Episode#14 Toyama Prefecture, the boys catch up and Spa & Golf Resort Kuji
this is the self-titled podcast of the golf in Japan website where you can check essential information in English about golfing in Japan including more than 2,000 courses we can help you book you around and make the whole process a whole lot easier so check out golfen inyen japan.com and start planning your Japan golf trip today golf in Japan May 29th um I feel like I haven’t done this in a while so it’s been two weeks since our last podcast father forgive me for my sins um it has been two weeks since my last podcast 16 H mares it’s been more for you so you got to do a couple of rounds of the Rosary there father Joe so uh we’ve got a a full house today got Damon hello everyone got projo nice to be back and a new voice for everybody it’s uh it’s Ryan hello Ryan hello hello so Ryan what are you doing here so I’ve just joined golf in Japan really excited to be part of the team and help out with things and right now I’m doing the client uh management and so working with the golf courses and working with the different vendors and things like that to make sure every every game goes well excellent cool and you might notice he has a different um accent profile kind of rounds it out doesn’t it yeah got we got we got all of the continents kind of Ireland is part of Europe don’t look at me like that Dam it it is okay um lot to get to today because we haven’t done this in a while so let’s start as always with the prefecture of the week cor awesome so that is Toyama so last time we did ishwa so Toyama is just borders um ishwa there so on the central part of the honu island on the west coast of the Japan Seaside there anybody been no no no no you have yeah it turns out that I have been there I went to a place called anokuda Village and it’s all cool it’s like thatched roofs like real old fashion style like you’d see in a movie or something like that like Frozen in time yeah snow there yeah like a village Frozen in time and I remember the fun part was uh really good soba noodles and you would eat them using uh Nei the the long green onions instead of Chopsticks oh wow yeah so like each bite yeah you’re chomping down on Nei which the those green onions was like special about it too is that they’re like extra sweet so it’s like you know you can’t get them just normal they’re not spicy no yeah and as you eat the noodles you eat the Chopsticks as well exactly yeah each bite all you can eat youat get to the end of it you got bones sticking out of your fingers it’s not sweet anymore What’s happen yeah yeah very good so uh Toyama U very mountainous and also um includes the northern Alps of Japan so very picturesque that way also has one of the biggest Gorges the KOB bear Gorge um obviously amazing RWS from up there as well and they’re also known as the pharmacy capital of Japan funnily enough so they’re a mass producer of uh pharmaceutical products they have a history in medicine it looked like yeah not sure how far back or what that’s all about but so um chat GPT said the authority looking at the pictures on the internet and yeah the obviously the it’s got the Four Seasons big time up there doesn’t it yeah look at this there like a bus going through like walls of ice and then it it is quite out there though I mean it’s two 40 minute on the the bullet train M so it is it’s quite far when you think of it that way that that Northern sea it’s also like good weather comparatively right like uh I think the like the northern Sea Side of Japan tends to be more stable with its weather and whatnot too so yep um other things famous for is the uh masu Sushi which is the the trout um on compressed rice wrapped in the Bamboo Leaf okay yeah but um yeah that’s uh Toy pref fixure they also have um 16 golf courses um the top five golf courses searched on golf in Japan is the HEI Country Club and you have to check that course out that course has some unbelievable views it yeah the ocean you spell the Alps h i m i h i m i yeah yeah have a look at it Tama Country Club Theo coai Country Club the yatsa country club and the kurah country club so they’re the top five courses searched on golf in Japan please check it out and make a reservation with us can I ask how far away this place is how do you get there 2 hours 40 minutes on the bullet train okay yeah Ryan is that how you got there is that do you remember yeah I think it was on a it was a tour with uh like a bunch of people that I was with and so we were kind of traveling I think we actually flew in on to the more the west side of Japan and then we were rented cars and drove all up and down the mountains and stuff like okay actually toy used to be quite a not a destination but a place in my previous life when we used to um uh in the car industry the used vehicle industry because being so close to Russia a lot of the cars would be exported out of toy to Russia and back in the day there was no um regulation for the importation of used cars into Russia so people used to take them as carry-on luggage really correct how does that work onto fishing boats so the fishing boats would come into toy and on the deck of the of the shipping boat there’d be all these used cars sitting on top of each other and everything and how they were declared was