Junior golfers to benefit from lower muni fees

Lost in the debate and billion-dollar signs of rail last week was City Council Bill 46. It passed on the third reading and is headed to the mayor to be signed into law.

If or when that happens, Hawaii junior golfers will play all six of Oahu’s municipal courses for free, anytime, beginning July 1.

That’s free, as in zero, starting two weeks from now.

Golf might still take too long to play but, for juniors with Hawaii golf ID cards, cost should no longer be a barrier.

Initially, city councilman Trevor Ozawa’s idea was to help seniors and juniors, but the financial impact was too great. Then he thought back to his junior golf career, memorable for the impact it had on his life, but not necessarily his swing.

“I made the Kamehameha team, and first I was the OJGA rookie of the year,” Ozawa recalls. “But I was not good. Rookie of the year was for trying hardest maybe. I was told my swing was horrendous.”

So he worked on it at Ala Wai and found a job cleaning toilets, and whatever else, at Waialae Country Club, which allowed him to play there — much the way tour pro Parker McLachlin did it.

He was no Parker McLachlin, but Ozawa was determined, and came from great golf stock.

“He was never a bad player,” says Wes Wailehua, who coached Ozawa and a bunch of talented teammates to Kamehameha’s first state golf championship in 2002. “He did struggle to find the same practice opportunities that many of the other kids had and I believe that is why he was so passionate about supporting this bill.”

The late Cattie Ozawa, a legend in ladies’ golf circles, also played a memorable part. Her grandson Trevor started golfing at 13, when his dad found a Big Bertha driver on the road while driving to work on the graveyard shift.

Trevor and his cousin got hooked on the game hitting balls the Ala Wai range. His first set of clubs was “Tutu Cattie’s” last. Trevor vividly remembers playing with her “powder blue Bullet irons” and the putter be bought for $10 on Kapahulu Avenue.

What he also remembered about his junior career were the neighbor island friends he made, who told him they played for almost nothing on their muni courses. That “dawned on me” when his idea for giving back to seniors and juniors proved too expensive.

He did some research and found juniors played 3,036 rounds on Oahu’s muni courses last year, at up to $19 a pop. Players without golf ID cards — mostly non-residents — played 7,522 rounds for up to $55.

The new bill would pay for juniors by raising the fee for those without ID cards by $10. Rates for Hawaii residents with ID cards and seniors will not change.

“We’ll actually make a little revenue so it’s win-win-win … ,” Ozawa says. “The City & County is always looking to take away. This is a great way to give back, to juniors in particular.

“It’s a sport I love. It teaches a lot of life lessons, like character and grace under pressure.”

Wailehua, his former coach, is now executive director of the Aloha Section PGA. Part of its mission is to “grow the game,” which has been losing numbers. He calls that an “auto correction” for the industry post-Tiger Woods, and sees free muni golf as a way to promote “access and affordability.”

“In the long term, this bill will help promote the game by allowing existing junior golfers to play more often, creating new players for the game’s future,” Wailehua says, “and re-engaging parents and seniors to join these juniors on the tee at our municipal golf courses.”

Maybe more importantly, he also believes it can create a more diverse group of players. It could also boost revenue later, along with networking opportunities.

Golf parents appreciate it for all those reasons, but especially the financial carrots of free green fees and an enhanced opportunity at becoming good enough to earn a college golf scholarship.

Most of their kids practice four or five times a week, which would cost them about $100 this month at a muni, but maybe not next. It also makes it easier for them to play with their kids, on courses with reasonable green fees, something neighbor island parents have been doing for years.

The kids have little concept of cost, but know that the more courses they can play, the better they will get.

“I play five or six times a week,” said Tristan Bayot, who won the 10-under boys title at Wednesday’s HSJGA’s King Auto 12-under State Championship. “I have a lot of time.”

The Hawaii State Junior Golf Association is simply “grateful.”

“To hear the announcement coming from the City & County offering golf free of charge at all municipal courses on Oahu to junior golfers is absolutely fantastic,” said HSJGA Executive Director Matt Rollins. “There are many places in North America where access to golf is a major challenge for youth and this is another testament to the support for youth sport and community in Hawaii.”

Ozawa is ecstatic.

“I just love golf,” he says simply. “I love the peace and connection to family.”

Wednesday’s other winners at the 12-under State Championship were Joshua Chung and Payten Shimizu in the 11-12 divisions, and Maile Wong along with Bayot in 7-10. Wong won a playoff with Mira Kubo, with par on the first extra hole. Chung was the only player to finish under par, shooting 67-68.

The HSJGA King Auto 13-18 State Junior Championship is next week at Hokuli`a.