Do all golf courses in Japan have caddies? Which courses do, how much do they cost, and how does it all work?
- Mar 12
- 7 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
One of the most common misunderstandings for first-time golfers coming to Japan is the assumption that caddies are standard at every course.
In reality, that is not how Japanese golf usually works. Not every course has caddies, not every plan includes one, and even if you are willing to pay extra, it does not mean one can always be arranged. If you do not understand this in advance, it is very easy to end up with a mismatch between the quote you receive, the booking you make, and the level of on-site service you expect.
Japanese golf caddies are not standard at every course
Golf courses in Japan do not all operate under the same service model. On the surface, they are all golf courses, but the logic behind how they run can be very different.
Some courses are primarily self-play courses, where golfers check in and complete the round using GPS navigation carts. Some courses mainly promote self-play but may be able to arrange a caddie if the request is made in advance. At the higher end, on more traditional courses that place greater emphasis on full on-course management and service, caddies are sometimes not an optional add-on at all, but part of the course’s required playing format.
Kawana is a good example. In its official FAQ, the Fuji Course is described as a walking course played with a Course Attendant, while the Oshima Course is a self-play course with GPS navigation carts.
The more mature way to understand Japanese golf is not to start by asking, “Does Japan have caddies?” but to first look at what type of course you are actually dealing with.
Large golf groups: mostly self-play
The large group-operated golf courses most overseas visitors encounter, such as PGM and Accordia, usually sell self-play plans as their main public offering. On PGM, the most common format is “GPS navigation cart + self-play.” Accordia course pages also heavily feature the latest GPS navigation carts and official self-booking systems.
This does not mean group-operated golf courses have no caddies at all. It means that the mainstream products they publicly sell are usually not caddie-included plans. If you are searching and booking in the normal way, what you will usually see first is a self-play option. That point matters, because for many golfers, their first impression of Japanese golf is shaped by this type of course.
Some courses can arrange a caddie in advance, but not at the last minute
The second area people often misunderstand is this: some courses appear to offer only self-play plans, but that does not necessarily mean caddies are impossible.
At many Japanese courses, the publicly sold plans focus on self-play, but if a guest requests a caddie in advance, the course may sometimes be able to arrange one. The problem is that this is not a guaranteed service. It depends on the date, the number of groups, staffing, and the course’s own policy.
In practice, most courses fall into one of three types:
Type 1: The public plan is self-play, and caddies are generally not offered.
Type 2: A caddie may be possible in theory, but it must be requested in advance, and availability is not guaranteed.
Type 3: The course already treats caddie service as part of its standard playing format.
To a guest, all three can sound like “this course has caddies,” but in actual operation they are very different. When planning a golf trip, those distinctions cannot be mixed together.
Higher-end courses: caddies are not optional, but part of the format
Once you move into higher-end and more traditional courses, the logic changes completely.
At this level, the question is often no longer whether you want to add a caddie. The course has already decided how it expects the round to be played. The caddie is not just an added luxury or a service upgrade. It is part of the course’s intended playing experience.
What these courses are trying to preserve is not just a sense of refinement on the surface. They are preserving the pace of play, the movement between shots, the spacing between groups, the order on the course, and the original way the course is meant to be experienced.
That is why these courses cannot be understood through the same lens as a standard self-play course. The question is not whether you want to purchase an extra service, but whether you accept the way the course itself is designed to be played.
Why some high-end courses no longer use the word “caddie,” but “Course Attendant”
This is no longer just a casual wording difference. In some systems, it is now an official change in terminology.
Some higher-end courses no longer use the traditional word “caddie,” and instead use the term Course Attendant. This is not simply a cosmetic rebranding. It reflects a shift in how the role itself is defined. A Course Attendant is not only there to carry clubs, watch balls, or read greens. The role includes accompanying the player, guiding movement, providing information, supporting pace of play, and helping the whole round proceed smoothly.
