Going to Japan

[NYCgolfer17]

I hopefully will be taking a trip to Japan in the near future, where should I go for golf equipment? Are the prices any better than buying here?

[Hopnstopnputt]

Bunch of places mentioned in this thread:

 

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/1307480-if-you-were-to-visit-japan/

[niscur24]

Okay so here are all the places I visited my last few trips looking for golf stuff. Some of these are site seeing and food but 80% of the star are golf stores.

 

Most are located around Shimbashi, Tokyo, Shinjuku, and Okachimachi Stations. Im sure there are more but these pretty much cover whats available in Japan except the component/high end stuff. Found very little of that.

 

[Christen_The_Sloop]

I live in Kyoto. Don't make it out to Tokyo all that often (never actually), but I happen to be going from the 16th-19th. Will be using that map of yours... Just have to plan what to say to my wife... "Isn't there a National Museum near Ueno park, honey?"

[darryl_giggs]

I just got left Tokyo after spending a week there. Didn't manage to go to all the second hand golf shops but went to yodabashi (top level) and golf partner in akihabara, golf garage and jyper golf in shinbashi. I found that used clubs are pretty expensive too. A 2014 ryoma driver will set you back by 70-80k yen depending on condition and shaft.

 

If you are planning to buy new clubs, I highly recommend victoria golf in shinjuku and bic camera (basement 3) in shinjuku east. You can bargain your way to a good deal in Victoria golf but not in bic camera. But visa card purchases get 5% off in bic camera. Most stores are tax free if you show your foreign passport.

 

I found that Bic camera had very good deals on new clubs that are just one season behind.

 

Hope that helps. Tokyo is truly golf paradise! Oh but forget about golf apparel. They cost a bomb!

[Christen_The_Sloop]

You can find deals you, but you have to shop around. I think the best deals are, generally, used iron sets. You can find absolute gems for next to nothing. This is because 95% of Japanese golfers play once a year. Many don't practice. I could go crazy at the used stores, getting a set of mint 5 to 10 year old forged whatever with original grips, perfect shaft bands and it wouldn't set me back at all. Comparable irons I see here always show lots of wear. That's because people actually play with them.

 

The only thing that keeps me in line is my wife and the cost of a round here. I play a great, short little track for 7000 yen. Nice courses are anywhere between 9000-12000 and great courses upwards of 25000. I can't pay that much though.

 

Oh, and you have to love being ahead of the curve for products. With that extra one year of technology that Japan is ahead, I'm only like 3 or 4 years behind.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

You can find deals you, but you have to shop around. I think the best deals are, generally, used iron sets. You can find absolute gems for next to nothing. This is because 95% of Japanese golfers play once a year. Many don't practice. I could go crazy at the used stores, getting a set of mint 5 to 10 year old forged whatever with original grips, perfect shaft bands and it wouldn't set me back at all. Comparable irons I see here always show lots of wear. That's because people actually play with them.

 

The only thing that keeps me in line is my wife and the cost of a round here. I play a great, short little track for 7000 yen. Nice courses are anywhere between 9000-12000 and great courses upwards of 25000. I can't pay that much though.

 

Oh, and you have to love being ahead of the curve for products. With that extra one year of technology that Japan is ahead, I'm only like 3 or 4 years behind.

 

That's very true. Also, if you like blades, you can some relatively new sets for cheap, or you can around where I live at least. The guy in my local secondhand shop told me that people just don't buy blades now, so they're hard to shift.

 

7,000 yen for somewhere around Kyoto sounds pretty good. Is that for a weekday or weekend? Around here (Fukuoka) courses generally get more expensive the closer you get to Fukuoka City. For cheap golf, it's better to go to Yamaguchi, but the drive is a pain.

[niscur24]

The best deals I find are typically at bic camera and near Okachimachi station and the black market street that runs along the tracks. This time though prices were not near the deals I scored last July. Infact some things I bought last year were more money this past trip. I'll be back in a few months and hopefully I'll find some more stuff.

