Hokkaido Golf Trip: Summer Courses, Season and Itinerary
TripToJapan.com Editorial Team
2026/10/07
TripToJapan.com Editorial Team
In August, Tokyo golfers tee off at 6 a.m. to beat the heat and still finish the back nine soaked through. On the same morning in Sapporo, the forecast high is about five degrees cooler, and the first group out is wearing a light sweater. That gap is the whole case for golf in Hokkaido.
Golf in Hokkaido is a summer game. Courses open from late April and close by early November, when snow takes over. July and August bring the best weather, since Hokkaido largely escapes the June rainy season that soaks Honshu. Green fees at resort courses run from about ¥6,000 to ¥13,000 for a round. Base yourself in Sapporo for the courses around New Chitose Airport, then add Niseko or Furano for mountain golf.
Hokkaido has more room for golf than anywhere else in Japan. The Japan Golf Course Management Association counted 140 Hokkaido courses paying the golf usage tax in July 2026, against just 21 in Tokyo. Many of them sit within an hour of New Chitose Airport.
The weather is the bigger draw. According to Japan Meteorological Agency climate normals, Sapporo's average August high is 26.4°C (about 80°F). Tokyo's is 31.3°C (about 88°F), with heavy humidity on top.
Hokkaido also sits mostly outside the tsuyu, the early-summer rainy season. The Japan Meteorological Agency does not even declare a rainy season for the island, because the long gray spell seen on Honshu does not form clearly there. June can still bring showers, but it rarely washes out a whole week.
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The Hokkaido golf season runs from roughly late April to early November. Every course closes for winter, and each sets its own dates around the snowmelt.
The 2026 calendar shows how much the dates vary. Niseko Village listed Niseko Golf Course as open from April 24 to November 8, while Niseko Village Golf Course ran only from May 15 to September 30. At Rusutsu, the Izumikawa course opened April 25, but the River course waited until May 23.
July and August are the peak months. The days are long and the air is dry, so it is the best time for golf in Hokkaido if you want reliable weather. They are also the busiest and most expensive weeks, especially around the Obon holiday in mid-August.
Late May, June and September are the smart alternatives. Fees drop and tee times are easier to find. By late September, the fall colors start in the mountains, and the mornings turn cool enough to need a jacket. Some resort courses close at the end of September, so check before you book an October trip.
Hokkaido's courses fall into three useful clusters for a visitor. Each one pairs well with a different base.
The flat country between Sapporo and the airport holds the biggest group of courses. The North Country Golf Club in Chitose is about 15 minutes from New Chitose Airport by car. Isao Aoki designed it, and it opened in 1991. Its fees change by plan and season, so compare a few booking sites.
Sapporo Golf Club has two 18-hole courses by Seiichi Inoue. The Wattsu course hosts the ANA Open, one of the men's tour events, which ran from September 17 to 20 in 2026 according to the ANA Open official site. Wattsu tee times are handled through a members' line, but the Yuni course accepts online and phone bookings.
Hokkaido Classic Golf Club in Abira is a Jack Nicklaus design. It is a private members' club, so plan to play it with a member or through a tour agency.
Mount Yotei watches over almost every hole in this area. Niseko Golf Course is an Arnold Palmer design, and Hanazono Golf near Kutchan is a 7,003-yard course by Chohei Miyazawa. Both are a short drive from the Hirafu hotels.
Rusutsu Resort has 72 holes across four courses, including the Tower course designed by Jumbo Ozaki. Its 2026 golf page is in English and lists green fees that include tax. They range from ¥6,000 on shoulder-season weekdays to ¥13,000 on peak weekends between July 11 and August 16. Few resorts in Japan are this simple for a visitor to book.
Furano Golf Course, run by Prince Hotels, has 36 holes in the valley below the Tokachi range. It stays open into early November in most years. The draw here is the setting. You can play in the morning and spend the afternoon in the lavender farms and wineries.
If you have a rest day, the things to do in Furano go well beyond lavender. There are cheese and wine tastings, and the farm roads of Biei are 30 minutes away.
Golf in Hokkaido is cheaper than golf near Tokyo. Resort courses like Rusutsu charge ¥6,000 to ¥13,000 per round in 2026. Championship and private courses near Sapporo cost more, especially for plans that include a caddie and lunch.
Expect a few extras on top of the green fee:
Golf usage tax: ¥400 to ¥1,200 per player per day, set course by course, according to the Hokkaido Prefectural Government. Players under 18 and over 70 are exempt.
Cart and caddie: often included in the price at resort courses, but check the plan.
Lunch: most 18-hole rounds include a lunch stop between the nines, and some plans bundle it into the fee.
Club rental: usually available at resort courses, around a few thousand yen a set.
For the bigger picture on fees, etiquette and the mid-round lunch, read our guide to golf in Japan before you go.
Most trips start at New Chitose Airport, which has frequent flights from Tokyo's Haneda and Narita airports. The JR Rapid Airport train reaches Sapporo Station in about 40 minutes. If you would rather go overland, compare the four ways to travel from Tokyo to Hokkaido first.
A rental car makes the most sense for golf. Courses sit outside the towns, and buses rarely stop at the clubhouse. Niseko is about three hours from the airport by bus, or a little less by car. Furano takes three and a half to four hours by train with changes, so most golfers drive.
On international flights, golf bags usually count toward your free baggage allowance. ANA, for example, accepts them within its standard limits of 30 kg and 203 cm total size.
Inside Japan, ship your clubs ahead with Yamato Transport's golf delivery. According to Yamato Transport, you drop the bag off two days before your round, and it arrives at the course the day before. You collect it at the front desk on arrival. Your hotel front desk can arrange the shipment for you.
This plan covers three rounds in two regions, with room for food and hot springs. It works best from late June to mid-September.
Day 1: Arrive in Sapporo. Land at New Chitose, pick up your car or take the train, and settle into a hotel near Sapporo Station. Spend the evening in Susukino, Sapporo's main nightlife district. A guided izakaya crawl in Sapporo is an easy way to try local seafood and Hokkaido beer on the first night.
Day 2: Chitose or Sapporo round. Play one of the courses near the airport in the morning. Drive back to Sapporo for Genghis Khan lamb barbecue at dinner.
Day 3: Drive to Rusutsu or Niseko. The drive takes about two hours. Check in, then play an afternoon nine if your course offers twilight rates.
Day 4: Niseko round and onsen. Tee off early with Mount Yotei in view, then spend the afternoon in one of the area's hot spring baths. Lake Toya is an easy side trip if you skip the round.
Day 5: Back to the airport. Leave three hours for the drive to New Chitose, or stop for a final round near Chitose on the way.
Golf fits easily into a longer summer itinerary. Add Furano and Biei for two days of flower fields, or Otaru and Hakodate for seafood and old harbor streets. Our 16-day Hokkaido immersion itinerary spends eight days on the island and gives you a base to slot rounds into.
Hokkaido hosts several professional events each summer. The JLPGA's Hokkaido Meiji Cup ran from August 7 to 9, 2026, at Sapporo Kokusai Country Club in Kitahiroshima. The Nitori Ladies followed in late August, and the men's ANA Open finished the run at Sapporo Golf Club in mid-September. Tournament weeks fill nearby hotels, so plan your own rounds around them.
Book two to four weeks ahead for July and August weekends. Weekdays are much easier, and they are also cheaper.
Resort courses are the simplest for visitors. Rusutsu publishes its fees in English, and the Niseko courses take online bookings in English through their shared reservation site. For private clubs and Japanese-only courses, a tour operator or your hotel concierge can book for you. Many visitors also use browser translation on Japanese booking sites such as Rakuten GORA.
