Nagano · Gunma · Saitama · Ibaraki · Chiba
Karuizawa 8-Day Group Golf Trip
Two rounds at Karuizawa 72 Golf, a hot-spring night in the Saitama countryside, three championship rounds around Tsukuba, then two nights on the Makuhari waterfront. Operated for ten, nine of them playing.
Why this route works
This is the widest-ranging of our group trips: it crosses five prefectures and changes character three times. It opens as a resort week in Karuizawa, pauses for a night at a hot spring in the Saitama countryside with dinner and breakfast included, then turns into three days of championship golf around Tsukuba before ending on the Makuhari waterfront within easy reach of both airports. Two private vehicles run the whole way, which is what makes the non-golfer programme possible on every golf day.
Day by day
Day 1
Tokyo to Karuizawa · Round 1
An early start — about 06:00 from Tokyo — to reach Karuizawa 72 Golf in time for a 10:06 tee on the West Course. Nine golfers in three groups, self-play with GPS carts. The non-golfer spends the day on Old Karuizawa Ginza and around the Prince Shopping Plaza. Overnight at a resort hotel within the Karuizawa resort grounds, a few minutes from the course.
Day 2
Round 2 · Karuizawa 72 Golf, East Course
A second 10:06 tee, this time on the Oshitate Course. The non-golfer walks Kumoba Pond in the morning — early October is the start of the autumn season here, though the exact timing varies each year — and the afternoon is free around the resort. Second night at the same hotel, so nothing needs repacking.
Day 3
Kusatsu Onsen and the hot-spring night
No golf. The group leaves Karuizawa for Kusatsu Onsen and the Yubatake, where the hot spring water runs through open wooden channels in the middle of town, with time to walk and eat. The drive continues through Gunma and Saitama to a hot-spring hotel at Nagatoro-Yorii, where dinner and breakfast are both included.
Day 4
Round 3 · Omurasaki Golf Club, on to Tsukuba
All three groups tee at 10:00, each starting on a different nine — East, Middle and West — which keeps the whole party on one schedule. Lunch is included. The non-golfer visits Oshi Castle and Sakitama Ancient Burial Mounds Park in Gyoda. Afterwards the group continues to Tsukuba.
Day 5
Round 4 · The Golf Club Ryugasaki
Tee times from 10:04 across two nines. The non-golfer programme runs to Ushiku Daibutsu and, if time allows, the Lake Kasumigaura area; the vehicle returns to the course in the afternoon. Second night at the same Tsukuba hotel.
Day 6
Round 5 · Miho Golf Club, on to Makuhari
The final round, teeing from 09:53, with lunch included. The non-golfer visits the Tsuchiura castle ruins and the Kasumigaura waterfront. After golf the group transfers to Makuhari in Chiba.
Day 7
Makuhari free day
No vehicle service. The outlet park and the mall are both beside the station, and central Tokyo — Ginza, Tokyo Station, Asakusa, Shibuya, Shinjuku — is a direct train away.
Day 8
Departure
Private transfers out: to Narita for the international departure, and to Haneda and central Tokyo hotels for the members continuing their stay. Final allocation and drop-off order are confirmed before the trip.
The courses
Course detail below is as played on the trip. For your own group the courses can be swapped for others in the same region.
Karuizawa 72 Golf — West, Blue Course
Karuizawa 72 Golf is one of the largest golf resort complexes in Japan: six courses, 108 holes, all within the Karuizawa forest. The Blue Course has broad fairways, an open resort setting and an unhurried feel, which is exactly what a first round should be after a morning on the road from Tokyo.
Karuizawa 72 Golf — East, Oshitate Course
Known for the individuality of its holes, including an unusually long par six. The East Course has also been used for international amateur competition, which gives it a standing of its own within the Karuizawa 72 complex.
Omurasaki Golf Club
A 27-hole complex of East, Middle and West nines. Broad fairways, mature trees, water hazards and strategic bunkering — approachable for a mixed group, but positioning from the tee still decides the angle into the greens. Starting three groups on three different nines at the same time is what keeps a party of nine together.
The Golf Club Ryugasaki
A forest-style championship course with tree-lined playing corridors and a traditional Japanese country-club atmosphere. It rewards accuracy and disciplined management rather than length; mature trees define the corridors while water and bunkers demand care from both tee and fairway. A clear step up in technical demand from the resort courses earlier in the week.
Miho Golf Club
A championship-standard course of mature woodland, strategic bunkering, water and technically demanding green complexes. It has hosted professional tournament golf including the Japan LPGA Championship and the HEIWA PGM Championship, and makes a strong finish to the golf half of the trip.
What is included
Included
- Seven nights across four hotels
- Daily breakfast, plus dinner on the hot-spring night
- Five 18-hole rounds with golf carts
- Set lunch at two of the five courses
- Two private Toyota HiAce vehicles with drivers on scheduled days
- A sightseeing programme for the non-golfer on every golf day
- Arrival transfer and final-day departure transfers
Not included
- International airfare
- Dinners other than the hot-spring night
- Lunch at three of the five courses
- Caddie fees and locker fees
- Sightseeing admission fees
- Vehicle service on the Makuhari free day
- Vehicle overtime at JPY 5,000 per hour, per vehicle
- Travel insurance and personal expenses
Before you travel
Why two vehicles?
Nine sets of clubs and a week of luggage for ten people do not fit comfortably in one van. Two vehicles also mean one can take the non-golfer out while the other stays with the course.
What does a non-golfer actually do?
Every golf day has a nearby programme: Old Karuizawa, Kumoba Pond, Oshi Castle, Ushiku Daibutsu, the Kasumigaura waterfront. The vehicle always returns to the course before the round finishes.
Why the hot-spring night?
The hot-spring hotel at Nagatoro-Yorii sits between the Karuizawa and Tsukuba halves of the trip. It breaks up what would otherwise be a long transfer day, and dinner and breakfast are both included.
What are the vehicle hours?
About ten hours a day, counted from the first pickup. Major detours, extra long-distance driving, additional tolls or parking may be charged separately.
This is one of five group trips on our Japan group golf hub. Dates, courses and hotel grade are adjusted to your group.
Want this route for your own group?
Send the month, the headcount and how many of you play. We come back with the routed itinerary, the courses we can hold and a per-person figure, usually within three working days.