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9 September, 2002

GETTING INTO THE SWING OF GOLF

I fit many of the stereotypes that are assigned to people of Japanese ancestry. I'm short. I have black (OK, graying) hair. I used to wear glasses, until I got corrective surgery. I'm a gadget freak. I'm a camera nut. But, I've never been the least bit interested in playing golf.

The closest I ever got to a golf course, much less a driving range, is playing miniature golf.

Golf is one of Japan's national obsessions - despite the shortage of real estate needed for the sport. During the go-go heyday of the country's bubble economy, it wasn't uncommon for wealthy businessmen to fly to the US to play a round of golf. It was as cheap as playing at some of Japan's most expensive courses. Because there isn't enough space for courses in Japan (especially anywhere close to the cities), most of the country's duffers use their clubs at the thousands of public driving ranges that dot the countryside and cityscapes. You can spot these driving ranges everywhere: they look like gigantic, multiple-story bird cages draped in green netting. Players can hit to their hearts' content from different floors, allowing more golfers to practice their swings at once.

Japanese Americans also seem very inclined towards golf -- I know an awful lot of people in the community who hits the green every chance they get.

Kerry Hada goes for broke -- or at least, a hole-in-one.

But my brothers and I were never bitten by the golf bug. My father was a golfer - when he flew to Japan for trips with the Army Reserves, he used to take his clubs along with him (I trust he played courses on US military bases, not those expensive Japanese ones). My brothers and I never grew up playing with his clubs, though, because my dad was left-handed and we're all right-handed.

I have many friends who play golf. My stepson Jared loves golf, and is taking golf as an elective class in high school (they never had classes like that when I was in high school!). Erin has played a little golf before, although not since we've been together. She's been to a driving range, but now her clubs are waiting for her in the garage.

The closest I ever got to a golf course, much less a driving range, is playing miniature golf. And even then, I'm usually the one in the group who jots down "6" for most holes because I just can't get the darn ball past the various obstacles and into the cup. So it's not surprising that I've not been eager to hit the fairway, or step onto real grass with a real putter.

Yet, I've yearned to learn. I know that golf can be an integral part of doing business, and that kissing butt - oops, I mean networking - with bosses and clients can help careers move forward. Sometimes, the pastoral pleasure of padding around carefully groomed grounds (a tough task in these parts this summer given the drought) appeals to me as a perfect way to spend a few hours in conversation and competition. But then, I happened to catch a few minutes of golf on TV and I'm reminded that it's about as dynamic as watching that carefully groomed grass grow.

I know, I know, my golf-playing pals will pound on me and swear it's athletic, it's civilized and cultured, that the slow pace is its charm. I'm afraid I don't buy it - I've always thought golf is boring.

But I just spent a day volunteering at a golf tournament, and not only had a great time but began to appreciate some of the attraction of the game.

Adele Arakawa reads off the day's top golfers -- including herself.

The tournament was the 15th annual "Go for Broke" fundraiser for Denver's Japanese American Community Graduation Program, which gives scholarships to deserving JA high school seniors.

I showed up to help before 6 a.m. and found an already-buzzing hive of volunteers working to set up the registration tables and preparing for the rest of the day's events.

Not having grown up in the local JA community, I didn't know everyone, but I knew some, and recognized many faces. Everyone else pretty much knew each other - this is a tightly knit community. My knowledge about golf was enhanced right away - I asked what a "mulligan" is and found out it's an extra stroke you can buy if you hit a lousy ball. I was coached in signing in players, and asking them to sign up with extra donations not just for mulligans but also for raffle tickets and a chance to play golf with Adele Arakawa, the top-rated 9News anchor and perennial co-chair of the tournament.

Most of the people I spoke to declined to sign up for the chance to play with Arakawa because of her reputation as both a golf fanatic and a competitor. "I'd be too embarrassed to play with her," was the most common reply.

Later in the day I spent some time volunteering at one of the holes, and learned more about technique. It was amazing to see how much fun golfing is for people, and also how the game can ignite the competitive spirit within players. One group of women (which included Jolie Nagai, one of the organizers of the tournament), though, was clearly just in it for fun. They weren't concerned with how many strokes it took to even get to the green; they wore matching team outfits as a foursome, and laughed a lot. Luckily, the groups behind them understood and waited patiently until the women moved on to the next hole.

There were two tee-times, one for morning golfers and one in the afternoon. By the end of the day, the volunteers and the handful of golfers who chose to play both shifts were tired but not weary. The tournament was capped off as darkness draped over the course with a buffet of barbecue from the posh Wellshire Inn restaurant that is part of the course, which is owned by a leader in the JA community, Leo Goto.

By the time Adele Arakawa took the microphone after dinner to give out the many awards and door prizes I understood much better why people love golf. It's a fabulously social activity, for one thing. It's obviously a lot of fun, and exciting in lots of ways even if watching it on TV can be like a form of torture. And, the weather was wonderful and it was just a great late summer day to be outside. The JA Community Graduation Program, by the way, raised lots of money for next year's scholarships, so the most important reason to play was a success.

And not surprisingly, Arakawa took the top awards for best score overall and in the women's division, and won for the closest to the pin on the hole I volunteered at. I'll keep it in mind that if I ever start playing golf, I should never agree to play against her.