2023 Zozo Championship at Narashino Country Club - King & Queen Course

Narashino Country Club's King & Queen Course, designed by Osamu Ueda, sits in Inzai within Chiba Prefecture, roughly an hour northeast of Tokyo. The club dates to the mid-20th century and reflects the evolution of Japanese golf course architecture during a period when the game was expanding rapidly across the country. Ueda, a prominent figure in Japanese golf design, created a layout that incorporates the region's rolling terrain and natural vegetation, typical of courses built in the Kanto Plain's wooded areas.

The King & Queen routing combines elements from two nines to form the championship configuration used for professional events. The course features relatively narrow fairways lined with mature pines and other native trees, demanding accuracy from the tee. Elevation changes are moderate but meaningful, and the greens present subtle contours that require careful reading. Water hazards come into play on several holes, adding strategic complexity without dominating the design.

Narashino gained international attention when it began hosting the Zozo Championship in 2021, part of the PGA Tour's Asian swing. The tournament, which debuted in Japan in 2019 at a different venue, represents the Tour's only official event in Japan. The course setup for professional play typically measures over 7,000 yards and tests ball-striking precision rather than overwhelming length.

The club maintains a traditional Japanese membership structure and operates with the formality characteristic of established country clubs in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Narashino's role as a Zozo Championship venue has elevated its profile among international golf audiences.