An Enriching And Cultural Japanese Experience: Golf In Japan

Japan is a place where tradition meets innovation. Ancient temples stand quietly beside skyscrapers while Shinkansen bullet trains race past rice paddies tended by hand by farmers. This blend of old and new is not just a feature of Japan’s beautiful landscape, it’s a reflection of the nation’s spirit. Discipline, etiquette, and respect, the same timeless ideals that shape Japanese life also define the foundations of the game that we hold dear.

Golf is more than a sport; it’s an expression of these values. To tee off beneath Mount Fuji or to navigate a golf hole sculped in the vision of a Japanese garden is to make that direct connection with Japan’s unique harmony of tradition and modernity. So what’s it like to actually tee it up in the Land of the Rising Sun, and how does one go about planning it?

A Brief History of Golf in Japan

Golf in Japan traces its roots back to the early 1900s when Mt. Rokko golf course was opened, known today as Kobe Golf Club. According to a 2021 report by The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (The R&A), Japan includes 3,140 golf courses. This number puts Japan as the top country in Asia for total number of golf courses, and a worthwhile country to visit for golf with the large course selection available.

Booking a Tee Time for Golf in Japan

Booking a tee time can be tricky for foreign visitors to Japan. Many golf courses in Japan operate primarily in Japanese, and as a result their websites and online booking portals are also in Japanese. Website translation can be effective to a degree, but don’t leave a non-Japanese speaking visitor with a lot of confidence.

Many Japanese golf courses do not easily accommodate single-player bookings. Even once booked and confirmed, single-player tee times are not guaranteed; they may be canceled by the golf course if another player cannot be paired with the single golfer.

There are then some cultural and linguistic barriers to overcome, and when traveling abroad even small barriers like language differences, unfamiliar booking systems, or not being familiar with local cultural etiquette can lead to misunderstandings and frustration. Instead, one of the easiest ways to ensure a smooth booking process is to use a specialized golf booking service in Japan.

Companies like Preserve Golf Japan, founded by CEO Sean Hosaka, make securing a tee time a seamless process, especially for travelers who do not speak Japanese. A Japanese native, Hosaka originally hails from a tech background but has instead found himself connecting foreign golfers with Japanese fairways and bridging cultures through golf, his company acting as both concierge and cultural interpreter.

Travelers using a booking service like Preserve Golf Japan can work with English-speaking booking agents who help in securing a tee time at their chosen course. Some booking services can even go further than just securing tee times. For instance, some of these services can help golfers not only find the right course and secure tee times, but can also arrange club rentals, coordinate transportation, and even advise on dress codes and payment procedures.

Booking services can therefore help to navigate language barriers and cultural nuances. The assistance provided can ensure the entire Japanese golf experience, from booking a tee time all the way until the last putt drops, is seamless and enjoyable.

The Japanese Golf Experience

Once the tee time is set and the logistics handled, the real Japanese golf experience begins. Upon arrival at the course, golfers receive a numbered wallet and card holder from the reception desk, serving as a personal account for the day. Rather than paying up front, all expenses from greens fees, meals, drinks and even merchandise are billed to the number of the wallet. At the end of the day, you simply settle your account before leaving.

Pre-round activities will feel comfortably familiar: driving ranges for warm-up and putting greens for pace and feel. But step onto the first tee and things start to feel different. To determine the order in which players tee off, each player draws a metal stick from a receptacle near the tee box. Each stick is numbered with lines from one to four. The number you find on your stick is the order in which you tee off, at which point you find yourself immersed in a golf scene unlike anywhere else in the world.

Fuji Classic is host to one of those scenes. The closest golf course to Mount Fuji, Fuji Classic provides stunning views of Japan’s sacred mountain. In addition to its views, Fuji Classic seamlessly blends the natural beauty of its surroundings with its golf holes like a Japanese garden that sprouted tee boxes, fairways, and greens. Japanese aesthetic ideals are worn into the fabric of the course itself, highlighting the natural landscape through which the golf course is woven.

Autonomous golf carts, not typically seen at Western golf courses, also provide a unique amenity. One cart per group, these autonomous golf carts drive along a pre-programmed route alongside the fairway. Initiated with the press of a button on a mobile key fob or on the cart itself, the cart quietly carries all four players’ clubs forward freeing golfers to walk the fairways if they so choose, unburdened from manually driving the cart themselves. The result is a smooth rhythm of play, allowing golfers the tranquility of a walk to take in the scenery and immerse themselves in the peaceful pace of Japanese golf.

A Mid-Round Ritual: The Lunch Break

After the first nine holes, a distinctly Japanese tradition awaits: the mid-round break. Unlike in the West, where golfers are accustomed to powering through all eighteen holes without much of a stop in between nines, golfers in Japan are in many cases required to stop and take a mid-round break.

Typically lasting around an hour, this break allows time to relax and reflect, and most importantly refuel. Many clubhouses feature a full-service restaurant with menus that reflect some of the best of Japanese cuisine: steaming bowls of ramen, fresh sushi platters, and fragrant Japanese curry are all common to see dotting tables as players recount their front nine highlights. As the back nine tee time approaches, golfers finish their meals refueled and ready to tackle the last nine holes.

Post-Round

After the final putt drops and the scorecard is tallied, one Japan’s most cherished traditions follows: a visit the onsen, or natural hot spring bath. The Japanese golf experience doesn’t end at the 18^th green.

Many Japanese courses feature on-site onsens, allowing golfers to get from the 18^th green directly to the welcoming waters of the onsen. While the hot waters of the onsen baths can wash away memories of poor swings or bad breaks out on the course, they can also soothe tired muscles, allow the mind to unwind, and allow reflection on the day’s experience in serene silence.

From the first tee shot to the final soak in the onsen, a golf day in Japan can be a uniquely Japanese experience. The seamless blend of sport, culture, and serenity makes golf in Japan unlike anywhere else in the world.

Golf in Japan Should Belong on Every Golfer’s Bucket List

To play golf in Japan is to step into a living expression of the country itself. For those adventurous golfers seeking something beyond the ordinary, Japan offers an experience that’s, beautiful, memorable, and culturally meaningful.

Whether you’re teeing off in the shadow of Mount Fuji, enjoying a bowl of ramen between nines, or marveling at a self-driving autonomous golf cart, golf in Japan promises an experience where culture and sport intertwine. So next time you thinkin about packing your clubs, set your sights toward Japan and discover why Japan is one of the world’s most extraordinary golf destinations to explore, experience, and see.