Heavenly Hokkaido

Having conquered the ski market, the effervescent Murphy has now determined that golf in the area is as underappreciated as skiing was two decades ago and has established Yotei Golf, a dedicated travel company based in the shadow of its namesake. Leveraging the superb accommodation, leisure companies and bars and restaurants constructed for the winter visitors, and having built relationships with a growing number of first-class courses in the area, Yotei Golf now offers complete stay and play packages to any golfer wishing to visit the region.

"Not many people outside Japan realise what the region offers outside the ski season, but with the launch of Yotei Golf, golf travellers can now add Hokkaido to their future warm weather travel considerations,” he says. “As well as golf, there’s white-water rafting, sea kayaking, cycling and mountain biking, onsen mineral spring baths – and you can hike to the top of Mount Yotei if you’re fit enough.”

Needless to say, whilst I did go hiking (to the sublime Lake Hangetsuko), and took in numerous other extra-curricular activities – including a visit to the Niseko Shuzou sake brewery, a spot of karaoke and a delightful lunch with the legendary Wagyu breeder Shogo Takeda – I couldn't quite manage to garner the energy required to summit Mount Yotei. I hear from those who did that the views are jaw-droppingly fabulous.

Golfing wise, perhaps the biggest surprise for a visitor to Hokkaido is finding that there are over 170 courses on the island, with around 15 easily reachable from a base in Niseko’s accommodation hotspot Grand Hirafu. Once largely private, the boom and bust of the late 1980s to early 1990s led to many of the courses opening to the public and prices plummeted. Whilst painful for the developers, it has made the region a golfer’s paradise. Having such a breadth of facilities available in the most sparsely populated area in the country means tee times are readily available, and at bargain prices.

Golf here is of course an exclusively summer pastime with courses open from May through October. The weather is perfect for golf at that time, and unlike elsewhere in Japan, 36 holes in a day is easily possible — although a leisurely 18 followed by a visit to the onsen (hot baths) is a delightful alternative.