carry on luggage really no weight limit apparently yeah wow yeah and then since then it’s always it’s been regulated and whatnot and now they go by the conventional means which is a a roll on roll off vessel but uh and these are all Japanese cars all Japanese used vehicles yeah there’s a lot of uh Russian presence in in the town of toyoma as well a lot of uh restaurants and shops all with a Russian signage and okay what were the popular popular models oh Toyota everything Cruiser yeah you need a land Cruis you need a 4×4 in Russia let’s face it he P have one of those wouldn’t he yeah I reckon that’s what’s a the most popular stolen car in Japan that’s right Cruiser y sure is Damon actually explained to me one day how to steal a Land Cruiser but maybe we should write a blog about that yeah deny Japanese used automobiles is a big industry though it’s massive actually you know what’s huge as well use golf clubs oh isn’t it is to yeah so they’re going like unbelievable what’s the name of that golf partner golf partner those guys they do all the secondhand clubs in Japan there’s there’s so many shops in in Tokyo and sometimes you’re you’re thinking how could they have this huge shop in this really nice area they’re not really selling enough clubs whatever they’re doing all the online stuff and it’s all going to China right so a lot of secondhand stuff is going through there you can see on their website they have the whole you know stock inventory yeah they do too I’ve checked of Club it’s crazy shim Bashi is a great area for that it is yeah which is only one stop from here there’s uh there’s a place called golf garage have you ever been to golf garage it’s right next to jippers yeah yeah yeah right next to the station it’s like three levels and it’s it’s amazing good prices all the clubs are in great Nick yeah they got a few shops around the place I think they do yeah yeah and then there’s a golf partner up the road good jippers yeah jippers which is good there’s a t m shop there as well and a Victoria golf has open up there just just almost underneath and if you keep going like further up the road you have um hmer Gulf the main you do too yeah and you have bridg down yep that their main offices yeah right there yeah so and a lot of those shops are all dutyfree as well which is really are they okay mhm you go doie all right well um we have to go back there’s been a lot of uh things happening in the professional golf world Joe so why don’t you uh yeah so what I did is I just I’m sort of talking about just a little bit about what’s going in the last week the men’s tour in Japan was at JF Center Nei which we’ve talked about before in okama yep which is the one I CED for Yuma in 2016 um so it’s called the Muno open so the top three players actually get a started in the open so Dominic wall who’s in oo who’s one of the directors of the RNA has been over here this week to present not to present but to allow them sort of the process of getting those guys to the open so he was over there and it was um Rios koshida who’s a good player won three years ago and then he went to live and then I think he’s been demoted back so really good young player good golf swing and any any W um then Co who’s a who’s a Korean guy who’s uh won a few times in career recently three time three or four times in the last couple years and then young uto who won the DP World Tour event at Kemba is also got in so they’re the top three so it’s a great thing for these players to have the opportunity to to get into into to the open Where’s the open this year it’s Royal TR so TR the last one was TR was when they play had the playoff with uh Mickelson and Stenson went down the way that was amazing just birdie for birdie if you haven’t ever watched it jump on YouTube and do yourself a favor and watch that last nine holes it was as good as uh 77 when Nicholas and Watson had their jewel in the sun it was that kind of golf it was just they were so far forward you know so far ahead of everybody else in the in the tournament so anyway so um that’s that’s quite exciting um on the ladies tour the resort trust at Kai Golf Club in hyogo um and E sun1 at 15 she went by three shots from teada I didn’t to be honest I didn’t watch it I sort of followed it I watched it did you yeah I watched a bit of it cuz it was on um it was on the streaming service in Japan so I was I was watching I was star for a bit of golf and I was watching that right was good those e twins I think the last time we did a podcast one the other one the other one they dominated last year and they’re dominating it this year so good to see um PGA Tour Charles wob challenge at Colonial Country Club uh did you guys watch that one by what was his name David David Riley not Davis Riley David Riley won by five shots in the end over Scotty Sheffer and Keegan Bradley Scotty’s coming for another second I mean he’s still after being arrested and all that sort of stuff we got to talk about that yeah um David Riley good player won a coup he’s been on tour since 2022 uh he’s already he won last year and then he’s won once again this year titless guy got to get that in full Ambassador foot Joy guy um I watched quite a bit of that it was nice to watch him play actually he’s a really good player really really really good golf