Japan Golf Tours

In my last post, I told you a little bit about some of the dinners my Japanese friends invited me to as their guest of honor. One in particular is noteworthy for several reasons and the events of that day and that dinner set the tone for all of my future dealings with my Japanese friends. It was my first event in my new job. I was the new Executive Director of the International Seniors Amateur Golf Society. This is a wonderful golf association with members from over 30 countries around the world. I was their Executive Director for almost 13 years.

My first event with them was in beautiful Maui, Hawaii. I knew in advance that there were going to be around a dozen or so Japanese participants, most of whom were bringing their wives. The Japanese members are a very large and important contingent of the International Seniors and I wanted to show them the respect that I thought they were due. At that point in my life, I don’t believe I had ever met anyone from Japan. I bought a few Japanese phrase books in hopes that I might learn enough Japanese to introduce myself, to say hello and good bye, etc. At the registration for the event, I met most of the Japanese members and their wives. I did my best to impress them with my Japanese. Although I am quite certain I sounded like an idiot, I got the impression that they were flattered that I took the time and effort to communicate with them. I could tell immediately that I had made some new friends. I had no idea at the time that those friendships would blossom, become stronger and that some of them would develop into business relationships some fifteen years later.

The following day was the first round of the 72 hole event. It had rained the day before and the driving range was closed. Around 20 minutes before the first tee time, one of the contestants dropped a ball somewhere on the tee of the 1st hole and hit a practice ball into the woods. It just so happened that another contestant witnessed this practice shot. The witness to this shot turned out to be the Chairman of the Rules Committee of the Japan Golf Association. Now, if that player hit a ball from within the “teeing ground”, that would have been a penalty. The teeing ground is a rectangular area that is formed using the tee markers as two corners and a distance of two club lengths away from the hole from there. No one was really quite certain whether or not the ball that was hit was within the teeing ground but the gentleman from Japan was quite adamant that this person should be penalized. This was my first event. No one had even hit a shot in the competition as yet and already I had a rules controversy. I persuaded our friend from Japan to reconsider and he reluctantly agreed. We did arrange, however, to have dinner that evening as he wanted to discuss some “items that concern us both”, as he put it.

Before I continue, let me give you some additional background to this story. I, too, have always been a student of the Rules of Golf. I have attended six or seven week-long PGA/USGA Rules Workshops and have officiated at numerous golf events. The Rules of Golf, in short, are a beautiful thing. To the uninitiated, they may seem tedious, verbose and unnecessarily harsh to the already woe-begotten golfer. Closer inspection, however, reveals more than more than just a list of rules and regulations. The Rules of Golf begin with the premise that we are all gentlemen (and ladies). Furthermore, that golfers, being gentlemen and ladies, will instinctively do the honest and honorable thing. Golf is a civilized game and nowhere more so than in its Rules. More on the Rules of Golf later but now back to the story.

Dinner had been arranged for that evening but, in the meantime, I had a golf tournament to conduct. I learned many things on that first day of international competition. One of the things I learned about Japanese golfers endeared them to me forever. I discovered that the Japanese golfers actually played by the Rules of Golf! Sure, there were exceptions but I learned that the Japanese took the Rules very seriously. Being a Rules Official, this truly impressed me. I have been around golfers all of my life and I am an American. To put this is an international context and to put it as delicately as I am able, let me say that Americans are the most liberal people on earth in their interpretation of the Rules of Golf. This is not to say that they cheat. I think that, in America, unless you play golf at a very highly skilled level you learn and become accustomed to playing “social” golf. Social golf is “user-friendly”. It is the “light beer” of the golf world. Nobody gets hurt and, hopefully, you end up shooting a respectable score. Is it golf? That’s not really for me to decide and, I must admit that I have played with groups where to play anything but social golf would be, well, unsociable.

The Japanese on the other hand, imported the game of golf along with its rules. Theirs is a society that is far more regimented than ours. This is reflected in the way they work, the way they live and in the way they play the game of golf. They have put their own spin on the game and the way it is played but the rules of the game are something they feel is an integral part of the game.

