Sashima Country Club

Sashima Country Club sits in Bando, a city in western Ibaraki Prefecture, roughly an hour's drive northeast of Tokyo. The course was designed by Dai Nippon Construction, a firm that developed numerous golf facilities across Japan during the country's golf boom in the latter half of the twentieth century. Like many courses built by construction companies during this era, Sashima reflects the engineering-focused approach common to Japanese golf development, where earthmoving capabilities allowed designers to shape terrain and create strategic interest even on relatively modest sites. The Bando area occupies low-lying terrain near the Tone River, part of the Kanto Plain's agricultural landscape. Courses in this region typically feature flatter topography than those in Japan's more mountainous zones, with design interest derived from contouring, bunkering, and water features rather than dramatic elevation change. The proximity to Tokyo has made Ibaraki Prefecture a popular location for member clubs serving the capital's golfing population. Sashima operates as a private member club in the traditional Japanese style, where golf remains a social and business activity as much as a recreational one. The club likely offers the dining and bathing facilities standard to Japanese country clubs, where the nineteenth hole experience carries significant cultural importance. Courses in this category typically maintain conditions to high standards, with attention to turf quality and presentation reflecting member expectations.