[Christen_The_Sloop]

There are a couple courses just out of town along the Yodogawa river -- Takatsuki Golf Club - short, flat (par 70) with nothing for long par 4s and all par 5s under 500. However, every hole is lined with OB so, it keeps you honest. The greens are the reason I choose to play there. They are tiny, sloping and a decent speed, so if you are on the wrong side of the hole it's a test to 2 putt. And, they are fairly well bunkered, so yeah, bunkers. The other one is Makino Golf Park. It's longer, just as narrow, but the greens are flat-chested. So you don't call her unless the other's not available.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Ah, the every hole with OB course! I play one like that in Yamaguchi occasionally. Like you said, it keeps you honest. Every hole with OB left and right, sometimes just over the cart path. It's not long, but I've never put a good score together on that course.

[NYCgolfer17]

Ah, the every hole with OB course! I play one like that in Yamaguchi occasionally. Like you said, it keeps you honest. Every hole with OB left and right, sometimes just over the cart path. It's not long, but I've never put a good score together on that course.

 

My worst nightmare...lol.

 

I am a bomb and gouge type player...

[Christen_The_Sloop]

Ah, the every hole with OB course! I play one like that in Yamaguchi occasionally. Like you said, it keeps you honest. Every hole with OB left and right, sometimes just over the cart path. It's not long, but I've never put a good score together on that course.

 

I am also a bomb and guage player, though I used to play 'smart.' What I've found is that I played smart in order to cover up problems in my swing. And, I relied on my short game and putting to keep my score, usually in the mid to low 70s, respectable.

 

Playing these narrow bastards has forced me to really pay attention to details in my swing. I've played lots of courses in Canada and the US where you can get away with a big miss left or right, or you had to take an iron because there was such a small percentage of success (mountain courses) But, now there's a pretty substantial reward for hitting driver straight and it's forced me to improve. I found I was shifting my weight a little too laterally on the back swing and it caused lots of inconsistency. Now its pretty well all rotation with little to no 'shift' and I am puring drives. And, there can be no hesitation or doubt. You have to just let it go. My birdie percentage has shot up and I can throw in an eagle pretty regularly these days.

 

On another note it has been fun playing at a regular Japanese course where you see just regular dudes. I usually join up with whomever and have always had a great time. Lots of really nice, kind people.

[slaveofthegov]

うらやまし！！！！

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Ah, the every hole with OB course! I play one like that in Yamaguchi occasionally. Like you said, it keeps you honest. Every hole with OB left and right, sometimes just over the cart path. It's not long, but I've never put a good score together on that course.

 

I am also a bomb and guage player, though I used to play 'smart.' What I've found is that I played smart in order to cover up problems in my swing. And, I relied on my short game and putting to keep my score, usually in the mid to low 70s, respectable.

 

Playing these narrow bastards has forced me to really pay attention to details in my swing. I've played lots of courses in Canada and the US where you can get away with a big miss left or right, or you had to take an iron because there was such a small percentage of success (mountain courses) But, now there's a pretty substantial reward for hitting driver straight and it's forced me to improve. I found I was shifting my weight a little too laterally on the back swing and it caused lots of inconsistency. Now its pretty well all rotation with little to no 'shift' and I am puring drives. And, there can be no hesitation or doubt. You have to just let it go. My birdie percentage has shot up and I can throw in an eagle pretty regularly these days.

 

On another note it has been fun playing at a regular Japanese course where you see just regular dudes. I usually join up with whomever and have always had a great time. Lots of really nice, kind people.

 

There are definitely a lot of risk/reward type holes over here for good drivers of the ball. I've also found some traps; holes that actually don't offer any reward for the risk. The course I mentioned in Yamaguchi has a couple like this, and it took me a while to figure it out. For example, there's a par five that gently doglegs right. The drive is a massive downhill hit, with a drop of at least 50 yards. OB right is certainly in play, and left is OB if you go too long. Still, not the hardest drive, and a good drive will set you up with 230-250 to the green (there are 2, a bent grass and korai green). Here's the trap; the greens are protected by water front and OB just over the back, and they are shallow greens. You've got to hit a miracle shot to hold the greens (unless they are soaking wet), and if you don't hold the green, you're guaranteed to go OB. Plus you don't want to miss left or right, especially right where the ground drops away.

