Owners of Japan’s oldest golf course, the Kobe Golf Club is charming golden-age layout set high in the undulating hills overlooking Osaka and Kobe. The terrain here is old-school Britain, with plenty of tumbling undulation, while the golf is similarly focused on quirky, fun golf corridors. This is only a par 61 so don’t expect championship golf at Kobe, but there are a number of enjoyable holes such as the short opener which sets the tone for the round ahead and is played over a rather pronounced valley to a wonderfully simple green site. Immediately to the right are adjacent par threes similarly routed across this valley.

On the back nine, one of the standouts is the drivable par four 18^th across dense scrub toward the charming clubhouse, while there is also a cool Himalayas par three as well.

A throwback to the golf courses of yesteryear, Kobe is a real treat and a track that is best played by walkers with a maximum of six or seven clubs, in order to fully appreciate the way our great game has evolved.