The Kobe Golf Club (神戸ゴルフ倶楽部 Kōbe Golf Club) is Japan's first golf course, built on Mount Rokko in 1903 by English expatriate Arthur Hasketh Groom. The club began as a nine-hole course on May 24, 1903, but quickly expanded to eighteen the following year. Strict rules are enforced to maintain the course's pristine condition such as a prohibition of golf carts and a limit of eight clubs per player. As the course was literally carved out of a mountain, it can be quite demanding and clubs are carried in canvas bags to reduce the strain on caddies.