Hayato’s story: “Golf is my reason for living, a place where I can express myself”
Japan’s Hayato Yoshida returned to The G4D Open (May 15-17) eager to impress at Woburn, a player who highlights as well as anyone the global nature of the championship (with 20 countries represented in 2025) but also the skill and endurance exhibited by all the players.
“Golf is my reason for living,” says Yoshida, who was selected to strike the opening tee shot of the Championship at 8.30am on the first morning, a fitting honour after he has shown such support for G4D (golf for the disabled) internationally in recent years.
“Golf is a place where I can express myself. I chose golf because it is very good for rehabilitation. Delving into how my body responds to movement has become a rehabilitation for me. Above all, I enjoy improving.”
Hayato Yoshida had his right leg amputated from the thigh down at the age of 24 after a motorcycle accident and took up golf at the age of 30. Having played baseball until university, he quickly improved his skills and was awarded a teaching professional license by the Japan Professional Golfers’ Association in 2022 while working at a golf course.
He is now a recognised leader in golf for the disabled in Japan. As an instructor, he carefully teaches a wide range of golfers, and as a competitor, he has won four Japan Golf Opens for the Disabled and competed on the Japanese Professional Golf Tour. In recent years, he has wanted to play international competitions. In 2024, he won an EDGA tournament in Italy (the Giovanni Nasi & DiaSorin International Cup) and competed in the EDGA Tour Portugal Swing in January, 2025, at Pinta and Gramacho.
Yoshida says: “The technical level of European players is high. In Europe, golf has the image of a leisure sport and there is an environment where they can play casually and take advantage of the characteristics of the courses they have known since childhood. For example, the ground is hard, so it is effective to roll the ball. They can roll it well with the putter even off the green.”
As well as competing, Yoshida also enjoys socialising with others at events. He uses the translation function on his mobile phone and actively engages in conversation.
He adds, “It’s interesting to talk to local people, fellow golfers and fellow disabled people. I also learn a lot about cultural differences. Japanese manga and anime are popular and many players like them, so we talk about them a lot. In Portugal, I enjoyed talking to young players about anime and we talked about it over dinner after the round.”
Sometimes he also asks the other players about technical aspects like how to hit an approach shot when the ground is hard, when firmer than the lush fairways back home. He has found that it is often better to use a 9-iron or similar rather than a lofted wedge in chipping onto the greens.
Yoshida’s motivation to help develop the sport is key for him. “I want people to know that there are many more disabled golf tournaments in the world, although there are still very few in Japan,” he says. “I think currently Europe is the most advanced in the world for disabled golf. There is a good atmosphere at the tournaments, it is fun to play in front of the gallery. It is a place of self-realization and a place where my dreams as a golfer can come true. Through my challenge, I want to convey the appeal of golf and I hope to inspire disabled children to dream.”
Yoshida (aged 41, Sport Class ‘Standing 2’) was taking part in his second G4D Open at Woburn in 2025. This time he was slightly disappointed to finish 27th overall in the Men’s Championship (21st last year), but he can nevertheless be proud of flying the flag for Japan, including communicating well with the media and Championship organisers The R&A in partnership with the DP World Tour, supported by EDGA, sharing his story and that of three other players from his homeland who made the trip to the UK.
Alongside Yoshida were: Masato Koyamada (aged 57, right forearm amputation, Sport Class Standing 2), Takuya Akiyama (49, left thigh amputation, Standing 2) and seated player Minori Omura (54, Sitting 2). It was clear that these players share a mission to put everything into reaching their potential on the golf course.
Yoshida adds: “I hope we can all get to the top working hard together. During the tournament we will be living and training together, so I want to do my best while exchanging a lot of information and talking with them.”
Hayato and his friends have now gained greater knowledge and experience from their excellent support of European G4D events in the last year or so, where they have been warmly welcomed in the UK, Scandinavia, Italy and Portugal, making a wonderful impression for Japan. Hayato Yoshida also creates the strongest of impressions of what it means to be an individual golfer, to face life’s consequences with resilience and equanimity, and to keep striving.
He concludes: “I started playing golf as a form of rehabilitation. Golf is like life itself: make your own choices, accept the results, and move on. Playing golf teaches you that even if you fail, you can always try again.”
– With thanks for written material for this article to Yoshitake Shizuyo, Weekly Golf Digest Japan and The R&A
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