Katsura at Katsura Golf Club

Katsura Golf Club sits in Tomakomai, a port city on the southern coast of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island. The course was designed by Robert Trent Jones, the American architect whose international portfolio expanded significantly during the postwar decades when he brought his strategic design philosophy to courses across Asia. The Hokkaido setting provides a cooler climate than mainland Japan, with terrain that allowed Jones to work with natural elevation changes and incorporate his characteristic emphasis on bold bunkering and strategic shot values.

The routing takes advantage of the regional topography, which in this part of Hokkaido typically features rolling land shaped by volcanic activity and forested with birch and conifer. Jones courses from this era generally feature large, contoured greens defended by deep bunkers, demanding accurate approach play and rewarding players who can work the ball to specific quadrants of the putting surface. Water hazards and fairway bunkers positioned at key landing zones create strategic decisions from the tee.

Tomakomai's location near the Pacific coast means the course experiences seasonal variation, with playing conditions shifting between the warmer months when the course is most active and the colder periods typical of Hokkaido winters. The club serves both local members and visitors exploring golf in Japan's northern region, where courses are less densely concentrated than around Tokyo or Osaka but offer distinctive landscape character shaped by the island's geography and climate.