Cheap Golf Courses in Saitama You Can Reach by Train from Tokyo (Tried & Reviewed)

Hi everyone, it’s Joe (@chiropiyo0331) here!

When you golfers head to the course, do you drive or take the train?

Most people drive, but some of us end up taking the train out of necessity — “cars are expensive!”, “upkeep costs too much!”

In this installment of our “we actually went there” series, we’ve hand-picked cheap golf courses in Saitama that you can reach by train from central Tokyo (updated as we go).

This article is written for anyone looking for a Saitama golf course reachable by train from central Tokyo on your own, or who has a playing partner who takes the train — so if you’re hunting for a Saitama course you can reach by train, please read all the way through!

So where exactly are Saitama’s golf courses?

First, as background: where are Saitama’s golf courses actually located?

Let’s take a look on Google Maps.

That’s a lot!

Saitama Prefecture has around 70 golf courses — enough to rank in the top 10 of all Japan’s prefectures.

Compared to other prefectures it’s close to central Tokyo, with everything from the historic Kasumigaseki Country Club and the prestigious Musashi Country Club nearby, to riverbed courses along the Arakawa River — a huge variety of courses.

Which Saitama golf courses have a shuttle bus?

Next: of Saitama’s roughly 70 golf courses, how many can you reach by train plus a course’s own shuttle bus?

Close to 40 courses — more than you’d expect, right?

It seems courses run shuttle buses anticipating golfers arriving by train from within the prefecture, from Tokyo, and from other prefectures.

Golf courses in Saitama you can reach by train

Here’s a round-up of golf courses along Saitama’s train lines that run a club shuttle bus from the nearest station.
※ Courses only reachable from the nearest station by taxi or local bus are excluded here, since that hurts the cost-performance.

Train Line	Nearest Station	Golf Course	Time from Station	Green Fee (tax incl.)	Fare from Tokyo Station
JR Keihin-Tohoku Line JR Saikyo Line	Omiya Station	Omiya Country Club	20-min shuttle bus	¥9,050~	¥580
		Northern Country Club Nishikigahara Golf Course	20-min shuttle bus	¥6,990~
Tobu Tojo Line	Ogose Station	Musashinomori Country Club	8-min free shuttle taxi	¥12,580~	¥840
		Saitama Rika Country Club	15-min shuttle bus	¥10,990~
	Asakadai Station	Asaka Public Golf Course	15-min shuttle bus	¥8,500~	¥460
	Sakado Station	Iruma Country Club	20-min shuttle bus	¥12,700~	¥730
		Ogose Golf Club	20-min shuttle bus	¥14,100~
		Nihon Country Club	20-min shuttle bus	¥13,520~
		Musashi OGM Golf Club	15-min shuttle bus	¥17,200~
	Takasaka Station	Kiyosumi Golf Club	15-min shuttle bus	¥16,380~	¥790
		Takasaka Country Club	5-min shuttle bus	¥16,500~
		Hatoyama Country Club	15-min shuttle bus	—
	Higashi-Matsuyama Station	Kawagoe Country Club	20-min shuttle bus	¥14,300~	¥620
	Shinrin-Koen Station	Omurasaki Golf Club	10-min shuttle bus	¥9,990~	¥910
		Takane Country Club	10-min shuttle bus	¥14,100~
		Tamagawa Country Club	20-min shuttle bus	¥5,990~
		Heritage Golf Course	13-min shuttle bus	¥5,900~
	Ogawamachi Station	Ogawa Country Club	6-min shuttle bus	¥8,900~	¥1,040
		Adonis Ogawa Country Club	7-min shuttle bus	¥6,490~
		Yorii Country Club	10-min shuttle bus	¥5,990~
Tobu Ogose Line	Ogose Station	Musashinomori Country Club	8-min free shuttle taxi	¥12,580~	¥840
		Saitama Rika Country Club	15-min shuttle bus	¥10,990~
Seibu Ikebukuro Line Seibu Chichibu Line	Hanno Station	Komagawa Country Club	25-min shuttle bus	¥15,000~	¥700
		Kuni Country Club	15-min shuttle bus	¥17,035~
		Saitama Golf Club	30-min shuttle bus	¥7,990~
		Toto Hanno Country Club	20-min shuttle bus	¥13,950~
		Hanno Kusunoki Country Club	15-min shuttle bus	¥13,500~
		Hanno Green Country Club	15-min shuttle bus	¥15,950~
	Seibu-Chichibu Station	Sainomori Country Club	20-min shuttle bus	¥5,490~	¥1,010
		Union Ace Golf Club	20-min shuttle bus	¥4,750~
		The National Country Club Saitama	20-min shuttle bus	¥6,800~
JR Kawagoe Line	Sashiogi Station	Omiya International Country Club	5-min shuttle bus	¥11,000~	¥680
	Minami-Furuya Station	Kawagoe Green Cross	10-min shuttle bus	¥10,500~	¥770
	Komagawa Station	Komagawa Country Club	10-min shuttle bus	¥15,000~	¥870
		J Golf Tsurugashima	10-min shuttle bus	¥12,800~
Seibu Seibuen Line	Seibuen Station	Seibuen Golf Course	5-min shuttle bus	¥15,635~	¥570
JR Takasaki Line	Okegawa Station	Omiya Golf Course	5-min shuttle bus (weekends/holidays only)	¥14,300~	¥770
	Konosu Station	Konosu Country Club	10-min shuttle bus	¥13,000~	¥990
	Kumagaya Station	Kumagaya Golf Club	10-min shuttle bus	¥13,435~	¥1,170
	Honjo Station	Kodama Golf Club	15-min shuttle bus	¥15,000~	¥1,520
Joetsu Shinkansen	Honjo-Waseda Station	Kodama Country Club	15-min shuttle bus	¥7,650~	¥4,130

That’s quite a few courses, but the ones near Omiya and Hanno, close to central Tokyo, are naturally pricier and worse value for money.

