The 100-year-old Kawana Hotel Golf Course is known as the textbook of Japanese golf and ranks second. With a view of Mount Fuji in the distance and the Pacific Ocean nearby, the scenery is excellent and refreshing. It is also the No. 1 golf course in Japan, and the maintenance of the fairways and greens is impeccable. I have wanted to experience it for a long time, and finally arranged the visa and set off.

Check-in location

Big Island Golf Course Hole 6 Suspension Bridge

Battery Green

Pacific Ocean View from the Cliff

Tips of the course

It is recommended to play Oshima first and then Fuji. The tee time and bus time are very strict, so be punctual. You can choose to play 18 holes in a row or take a break. Fuji golf course has a large slope, so it is recommended to use a golf cart. Oshima golf course is also a good place to play golf by yourself.

Travel Notes

Confirmation of luggage regulations for international flights

Golf bags can be mailed directly from the hotel to the golf course, or directly from the golf course to the airport

Immersive Experience Edition

On the first day, I took Cathay Pacific flight CX500 from Hong Kong and landed at Narita Airport at 9:30 pm. Now everyone must pay attention to the baggage regulations of the airline when taking a flight. The first time I took an international flight, I could not bring 2 checked bags. Later, I checked other airlines and found that they basically all allowed 2 checked bags. So you must read the airline's baggage regulations to avoid being fined.

We stayed at the ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel next to Narita Airport at night. We chose this hotel because we landed too late and Crowne Plaza was far from the city. The transportation was not very convenient at night, so we had an airport shuttle bus which made it better.

Since I had meetings on the second and third days after arriving in Tokyo, and went to Kawana to play golf on the fourth day, I planned to mail the golf bag in advance. After arriving at the hotel that night, I mailed the golf bag to Kawana Golf Course at the hotel's express mail point. The price was also very cheap, just over 2,000 yen per bag.

Since there were only two of us playing golf, it would be more expensive to rent a car. In addition, we had more time to come to Tokyo this time, so we took the train from Tokyo to Kawana Golf Course one day in advance. We took the train from Shinagawa Station and went there slowly. Since many Japanese trains are private railway companies, the routes are very complicated. For example, I had two choices this time. One was to take the Shinkansen (express train) for about 2 hours, and the other was to take the Ueno Tokyo Line (slow train). Since Kawana is a small station, the express train does not stop, so I had to transfer anyway. I took the Ueno Tokyo Line to Atami Station, then transferred to the Izu Kyuko Line and got off at Kawana Station. The whole journey took about 3 hours.

After arriving at the station, it was dinner time, so I walked for less than 10 minutes to a seafood restaurant called “おお田” next to the station to eat seafood. I definitely made the right choice. When I got there, I found that it was delicious. The golden eye snapper and other seafood were very fresh. There were also photos of the fishermen who supplied the seafood, which was very good. It was worth the trip.

After finishing the meal, I asked the restaurant waiter to help me call a taxi. It took about 7 minutes to get to Kawana Hotel, which was about 3 kilometers away. The taxi fare was 1,500 yen.

Kawana Hotel was planned in 1907, Oshima Course opened in 1928, and the hotel and Fuji Course opened in 1936. It has a history of 100 years and is very famous in Japan. Many celebrities have spent their holidays here, including the Emperor and Crown Prince of Japan, the King of Sweden, and Marilyn Monroe on her honeymoon. Many competitions are held here. Although the entire hotel is old, the facilities are very advanced and the rooms are well decorated, so you will definitely feel comfortable staying here.

There is an observation deck on the 5th floor of the hotel room. After walking about 3 floors, you can reach the top and see the general view of the entire course. The Pacific Ocean Izu Sea is very magnificent, and there are free telescopes to observe seagulls and ships on the sea in the distance.

The Kawana Hotel Golf Course has a total of 36 holes, consisting of two 18-hole standard courses, the Fuji Course and the Oshima Course.

Fuji is the most famous course, currently ranked second in Japan and sixth in Asia. Because I didn't pay much attention when booking, I decided to play Fuji first and then Oshima. In fact, the best way is to play Oshima first and then Fuji. After all, it is important to warm up before playing a famous course like Fuji. Another point is that I feel that Fuji is more difficult than Oshima, so it is a reasonable choice to play the easy first and then the difficult.

Fuji Stadium is less than 5 minutes away by bus from the clubhouse. The bus has a fixed departure time, so you must arrive at the starting point 30 minutes in advance. We scheduled the tee time at 9:03 and the bus was to depart at 8:40. We arrived at 8:40 and were just closing the door to leave, so they quickly stopped the bus and took us away. The bus will not wait for anyone. I don't know what will happen if you miss it, but it should be a very troublesome thing.

