Japan's subtropical south plays golf all year against a backdrop of turquoise sea, coral cliffs and dense Yanbaru forest. From the resort fairways of Kanucha Bay to the clifftop drama of the Southern Links, here are the five courses we would build an Okinawa golf trip around, ranked, with our verdict on each and how to play it.
Photograph: PGM Golf Resort Okinawa, via Google.
Okinawa is the one part of Japan where you can tee it up in shorts in the depths of winter, and the golf has grown to match the climate. The island chain spreads its courses across two distinct worlds. The lush, mountainous north around Nago and the Yanbaru forest is resort country, where Kanucha Bay and the East China Sea resorts of Onna sit among the beaches. The flatter, more developed south near Naha holds the clifftop spectacle of the Southern Links and several long established members and semi private clubs within easy reach of the airport.
We weighed design quality, conditioning, scenery and how realistically a visiting golfer can arrange to play, and we leaned toward courses that welcome guests and pair well into a multi day trip. Okinawa is a smaller market than the mainland, so this is a focused five rather than a long tail. Every fact here, from openings to designers, was checked at the time of writing. The order is our editors' view, and if you want any of these built into a costed trip with transfers and tee times, that is exactly what our concierge does.
Reviewed June 2026 by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts verified at publication. How we research and review.
The marquee golf on the island, set within the sprawling Kanucha Bay resort on the wild, green northern coast. Opened in 1993 across a vast site facing Ohura Bay, it splits into a seaside stretch with magnificent ocean shots and a forest stretch winding through the Yanbaru hills. The scenery is the headline, but the layout has real variety and the resort around it, with beaches, pools and a village of rooms, makes it the most complete stay and play base in Okinawa.
The most dramatic round on the island. The seaward holes run along a cliff that drops some 40 meters to the water, with two signature holes that ask you to carry your ball across the ocean itself, while the inland holes weave around a string of ponds and a creek. It is a course you remember hole by hole, and its position in the south puts it within easy reach of Naha and the airport, an obvious pairing with a northern resort base.
Twenty seven scenic holes on the resort coast at Onna, overlooking the East China Sea, with the original layout dating to the early 1970s and later updated by the great Japanese player Isao Aoki. The three nines give plenty of variety for a multi round stay, the conditioning is reliably good, and the location among the Onna beach resorts makes it one of the most convenient championship style courses for visitors based on the west coast.
A mature, semi private club in the southern hills near Nanjo, with multiple nine hole combinations that pair into a par 72 of around 6,500 yards. Opened in 1977, it has the settled, tree lined character of an established Japanese course rather than a flashy resort, and its position in the south makes it an easy add on for golfers staying near Naha who want a more traditional test alongside the clifftop and resort spectacle.
One of the island's longer established clubs, set inland near Okinawa City in the center of the main island. It rounds out the list as a solid, walkable members style course that welcomes visitors and sits within a short drive of both the resort north and the southern coast, useful as a third or fourth round on a longer trip. Confirm visitor access and the day's rate before you travel, as tee sheets fill with members at weekends.
Openings, locations and course details verified June 2026 from the clubs and recognized course databases. Kanucha opened in 1993; Ryukyu Golf Club dates to 1977; PGM Golf Resort Okinawa runs 27 holes on the Onna coast. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Okinawa is excellent value next to the marquee resort golf of Hawaii or Southeast Asia, and it plays all year. Green fees almost always include a cart and are markedly lower midweek. The summer is hot, humid and carries a typhoon risk, so most visiting golfers come between October and May, when the subtropical air is warm but comfortable. Booking ahead matters at weekends, when the members and local golfers fill the sheets.
| Course | Area | Indicative green fee |
|---|---|---|
| Kanucha Golf Course | Nago, north | ¥12,000 to ¥25,000 |
| Southern Links | South | ¥10,000 to ¥20,000 |
| PGM Golf Resort Okinawa | Onna | ¥9,000 to ¥20,000 |
| Ryukyu Golf Club | Nanjo, south | ¥8,000 to ¥16,000 |
Indicative 2026 weekday fees including cart where standard; figures change by season and year. Always confirm current rates and visitor availability directly before booking.
Tell us which of these are on your list, a northern resort base around Kanucha Bay or a wider island tour taking in the clifftop south, and roughly when. One concierge arranges the tee times, transfers and base and costs the trip to the head, with no obligation.
Kanucha Golf Course at the Kanucha Bay resort is widely regarded as the best golf on Okinawa, a scenic resort layout of seaside and forest holes facing Ohura Bay in the lush Yanbaru region of the north. The clifftop Southern Links in the south runs it close for sheer drama.
Yes. Most of Okinawa's best courses are resort or semi private layouts that welcome visitors, with tee times bookable in advance and clubs and buggies for hire. A guarantee company or your hotel can help arrange access and transfers.
Okinawa is subtropical and playable year round. October to May offers the most comfortable temperatures, while the summer is hot and humid with a risk of typhoons. Spring and autumn are the sweet spot for a golf trip.
Indicative 2026 weekday green fees at the leading Okinawa resort courses run from around 8,000 yen to 25,000 yen including cart, with weekends and peak season higher. Always confirm directly before booking.
Tee time windows, course access changes and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course openings, locations and details verified June 2026; indicative green fees for the 2026 season. Last reviewed June 2026.