Golf Club Membership in Japan: Costs and Rules for Foreigners

Most visitors to Japan never need a golf membership. Most Japanese courses accept bookings from non-members, and that’s what we arrange for travelers. But if you live in Japan — or come back often enough to want a home course — a membership may be worth considering. Depending on the club and membership class, the benefits can include priority booking, members’ green fees, club competitions and the chance to obtain an official handicap.

This guide focuses on one route: buying an existing membership from its current owner through a broker. Some clubs also offer new memberships directly from time to time, and brokers can often tell you about those too. The purchase and the club’s admission review are separate steps, and that matters a lot if you’re not a Japanese national.

How resale golf memberships work

At many Japanese clubs, memberships are transferable. When a member leaves, they can sell their membership; a new member buys it, and the club then reviews and approves the buyer.

That has two practical consequences:

• Prices move with the market. A membership at a sought-after club costs more, and prices change over time. Specialist brokers publish market prices for clubs across the country.
• A membership can be resold — but not on guaranteed terms. If you leave Japan or switch clubs, you may be able to sell your membership to the next buyer. Before buying, ask the broker how easily that membership resells and what costs would apply. Don’t assume you’ll recover what you paid: the club’s transfer fee, for one, is not refundable.

Golf membership brokers help buyers and sellers find each other, track market prices and prepare the documents needed for the transaction and club admission.

Membership types you’ll see

Clubs offer different classes of membership. The main ones:

• Full membership (正会員, seikaiin) — play on any day and enter all club competitions. The most common type, and usually among the easiest to resell.
• Restricted-day memberships (平日会員 heijitsu kaiin / 週日会員 shujitsu kaiin) — cheaper memberships that limit which days you can play. Annual dues for these are often around half those of a full member, or less. The names and permitted days vary by club — some include Saturdays, some are Monday to Friday only, and many clubs don’t offer a Monday-to-Friday class at all — so check Saturday, Sunday and public-holiday access, and which competitions you can enter, before buying.
• Women’s memberships (婦人会員) — some clubs require women to join on a designated women’s membership, which often trades at a premium — Nihon Golf Doyukai puts it at around 1 to 1.5 times a full membership — because numbers are limited.
• Individual and corporate memberships — a membership can be registered to a person or a company. A corporate membership usually names one registered player, and the privileges apply to that person rather than to all employees.

The rules that matter for foreigners

This is the part to check carefully before you buy. Every club sets its own admission rules, and nationality is one of the common criteria. In practice you will find three kinds of club:

1. Clubs that admit foreign nationals on a standard membership.
2. Clubs that require a separate foreign-national membership (外国籍会員). According to Nihon Golf Doyukai, this class typically trades at roughly 1.5 to 2 times the price of a standard full membership.
3. Clubs that do not admit foreign nationals at all — and there are many of these.

Other common admission conditions include:

• Age — some clubs set age requirements, which vary by club.
• Gender — as above, some clubs have separate rules or membership classes for women.
• Member introductions — some clubs require one or more existing members to introduce you. Nihon Golf Doyukai, for example, lists a separate fee of ¥30,000–¥100,000 for arranging an introduction where possible — but it can’t always be arranged, and some clubs prohibit it. You may be asked to meet or play a round with the introducing member.
• Membership of other clubs — some clubs look at where else you are a member.

Buying a membership does not by itself get you into the club. Because you pay for the membership before the club reviews your application, confirm the admission requirements first, and ask the broker what happens to the payment and the membership if your application is not approved. The most useful first step is a conversation with a broker who knows which clubs fit your nationality, residency status, age and situation.

What it costs

Budget for more than the membership price itself. Membership purchase costs and annual dues are also separate from the fees you pay each time you play:

Cost	Paid to	Notes
Membership price	Seller (via broker)	Set by the market; varies widely by club
Broker’s commission	Broker	At Nihon Golf Doyukai, for example: 2% of the whole membership price (not just the amount above ¥2.75 million) if the price exceeds ¥2.75 million (tax incl.); a flat ¥55,000 (tax incl.) if it is ¥2.75 million or less. Confirm the final figure in your quotation
Transfer fee (名義変更料, meigi henkō-ryō)	Club	Paid on admission; not refundable
Annual dues	Club (at Nihon Golf Doyukai, the first year is usually settled through the broker)	Recur every year; often pro-rated in the first year
Playing fees	Club	Members pay a member rate each round; ask for the club’s current rates and any additional charges
Admission deposit	Club	Required at some clubs (mainly prestigious clubs in the Kanto / Greater Tokyo region); normally returned by the club when you sell, transfer or give up the membership — confirm the conditions

Prices vary widely by club and change over time, so check current market prices for the clubs you’re considering. When comparing clubs, consider how often you will play, member playing fees and annual dues, travel time, and the competitions you want to enter — and what the membership might be worth if you leave.

The buying process, step by step

Nihon Golf Doyukai describes the resale purchase process like this:

1. Choose a club — with the broker’s help on eligibility, price and how you’ll use it.
2. Submit a purchase order to the broker.
3. The broker finds a seller and the price is agreed.
4. Receive the documents and pay — once the membership certificate and required documents are handed over, you pay by bank transfer, normally within three business days.
5. Apply to the club — the club reviews your application. Approval usually takes two to three months.
6. Become a member — after approval you pay the club’s transfer fee and any admission deposit, and you’re registered.

Where to get expert help: Nihon Golf Doyukai

If you’re seriously considering a membership, talk to a specialist. Nihon Golf Doyukai (日本ゴルフ同友会) is one of Japan’s longest-established golf membership brokers, founded in 1961 and headquartered in Nagoya, with a branch in Tokyo. They broker membership sales for clubs across Japan and publish market prices, updated monthly, with a focus on the Kanto (Greater Tokyo) and Tokai (Nagoya area) regions.

You can ask them which clubs accept foreign nationals, what the total cost is likely to be, and how admission works at the club you have in mind. Contact them through their inquiry page. Their website and inquiry form are in Japanese. If you’d rather not take phone calls, note in the form that you’d prefer to correspond by email; a Japanese-speaking friend or colleague can help with the first contact.

Not ready for a membership?

You don’t need one to play great golf in Japan. Most Japanese courses take visitor bookings, including some famous tournament venues — see can tourists play golf in Japan? and Japan’s legendary courses and how to access them. If you’d like to try a few courses before choosing a home club, send us your dates and we’ll book visitor rounds for you in English.