Amagase Onsen Country Club

Amagase Onsen Country Club sits in the mountainous terrain of Hita in Oita Prefecture on Japan's Kyushu island, a region known for its hot springs and forested valleys. The course was designed by Toshio Kinoshita and Shimamura Yusei, architects who worked during Japan's golf course construction boom in the latter decades of the twentieth century. The layout reflects the design principles common to Japanese mountain courses of that era, where routing follows natural contours and elevation changes rather than imposing geometric patterns on the land. The course occupies hillside property that requires navigating slopes and elevation shifts throughout the round. Holes move through wooded corridors and open onto views of the surrounding mountains, typical of courses built in this part of Kyushu. The design incorporates the natural topography, with fairways that bend around ridges and greens positioned on plateaus or nestled into hillsides. Water features and bunkers frame landing areas and approach shots in keeping with mid-century Japanese design conventions. Amagase Onsen serves primarily as a resort course, drawing visitors to the Hita area who combine golf with the region's traditional onsen bathing culture. The club offers the amenities expected at Japanese country clubs, including dining facilities that feature local Kyushu cuisine. The course remains a regional facility rather than a tournament venue, providing a mountain golf experience characteristic of inland Kyushu layouts from its construction period.