Shakespeare Country Club

Shakespeare Country Club sits in Yahata-chō, Ishikari, in Hokkaido. The 18-hole, par-72 course measures 6,879 yards, opened on 20 June 1991, and was designed by Takeaki Kaneda. It spreads across three plateaus separated by two streams, on land with big, rolling undulations.

As the name suggests, every hole carries a Shakespeare-inspired name with a purpose behind it. Holes 1 and 10 are both called "Romeo and Juliet" and have neighbouring greens, so the two lovers sit side by side. The 11th, "A Midsummer Night's Dream", was designed as a water hole where a waterfall behind the green flows beneath it and spills out in front.

Off the tee, the rolling ground and unusually placed cross bunkers narrow your target considerably. The greens are generally large, with tricky undulations, which makes the holes highly strategic. Japanese Wikipedia lists bentgrass (Penncross) greens, Kentucky bluegrass fairways and rough, 69 bunkers and six holes with ponds on a site of about 810,000 m².

The clubhouse has a restaurant with takeout versions of its signature dishes, baths (open until 16:00) and lockers, and seasonal locker rentals are available. Rental clubs and shoes need no reservation.

The course opened on 20 June 1991. Kaneda's style here, working with the natural ground and playing intellectually with design, is seen as typical of the architect. The 2026 season opened on 17 April, with reservations from 16 March.