Jolly Fox 2021: Social Distance Unites Niseko Golf Community

As time slowed following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus last year, a fresh spirit of competition and camaraderie took hold on the lush green fairways of Niseko.

With the realisation the coming winter holiday season was likely to be all but cancelled, Niseko business owners and staff pushed aside the usual ski season preparations and spent more time enjoying the abundant leisurely pursuits of the “off-season”.

At the same time, keen golfer and Niseko’s H2 Group co-CEO Michael Chen came up with an idea to launch a community golf tournament to inspire some much-needed COVID-friendly social interaction amidst the isolation.

It was also a perfect opportunity to showcase Niseko’s stunning alpine-flanked golf courses to the world – a largely undiscovered secret.

Two-person teams compete over two days at Hanazono Golf Course across three rounds of competition – Round 1: Best Ball, Round 2: Scramble, and Round 3: Greensomes.

Teams are made up of a fox (a low handicapper) and a mouse (a high-handicapper), both paired randomly at a team-draw dinner held before the competition.

A gala dinner at the prestigious Park Hyatt Hanazono caps off the festivities.

Mini-competitions are embedded along the way including ¥5 million hole-in-one and ¥1 million putting comps, longest drive comps each round (the first of which this year was won by Japanese female entrant Ruri Meikle), closest-to-pin contests, and a best (loudest) dressed competition.

Co-Title Sponsors Callaway and H2 Group provided a swag of prizes and gifts, as did Lead Sponsor Park Hyatt Hanazono, while local businesses also chipped in to sponsor the competition and prizes.

Jolly Fox Tournament Format

This year’s event was the 2nd Annual Jolly Fox Invitational.

Chen said the three-round format emphasised teamwork between the fox and the mouse.

“Foxes are obviously cunning and clever, and while mice may be less skilled, with the right teammate they can perform sensationally.

“In Best Ball, you can choose either players’ score, so usually if the higher handicapper plays well, the team usually plays well,” explains Chen.

“In Scramble, you can choose either ball on every shot, so the fox really needs to play well for the team to score well.

“And in Greensomes both players alternate after the tee shot, so both fox and mouse need to play well for the team to do well.

“So it’s a really high-pressure format for the final round and results in a truly exciting finish with the gallery looking on at the end.

“The team with the best net score over 54 holes claims the championship.

“Run over two solid days of competition, it’s a true test of skill, patience and endurance both on and off the course.”

Michael Chen

The US Open of Niseko

Chen said one of the seasoned players coined the competition “the US Open of Niseko” due in large part to the competitive spirit that emerges amongst players.

“Actually it’s a perfect combination of fun and very serious competition. Most of the players in the field have played serious competitive sports at some level, at secondary school or college, or even semi-pro or professional level.

“The team-draw and gala dinner are super fun, and actually the seriousness of the competition in itself is fun because all of us who have played competitive sports miss that element in life.

“And that’s why it’s like the US Open of Niseko. It’s like that one event all year that offers really serious competition among Niseko’s golfers. It’s not your casual weekend round – people are trying hard to win.”

COVID Triggers Community Golf Revival

Long-time Niseko golf figure John Barton said the advent of the Jolly Fox, along with its predecessor the Niseko Wow Pro-Am, was spawning a number of other signature golf competitions.

“Over the years there have been small competitions here and there, and we had a Niseko Golf Week at one stage,” he said.

“But now with the Jolly and the Niseko Wow Pro-Am we’ve got really well-run competitions over multiple days.

“The Jolly combines a pre-event with the team-play format over several days, and then the properly organized gala dinner social event at the Park Hyatt afterwards.

“That hasn’t been done so well before. With the way Michael has organised it you feel like you’re playing in a proper big-time event.

“This week we’ve got another competition, the Kaisha Cup, which definitely came about as a result of the Jolly.

“Last summer we started doing Ryder Cup events with UK playing the rest of the world in something like a Ryder Cup format.

“That was well-attended and brought more good vibes and I think COVID really helped kick it off – people have had a bit more time to organise these things which really hadn’t happened before.”

International Golf Tourism Interest Growing

Golf has long been a favourite pastime among both men and women in Japan, and Niseko is home to several world-class courses.

There are courses at the base villages of two of the ski resorts (Hanazono and Niseko Village), and another Niseko Village-owned, Arnold Palmer-designed course just outside Niseko Town. Within 60-minutes’ drive are a handful more excellent courses, with about 170 on the island of Hokkaido.

Barton says the inaugural Niseko Wow Pro-Am three years ago re-activated the local golf community, and the “COVID summer” acted as a further catalyst.

“There’s definitely momentum in the local golf community now and people overseas are seeing the photos and the fun we’re having and it has become more tangible.

“We’ve also got a Niseko golf podcast now, the Niseko Ryder, and there’s growing international interest and actually demand for Niseko golf trips.

“People, particularly in Asia, are realising what great golf there is here, and that there is a great community here, so people from all levels, all kinds of backgrounds can find a way into this welcoming community.

“When travel opens up we will have international golfers coming in and planning their summer visits to Niseko around these events while they’re in town for an extended stay.”