Everything you need to know about booking a tee time in Japan through GolfMatchy's English-speaking concierge — fees, confirmation times, cancellations, and what you need to book.
GolfMatchy's concierge service books Japanese golf courses on your behalf. You choose a course and date in English, and our team makes the reservation in Japanese, confirms every detail with the course, and handles any special requests. You never call the course, you don't need a Japanese phone number or credit card, and you don't need to speak any Japanese. This is different from finding a playing partner — with the concierge, GolfMatchy does the booking and your own group plays the round; you are not matched with a local host.
Submitting a booking request is instant. Our team then contacts the course in Japanese to secure your tee time and confirms it back to you — usually within 12 hours. You are notified as soon as it is confirmed, and only then is any payment taken.
Nothing is charged when you submit a request. GolfMatchy uses a reserve-then-charge model: your card is only charged a flat per-golfer reservation fee after your tee time is confirmed. That fee covers making and confirming the reservation in Japanese on your behalf. The green fee for the round itself is paid at the course on the day. The exact reservation fee is always shown before you confirm.
No. That is the entire point of the concierge. GolfMatchy handles everything on the Japanese side, so an international credit card and an email address are all you need to book golf in Japan.
Almost always yes. Our concierge can request a tee time on your behalf at courses across all 47 prefectures. A small number of courses are marked unavailable — for example, private members-only clubs that don't accept visitor bookings — but everything else is requestable.
No. The Japan Golf Passport is a free etiquette certification we offer, but it is not required to book. You can request a tee time without it. It simply helps you feel confident about Japanese golf customs — dress code, pace of play, and the mid-round lunch break — before you play.
Most Japanese courses do not allow solo play. As a general guide you'll usually need at least 2 golfers on weekdays and 4 on weekends and public holidays. We confirm the minimum for your specific course and date when you make your request.
Usually not on a standard concierge booking: Japanese courses reserve flights and normally require at least 2 players on weekdays, with 3 or 4 often required on weekends and public holidays. A solo golfer can join an Open Flight that already has a place, or open a flight for others to join. Open Flights are not a promise that a course will accept a single player.
An Open Flight only proceeds when its published minimum is reached by the confirmation cutoff. If it does not fill, the flight is not confirmed and you are not charged the GolfMatchy booking fee. You can then try another flight or ask the concierge about a specific course; the course green fee is paid at the course only for a confirmed round.
If your request is still pending, nothing has been charged, so there is nothing to refund. Once a booking is confirmed and paid: cancel more than 14 days before your play date and you receive a full refund of the reservation fee; cancel 14 days or fewer before play and the reservation fee is non-refundable. There is no separate cancellation fee.
Because our team reserves a real tee time with the course in Japanese, a no-show means an additional per-golfer no-show penalty is charged on top of the reservation fee. The exact amount is always shown before you confirm. Cancelling in advance under the policy above avoids this.
Yes. You can complete a booking request as a guest on a single screen — just your name, email, and card details. We email you a secure link to manage your booking, and you can create a full account later if you like.
The concierge books a course for you and your own group to play. The GolfMatchy games marketplace is for solo travellers, or anyone who wants to join a round with a local English-speaking golfer who already knows the course. If you'd rather be matched with a playing partner, see our Find a Golf Partner in Japan FAQ.
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