Hilly · 18 holes · Weekdays from From ¥15,000 (plan-based)
Request this course →- All 54 holes here were laid out by Seiichi Inoue — the North is the tournament course
- 7,012 yards from the back tees, par 72, and a women's professional tour event is played on it
- Lake Biwa and Mt. Hiei in view, three minutes from the Meishin Expressway
- A caddie comes with every round, and there is a bath kept for North Course players
Seta Golf Course sits in the hills above Otsu on the south-eastern shore of Lake Biwa, and it is unusual among the courses within reach of Kyoto in two ways. It is big — 54 holes across three courses — and the club credits all of them to one architect, Seiichi Inoue.
The North is the tournament course. It measures 7,012 yards from the back tees against a par of 72, and the club says a women's professional tour event is played here. Its own description of the setting is gently rolling ground with Lake Biwa and Mt. Hiei in view, and the club's photographs bear that out: the lake and the roofs of Otsu sit below the closing stretch. The greens are Mackenzie bentgrass, which the club describes as the first of that grass in the Kansai region.
How it plays, practically: every round on the North goes out with a course attendant — a caddie — and riding carts. There is a fifteen-bay practice range running to 220 yards where drivers are allowed, a bath with a jacuzzi kept for North Course players, a locker room, a pro shop and a restaurant. There is no lodging at the course itself; the group's own Lake Biwa Otsu Prince Hotel is the nearest of its hotels.
One thing to understand before you ask us for a price. Prince sets rates by plan and date rather than by a flat weekday and weekend split, so there is no single headline number to quote. When we checked the club's booking calendar in September 2026 the plans ran from ¥15,000 per player — a four-player package including lunch — up to about ¥37,000. We quote your actual date.
Getting there
Two kilometres — about three minutes — from the Seta-Higashi and Seta-Nishi interchanges on the Meishin Expressway, or from Ishiyama IC on the Keiji Bypass. It sits in the hills above Otsu on the south-eastern side of Lake Biwa, inside the day-trip radius from both Kyoto and Osaka.
Nearest station: Ishiyama (JR Biwako Line) — 10 min by taxi, or 16 min by bus. We include precise written directions (English and Japanese) with every confirmed booking — and can arrange a private car with golf-bag space if you'd rather skip the trains entirely.
Visitor FAQ
Can overseas visitors play the North Course?+
Yes. We have called this club on a client's behalf and it quoted us availability for their round (August 2026). It is a publicly bookable resort course rather than a private members' club. Reservations go through the club's own calendar, in Japanese, which is the part we handle — and we confirm your specific date before you pay anything.
Is a caddie included?+
On the North Course, yes — the club states that every round goes out with a course attendant, riding a cart. That is specific to the North. The East and West courses at the same club are self-play with GPS carts.
What does a round cost?+
Prince prices by plan and by date rather than weekday versus weekend, so there is no fixed rate card. In September 2026 the club's booking calendar listed plans from ¥15,000 per player (a four-player package with lunch) up to around ¥37,000. Tell us your date and we will come back with the actual number.
How do I get there from Kyoto or Osaka?+
By car it is two kilometres, about three minutes, from Seta-Higashi or Seta-Nishi IC on the Meishin Expressway, or from Ishiyama IC on the Keiji Bypass. By train, Ishiyama station on the JR Biwako line is about ten minutes away by taxi — the club puts the fare at roughly ¥1,700 — or sixteen minutes by bus at ¥300.
Is there a bath and a practice range?+
Both. The bath is a North Course bathroom with a jacuzzi, and the range is fifteen bays running to 220 yards with drivers permitted, at ¥500 for 24 balls.
