August 10, 2026

Night Golf Gains Popularity in Japan as Players Seek Relief from Summer Heat

As Japan faces increasingly intense summer heat, more golfers are turning to the cooler hours of the evening. “Night golf,” which allows players to tee off from late afternoon into the evening, is attracting growing interest, particularly among younger golfers.

Avoiding direct sunlight and extreme daytime temperatures is the biggest attraction. Lower prices are another advantage. At some golf courses, evening green fees can be around 20 percent cheaper than daytime rates on weekdays and as much as 40 percent lower on weekends. The trend is particularly noticeable among golfers in their 40s and younger. Pacific Golf Management (PGM), one of Japan’s major golf course operators, reported that the number of night golf visitors between July and September 2025 was about 1.9 times higher than during the same period a year earlier.

Night golf is not the only way the industry is adapting. Early-morning rounds and “through play,” in which golfers complete their rounds without stopping for the traditional lunch break, are also becoming increasingly popular. Courses are introducing mist fans and air-conditioned golf carts, while some are allowing carts greater access to fairways to reduce the physical burden on players.

Demand is also shifting geographically. Golf courses in cooler highland areas are attracting renewed attention, with membership prices at courses located more than 800 meters above sea level rising significantly in recent years.

More Than a Summer Trend

The changes suggest that night golf may be more than a passing summer trend. As extreme heat becomes an increasingly important consideration in leisure activities, golf course operators are being forced to rethink when and how their facilities are used. Night operations do bring challenges, including investment in lighting, higher electricity costs, additional staffing and safety management. At the same time, however, they allow golf courses to generate revenue during hours that were previously underutilized.

Japan’s hotter summers may therefore be changing a long-established golfing tradition. The question is no longer simply where people want to play, but increasingly when they can play comfortably and safely.