Katsunuma Golf Course

Overview: Katsunuma Golf Course turns its vineyard country into part of the round. It uses the steep, dry hills around Koshu to create a compact mountain round with clear changes in elevation and a strong connection to the vineyards of the Katsunuma area. Its official specification is 18 holes, par 72 and 6,067 yards, a length that rewards thoughtful positioning.

History: The current Katsunuma layout dates to 1988. Katsunuma opened on 2 November 1988 and was designed by Kumagai-gumi. The club's current profile describes a mountain course on a 1.11-million-square-metre property, with GPS-equipped riding carts and a layout that has kept its original hillside identity while adapting to modern play.

Did You Know? The course is part of the Chateraise Yamanashi group, a useful regional link for golfers who notice how differently the same operator's courses use the surrounding landscape. Katsunuma is the compact mountain course in that group, rather than a broad highland parkland route. That 1.11-million-square-metre property gives the course room to keep its mountain identity while still offering a full-length, two-nine round.