Golf is not a popular sport in Brazil, but in Japan it deserves great attention. In this article, we will talk a little about the influence and popularity of golf in Japan, its history, curiosities, and tips for those who want to get to know the sport.
Japan is the second largest golf market in the world after the United States. There are about 10 million golfers in Japan and around 2450 golf courses. The first golf course in Japan appeared in Rokkosan in Hyogo Prefecture in 1901.
The sport gained prominence when Torakichi Nakamura won the Canada Cup in 1957, decades later golf became more influential, the number of clubs grew and currently exceeds 2000.
Unfortunately, due to the crisis, several courses and clubs closed. Fortunately, this made the sport more accessible to ordinary people. Despite this, Golf receives a lot of attention in the media and in the lives of the Japanese.
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How do the Japanese play golf in Japan?
Japanese golfers have to drive several hours to reach each course. When they get there, they play slowly, averaging 5 hours per game. In other words, a round of golf in Japan can last all day.
This is different from Americans, who can complete 18 holes in 3 hours if they want. Some golf courses in Japan have automatic robots as caddies. They are controlled by radio and move golf bags around the course.
Some courses have escalators on steep slopes. Many of the caddies in Japan are women who wear uniforms and blue towels with giant hats on their heads. The practice ranges in Japan often have several floors.
It is worth noting that most courses require a dress code where players must wear appropriate golf attire. It is common to find a yellow flag on the fairway about 230 meters from the tee (starting point).
Other additional flags are placed to mark the next shot if it goes out of bounds. Another common local rule is the black and yellow striped stakes that are used to mark an area out of bounds. Unlike out of bounds, the penalty is only one stroke with the next shot from where the ball crossed the marker line.
How much does it cost to play golf in Japan?
Golf is already not a cheap sport in the West, in Japan it is even more expensive because land there is costly and courses take up a lot of space. In the 80s, a round used to cost 10 times more than in the United States.
Nowadays, playing golf in Japan is much cheaper, the expensive golf associations in Japan closed due to debts. Currently, there are only 2 types of clubs, the high-end ones that survived and the normal, semi-public low-cost ones.
The current fee to play golf in Japan starts at $70. In addition to this fee, there are caddie fees, meals, transportation, and not to mention equipment. If you are a visitor, your day of golf can cost up to $300. We recommend having knowledge of the Japanese language, as it is necessary to make a reservation. Only a few courses allow reservations in English and online.
In addition to the numerous golf courses, there are hundreds of practice ranges found throughout the country for those who just want to practice shots without having to spend long hours on the course. These places are cheap and usually charge only 10 yen per ball.
Curiosities involving golf in Japan
- In 2010, a golfer in Sendai burned 900 square meters of course by making a shot that sparked a fire in extremely dry grass;
- Golf became so popular in Japan that there are religious cults dedicated to the sport. A Buddhist monk at the Zenshoji temple in Tokyo erected a statue of the Goddess of Mercy holding a club and a ball in her hand, many golfers gather at the temple to pray;
- The Perfect Liberty Association (PL) is a religious cult that preaches a creed of “life is art” and believes that problems can be solved through mass pilgrimages and playing golf;
- In 2001, due to the economic bubble, about 90% of the 2,400 golf clubs were in debt. 1,700 of them were practically bankrupt. By 2005, about 630 golf courses had closed. Some became resorts and solar energy generation sites;
Playing golf in Japan can be a fun experience! Events aimed at teaching and promoting the sport always happen. Have you ever had the chance to play golf in Japan? Or even somewhere else?
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