swing uh Rio HS he was the only Japanese player in the field and unfortunately missed the cut by a shot at three over so there was no other Japanese plays not sure what Hideki was doing but and we’re not we’re not talking about Grayson Murray we should it’s a shame I not noted down everybody knows about it he he passed away after the second round he played I think he shot five under the first round and wasn’t playing very well on the second round and pulled up stumps after the 16th and unfortunately took his life that night been struggling with alcoholism and anxiety and depression uh for for quite a while and the family came out and talked about it you know sort of put it to bed because there was a lot of innuendo going on and how he did it cuz I want sure after he finished the second round is he is he sick is he had a heart attack they just said look he’s struggling with all these things his whole life and and um so the last two rounds are quite sad you know lots of players giving interviews and heartfelt interviews about his passing so I think the message is if you having a problem go and talk to somebody yeah no sad news yeah it really is um there wasn’t a ladies event uh in the US on so moving on from that nothing on in the US but the ladies US Open is on at Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania uh this coming week so I think Nelly quarter is probably the red hot favorite favorite for that she’s she’s something else at yeah it’s amazing she’s machine one that doesn’t really do a lot of media but you’ve probably noticed that she’s on YouTube a lot recently just recently though yeah just recently have you noticed that as well she she’s I remember watching something and she actually mentioned it that she doesn’t do a lot of YouTube no I think she’s a little bit shy anyway she’s done some stuff uh recently which is good just to see her sort of personality and she’s she’s quite cool and fun and see a super player what’s really exciting though is there’s 21 Japanese players in the field for the ladies US Open which is I think probably the largest contingency of Japanese players to play in maybe a ladies event ever so how many is a total field I would probably 144 y something like that so the the cut is usually 60 plus ties or 70 plus ties I’m that’s a quite a big percentage then isn’t it yeah it is yeah huge amount so some would have would have got in some would have pre-qualified um so good to see all the stars are absolutely that be good yeah this weekend oh yeah so let’s talk about Scotty come on tell us what happened so I think it was it was have you seen the footage though yeah I haven’t seen it you’ve got to see the footage you do have to see the footage I mean the whole the whole scenario is just ridiculous we talk yourself while I pull this up it’s it’s like one of those uh YouTubes when you’ve got uh uh whether it’s in China or someone doing an insurance scam and they don’t think there’s a dash cam camera being recorded they kind of jump in the car and jump on and go oh um it kind of looked like that it did it did it’s kind of a long way away because the officer didn’t have any video equipment on he didn’t have any cam on nothing whatever you call it body yeah so the shot is quite from a long way away but it was so um the claims where he was the claims are that he was the officer attached himself to the vehicle and he drove along for a while and he his pants must have fallen off or something like got destroyed and he hurt his leg and went to hospital it was all lies yeah absolutely I reckon he’s just had a bit of a tumble on the way there from the pub yeah maybe maybe he has so Jesus yeah it was at Val halot and was the PGA Champs and he shot 500 in the first round yeah and then the second morning there was rain and unfortunately one of the security passed away got hit by a bus security was was a security guy an unpaid a volunteer security guy poor buer got hit by a bus one of the shuttle buses at a tournament yeah something like that anyway created all sorts of Mayhem to the to the entry and Scotty just happened to be in the middle of it and he’s trying to get through and the officer said he attached himself and yeah but to be honest I mean that’s the that’s the only footage I’ve seen as well there’s police everywhere and they’re saying stop yeah they did and he’s he’s tried to keep going yes he’s done the wrong thing but then they’ve treated him like a a criminal and jumped like he had his arms in the car trying to grab Scotty and rened him out it kind of looked like Scotty was refusing to get out of the car it looked like that and they wrenched the door open and dragged him out and threw him against the car and SLA the um bracelets on him he’s walking across and there’s people taking videos of it and they put him in jail and put him in the orange jumpsuit and he was doing his stretching routine before the for the second round goes shoot 66 no problem and then he’s birded the first two holes I mean he was apparently was shaking while he was in jail and he said look what’s going on can you help me here anyway he got out shot a good round but I think it caught up with him in the third round cuz he had he was overp in the third round because it was a huge kafuffle the whole thing well he’s being