Okinawa, Japan's
subtropical island golf

Ryukyu Golf Club in Nanjo, in the island's south, is the tour stop. Hiroshi Umezawa's 27 holes — West, East and South — have hosted the JLPGA Tour's season-opening Daikin Orchid Ladies every March since the event began in 1988. Visitors are welcome, and every group plays with a caddie and cart.

Kanehide Kise Country Club in Nago, to the north, is the men's championship test. Michio Izumi's 18 holes opened in 2001 and hosted the Japan PGA Championship in 2007 and 2017, with an Ocean nine facing the East China Sea and a Woods nine cut through Yanbaru forest. Book a tee time; on-site cottages are available.

The Southern Links Golf Club in Yaese is the most dramatic. Opened in 1989, it runs along cliffs more than 40 metres above the sea, with two signature holes played across the ocean, and it hosted the Asia Japan Okinawa Open in 2002 and 2003.

• PGM Golf Resort Okinawa — Onna's 27-hole ocean-view course, established in 1972 to a Keiji Matsuyama design and renovated under Isao Aoki's supervision in 2017; it hosted the HEIWA PGM Championship from 2017 to 2019.
• Kanucha Golf Course — part of Kanucha Resort in the north, with 18 holes supervised by Isao Aoki: a forest Village nine and a Seaside nine. Non-staying visitors can play at higher rates.
• The Atta Terrace Golf Resort — a 1994 championship course on the Onnadake highlands of Onna, with East China Sea views.

Okinawa's subtropical climate allows golf year-round, but October to December and March to May are the most comfortable, warm and drier months. March is also Daikin Orchid Ladies season at Ryukyu Golf Club, so check for tournament closures if you plan to play there.

Midsummer is hot and humid, and July to September is peak typhoon season, when storms can close courses and disrupt flights. Winter is mild by Japanese standards, which makes Okinawa a popular escape for golfers from the mainland.

• Day 1 — The Southern Links. Land at Naha and drive south to Yaese for the cliff-top ocean holes. Dinner at Makishi Public Market, where upstairs restaurants cook the fish you buy downstairs.
• Day 2 — Ryukyu Golf Club. Play the JLPGA venue in Nanjo, then visit nearby Sefa-utaki and take in the Pacific view from Cafe Kurukuma.
• Day 3 — PGM Golf Resort Okinawa or The Atta Terrace. Move up to the Onna coast, and stop at Cape Manzamo's coral cliffs on the way.
• Day 4 — Kanehide Kise or Kanucha. Finish in the north near Nago, then lunch on Okinawa soba at Ufuya or Kishimoto Shokudo and visit the Churaumi Aquarium.

Okinawa Main Island is long and narrow, so the plan runs south to north. A rental car or private driver is the practical way to get around.

The Onna coast on the west side of the island is the classic resort strip and the most central base, close to PGM Golf Resort Okinawa, The Atta Terrace and Cape Manzamo, with the northern and southern courses both within a day-trip drive.

Nago and the north suit golfers prioritizing Kanehide Kise and Kanucha, with the Motobu Peninsula, the Churaumi Aquarium and Kouri Island close by.

Naha and the south are best for short trips and late flights, with the quickest access to Ryukyu Golf Club, The Southern Links and the city's restaurants. Drive times from each hotel are shown on this page.

Okinawa's food is distinct from mainland Japan's. Kishimoto Shokudo in Motobu has made Okinawa soba since 1905 and still uses wood-ash alkaline water for its noodles. Ufuya, in a restored Meiji-era Ryukyuan house in the hills above Nago, serves soba at lunch and Agu pork shabu-shabu at dinner, close to Kise and Kanucha. In the south, Cafe Kurukuma pairs Thai and Asian dishes with a wide Pacific view toward Kudaka Island.

• Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium — whale sharks and manta rays in the Kuroshio Sea tank on the Motobu Peninsula.
• Sefa-utaki — the Ryukyu Kingdom's most sacred site and part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing, minutes from Ryukyu Golf Club.
• Cape Manzamo — the elephant-trunk rock on coral cliffs near the Onna courses.
• Kouri Island — reached by a long bridge over turquoise shallows, with beaches on both sides.
• Makishi Public Market — Naha's main food market.

• Book tee times ahead for weekends and the spring and autumn peaks; PGM Golf Resort Okinawa takes bookings through its official site.
• Caddies are part of the round at Ryukyu Golf Club, where every group plays with a caddie and cart. Tipping is not customary in Japan.
• Watch the forecast from July to September, when typhoons can close courses at short notice.
• Rent a car or hire a driver; the main courses are spread along roughly the length of the island.
• Dress code follows Japanese club norms: collared shirt, tailored shorts or trousers, no denim. At many Japanese clubs it is customary to arrive in smart clothes and change in the locker room.

Rules, rates and booking policies change, so confirm details directly with each club before you travel.