Golf

Japan loves golf. The number of golfers in Japan is around 10 million - 1 in every 13 people. But playing golf in Japan can be expensive. If you want to hit the ball but can't go to the course, you go to the driving range. Japan has more driving ranges than any other country in the world. Golf was introduced to Japan in the early 20th century. The popularity of the sport grew with Japan's postwar economic rise. Golf was used to entertain business clients, and memberships to exclusive clubs were traded like assets. One survivor of the earthquake that struck Kobe in 1995 defied the odds and realized his dream of becoming a professional golfer...at age 60! A group of engineers is trying to apply the techniques used in a traditional Japanese craft to cutting-edge golf gear. On this edition of BEGIN Japanology, our theme is golf. It Japan, it is much more than just a sport.