Fuji Golf Course is a walking course with a caddy. It is a links-style course with a large slope. It is actually quite tiring to walk. However, you can apply for a golf cart in advance. Golf courses generally provide golf carts, and the luxury point is that there is a special driver for the golf cart. I didn’t expect that Japan has such a luxurious human capital configuration. It deserves to be the second-ranked luxury golf course. Because I didn’t pay much attention before, I found that walking was tiring after teeing off, so I temporarily booked a golf cart. Since it was a temporary appointment, there was no golf cart driver. Since the caddy uncle has a driver’s license, he was also equipped with a golf cart. A van was used to transport the golf cart.

It feels like half of the holes at Fuji Golf Course are built by the sea, and the views of the holes by the sea are spectacular. The 13th hole is the most beautiful, in particular. The green speed is 8.5, which is slower than expected, but it is also the slowest time for the green recently. As for the evaluation of the specific course, I see that many golfers have made comments on the BaiGolf website, so I won't say anything furthermore.

The caddie's name is Kiku-san. He is very patient and talkative. After we finished playing, I still gave him a tip of 2,000 yen. I talked to him in detail later. I learned that caddies at Japanese golf courses are generally divided into different groups. For example, people from Kanto, Japan are more generous and give tips after playing, while people from Kansai are stingy and don't tip after playing. Don’t tip too much. If you tip the caddie too much, the caddie won't accept it. After all, the tip is just a token of appreciation. If you think the service is good, you can treat the caddie to drinks and snacks in the rest area, or you can give around 2,000 yen, which is 100 yuan, to express your appreciation.

The Oshima Golf Course is a self-service golf course with a golf cart, and there is no caddy. Before the golf cart is driven, the staff will come over to give some instructions before teeing off. For example, the 13th hole has a large drop, and the distance is 245 yards, but it is actually 210 yards to the green. You should pay attention to choosing the right club and controlling the distance to avoid hitting the player on the 14th hole next door.

In addition, you need to pay special attention to the 7th hole. After teeing off the 6th hole, the golf cart cannot go to the green because you have to cross a suspension bridge. You can only park halfway up the mountain and you have to get off the car and walk across a suspension bridge to reach the green. Since the teeing platform of the 7th hole is next to the 6th hole green, you have to bring the teeing wood for the 7th hole when you go to the 6th hole green. Although it was explained, our Japanese is not good enough, so we didn't quite understand it until we played the 6th hole. The Japanese group in front of us saw us running to the 6th hole green without a teeing wood, and ran over to tell us. It was very enthusiastic, otherwise it would be really embarrassing.

The Oshima course is a mountain course, and there are fewer sea view holes than the Fuji course, but the golf carts can be driven onto the fairways, so it is still very easy to play. I feel more comfortable without a caddy, and it also saves me the trouble and entanglement of paying tips.

When playing in Japan, if there aren't too many people, the groups in front and behind will keep a good distance, so you won't feel like someone is always chasing you. If the group in front plays slowly, they will quickly speed up and keep the distance if you are too close to them.

We had to go back to Tokyo that afternoon, so after playing golf, we went to a ramen restaurant at the intersection of the 9th, 10th, and 18th holes of the Oshima Golf Course. We had a bowl of ramen there, which was delicious.

One difference between playing golf at Kawana Golf Course and other Japanese golf courses is that you are not forced to rest or eat after completing 9 holes. You can freely choose to continue playing the last 9 holes or take a break. This is more flexible and in line with our playing habits. So I always choose to play 18 holes in one go. In addition, the golf cart is not controlled by an electric track, but like in China, you can drive it yourself or the caddy or driver. It is very convenient and can be driven directly to the ball landing point, saving worry and effort.

After playing golf, there were many golf bags being packed and mailed at the starting platform. It seems that even Japanese people choose to mail their golf bags. There is a delivery service store at the golf course, and there are 2 staff members responsible for mailing golf bags. I told the staff my flight number and departure date, and left my phone number and name. They helped me fill out the mailing form and mailed the golf bags to Narita Airport. The cost is a little more expensive than before, because the airport will charge a 600 yen handling fee for storage.

By the way, you can rent clubs on the course, and the fees vary depending on the model.

After returning to Tokyo, I played for 2 days, brought some small souvenirs to my relatives and friends, and then returned home. In short, this golf trip to Japan is worth remembering. With the convenience of flights in the future, I will come to Japan for golf trips several times a year. It is very enjoyable.

        For more information and bookings, visit Riverdale Golf Club and our website www.baigolf.com. BaiGolf will be able to bring you joy and convenience with booking and experiencing, and is a priority choice. Scan the QR code and download the APP for free, or you can go to our Wechat mini program “百高高尔夫”. Remember, golf transcends mere recreation, becoming a spiritual journey of self-discovery and harmony with nature, where each shot embodies the eternal quest for perfection and the fleeting nature of triumph.