It took me a lot of rounds to figure out that there is no point going for those greens, especially the one on the right, and the only play is to lay up.

[95124hacker]

I hate courses like that. A good shot should be rewarded not penalized. There's one course where I live like that, tricked up. I stopped playing it. Dumb.

[3_Putt_Par]

Yeah, golf in Japan is a very different game if you're a bomb and gauge player. Took me a few rounds to figure that out the hard way. Thankfully the courses are generally not very long, so it's 3 wood or hybrid all day off the tees for me. Last round dropped the driver and added a driving iron.

 

As for the original topic, I think the best buy in Japan at the moment is in used after market shafts. Now a lot of stores are learning that they can make a few bucks (yen) on reselling them and you can get some good shafts for $100 or so.

[thedurtydurden]

Yeah, golf in Japan is a very different game if you're a bomb and gauge player. Took me a few rounds to figure that out the hard way. Thankfully the courses are generally not very long, so it's 3 wood or hybrid all day off the tees for me. Last round dropped the driver and added a driving iron.

 

As for the original topic, I think the best buy in Japan at the moment is in used after market shafts. Now a lot of stores are learning that they can make a few bucks (yen) on reselling them and you can get some good shafts for $100 or so.

This is true. Almost impossible to find OTR shafts here. Blew my mind the first time I saw a used driver rack.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Yeah, golf in Japan is a very different game if you're a bomb and gauge player. Took me a few rounds to figure that out the hard way. Thankfully the courses are generally not very long, so it's 3 wood or hybrid all day off the tees for me. Last round dropped the driver and added a driving iron.

 

As for the original topic, I think the best buy in Japan at the moment is in used after market shafts. Now a lot of stores are learning that they can make a few bucks (yen) on reselling them and you can get some good shafts for $100 or so.

 

Yep, and depending on what you like in flex, you can find a ton of high-end shafts at reasonable prices (especially as I think the dollar is still strong against the yen). I am sure my local secondhand shop has actually lowered prices on their secondhand shaft range as almost everything was under ¥10,000, whereas when I bought a secondhand shaft a couple of years ago, I seem to recall that most shafts were at or over the magical ¥10,000 mark.

[niscur24]

Golf Orange near Shimbashi station has a third floor with TONS of shafts with/without adapters. Not much in X flex. But they had every thing you could imagine. Prices were OK but not amazing and the only problem is getting back safely via plane unless you setup shipping.

[BobBadger]

Generally speaking I have noticed better prices on the bst boards of this and the JDM specific forums. Yahoo Japan auctions are also pretty good depending on your location for shipping. Of course this is not as much fun as getting to waggle the goods yourself :-D

[asw7576]

Victoria Golf at Shinjuku, for your convinient, go there by taxi from shinjuku station, only 10 minutes. The place is near ZARA, Starbuck Coffee, and very close to TAKASHIMAYA TIMES SQUARE DEPT. STORE. Good Luck and happy holidays.

[asw7576]

Prepare long boxes to bring the sticks back to your country. Golf sticks cannot go inside aircraft's cabin. Golf sticks must go with luggages.

[darryl_giggs]

I don't recommend to take a taxi from Shinjuku station. It would probably take less than 10 minutes to walk from Shinjuku station to Victoria Golf. Just use Google maps. It is an easy walk. Cab rides are very expensive in Tokyo.

 

Also every golf shop that I have bought clubs in Tokyo which provide tax relief for tourists (including Victoria Golf) will pack the clubs nicely for you in suitable sized boxes with an ergonomically placed handle. Easy to check in at the airport with those boxes.