a rain next week yeah look I hope they yeah they just drop it and forget about it I hope he doesn’t sue them maybe he does because it’s it’s not it’s not great for his reputation and you know half not half the gallery but some of the gallery were were there on the third day with pictures of Scotty on their t-shirts in in the fre Scot yeah free Scotty in the orange jumpsuit um as he said a bit of a misunderstanding so let’s hope they just they just drop it but shl ended up winning the tournament it’s a he played so good H he did and he probably deserves it I was just happy that that Bryson didn’t win yeah oh really oh jeez mate he was doing that fist back no I remember watching on the 17th hole he was just off the green and chipping right I’m looking at that going that’s a putt all day yeah little tight light yeah and then he he put it like inches from the cup now a legend no I like sharlet I’m glad he won it he he was convincing as well he was he was really good he’s been playing well too play very well congrats y he’s got the monkey off his back he has yeah so maybe he’s freed himself up to win some more now there was a lot of uh sh being given about the golf course saying that Valhalla is not a good you know major venue yeah it’s always it’s always sort of given good winners you know the big tournaments Anthony Kim played in a in a rer cup there so there’s lots of footage of that tiger Won Won a major there it was back in the day I think it was Kenny Perry and Mark Brooks was a in a player for a PGA I think Mark Brooks was coming in the last and Kenny per already finished and he’s sitting up in the commentary Booth commentating like commentating Mark Mark Brooks coming down the last and everybody’s thinking why aren’t you out on the driving range warming up and then they went into the playoff and I think from memory Mark Brooks won it and then Kenny just got lambasted because he’s you know just a lazy bugger sitting up there not warming up but that was a bit of a strange one but it’s Rory won there in 200 I think it was 14 won a PGA there but it’s they said it’s not quite up topc these days it’s a Nicholas golf course and it’s it was really so they want hard conditions to me the first the scores were pretty yeah like n under pretty low yeah golf Larry sh a what 60 60 had a pu for a 61 he did for the course record he end up just equaling it the day before which had been done by who was it the first day was it Shuley shot the 62 of the first day yeah I think so yeah he did too so amazing yeah look at it’s produced a good winner again so you know quite happy that he’s won um but yeah so we got the US Open coming up soon there’s lots of pre-qualifying going on mhm pinst oh it’s pin number two okay yeah great golf course so I think Tiger’s going to play too so we’ll see Golf Course is tough I can’t remember who the last winner was there same thing pain Stewart one tournament there’s Tigers won there upside down sources the P greens so got to be a really good iron player if you’re not hitting your IR on the greens she got to be a really good chipper tough place to chip so when is it it’s on the 12th uh on the 13th so yeah yeah couple weeks away so we’ve got chances still on that next podcast to put in our bits yeah yeah yep what did you think of Tiger’s performance in the in the PGA he was there was he I actually he looked like he it’s it’s not the golf it’s the it’s him you know being in pain walking physical condition it’s crap isn’t it but it’s gol looks good it does look good one sorry I can’t remember what number it was but he was just nearly almost it fell apart the second day he wasn’t really on the the coverage much I was watching you know golf Network and they just kept showing the go the Japanese guys yeah and yeah I remember he got a nice birdie at the end his last hole Yeah stuff short five Miss by quite a while but he’ll be at the US Open so we’ll we’ll see what happens he keeps talking about he needs more reps so he’s going to get some reps in and get a little bit bigger oh yeah isn’t he is he Jesus him and Rory man and also hland as well yeahand which is good to see top five finish he went back to his Old Coach Joe Mayo because he’s been on the search for about a year you know he won the the FedEx Cup he was one of the best players in the world and then decided to change coaches he’s always searching for for something the secret and went saw a couple different guys got some different opinions and and then fell apart couldn’t do it I remember he couldn’t chip for the longest time May really sorted him out pitcher in chipper very apparently Joe Mayo was kind of the the coach on the sidelines kind of hooting and hollering and yelling and go Victor and all this sort of thing and I don’t think hoffin liked that and then gave him punded him but now he’s back and he’s proven he’s back to to playing well again so good um pity the intermediate coaches that like messed up his game was Grant white who’s the next tour player and I think he saw Chris KO who was who’s a well-renowned coach too so cuz all the other Pros they were going don’t go to them yeah you know yeah that happens right that must even happen to you on a on a more local level we say you’re playing you’re teaching most of the teabags these days right yeah