since 1969, maintaining its original dynamic layout while updating facilities such as tee grounds and introducing cart access over its half-century history.