Tokyo, Japan. AIR Golf Media K.K. operators of the website Golf-in-Japan.com website announced today a 21% year-on-year increase in inbound golfers in 2018. The news follows the trend of rising numbers of tourists in Japan. The number of unique inquiries on the site for golf booking rose by 324 inquiries, from 1158 in 2017 to 1,482 in 2018.
There were 478 courses that received inquiries, with the most popular Golf course being Gotemba Golf Club in Shizuoka prefecture receiving 14 inquiries. The most popular prefecture was Okinawa, whose courses received a total of 59 booking requests.
AIR Golf Media CEO Kieron Cashell mentioned: ‘It was a momentous year for inbound golf in Japan, with a rise in inbound tourists particularly in the luxury tourism segment coming to Japan, so did the demand for tee times. Although official numbers of rounds played by foreigners has not, and may never be a stat that is released by Japan tourism officials, we have through the Golf in Japan website, been able to ascertain some interesting data points, indicating a growing market and highlighting destinations and courses popular with our users’.
Data Overview
Each golf course on the Golf In Japan website has a unique landing page and inquiry form. Users can inquire directly to the courses, by inquiry, email or telephone, this report however focuses only on the inquiry form as a basis for the data. Direct contact via email, telephone or through the clubs websites are not counted.
Courses in 35 different prefectures received inquiries, the highlights of those inquiries can be seen as:
The top 10 prefectures for inbound golfers:
Prefecture # of unique inquiries
1. Okinawa 59
2. Hokkaido 51
3. Fukuoka 43
4. Kanagawa 36
5. Tokyo 32
6. Shizuoka 31
7. Chiba 28
8. Osaka 25
9. Tochigi 16
10. Hyogo 15
The top 10 nationwide courses
Course name Prefecture
1. Gotemba G.C. Shizuoka
2. Sapporo Minami G.C. Hokkaido
3. Ocean Castle C.C. Okinawa
4. Wakasu Golf Links Tokyo
5. The Southern Links Okinawa
6. Kanagawa C.C. Kanagawa
7. Narita G.C. Chiba
8. Kisaichi C.C. Osaka
9. Keihan G.C. Osaka
10. Tsutsujigaoka C.C. Tochigi
About Golf in Japan
Golf in Japan was launched in 1991, with the aim to provide a comprehensive list of all courses and driving ranges in Japan in English, and to help visiting and resident foreign golfers enjoy the sport while in Japan. As of 2017 the website is owned and operated by AIR Golf Media Inc. an English Golf Media company based in Tokyo, Japan.