GLOBAL GOLFER

Matsuyama’s Masters win was widely celebrated in Japan, a country deeply in love with golf

BY TONY DEAR

t’s the day after Hideki Matsuyama became the first Japanese golfer to win the Masters I and the first Japanese male to win a major (Hisako Higuchi won the 1977 LPGA Championship, and Hinako Shibuno the 2019 Women’s British Open). On the one hand, it feels very odd because we’ve never seen a Japanese golfer rise to such heights in the men’s game. On the other though, it seems perfectly natural that a nation with so great a passion for the game should produce a major champion. It’s just baffling that it took so long.

Most readers will be well aware that golf is hugely popular in Japan and has been for decades. About 1.4 trillion Yen (approximately $13 billion) is spent on club memberships, green fees, equipment, apparel, golf travel, etc. every year, making it the second biggest golf market in the world after the U.S.

The game was first played in Kobe at the turn of the last century and, in 1930-31, English course architect Charles Alison, a partner of both Alister Mackenzie and H.S. Colt, designed a dozen highly acclaimed courses during a three-month visit (a handful of them, most notably Hirono and the Fuji Course at Kawana, are still ranked among the world’s best.) Five years later, Japanese golfers first played in the Masters — 85 years before Matsuyama’s victory — when Toichiro Toda finished tied for 29th and Seiha Chin was tied for 20th.

Despite golf enduring a downturn since its peak in the 1980s when initiation fees at private golf clubs typically cost several million dollars and the number of courses rose well above 2,000, there are still over eight million people that play the game. Japanese professionals are afforded god-like status, and the country has produced a number of genuinely world-class golfers.

Torakichi Nakamura and Koichi Ono beat Jimmy Demaret and Sam Snead by nine shots to win the 1957 Canada Cup (later the World Cup of Golf) at Kasumigaseki Golf Club, venue for this summer’s Olympic Games golf competition. In addition to Matsuyama who now owns six PGA Tour titles, Isao Aoki, Shigeki Maruyama, Ryuji Imada, and Sotashi Kodaira have all won Hideki Matsuyama’s historic win is one for the ages for Japan and Augusta National

in America. Aoki, Maruyama, Tommy Nakajima, Jumbo Ozaki, Massy Kuramoto, Toshimitsu Izawa, Hideto Tanihara, and Shingo Katayama have all had top-10 finishes in the majors. Some readers might be familiar with Jumbo Ozaki’s brothers Jet and Joe (not their real names) and Ryo Ishikawa, the Bashful Prince, who have also graced the world stage.

Back in the day when I covered the Open Championship for a British magazine, at least a quarter of the huge number of reporters and photographers in the vast press tent (forerunner to today’s media center) were Japanese. None of their countrymen was ever a betting favorite or expected to win… contend even. But the western press corps felt it a little strange Japanese publications should send quite so many people to Britain if they didn’t genuinely believe one of their players could claim the Claret Jug.

In the 21st century, though, the Japanese have watched as Canada, Sweden, Italy, Fiji, and South Korea all recorded their first major wins before them. One suspects it has been a terribly frustrating ride at times.

Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was understandably excited after Hideki’s resolute performance. “It was really wonderful,” he said. “It moved our hearts and gave us courage.”

The natural reaction is to assume this is going to spark a golf boom in Japan. “It’s possible, but I doubt it,” says Michael Wolf, a PGA Tour player manager and devoted golf traveler who visited Japan in 2015 and 2019. “It has loved golf for a long time. There is something like 2,500 driving ranges each with two or three tiers, and they’re usually full. You see kids on trains with their clubs. Japan has already had a golf boom — two, really, in the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘80s. But land suitable for new courses is so scarce, and the country is aging fast. There probably aren’t enough teens and people in their 20s and early 30s to trigger anything truly significant.”

But how does all this affect you? Is Japan ever going to be a must-visit golf destination? Is it now? The short answer, of course, is no. It’s expensive to get there for starters and, as Wolf says, everything once you’re there, is likewise pretty costly. “Plus the golf probably isn’t worth the effort and expense,” he adds. “Yes, the top courses are really special but they’re very private. There are hundreds of cool little pitch-and-putts in city parks around the country, but you’re not going to go to Japan to play a pitch-and-putt. And, to be honest, the public courses in between aren’t great.”

Wolf doesn’t make it sound terribly attractive, but says the fact he’s been twice probably indicates he’s found much to like. “Oh, there are loads of things to love about Japan,” he says. “If you can get on Hirono, Naruo, Yokohama, Kawana, Ono, or Tokyo you’re in for a treat. And there’s a delivery service called Kuroneko (or ‘Black Cat’) that absolutely 100 percent ensures your clubs appear at your next destination ahead of your teetime. So you never have to worry about your gear. The people are wonderful, the trains are amazing, and the food is good.”

I’ve been fortunate to play golf in some pretty distant places, but have never been to Japan. I’m determined to go one day and see the great courses for myself. I’d also like to get a taste of just how wild about the game Japan really is. I like being around golf-crazy people. Hopefully I can get there before Matsuyama wins his second major.