SoraNews24 —Japan News—

The sport was banned under Mao in the 1940s through the ‘80s for being a millionaires’ hobby. It wasn’t until 1984 that the first golf course in China was even constructed, and then 20 years later in 2004, building new golf courses was banned.

Of course, that hasn’t stopped developers from doing it anyway. In 2004 there were 176 courses, and now 10 years and one moratorium later, there are over 1,000.

One of the first and certainly the largest is the Mission Hills Golf Club. Comprising two resorts in Shenzhen and Gongguan, it is the largest golf club in the world with 12 courses, all designed by famous golfers.

Mission Hills also built Mission Hills Haiku, another luxury golf club located on the resort island of Hainan — one of the only places in China exempt from the ban on building new golf courses.

China
(country club • Golf • Mission Hills)

Remember your manners or these hip-hop cleaning ladies will bust your ass

Philip Kendall
Jun 4, 2014

Few would ever imagine that a pair of cleaning ladies from Japan should be something to be afraid of, but like a childhood friend’s terrifying mother busting a game of spin-the-bottle, a recent series of videos featuring two such individuals has put the fear of God into us today as well as reminding us that we’re never too big for a smack.

Going by the name Caddie Golu Golu, these middle-aged cleaning ladies are part of a campaign by entertainment company Sega Sammy ahead of its golf tournament, the Sega Sammy Cup 2014, which will be held next month. Wearing pink-and-white cleaner’s outfits and giant sun visors, these rapping ladies get up in the faces of rude and inconsiderate golfers, and have also featured in a series of videos meant for the general public, attacking people on the streets of Tokyo who smoke where they shouldn’t, fail to pick up their dog’s poop, or who walk while looking at their smartphones.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Japan
(Caddy Golu Golu • cleaning ladies • funny • Golf • hip hop • manners • rap • Sega Sammy Cup)

Check out this Smart car with a Suzuki Hayabusa engine!【Video】

Preston Phro
Feb 23, 2014

If you like motorcycles, or motorsports, or even just going really fast, then you’ve probably heard of the Suzuki Hayabusa–the world’s fastest production motorcycle. With a reported top speed of around 190 miles per hour for production models, the Japanese-made bike is sure to help put miles between you and any problems you might have–like figuring out how to pay back the US$14,500 price tag.

But it turns out that you don’t need the entire motorcycle to have a good time. For an ambitious gearhead, all you need is the machine’s massive engine and a light car!

Internet, Japan
(engines • Golf • Hayabusa • Mini Cooper • motorcycle • motorsports • Smart)

This Mario golf bag might not lower your score, but it will definitely give you 1-up

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Feb 18, 2014

Golf is one of the hardest sports and if you’re thinking, “NO IT’S NOT!!!” then clearly you’ve never picked up a golf club. Very few people, if anyone, have a “Happy Gilmore moment” where everything instantly comes together and you can get a hole in one on a par four with only a few weeks of practice. So with all those difficulties golfers face out on the course, maybe this Mario bag can help calm them. Miss a putt? No problem, just look into those maniacal blue eyes. Everything’s going to be okay.

Japan
(Golf • Mario • nerdy • nintendo • sports • video games)

If Batman played golf, this would be his ride

Joan Coello
Dec 9, 2013

Even superheroes need a break from saving the world once in a while. This awesome ride may be made by a Batman fan, but if the creators at DC Comics ever drew the Dark Knight partaking in some sort of recreation on his day off, golf does seem like the perfect hobby for Bruce Wayne.

But just look at the quality and detail in this fan-made cart! No wonder it caught the attention of so many Japanese netizens this past weekend.

Internet
(Batman • Batmobile • cool • customization • Golf)

Lone Japanese Golf Putter Craftsman Flooded with Orders from around the World Including Barack Obama

Master Blaster
Mar 3, 2013

Yamada Putter Workshop in the city of Yamagata has previously been known in pro-golf circles, but through a twist of fate it has become the maker of the most sought-after putters in the world.

In otherwise economically depressed Japan, Yamada Putter Workshop has received up 300 orders in a single day from 20 countries around the world.

Needless to say, business is booming for the small outfit, but there’s just one problem – Yamada Putter Workshop, since opening in 1986, has only one employee: 57 year-old President Toru Yamada.