2016 Aki Cup Sponsored by Air Golf #8 Report: Tsutsujigaoka CC

Final round Aki Cup golfers on the first tee at Tsutsujigaoka

The eighth and final event of the 2016 Aki Cup Sponsored by Air Golf was played on a crisp autumn day at Tsutsujigaoka CC yesterday. With five golfers in close contention at the start, Chris Hurquin had a great round, won the event and became the 2016 Aki Cup champion. 

2016 Aki Cup Sponsored by Air Golf #7 Report: Manago CC

2016 Aki Cup Sponsored by Air Golf #7 Report: Manago CC

Aki Cuppers before tee off

Aki Cup golfers braved a wet autumn day for the seventh leg of the 2016 Aki Cup Sponsored by Air Golf. At the Arnold Palmer designed Manago CC course in Tochigi yesterday, Chris Hurquin shot a net 65 (gross 85) to take first place and 405 Aki Cup points. 

2016 Aki Cup Sponsored by Air Golf #6 Report: Murasakizuka GC

Aki Cuppers ready to take on the Purple Hill

On a beautiful autumn day last Saturday, ten golfers took part in the sixth segment of the 2016 Aki Cup Sponsored by Air Golf at Murasakizuka GC in Tochigi. Making her way into the Aki Cup winner's circle for the second time was Hiroe Sakai, who shot a net 68 (gross 100) to win the event. 

2016 Aki Cup Sponsored by Air Golf #5 Report: Fuji Classic

2016 Aki Cup Sponsored by Air Golf #5 Report: Fuji Classic

Asoh-san tees off with Mt. Fuji in the background

The fifth leg of the 2016 Aki Cup Sponsored by Air Golf returned to the Fuji Classic yesterday. 12 players took part on a partly overcast day at this Desmond Muirhead course at the base of Mount Fuji. At the end of the day, Jack Snell turned in a net 76 (gross 86) for the win and 530 Aki Cup points. 

2016 Aki Cup Sponsored by Air Golf #4 Report: Sakura Golf Club

Aki Cuppers with the first tee selfie

Aki Cup Sponsored by Air Golf tried a new course yesterday for the fourth leg of the 2016 race. Sakura Golf Club in Ibaraki played host on an overcast but dry day. Aya Morohoshi had a great round scoring a net 68 (gross 89) to win the event and 530 points Aki Cup points. 

2016 Aki Cup Sponsored by Air Golf #3 Report: Kasumidai CC

Aki Cup #3 golfers on the first tee

The third leg of this year's Aki Cup Sponsored by Air Golf took place last Monday at the beautiful Kasumidai Country Club in Ibaraki.  Aki Cup golfers had cool but dry weather on this Health and Sports Day holiday outing and there were co-winners for the event. Bill Ung (gross 87) and Stan Filin (gross 92) shared the win with a net 71 and earned 349 points each.

2016 Aki Cup Sponsored by Air Golf #2 Report: The World Cup at Windsor Park

2016 World Cup cast of characters

The 2016 World Cup took place yesterday at Windsor Park GC in Ibaraki and played host to the second leg of the Aki Cup sponsored by Air Golf. The World Cup event is a festive golf event that tries to have teams paired from the same country or area in a 2-person Texas Scramble format.  This year, 27 golfers and 14 teams took part on a cloudy but comfortable day. And for the second straight year, Team Canada won the event.

2016 Aki Cup Sponsored by Air Golf #1 Report: PGA Mashiko Course

Ready for the start of this year's Aki Cup

The 2016 Aki Cup sponsored by Air Golf is off and running with a nice start at the beautiful and challenging Taiheiyo PGA Mashiko Course in Tochigi.   Aki Cup golfers experienced a demanding, PGA quality course with tree lined fairways and a variety of interesting hole layouts that force the golfer to think about each shot.  And the runaway winner of Aki Cup #1 was Hiroe Sakai who played superbly and scored a net round of 61 (gross 97).

PGA Professional Brian Joseph joins as sponsor of 2016 Aki Cup sponsored by Air Golf

Good News! PGA professional Brian Joseph donates lesson vouchers to the 2016 Aki Cup sponsored by Air Golf.

PGA of America professional Brian Joseph has now partnered with SAMADHI Golf School, the number one golf school in Japan. To celebrate, Brian has generously donated two 50 minute golf lesson vouchers at the SAMADHI golf school at the Jingu Gaien Practice Range. 

We’re happy to say that these vouchers will be part of the prize list (still forming) for Aki Cup winners.  

Thank you very much, Brian Joseph!

You can check out Brian’s web page at:

http://www.samadhiclub-golf.jp/en/

Reminders: The first Aki Cup is an eight event points race and the first event is September 24th and the eighth and final one is November 26th.  More information to follow.

Announcing the 2016 Aki Cup sponsored by Air Golf

Autumn and cooler weather are just around the corner and it’s time to think of golf again. And with that in mind, we're happy to announce the return of a great golf points rally tournament--the 2016 Aki Cup sponsored by Air Golf!

If you aren't familiar with the Aki Cup, it's a FedExCup style points rally of eight organized golf events over two to three months. Points are assigned for each place for each event. Each player's top five event points will be used for scoring.

This is the third season of the Aki Cup sponsored by Air Golf, first won by Jensen Junn in 2013.  The following year, Savuth Kong was the champion. In 2015 the Aki Cup wasn't held, but it's back for 2016. 

Early Bird Golf: Crazy Like a Fox

The sun rises on the first hole.

Japan, like most countries in Asia, has no daylight savings.  The summer day in the Tokyo area  begins not long after 4 a.m.  And while the idea of a 4:32 a.m. tee time may strike some as insane, for the Tokyo golfer it can make a lot of sense.

Sainomori CC: A Golf Find Near the Hikers' Stomping Grounds

No. 6 (rt.) green at Sainomori CC

Sainomori Country Club (彩の森カントリークラブ) in the mountainous Chichibu hiking area of Saitama, is an off-the-beaten-path golf find for Tokyoites. The course is well designed, fairly easy to get to,  comparatively inexpensive, and the surrounding area is beautiful. The Chichibu area is filled with lush, steep mountains and is known more as a hiking and outdoor tourist destination.  There are other golf courses in this area but most are older and have less satisfying course designs. This is my favorite value course in Tokyo.