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.

Golf Range Review: Jumbo 24 Hour Golf Center in Adachi-ku

The recently renovated Tokyo Jumbo Golf Center (トーキョージャンボゴルフセンター）is a good choice for a golf range for those not too far from the Tokyo-Saitama border near Kawaguchi.  

2015 Yahoo! Fantasy Golf

2015 is nearly here and it's time for fantasy golf once again. 

It's free to join and play, but you'll need a Yahoo! account, if you don't already have one.   

There will be small prizes for segment winners (Winter, Spring, and Summer) and one for the overall winner. 

2014 Aki Cup Finale: Kodama GC Report

The second Aki Cup race came to a conclusion at Kodama GC yesterday and frontrunner Savuth Kong easily won the 2014 Aki Cup with 2,113 total points.  Savuth shot a 72 (gross 85) to take second place on the day and pick up 710 points.  Second place in the season went to Chris Hurquin who won the event yesterday. Chris shot a 68 (gross 91) to take 1,030 on the day and a total 1,635 points in the race.  As a reminder, the points for the Aki Cup finale are double the regular event points. Third place in the race went to 2014 Haru Cup winner Stan Filin with 1,450 total points.

Aki Cup #7: Narusawa GC Report

The beautiful Narusawa Golf Club at the base of Mount Fuji played host to the seventh leg of the 2014 Aki Cup race yesterday.  On another clear, fine autumn day,  Takamitsu Araki played equally fine golf to score his first Aki Cup victory and 510 points with a 71 (gross 103).