This blog was supposed to be about dining with my Japanese friends but, well, I’m getting there. There’s lots more to come. Please feel free to comment and, again, feel free to click on my website below for more information about golf in Japan.

Thanks.

John Thornton

www.japan-golf-tours.com                

Hi, this is my first post and my first attempt at blogging so bear with me as I will probably make lots of rookie mistakes.

My name is John Thornton and, in my previous job, I conducted golf tournaments all over the world. These were not the Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelsons of the world. I ran events for senior amateur golfers from over 30 countries who enjoyed playing in organized golf events at great golf destinations.

I conducted events in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, Portugal, Australia, Canada, Mexico, all over the United States and, of course, in Japan. I had the good fortune of playing golf in many countries and on some of the most beautiful golf courses in the world.

For some reason, golf in Japan really resonated deep inside of me. Perhaps it is because I have always had a fascination for the people and culture of that very unique island country. I have had the good fortune of making many wonderful friends in Japan. When I started running these golf events, there were many Japanese people that attended them. Before I met them, I took the time to learn some very basic Japanese phrases so that I could at least at least introduce myself to them and make them feel welcome. My attempts to communicate with them in their language immediately created a bond between us that lasts to this day.

There is something in the Japanese character that immediately attracted me. Despite stereotypical preconceptions that I grew up with, I found them to be very friendly, courteous and great fun to be with. They are the greatest travelers I have ever seen. Although they would typically travel further than anyone to attend our golfing events, they seemed immune to jet lag. The petty things that bothered most travelers, they would shrug off with a laugh and go about their business. They rarely complained about anything and seemed to be masters at “rolling with the punches”.

I have always been intrigued by people who travel to the far flung corners of the world. It takes a certain type of spirit to venture out into the “Great Unknown”. However, even among the most hardened travelers, there are those who, regardless of where they visit, are very often disappointed that their destination is not more like home. They expect things to be familiar and when they are not, they are disappointed not only in their destination but also the residents of that destination.

However, I never experienced this phenomenon with travelers from Japan. Perhaps it stems from the spirituality of the Japanese people but, for whatever reason, they graciously accepted and even embraced the misadventures, both small and large, that sometimes accompany world travel.

So, for various reasons, I made many good friends from Japan. We held two events each year, always at a destination that featured great golf, beautiful scenery, unique food and culture and, primarily for the women, opportunities for shopping. There would always be a night when my Japanese friends would take me out to dinner. This would typically involve anywhere from 15 to (on one occasion in Japan) over 150 people. Although my friends were very successful business-people and very highly respected in their own country, I would always be the guest of honor. Frankly, I do not think I deserved this distinction but I think it stemmed from first, their great love and respect for the game of golf, second, from their gratitude and respect for me because I am very involved with the game and its administration and third, from their wonderful and very unique sense of courtesy to others.

There would always be a very spirited debate before we sat down for dinner as to just exactly what would be the appropriate place for me, the guest of honor, to be seated and, just as importantly, who should be seated nearest to me. I have to admit that I found this whole scene to be very flattering.

My Japanese friends love to eat and drink and have fun. Beer and sake were always in great supply. In Japan, however, it is the custom to fill the glass of your companions and not your own. It is considered slightly rude to fill your own glass. I find that custom so refreshing; a beautiful philosophy of life in a very basic and simple ritual. Rather than putting yourself first, you put the needs of your neighbors first. Believe me, there is no shortage of people waiting to fill your glass in Japan. The only problem is that you are never quite certain as to how much you’ve had to drink as your glass is never quite empty. The only accurate gauge of your consumption may be your physical condition the following morning.

The dinners were always accompanied by speeches and toasts and, in my whole life, these were some of the most wonderful evenings I ever experienced. Very often, my wife would accompany me and we will never forget the very warm and genuine good feelings of being with our Japanese friends.

Well, that’s all for today. Next time, I will tell you more about golf in Japan and also about several dinners that really stand out in my memory. I have so much more to tell you!

Oh, I have a website you might like to look at. Please take a look at

www.japan-golf-tours.com

Thanks for listening. Please feel free to comment!

John