Akechi Golf Club - Kashio Course

The Akechi Golf Club's Kashio Course sits in the mountainous terrain of Kawabe in Gifu Prefecture, a region characterized by forested hillsides and dramatic elevation changes typical of central Japan's landscape. The course represents a collaboration between American tour professional Larry Nelson, who won three major championships during his playing career, and Japanese architect Tomizawa Hirochika. This partnership brought together Nelson's competitive insights with local design expertise suited to the region's topography. The routing works through the natural contours of the site, with holes that navigate the slopes and valleys common to golf courses built in Japan's inland mountain areas. The design likely incorporates the strategic principles Nelson absorbed during his professional career, balanced against the practical considerations of building on challenging terrain. Fairways follow the land's movement, and green complexes take advantage of natural plateaus and ridges. Gifu Prefecture's golf courses generally serve members from the region as well as visitors from nearby Nagoya and other urban centers in the Chubu region. The Kashio Course provides a golf experience shaped by its mountain setting, where elevation changes and wooded corridors define the character of play. The course reflects the period of Japanese golf development when collaborations between international players and domestic architects became more common, bringing diverse perspectives to course design in Japan's varied landscapes.