Of course, being closer to Tokyo does mean slightly lower transport costs and a bit more time to sleep in, so this isn’t a hard rule, but…

“I just want to golf as cheaply as possible!”

If that’s you, then

the courses in Saitama’s western area (around Chichibu), further from central Tokyo, are your best bet.

Cheap Saitama golf courses you can reach by train

Among the courses we’ve actually played, which ones are relatively cheap and don’t need a car — train plus shuttle bus only?

We set ourselves the following three selection criteria.

We picked courses that are great for people just starting out, or for a fun round with friends — but our top recommendation, hands down, is the golf courses around Chichibu.

Hop on the Laview limited express from Ikebukuro and you can get there in about 1 hour 30 minutes for just around ¥1,300 one way!
On the way back, we recommend riding in a regular (non-reserved) car while enjoying some local Chichibu sake!

Recommendation #1: Sainomori Country Club

Sainomori Country Club is a golf course in Chichibu City, and the world’s first course supervised by Tom Watson.

Being a Tom Watson design, it’s a strategic hillside course with relatively long holes and plenty of scenic holes, including a signature pond-carry short hole, so you can really enjoy your golf.

At the clubhouse restaurant you can enjoy an elegant meal overlooking the Sainomori course — think breaded pork cutlet curry, a tonkatsu set, or a salmon oyakodon.

We’ve written a separate article (in Japanese) about our actual round there, “Sainomori Country Club,” on our Japanese site.

Since December 1, 2022, loading your caddie bag onto the cart is self-service on weekdays, so keep that in mind.

Address	1641 Bogairi, Shinasawa, Chichibu City, Saitama 368-0063
Nearest station	Seibu Line, Seibu-Chichibu Station
Shuttle bus	About 25 min free shuttle bus from Seibu-Chichibu Station Weekdays 8:15 / 9:05 Weekends/holidays 8:20 / 9:00
Reservations	Reservation required Book by phone with the golf course
Green fee	Weekends from ¥15,590 (spring-season reference price)

Recommendation #2: Union Ace Golf Club

Union Ace Golf Club is a course in Chichibu City with a West Course that makes the most of the natural terrain for panoramic views, and a South Course with a hidden strategic streak — valley carries and bold downhill shots await.

There’s a hotel on-site too, so we also recommend the stay-and-play option: two rounds over a two-day, one-night trip!

We’ve written a separate article about our actual round there — see our Union Ace Golf Club review for more.

Address	8371-3 Shimoyoshida, Chichibu City, Saitama 369-1503
Nearest station	Seibu Line, Seibu-Chichibu Station
Shuttle bus	About 25 min free shuttle bus from Seibu-Chichibu Station Weekdays 8:15 / 9:05 Weekends/holidays 8:20 / 9:00
Reservations	Reservation required Book by phone with the golf course
Green fee	Weekends from ¥15,590 (spring-season reference price)

Recommendation #3: The National Country Club Saitama

The National Country Club Saitama is a mountain-set course in Chichibu City. It has relatively little elevation change, with many holes lined by maple and sawtooth oak trees, and wide fairways that make it ideal for beginners.

You can enjoy an elegant round while taking in the views of the Okuchichibu mountain range.

We’ve written a separate article (in Japanese) about our actual round there, “The National Country Club Saitama,” on our Japanese site.

Address	685 Obashira, Chichibu City, Saitama 368-0061
Nearest station	Seibu Line, Seibu-Chichibu Station
Shuttle bus	About 25 min free shuttle bus from Seibu-Chichibu Station Weekdays 8:20 / 9:05 Weekends/holidays 8:25 / 9:00
Reservations	Reservation required Book by phone with the golf course by the day before
Green fee	Sundays from ¥14,800 (spring-season reference price)

A day-trip hot spring after your round

After a round at one of the Chichibu courses, warm up and refresh yourself at “Matsuri no Yu,” a hot spring complex in front of Seibu-Chichibu Station built around a festival theme — soak your tired body all the way through.

We’ve written a separate article (in Japanese) about this spot, “Matsuri no Yu,” on our Japanese site.

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About the author

Joe

I love hotels, hot springs, and saunas across the whole country!!
I’ve made it to 40 prefectures so far.
Around 100 hotel stays and 50+ saunas visited, and the count keeps climbing.
My hobbies are travel, golf, snowboarding, saunas, and the gym.

Getting good information is essential to living a rich life.

I’ll keep sharing useful info for wherever your next trip takes you! For work inquiries (venue PR, advertising, hotel article requests), please reach out through this blog’s contact form.
Happy to work flexibly with your needs.

Certified Sauna & Spa Health Advisor