and then you know when someone plays well they go yeah I’m going to Joe yeah but there’s also yeah I mean I try and help everybody but then can’t help and every now and again it’s I’m rebuilding my swing with Joe that’s an excuse rebuilding or or it’s um rebooting I’m not playing very well and um I think Joe’s taught me everything he can yeah that’s right we can’t name can’t pass yeah I can’t pass more information but yeah but before the US Open leave golf in Houston okay next weekend yep y so that should be good and it is um important to note Greg Norman was in Japan only a couple of weeks ago he was he was what was he doing here good question he can only assume what he was doing here but when they were playing um what was after Adelaide was it Singapore and the Aussies were winning there they went over to Greg in the broadcast and he was sitting in I can’t remember which hotel it was probably the Bugatti hotel or the peninsula or something and um yeah so he was in Japan during that time so uh maybe they’re planning something in Japan who knows um so that’s that’s about it from the playing side yep to a side well actually I wanted to ask you know we were talking about lessons there for Victor hland and Ryan just got us his first lesson so had to go run yeah man I’m brand new to the entire sport like last time I was on the field would be driving my Grandpa’s golf cart you know but uh so it you know it all began with the grip and everything but uh it was at a Japanese golf school so uh you know I don’t really have much to compare it to but you know you walk in there they all assume you’re lost and they’re trying to give you directions like the hotel’s this way but but uh once you kind of get past the front desk you know it was going real smooth but kind of complicated too it was like signing up to get your driver’s license or something you know there’s a whole STS yeah it is it is here but did you have to rent clubes yeah yeah they have there had to get put shoes on did you put golf shoes on and all that yeah I started at a I would say it too much but I started when I first got over here I was working at a golf school in dyin Yama and the Japanese professionals certainly have a different way of of coaching beginners from the beginning than we do not saying they’re better or worse but it’s just it’s very very different so I understand what you’re what you’re going through there was a nice sense of community though like you know I was with this elderly lady and she was sort of showing me the ropes and helping me out a bit a bit too but you know I’m curious like uh because I’ve not done lessons before the thing that was really helpful was they had like a video so like you know he would be telling me stuff and I just couldn’t believe that you know does this make sense you know like he was telling me not to move my hips and like you know which how could you generate any power but then when you look at it on the video you’re like oh I felt like a fool but then when you look on the video you’re like oh that looks good yeah it’s an easy way to learn CU sometimes you think you’re doing something and then you look at the video and you’re not so it’s it’s really powerful the video and of course launch monitors could you see how far the ball was going or you just hitting into a net it was into a net it was very analog but I kind of like that you know and honestly the number of balls that I’ve hit I could probably count on one hand you know not many not many at all it was all about just like I mean most of the time I was like seriously trying to hit the rubber tea that was like stuck to the ground and that was a challenge sure yeah gol gol out yeah yeah yeah new appreciation that’s for sure yeah and like I notic that there’s also like you know a lot of you’re trying to go for consistency right so like doing the same motion and being consistent with it which is deceptively hard it is yeah but you you’re going back for the second one yeah I want to check out a 3D or like one of those simulators too you know so like kind of experien different things so uh maybe next time I’ll be able to give an impression about that you got to come out in the course mate yeah it was going to be so much that’s what it’s all about so yeah if you go to a Japanese golf school I’ll have you sign up for lessons for for the next three three months you know just get you week after week after week get whereas we’re more prone to we’ll get people started but we’re more prone to getting people out in the golf course sooner rather than later I think um the reputation I’ve heard about Japanese uh Pros are it’s like going to the dentist where they say well I’ll only clean three teeth today yeah and then you come back next Thursday and next Thursday and they’re just milking you right and they’re like no today we’re just getting grip so I’ve heard reports of people not even hitting a tea just gripping the golf club and then they’re like right the you’re done yeah practi that I must have been an advanced student then yeah cuz uh you know at least I got yeah yeah so um well hopefully you get a good one but you know luckily we have a a pro in our midst well he’s too busy to do to teach he’s too busy to teach these part of the team so of course if you need some help let’s