Wendell Tom, soon to be the 73rd inductee in the Hawaii Golf Hall of Fame, has always kept — and kept up with — good golf company.
He has also kept pretty quiet about it.
David Ishii, inducted into the Hall in 2006, recalls a scene from one of two Junior World championships won by fellow Hall of Famer Charles Barenaba some 50 years ago in San Diego.
The Hawaii players and Bob Tom — Wendell’s father, co-founder of Hawaii junior golf and another Hall of Famer — were celebrating with Barenaba on the 18th green. Ishii suddenly saw Wendell Tom crying.
“I asked him, ‘Are you crying because you’re happy that Charlie won?’ ” Ishii recalls. “He said, ‘No. When Charlie hugged my dad, he was holding his putter and the putter whacked me in the back of my head right behind the ear.’ ”
Soon after, Bob Tom started Ishii and his son on a weight training program, a golf rarity at that stage. Both went on to win a tournament, what is now known as the David S. Ishii Foundation/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Championship.
Wendell, on the foundation’s board, won it as a McKinley High senior (1974). His preparation included running on the cross country team. “I learned that to be competitive,” he said. “I had to work harder on my game than anyone else.”
His teammates at USC — Scott Simpson and Craig Stadler — would become major champions. Back home, he had his best year in 1982, when he won the Hawaii State Open, Mid-Pacific Open and Navy-Marine Invitational.
In the midst of all this, the sub-6-footer who never tickled 150 pounds won four state long drive championships. His longest measured blast was 387 yards, in a year he did not win.
“My dad believed in Gary Player and how he trained to compete with Jack and Arnold,” Wendell says. “As I got older and stronger, especially in college, I started hitting the ball farther. I had a long upright swing and that helped me build club head speed to hit long drives. I think the key to hitting it long is good timing, weight shift and, of course, solid contact.”
Tom considers a blast off his old McGregor 3-wood at Oahu Country Club’s 14th tee his most prodigious drive. The hole is 360 yards. They found his ball beyond the green, on the way to the Pacific Ocean.
As Ishii says — recalling his friend’s tears at Torrey Pines — “Wendell’s day would come.”
It wasn’t in baseball, which he loved, or football, which he was never big enough to play despite his desire. His father introduced him to golf when Wendell was 10, and his life was never the same.
“I was hooked and gave up other sports,” Tom says. “I made my first hole-in-one nine months after I started golf. Around that time, my dad and Ted Makalena started junior golf and it was 24/7 in our household.
“I owe a lot to my father. He and my mother were my biggest supporters. My dad knew so many people in town. Because of him, I had the opportunity to play with the best golfers and learn from the best teachers in the state.”
Wendell, 61, has worked more than half his life as a golf sales representative, mostly for Adidas and, now, Under Armour Golf. He calls it “a nice balance” with his earlier competitive career.
“To me, the greatest thing about golf is that it’s not just a competitive sport, but teaches you valuable life lessons such as humility and also builds character,” he says. “Playing this game has given me self esteem and I have made long-lasting relationships along the way. Through my involvement with golf, I’ve met people all over the world, some dating back 50 years. I treasure those friendships.”
Wendell Tom will be inducted Feb. 10 at the 10th annual Hawaii Golf Ho‘olaule‘a Awards Ceremony, which also honors golf champions in Hawaii’s six major golf associations. Art Rego will receive the Aloha Section PGA’s distinguished service award.
The Ho‘olaule‘a will again be at Manoa Grand Ballroom at the Japanese Cultural Center. Tickets are available at eventbrite.com.
2018 HO‘OLAULE‘A AWARD WINNERS
Hawaii State Women’s Golf Association
Player of year–Mira Jang
Volunteer of year–Emi Anamizu
Hawaii State Golf Association
Player of year—Tyler Ota
Senior player of year—Carl Ho
HSGA volunteer of year—Gary Haynie
Aloha Section PGA
Distinguished service award—Art Rego
Golf professional of year—David Havens
Assistant pro of year—Kevin Shimomura
President’s plaque—Renee Lee
Bill Strausbaugh award—Scott Carroll
Horton Smith award—Paul Ogawa
Junior golf leader—Sutee Nitakorn
Teacher of year—Ben Hongo
Merchandisers of year—Shaun Steile (private), Lee Kagawa (public), Scott
Ashworth (resort)
Sales representative of year—Neal Takara
Ho`okuleana award—Allan Ikawa
President’s award—Rodney Acia
Player of year—Juan Rodriguez
Senior player of year—Kevin Hayashi
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
Lifetime achievement award: Scott Nair (Kukio GM)
Golf course superintendent of year: Michael Atwood (Wailea)
Hawaii State Junior Golf Association
Dr. Richard Ho spirit of the game award—Jake Sequin
Players of the year
7-10—Kate Nakaoka and Bryce Toledo-Lue
11-12—Teal Matsueda and Joshua Chung
13-14—Lana Calibuso-Kwee and Jake Sequin
15-18—Kamie Hamada and Davis Lee
