Japan · Japan · C.H. Alison
Kawana Hotels Golf Course — Fuji Course
James Kinloch
Golf Travel Specialist · played this course
The Fuji Course at Kawana Hotels Resort sits on the Izu Peninsula with Mt Fuji visible from multiple holes on clear days. On a clear October morning — which the Izu autumn provides with some regularity — you play eighteen holes with the mountain framing the left side of the course from the first tee. There is no similar view in golf.
C.H. Alison's design from 1936 was built for international visitors and plays in a way that feels more American parkland than Japanese mountain golf — wide corridors, generous landing areas, greens that accept running shots. The famous par-3 15th plays from a clifftop tee over the Pacific Ocean. I've played it thirty times and never stopped feeling the exposure before pulling the trigger.
Kawana Hotel is one of the great old resort hotels in Japan. Stay two nights, play both courses. The Oshima Course is the more character-driven of the two.
Signature hole
Par-3 15th, cliff-top tee over the Pacific
"The tee sits above the Pacific Ocean. The green is on a promontory connected to the main course by a narrow path. Wind is unpredictable. The view is worth a topped seven-iron."
Designer
C.H. Alison
Par
72
Yardage
6,694
Green fee
from £160
Best for
Best time to go
October to December for Fuji views. March to April for spring colour.
Play Kawana
James can arrange tee times, transfers, and accommodation around this course. One call is all it takes.
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