yeah let’s take them out to uh to maybe KCC or to suji or something oh absolutely get out there as soon as you can yeah that seems like the number one right you want to fall in love with the sport not in love with the lessons correct it’s the only way you going fall in love with it I never got a lesson so we used to just go down with two golf clubs to the local field with the dogs and this is Ireland by the way in the 80s and you’d smash balls around and that’s that’s how we learned get the dogs to fetch them that’d be good yeah You’ hit the ball the dog go tearing after it so you still never had a lesson no when I came back when I moved to Japan uh 2004 I remember I had a I I got a lesson off a Japanese pro and it was something similar it was like no no don’t hit the ball I was like yeah right I just started smashing balls and I was all right and then I went out and I remember my first 18 Halles did Windsor Park in iaki which everyone used to go to back in the day and I shot 120 my first that’s pretty good and I hadn’t touched the golf club since I was like 11 M it’s good St so yeah no lessen since then obviously not although my game has come back kind of says a lot doesn’t it we we we we played last week in Coogi right so koi’s another partner course of ours and they’re a resort they’re going to go on the resort section Great Golf Course fantastic accommodation I loved so I I’ve never seen a golf course with a different nine holes it was like it was so different it was like going to a different country yeah so one one side you like they had all the Villas and it kind of felt like a gated community in us or something and then you go on the back L and it was like is in the midst it’s like you were in a Ugandan forest and it was just Forest beautiful views and really up and down as really up and down I loved it it was great I loved it yeah we won’t talk about scores but um I took some money off he got he got the championship ice cream oh really yeah so at the end of the uh at the end of the round the loser has to buy the ice cream so he he got Championship ice cream he had 200 yen left over so he bought some gummies this is true well done damond but but then I went to it’s course in set Uchi on the weekend in Hiroshima in Hiroshima and cuz I loved that place I had a great time where it was fabulous highly recommend it to everyone and something clicked and I was just I it’s it’s really off the tea for me if I’m cuz I had like six OBS or whatever that’s that’s why he but I had no OBS I used the same ball start to finish I was on every Green almost in regulation fantastic and you played with the wife yeah so no one else could verify this she didn’t even verify and she was just like she just ignores and she’s just like it’s all about hor ball what what club am I hit in you know she’s the harshest critic I’m sure too right so yeah she and or she’s like I didn’t have my glasses on it I said did you see that drive she’s like no but anyway yeah I no one could verify it but um I’m looking forward to you know yeah I just hit the hitting the driver straight is just such a a thing you have to do it you do but both those courses are now up on the golf in Japan website just set at the moment they’re both up there um they’re both in the resort section or will be by the time this podcast is released which could be next week for yeah we roll um but yeah they’ll both be up both highly recommended uh they’re so reasonable um the cost was great I think uh in the one in performance yeah iaki so it’s only an hour and a half from Tokyo amazing accommodation the food’s fantastic and as Kieran said the course is great as well it’s only like 28,000 Yen for the whole lot food is fabulous for three meals Golf and staying over that’s Go video yeah it’s and it’s like it where we stayed was right on the green of a par three yeah okay so you’re looking it’s just nice has a big balcony res said there it was cool they they they actually have um early bird tea time so 4 32 times so um Kieran and I had a bit of a business meeting the night before with a couple of points right yes I got up yeah I got up early must been 5:00 something ripped the curtains open and the green is literally right in front of you and people were putting I’m like oh yeah gave them a bit of aight yeah they were like maybe we are in someone’s backyard um no it was it was it was fantastic and I think uh we we have to do uh a little boys trip up there absolutely yeah it was actually so nice we were saying imagine bringing 10 of the lads up here and then we were like it’s maybe too nice so maybe maybe the wife and the kids that’s what you bring up there and and have a nice weekend and fantastic food they give you your own golf cart so fly yeah so you flying around the clubhouse and all the rest of it it’s really nice good time yeah beautiful per of the country as well is that where you said your wife really enjoyed the accommodations or so that was the other place down in Hiroshima in suuchi so she hasn’t gone to the other one yet but they’re very similar I it’s the same company right so they kind of build everything to the same level and the dinner’s kind of similar like at Japanese kaiseki so that was uh was really good yeah so we should definitely go um I I think we’ll have to bring you