Ibaraki · Tsukuba
Tsukuba 7-Day Group Golf Trip
Five Ibaraki championship courses from one hotel in central Tsukuba, a sightseeing stop after every round and three hosted dinners. The most golf per day of any trip we run.
Why this route works
Ibaraki has more championship golf within an hour of one town than almost anywhere else in the Kanto region, which is what makes five rounds in six days possible without a single hotel change. The group stays in central Tsukuba throughout, and each round is followed by a short stop — a temple, a lake, a shrine, a space centre — so the days do not become golf and nothing else.
Day by day
Day 1
Narita to Tsukuba · welcome dinner
Met in the arrivals hall and driven to Tsukuba, with a stop at a golf superstore on the way for anything left at home. Check in at the hotel, then a welcome dinner — okonomiyaki or yakiniku, with free-flow drinks.
Day 2
Round 1 · Ami Golf Club
Breakfast at 07:30 and away by 08:30 for a 10:00 tee, with cart and set lunch included. After the round, a stop at Ushiku Daibutsu, at 120 metres the tallest bronze Buddha in the world. Back at the hotel by early evening; dinner free.
Day 3
Round 2 · Miho Golf Club · izakaya dinner
A 10:00 tee at Miho, then a walk along the shore of Lake Kasumigaura, the largest freshwater lake in Ibaraki. Dinner is hosted at an izakaya with a nine-dish seasonal course and two hours of free-flow drinks.
Day 4
Round 3 · Tsukuba Tokyu Golf Club
A 10:07 tee at a course that looks straight out at Mt. Tsukuba. Afterwards, a stop at Mt. Tsukuba Shrine, one of the best-known power spots in the prefecture. Note that this clubhouse recommends a jacket on entry.
Day 5
Round 4 · PGM Ishioka Golf Club
The Jack Nicklaus course, and the hardest test of the week. After the round, the JAXA Tsukuba Space Center — Japan’s largest space development facility, free to enter.
Day 6
Round 5 · The Golf Club Ryugasaki · farewell dinner
The closing round at a course built as a corporate members’ club, with a clubhouse to match; a jacket is recommended here too. A stop at NikiGolf afterwards, then a farewell yakiniku dinner.
Day 7
Tsukuba to Narita
Breakfast, check-out with all bags on board, then Naritasan Shinshoji and its approach street, or the AEON Mall if the flight is earlier. On to Narita for the afternoon departure.
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.
Ami Golf Club
An 18-hole forest course on almost flat ground — about five metres of elevation across the whole property. Wide fairways are ringed by natural woodland, with bunkers and water placed so that club selection and landing area matter on nearly every hole. The 18th is a 560-yard right dogleg par 5 with continuous OB down the left and two ponds short right of the green. Former host of the men’s Nichirei International.
Miho Golf Club
A hillside course with views over Lake Kasumigaura, designed around risk and reward. Only about fifteen metres of elevation change, but the bunkering and water are placed precisely enough that every hole asks whether to attack or lay back. One of the few courses in Japan to have hosted both men’s and women’s majors, including the 1998 JLPGA Championship and the 2003 Japan PGA Championship. A GRAND PGM property.
Tsukuba Tokyu Golf Club
A historic forest course facing Mt. Tsukuba, laid out with double greens and holes separated by natural pine. The routing wraps around a large pond and water appears at several points; the pines restrict the angle into a number of greens, so the course rewards a varied set of shots rather than length. A jacket is recommended in the clubhouse.
PGM Ishioka Golf Club
An American-style championship course designed by Jack Nicklaus on ground with barely four metres of elevation, defended instead by water, scrub and sculpted bunkering. The 200-yard par-3 8th on the OUT nine, with its chain of shaped bunkers between tee and green, is the signature hole. Host of the men’s Acom International for eight consecutive years from 1999, and a GRAND PGM property with a 330-yard practice range.
The Golf Club Ryugasaki
A large forest championship course of roughly 220,000 tsubo, designed by Shunsuke Kato, the first chairman of Japan’s golf course architects’ association. Nothing here is left to chance: precisely placed hazards, traps that reward analysis over instinct, and a par 5 of more than 600 yards. Opened as a corporate members’ club, and the castle-like clubhouse still reflects that. A GRAND PGM property, and a fitting closing round.
What is included
Included
- Six nights at one hotel in central Tsukuba, with breakfast
- Five 18-hole rounds, each with the course set lunch
- GPS riding carts on all five rounds
- Private Coaster coach with an assistant throughout
- Narita arrival and departure transfers
- Three hosted dinners — welcome, izakaya and farewell
- A sightseeing stop after every round
- Three-ball surcharges where the courses apply them
Not included
- International airfare
- Dinners other than the three hosted meals
- Caddie fees where offered
- Locker fees, roughly JPY 300 to 500 per course
- Extra food and drink ordered at the clubhouse
- Sightseeing admission fees
- Club and shoe rental
- Travel insurance and personal expenses
- Vehicle overtime beyond the agreed daily hours
Before you travel
Why one hotel for six nights?
Five rounds in six days means five early starts. Staying in central Tsukuba removes the daily repacking and keeps every one of the five courses within about an hour.
Is a jacket really needed?
Tsukuba Tokyu and Ryugasaki both recommend one on entry to the clubhouse. One lightweight jacket in the suitcase covers both days.
How early do we arrive at the course?
The courses ask for check-in 40 minutes before the tee. We build in 45 to 60 so bag tags, changing and warm-up are never rushed.
What about groups of three?
Some courses add a three-ball surcharge when fewer than four play together. On this trip it was priced in rather than collected on the day.
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.