Mike Ishizaka’s Future Golf Diary Vol. 2: Golf as a Reason to Travel—Exploring the Potential of Golf Tourism

In 1996, the singer Kenji Ozawa released a song titled “Bokura ga Tabi ni Deru Riyuu,” or “The Reason We Go on Vacation.” Twenty-two years later in 2018, this song was used in an All Nippon Airways commercial promoting summer travel discounts. People travel for a variety of reasons—they might want to explore a secluded region, to eat a unique local dish, or even to clear their heads. For many people, travelling is a major form of entertainment that they can enjoy several times a year. Golf has huge potential to become another reason that people travel. In this article, we ask CEO Mike Ishizaka about his thoughts on the increasingly popular trend of sports tourism.

——With the Japan Sports Agency launching the first public-private council to increase demand for sports tourism in 2017, activities to boost sports tourism in Japan are gaining momentum. What do you think needs to happen for golf to become a key activity within the tourism industry?

When I founded GDO, there was a time when I would go walking around golf courses all across Japan. Through these visits, I realized that as tourist spots, Japanese golf courses were not as integrated with their local regions as golf resorts in other countries. Although Japan is a “golfing nation” with the third-highest number of courses in the world, very few of Japan’s golfing resorts were developed with close links to their surrounding areas. In the US, for example, there are many golf-centered resorts that make use of their local terrain and environment. To name a few, there’s the Bandon Dunes resort in Bandon, Oregon on the Pacific Ocean, the desert resort Palm Springs in Riverside, California, and the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, a series of championship-caliber golf courses encompassing 432 holes, in Alabama.

While developing golf resorts from scratch requires significant funding and labor, Japan is already home to many outstanding golf courses. It will become increasingly important to use these courses as assets alongside other local tourist resources to transform entire regions into attractive, uniquely Japanese golf resorts. I also think it would be great if there were programs in place for people to try golfing for the first time while on vacation. For example, there could be a tourist package that includes half a day of golf in the great outdoors. There could even be special rules that allow beginners to better enjoy the sport, as well as golf guides and rentals of both equipment and clothing. The course could have three holes or nine holes, but the most important thing would be to make sure that the players enjoy themselves. “Destination golf” for beginners would be fantastic. This combination of “vacation” and “golf” — providing opportunities for people to try golfing while on vacation so they can experience just how fun the sport can be — has real potential. 

——Do you think there is demand among foreign visitors for “destination golf” in Japan?

I do, yes. I’ve seen an example of how this could work before, with skiing. At a ski shop in Ochanomizu, Tokyo, I saw some customers from China purchasing an entire set of ski gear ahead of their trip to a ski resort in Karuizawa. They bought everything from apparel to equipment, and had it delivered directly to the ski resort. Then they got on the shinkansen empty-handed and headed to Karuizawa for their first time skiing. Some Japanese people might think this is quite extreme, but it’s a clear example of using your vacation to try something for the first time. I believe that golf has plenty of potential to fulfill people’s desire to try something new while on vacation.

One of Japan’s best features is our outstanding train system that allows people to go anywhere they please. Our railway network is of the highest standard and unparalleled in terms of safety and timeliness. Visitors to Japan can therefore access unique landscapes and secluded spots without having to rent a car. Japan’s courier services, too, are far superior to those in other countries thanks to their accuracy and speed. Like the above example, this excellent infrastructure could allow visitors to visit a shop and purchase all their required gear, then send it via a courier before hopping on a train to their destination where they can begin their new experience within a few days. This is an incredibly exciting prospect. These fantastic services, in conjunction with Japan’s unique terrain and existing tourism resources, could lead to a wide variety of different travel programs.

——Do you have any other ideas for using golf to attract more international visitors to Japan?

I’ve also considered the potential of the golf academy. In Bradenton, Florida, for example, there’s a world-famous boarding school and sports training facility called the IMG Academy. The Japanese tennis player Kei Nishikori trained there. The IMG Academy is also famous in the world of golf, and is one of the leading educational institutions for developing junior golfers. International students from all around the world come to study in Bradenton, and this alone brings real energy to the city. Japan has its own golf academies, too, with famous instructors who have turned scores of players into professionals. If local communities could boost these educational institutions and reap the benefits of hosting them, that could also be a form of tourism. That said, I have spoken to many people about this idea before, and it’s incredibly hard to turn it into a successful business. You would need to be very determined, and dedicate your whole life to it. At GDO, I hope to be able to invest in future initiatives like these and contribute to both the industry and society while strengthening our organization and firmly establishing our business efforts. 

——Finally, could you give us your thoughts on golf tourism? 

I feel as though lately, golf tourism has become a real topic of interest in Japan. I sometimes incorporate golf into my family vacations with my wife and children. Although Japan has outstanding natural and cultural resources, we are a long way off from developing systems to allow people to seamlessly enjoy and experience these resources together. Golf is a sport that allows people to enjoy nature and unique local landscapes, while also providing opportunities for them to enjoy local foods and cultures. In this sense, it has a significant “travel” element. My aim is to position the golf resort as a tourist destination, and forge even stronger links with the tourism industry. As a golf-centered company, I hope to explore these opportunities further and pioneer new projects in the future.