Why Elite Japanese Golf Courses Want You to Bring a Fishing Rod [Bloomberg]

[nevets88]

I wonder if it's purely economic, will golf bounce back if the economy does? Or is it a true inflection point, a cultural shift. An Arkansas paper put a darker spin to to the piece, using a tacky metaphor, "For Japanese, the sun is setting on golf" for its headline.

Quote:

“The car and golf are inseparable,” says Sonoda, who drove his Lexus to play at Tezuka’s Higashi Abiko Country Club in Chiba, 50 kilometers from Tokyo. He said his sons, 29 and 30, aren’t interested in either golf or owning a car. His playing partner, Hirotaro Fukuoka, a 49-year-old doctor from Setagaya, said his two teenage children prefer cycling and hiking.

Courses are trying to change that, offering a courier service to bring your clubs to the course, while you take the train, or striking alliances with rental-car companies for discounted rides.

Since last year, college kids sitting down to lunch at campus cafeterias have been courted with offers of free golf for a year once they turn 20.

Tezuka encourages married couples or boyfriend-girlfriend pairings with discounts. In the first week of August, during the school vacation, he opens the grounds for playing soccer, sledding down grass slopes or fishing in the water hazards, while parents drive around in golf carts.

While course owners used to ban beginners until they’d hit 10,000 balls on the driving range, Tezuka said he’s looking at creating special tees that shorten the course for newbies.

Even the strict dress code is under threat. Courses in Okinawa and Tochigi hold “Jeans Day” and the lowest score of the day wins a new pair of jeans.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-09/why-elite-japanese-golf-courses-want-you-to-bring-a-fishing-rod

http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2015/sep/14/for-japanese-the-sun-is-setting-on-golf/

[RussUK]

I always thought golf was huge in Japan with the likes or Mizuno, Honma and XXIO but is uppose they have more export sales these days.

Hopefuly this isnt a glimpse into the future for the rest of the golfing world

[newtogolf]

They have to educate the masses and overcome some cultural barriers due to the high cost of golf in the past.  Five years ago my old business was an OEM for a Japanese document scanner and I spent quite a bit of time with the team from Japan.   At that time golf was very expensive (over $500 per round) and only the wealthiest in the country could afford to play on an actual course, the rest of country went to golf ranges and golf domes to practice.  There also weren't many courses so reserving tee times was also a problem.

They loved when they were in the states because they could play 10 rounds of golf here for what it cost for one round there and the pace of play is much faster here.

If things have changed then it will take some time for the public to realize they can now actually play on a real course in Japan.

[JazzFatCat]

That's pretty interesting. I always had the impression that golf was a status symbol activity in Japan so I'm a bit glad that there is a backlash against what is seen as an elitist businessman activity. Maybe the image of golf will change in Japan or maybe it won't.

Quote:

“Golf in Japan has an image problem,” said Hiroshi Tezuka, who owns seven courses across the country. “Golf paid for by your company is bad, golf for entertaining clients is bad, golf as a status symbol just by having the membership is bad, golfing and sacrificing the family is bad.”

[mchepp]

When I played golf in Japan it was an all day affair. We shuffled into cars at around 7 am, drove for more than an hour, and were taken to the locker room. Once there you changed your shoes, put on sunscreen, and got dressed.Then we headed to the range where before we started we were told to do some stretching. Then onto the first tee. We played nine then had noodles at the turn. Everyone stopped. Back to the play the back nine. We finished, showered, and then headed into the clubhouse to drink beer and eat. We then piled back into the car somewhere around 3 or 4 for an hour drive back to my hotel. I remember getting back there at 4:45 pm, exhausted.

It was such a long day, I can't imagine telling my wife now that I will be gone all day to play golf.

In Japan they have an issue with the courses being 1+ hours away from the cities and just how long the process is to play golf. They need to figure out how to make the whole thing take less time or be more of a family event.

[billchao]

I read somewhere that the average Japanese golfer rarely (or sometimes never) plays golf on a real golf course in Japan. Their only golf experience is the driving range. I can see something like Topgolf doing well there.

Real estate is at a huge premium in Japan, especially in the metropolitan areas, and from what I read, most courses are private or too expensive for the average person because of that. I don't know if golf will ever be as accessible over there as it is here in the United States. I think we take that for granted sometimes, just the sheer amount of land we have at our disposal to build courses on. I know if I stayed in Taiwan, I'd probably wouldn't golf either for similar reasons.

[newtogolf]

I read somewhere that the average Japanese golfer rarely (or sometimes never) plays golf on a real golf course in Japan. Their only golf experience is the driving range. I can see something like Topgolf doing well there.

Real estate is at a huge premium in Japan, especially in the metropolitan areas, and from what I read, most courses are private or too expensive for the average person because of that. I don't know if golf will ever be as accessible over there as it is here in the United States. I think we take that for granted sometimes, just the sheer amount of land we have at our disposal to build courses on. I know if I stayed in Taiwan, I'd probably wouldn't golf either for similar reasons.

You're right, most of the guys I met with had never played golf on a real golf course in Japan.