 

 

[Christen_The_Sloop]

Agree... Part of the fun of being in Japan is walking around. Can't wait to get up there in two weeks. Wife says she is going to meet with a friend and I said, have fun, I'll be exploring the city. Don't think I need anything more for my game, but you never know....

[niscur24]

Seriously no need for a taxi at any of the places on my map....all within walking distance of a train station.

[LeoLeo99]

I went to two golf stores in Japan. One in Osaka and one on the outskirts of Tokyo. Didn't see any bargains but I'm not up on Japanese brands. Pretty cool to look around, though. Went to an indoor golf range but no one spoke English (I don't speak Japanese) and it seemed you needed to take a lesson in order to hit balls.

[Christen_The_Sloop]

I went to two golf stores in Japan. One in Osaka and one on the outskirts of Tokyo. Didn't see any bargains but I'm not up on Japanese brands. Pretty cool to look around, though. Went to an indoor golf range but no one spoke English (I don't speak Japanese) and it seemed you needed to take a lesson in order to hit balls.

 

I'm not going to say that Japanese people aren't helpful. Wait. Yes. Yes I am. Service is great in Japan if you don't want anything special. If you have any requests or you want changes or anything. Forget it. The answer is no. No. No. No. It can be so frustrating.

Even with my Japanese being decent, I can't seem to get the level of service I'd like. I've finally found a few good local places in Kyoto. I know all the routines and 'systems.' But going to a driving range randomly can be not the greatest experience.

 

This goes for many things, especially restaurants. You see reserved signs on seats sometimes, but that's not the case. It's just for when a foreigner comes in and you don't want to seat them.

[darryl_giggs]

Sorry if this thread seems to be diverging from the OP's original intent.

 

Hopefully, I'm not offending anyone here, but my experience also is that Japanese are not helpful in general, unless you are a customer or potential customer. If you are one, they will go out of their way to provide you with a very good shopping experience but on a general social setting, I've found Japanese to be quite curt and abrupt. I don't understand the language at all, so I may be misinterpreting things.

 

Just a by-the-by, there is a Honma shop just around the corner from Victoria Golf in Shinjuku. Also, if you are looking for obscure putter brands, go to the 9th level in Takashimaya which is 2 mins walk from Victoria Golf. I bought a Hiro Matsumoto putter there. For outrageous prices on golf equipment and apparel, check out Isetan which is about 8 mins walk away from Takashimaya.

 

Overall, I find that for new golf equipment (I tend to like to buy new stuff), Bic Camera offers the best value and there are tonnes of Bic Camera outlets in Tokyo. Bic Camera offers tourist tax relief plus 5% discount if you pay by Visa (not sure if it applies to Mastercard but I think it does).

[LudaCliff]

I try to go to Japan (Tokyo) once a year as Mrs. Luda's family lives just outside of Tokyo in Saitama. Although I haven't gone used golf club shopping yet in Tokyo, I plan on doing some heavy searching the next time I'm there, here are some shops I have noted to go check out.

 

Golf Partner (Shinbashi)

Golf Garden (Shinbashi)

Kotobuki (Okakimachi)

Golf Craft

Victoria Golf (Shinjuku & Kanda)

Festival Golf (Okakimachi & Shinjuku)

Niki Golf (Okakimachi)

Mizuno Store (Kanda)

Golf Effort (various locations)

Golf Garden (Shinbashi)

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

My local golf shop is very helpful, and they have given me some extremely good deals on clubs. Of course, I am a regular there, so they know me and they know I will buy stuff from them on an all-too-regular basis.

My experience of other shops is:

Tsuruya Golf: they really want to make a sale, no matter what

Golf Five: Of the major golf retailers, I have found their staff to be the most knowledgeable, at least round me.

Victoria Golf: Not enough experience to go on really, but the nearest one to me seems understaffed.

Golf Partner: these are, I believe, franchises or something like that. Perhaps independent retailers under the Golf Partner umbrella; I'm not really that sure. However, I have had a couple of bad experiences with them, and avoid them where possible now.