パークゴルフ

石狩市 sits along Hokkaido's western coastline where the Ishikari River — one of Japan's longest — empties into the Sea of Japan. The flat, wind-swept terrain here is shaped by river deltas, sandbars, and expansive lowlands that stretch toward the horizon, giving this part of Hokkaido a raw, open quality distinct from the island's more mountainous interior. Winters are long and hard, but the warmer months bring a brief, luminous green season that locals make the most of outdoors.

Park golf — パークゴルフ — is a sport born right here in Hokkaido, invented in Makubetsu in 1983 as a way to get people of all ages and abilities outside and active. Played with a single wooden mallet-style club and a softball-sized ball on compact courses typically featuring 18 holes of short, par-3 layouts, it blends the accessibility of a public park with genuine competitive spirit. The format is enormously popular across Hokkaido and has spread throughout Japan and beyond.

Ishikari's municipal and riverside green spaces are natural homes for park golf, and courses here tend to make honest use of the region's wide skies and open riverbank landscapes. Expect flat to gently rolling terrain, seasonal winds off the coast, and a welcoming, community-centered atmosphere that reflects exactly what the sport was designed to be.