out for for a few games that going to a place like that is good because you can grab a wedge or two and just walk out Ah that’s nice you know what I mean and just just just PL your play Scramble yeah just just go out and hit a few shots like you know practice your bunker game and all those kind of things you know that be really really good for you yeah so uh are we doing the weather forecast there Joe oh God I mean coming over here this morning it was pouring this morning yeah right now there is a is there it’s on the way yeah I don’t think it’s going to make landfall per se it’s it’s coming close enough to give us a good good sprinkling yeah yeah but it’s it’s not raining right now don’t I don’t think it’s raining right now it is the season for it though right I mean this is I mean like you know you’re watch by it this is the the to you right so the monsoon yes I you know that we were talking about it earlier just that some people um you know you can’t cancel golf on the r i mean if that was the case in Ireland you’d never get over no yeah that’s right yeah it’s an all weather game yeah it is and also as well so you know even if a typhoon comes it’ll only brush maybe the coast line and then you go just you know to say toue 150 clicks away and it there’s no typhoon so I think uh our customers should note that um even if there’s a bit R like fair enough if big massive typhoon coming in the course will be unplayable but a little bit of rain is okay that’s right and generally the courses don’t close yeah unless it’s like the greens are flooded and kind of that’s the only the only time they’ll get closed is when the green you can’t you can’t pop through the rain the rain usually kind of comes and like stops and starts anyways right it’s like you don’t like the rain just wait 10 minutes yeah it’s true at this time it does actually yeah yeah and then you know they have when it does get heavy they have those little huts and tea houses and all over the course so you know you can always just step out for him an ific it’s heavy yeah but anyway yeah so playing the rain people yeah that’s right so any any any golf happening this week for anybody I know you’re going you got the rers cup yep we’ve got our local group we go out twice a year for a bit of a boys weekend so we’ve got about 20 of us going up to toig from for Friday Saturday Sunday which golf course uh the shin s it’s iaki iaki sorry distance though it’s it’s really close to where we yeah to kui just 10 10 clicks away in Hitachi region yeah so we’ve been going there for a few years now great um yeah we have a warm-up game on the Friday and then two um competition rounds on Saturday Sunday and the Saturday night we all go outside for a big Barbie and relax so to say pizza Golf Course island green the works yeah it certainly does yeah great course and I’m going up to uh Brendan who we had on the show it’s his birthday and he gets a I think there’s 40 out of us going there or four Villas that’s at your your course yeah yeah so they they’re all bringing their swimming trunks and and they they they set up a we don’t have it there but we have a swimming pool like it’s old school so at the back and then they they they’re making their own Nets and they’re going to make a like a swimming pool volleyball is that what you call it beach volleyball yeah yeah tournament and all this kind of stuff so it’s going to be interesting to say the least and raining all weekend yeah up there it’s not it it it won’t be too bad yeah hope it’s pretty far from the from the action okay well the forecast for that whole area is rain Friday suay Sunday right yeah but I I think you’re you’re more on the coast right we’re further for your area too don’t argue it’s your are so K will bring you no no no no no should we be wet anyway we’re going to be in the pool yeah just put your wet weather gear on and go that’s right Kieran will bring his Sunny disposition that’s right that’s right AB yeah well I I sometimes I don’t mind playing in the rain I don’t know you’re not as aggressive you’re not you’re just laying up and it’s just you just plot along and then you you tend to score quite well cuz it’s softer conditions and so on there a lot of rain not so much right but doesn’t bother me really no me either yeah and we’re staying obviously have a few beers and yeah be fun and Joe you’re playing on on the 30th aren’t you apparently yes I got red into a game at uh Somewhere over the other side of Mount FY oh come on it’s it’s with a customer it’s uh yes with a customer looking forward to it actually it’s June the 30th part of the golf companion service isn’t it that’s right so I’m playing with a couple from where are they from do you remember abroad overseas y so I’m going to go over there for a hit and looking forward to that it’s a golf course I haven’t played before but I know um gidy jere yeah oh I’ve played that one I love that course it’s a great course it’s a great little course I’ll cruise over there and have a hit with them so looking forward to it um other than that I’ve only got I’ve got a on course lesson on Saturday at yo but I just want to go back neither of you none of you played well neither of you don’t play but neither of you played in the the TPP cup TPP cup which is organized by the transpacific