Solo Golf in Japan: How to Play Alone, and Courses That Let You
Most Japanese golf courses are set up for groups of three or four. A pair often pays a surcharge, and a single golfer usually cannot book a tee time alone. That does not mean you cannot play alone. There are two ways to do it: book a single place and be grouped with strangers, which is ordinary here and takes no Japanese small talk, or play at one of the courses, mostly short and riverbed courses, that let one person go out on their own.
This guide covers both, with courses in Kansai and Kanto where solo play is allowed. The rules and prices were checked on the courses' own sites in late September 2026 unless we say otherwise, and they change, so confirm before you go.
The short version
- To join strangers: use a one-player booking (1人予約) on Rakuten GORA, GDO or Accordia Golf. Your round is confirmed the day before if enough people sign up.
- To play genuinely alone: go to a short course or riverbed course that accepts single golfers, ideally on a weekday.
- In Osaka: Yodogawa Golf Club takes single golfers every day, 12 holes for ¥2,600 on a weekday, five minutes from Hankyu Kunijima station.
- In Kobe: Dunlop Par Three Course sells a one-person round, ¥2,980 for 18 holes on weekdays.
- In Ichikawa, Hyogo: Ichikawa Golf's par-3 course is open until late evening and visitors report playing it alone; call ahead to confirm.
Joining strangers: one-player booking
On the big booking sites, a one-player booking (1人予約, hitori yoyaku) lets you book a single place in a round the course fills with other single golfers. It is common and nobody finds it strange. The details differ a little by site:
- Rakuten GORA. Each course sets a minimum number of players. At noon the day before, the round is confirmed if that minimum is met, and may be cancelled if not. You can cancel free in My Page until that noon deadline; after it you phone the course, and some charge a fee. Other players see your average score, gender and age.
- GDO. Each plan has a confirmation date and a minimum number of players. If enough people have booked by that date the round goes ahead; if not, it is cancelled automatically. You get an email either way.
- Accordia Golf. Its own courses take one-player bookings at the normal online price, confirmed at noon the day before, with notice by email or LINE.
These sites are in Japanese, and a browser translation gets you through. Registration may ask for a Japanese phone number and address, which can be a hurdle on a short visit; phoning a course that takes single golfers directly is the fallback.
Be careful with plan names. "Two-some guaranteed" (2サム保証) means a pair plays without being joined by strangers, and it often costs extra: at Akabane Golf Club in Tokyo it is ¥2,000 per person, on weekdays only. Some courses sell plans for a single player on their own, under names like お一人様 or 1バッグ, but even a plan with a minimum of one may end up grouping you with others.
Playing alone in Kansai
Yodogawa Golf Club (淀川ゴルフクラブ), Osaka city
A public short course on the Yodo riverbed: 12 holes, par 35, 1,366 yards, flat and quick. It states plainly that it accepts golfers from one person, every day of the year, from sunrise to sunset. You can walk in and start in arrival order or book by phone (06-6322-5402), including on the day; at weekends a booking is a good idea. A round is ¥2,600 on weekdays and ¥3,600 at weekends, and another 12 holes cost ¥1,500 or ¥2,000. There is no charge for playing alone. Pull carts are free, clubs rent for ¥700 and shoes for ¥500. Check-in at the course before 8:30 is cash only. It is five minutes on foot from Kunijima (柴島) station on the Hankyu Senri Line.
Dunlop Par Three Course (ダンロップパースリーコース), Kobe
Part of Dunlop Golf Course in Kita-ku, Kobe: 18 par-3 holes, par 54, separated by woods, with carries over water and valleys. Its price list has a row for a one-person round. On weekdays that costs the same as anyone else, ¥2,980 for 18 holes and ¥1,800 for nine. At weekends a solo player pays ¥600 extra for 18 holes, which makes ¥5,300, or ¥300 extra for nine. You carry your own bag; a light stand bag rents for ¥100. Some online plans need two players, so check the plan before booking. Book on the course's online system, by phone (078-987-0993) or on the portals. It is about ten minutes by taxi from Okaba station on the Kobe Electric Railway, or seven minutes by car from the Nishinomiya-kita interchange.
Ichikawa Golf (市川ゴルフ), Ichikawa, Hyogo
A driving range with a par-3 course on flat land by the river in Ichikawa-cho: nine holes, played from alternate tees as 18 holes and par 54. It is open from 6:00 to 22:00 between mid-March and November, and from 7:00 in winter, with night play. Eighteen holes cost ¥3,600 on weekdays and ¥4,000 at weekends, a half round ¥2,400, an early-morning 18 ¥3,000 and a night 18 ¥3,300. A pull cart is ¥400, and a half set of clubs rents for ¥1,200.
Visitors write that you can play it alone, and the price list has no small-group surcharge, but the course's own site does not state a policy, so phone first (0790-26-1800). Do not confuse it with Forest Ichikawa Golf Club in the same town, an 18-hole hill course that does not take bookings for fewer than three. Ichikawa Golf is five minutes by car from the Fukusaki-kita interchange, or about five minutes by taxi from JR Fukusaki station on the Bantan Line.
A course that will pair you
Not every small public course takes single rounds. Shiawase-no-Mura's Suzuran golf course in Kobe says in its FAQ that it does not allow a round for one person on its own and will group you with other guests. It is worth checking the course's rules page, or asking, before you travel.
Playing alone in Kanto
Tamagawa Golf Club (多摩川ゴルフ倶楽部), Kawasaki
A nine-hole par-27 course on the Tamagawa riverbed. It takes solo bookings by phone only, and may turn them down when it is busy. Nine holes are ¥3,300 on weekdays, 18 holes ¥5,060, and 18 at weekends ¥6,710. Pairs and threes pay a surcharge here, even though it is a short course.
Hayamajima Golf Club (葉山島ゴルフクラブ), Sagamihara
A par-27 short course with no advance booking: you start in arrival order and pay in cash up front. It accepts single golfers on weekdays only; at weekends and on holidays the minimum is two.
Joining others at the riverbed courses
Kawasaki Riverside Park, on the Tamagawa, accepts bookings from one person but plays in groups of four, so expect to be grouped. Tone Park Golf in Toride does not take single bookings, but you can turn up around 7:30 on a weekday to be paired, and Noda's Hibari course pairs single players who book by phone. Prices for these are in our guide to the cheapest golf in Kanto.
Tips for a solo round
- Go on a weekday. Genuine solo play is mostly a weekday thing: Hayamajima only allows it then, and Dunlop charges extra at weekends.
- Go early. Many of these courses start in arrival order, and busy short courses may group you with others later in the day.
- Expect to walk. Short courses and riverbed courses are usually played on foot with a pull cart or a carried bag.
- Keep the pace. A single player moves quickly; if you catch the group ahead, wait, and if a group behind is waiting on you, let them through.
- Bring cash. Several small courses take cash only, at least for early check-in.
For the cheapest full rounds near Osaka, see the cheapest golf in Kansai, and for booking, dress code and etiquette, how to play golf in Japan.
Rules and prices were checked on the courses' official sites on 27 September 2026, except where we note visitor reports. Courses change their policies; confirm with the course before you go.