In English, this is closer to an on-course guide and support attendant than the narrower traditional idea of a caddie. The emphasis is not on administration, and not purely on service, but on helping the player move through the round within the structure and order the course intends.
That is also why, at higher-end courses, this role is not just about taking care of the player. It is also about maintaining the quality of the course itself. What is being protected is not only the turf, but the course’s designed rhythm, playing style, and overall flow.
How are caddie fees calculated in Japan?
In Japan, the more common method is not to quote one flat group fee from the beginning. Instead, each golfer is charged a caddie fee, and then extra surcharges are added for 2-ball and 3-ball groups.
In other words, when there are four players, the per-person share is relatively reasonable. With only three or two players, the same overall staffing cost is divided among fewer people, so the cost per person goes up.
In practice, for a standard four-player group, the basic caddie cost at many courses can be understood as being around JPY 15,000 per group as a rough level. If it is a 3-ball or 2-ball round, or if the course is a higher-end property, the total cost usually rises. At a higher level still, when private vehicle service or other upgraded support is added, total caddie-related service costs of JPY 20,000 to JPY 30,000 or more per group are not unusual.
So the real question is not, “How much is one caddie per person?” but rather:
At this course, is caddie service part of the basic format, an optional add-on, or part of a higher-tier premium service?
Once that is clear, the pricing becomes much easier to understand.
Japan’s GPS golf carts are now highly developed, which is one reason caddies are not always necessary
Many people only understand this after actually playing in Japan.
The reason self-play courses work so well in Japan is not because service has been reduced, but because the cart system itself has become very advanced.
Most self-play courses now use GPS navigation carts, and the operation is very intuitive. In many cases, you press a button and the cart automatically follows the designated route to the next location. If you want it to stop, you press stop. In some situations, even after players have already gotten off and walked to their balls, the cart can still be moved forward remotely. You press once and it moves. Press again and it stops.
Because this system has become so mature, self-play in Japan is often extremely smooth. For golfers who are already comfortable judging distance, choosing clubs, and managing their own movement, a caddie is no longer as essential as it might have been in the past.
In that sense, the large number of self-play courses in Japan is not the result of cutting service. It is the result of a broader system, including GPS carts, course routing, movement design, and pace control, becoming strong enough to support this format.
The real question is not whether a course has caddies, but whether this round is suited to having one
In the end, the more mature question is not simply, “Does this course have a caddie?”
If this is your first time entering a more formal championship-style course, your first time playing a walking-only round, or your first time dealing with a course that expects a very specific pace and rhythm, then having a caddie or Course Attendant can make the whole experience much more stable.
But if you are playing a standard public-access course with excellent GPS navigation carts, and the golfers are already comfortable reading distance and moving independently, then self-play in Japan can be just as comfortable and enjoyable.
The point is not that one style is more luxurious than the other. The point is whether this specific round is actually suited to being played with a caddie.
Many well-designed golf itineraries in Japan are not built by making every round as high-end as possible. The better approach is to place different kinds of courses in the right position. The first round can be a self-play course to get familiar with the system. The second can be the round where you place the course that truly deserves the full experience. The third can then be balanced around travel distance and budget. In practice, that kind of arrangement is usually much more mature than forcing all three rounds into the same premium format.
In Japan, caddies cannot be understood through a simple yes-or-no question.
Large group-operated golf courses are mostly self-play. Some courses may be able to arrange a caddie if asked in advance. At higher-end courses, a caddie may not be optional at all, but built into the course’s required format. And because Japan’s GPS cart systems are now highly developed, many self-play courses can already deliver a very smooth round without a caddie. That is why, in Japan, caddies are not always treated as absolutely necessary in the same way they may be in some other places.
The real question is not, “Does this course have caddies?” but rather, “Is this round actually better played with one?”
If you are planning a golf trip in Japan, the most important thing is not to upgrade every round to the highest possible level, but to first understand how each course is meant to be played, and then decide which rounds deserve full service and which rounds are actually better as self-play.
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