partnership yeah by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce at Narita last Friday mhm 140 players 140 wow I saw a lot of advertisements for it it looked like a big deal it was a big deal it was their it was their I think their third this the second one they’ve done with actually no they did some at your golf course no that was a different that was so this one the TPP is a combination of Chambers it is yeah but I think yeah you’re right Warren from the C CC Jesus theber he yeah he organized it second year I think it is with us and it was really well done and it was a lot of familiar faces um Dean Rogers was the winner him and his partner uh shot 15 under but there was some some other rules there was Mulligans and all sorts of stuff like that you could take but it was uh it was a really good 15 on there for Scrump jeez that’s Prett yeah but it was it was a two Ball but and you’re buying Mulligans yeah you’re buying Mulligans if you were in a certain distance from the hole the the putt would count yeah so he they won by a bit but Dean’s a good player great player and it was a good event I’ve just got to I’ve got to show you all something quite funny I’ve got a friend over here at the moment Sam Springer who’s a also an Australian PGA member he was ex Australian Institute of sport he came up with Al uh yeah Alan be and and Applebee and all those guys anyway so we’ve got onto the he’s come out of the clubhouse on Friday he’s been over for a couple of days he’s staying here for a week and we’re going out to play and he turns up in a shirt nobody can see it here but he’s got a shirt with my with my face on it that’s your face that’s my face is that he did it he did it on Facebook are those like photos that he taped to the shirt or is it photo that I think he lifted off Facebook and he got a company on Facebook to do it and he just had to order two shirts it wasn’t very expensive so he’s your biggest fan yeah he is my biggest fan and it was it was hilarious few years ago mate there’s no there’s no salt pepper in that picture my face is a little little bit more hair the too um that was funny anyway we had we had a great day and the other thing I want to make note of is the tea bags kieren you played in that at Mico we played a couple of a couple of weeks ago so 56 I think it was 56 players played and it was it was a really good day some participants were very very lubed up by the time they got off the bus to get to the golf course one of the te actually to get to the golf course yeah so he bought 108 beers this huge esy he bought onto the bus he was the sponsor for the beers on the way up 108 so I think there were probably 40 of us on the bus now the thing about these beers is they were 7.5% alcohol and and every one of them was finished before we got off the bus so you can imagine some of the all the play and the behavior and things anyway it was a really good day and that was wasn’t the only thing consumed no doubt it must have been whiskies and bottles and bottles of whiskey and then the trip on the way back we took the bus on the way back cuz it’s quite a long way away it took us 3 hours and something to get back and yeah lots of uh adult beverages were consumed on the way back it was it was a riot by the end it really was that that that bus toilet must have been uh so we they don’t have a bus nobody smart enough I didn’t want to so you would been stopping every 20 minutes we did and that’s why it took so long yeah but it was it was a fun day and I think there’s another one coming up well it’s a monthly thing I hope none of those bottles got refilled if you know what I mean yeah the next one’s in Tokyo bay b side that’s right B I love that course but I do you know occasionally they’ll do a two nighter and we’ll go up and we’ll stay over and then it’s more you know it’s not the same you can take take your time and you don’t have to get completely sozzled but um yeah it is called the Tokyo beer and golf Society so for that reason for that reason yeah so nobody really takes it serious so it’s a good it’s a good fun day out actually nice group of people yeah they are nice yeah all right guys well um I think it’s it’s been great to have you you guys back and we’ll we’ll try and get more on a on nean keale Joe um yes moving forward and back until then Ryan nice to have you here yeah welcome Ryan uh yeah great to have you part of the team thank you yeah I’m looking forward to becoming a seasoned uh you know golfer myself check back in a year or two yeah you got to keep us updated right you got to go and play your first round there tell us how you get on well maybe we should bring you actually and then absolutely we’ll find out how you get on yeah all right guys thanks very much we’ll see you next thanks everybody see you thank you
After a two-week hiatus, the boys are back and with a new voice- Ryan, exploring Toyama prefecture, catching up on an eventful two-week stretch in the professional game, and as always, random chats about golf and life in Japan!
Mentioned in the podcast:
Toyama Prefecture (https://golf-in-japan.com/courses/toyama)
Setouchi Golf Resort
(https://golf-in-japan.com/resorts/hiroshima/setouchi-golf-resort) Spa & Golf Resort Kuji (https://golf-in-japan.com/resorts/ibaraki/spa-and-golf-resort-kuji)
