Campbell coach Laurie Katagiri-Hoshino teaches a love for golf

Her golf roots, like many from Kauai, can be traced to Wailua Golf Course. Laurie Katagiri-Hoshino would walk with her father, a close friend of Hawaii Golf Hall of Famer Toyo Shirai, while he pushed his bag up the muni’s many hills.

Fast forward to the days when Laurie’s son Shane Hoshino first started in junior golf. He would go on to capture the 1999 Manoa Cup.

“Mark Rolfing was the guest speaker during one of the tournaments being held on Maui,” Katagiri-Hoshino said. “To this day, I recall him saying to the young juniors that golf was a ‘game of a lifetime.’

“He proceeded to say anyone who had the passion, the desire, the determination, and respected people and the game would always be winners in life. I want my players and my students to interact in life as winners.”

In 1996, when Campbell High athletic director Duane Izumi approached Katagiri-Hoshino about coaching golf, the social studies teacher and transition coordinator said yes.

Son Shane turns 40 this month. His mother still coaches Campbell.

“Coaching became a way of continuing my relationship with the sport in another capacity,” she says. “The years spent involved in the Oahu Junior Golf program made it possible to take up this position as a coach.

“A lot of time has to be devoted to the program, but it is all worth it when you see the players developing lasting friendships and enjoying improvement in their game skills.”

Rolfing’s words made an indelible impression on her. She has made the same impression on her golfers, keeping the Sabers swinging for 24 seasons. Her golf game now is limited to “puttering around” with her teams.

Players have been tough to come by, at Campbell and other schools. But the Sabers can claim state champions Rudy Cabalar (2010) and — before Katagiri-Hoshino — Ralden Chang (1981 and ’82). Haku Maluenda won the 2007 OIA title.

The last few years Campbell has had enough to field full teams, in a sport increasingly focused on individual accomplishments because of lower numbers. The boys won their division the last two years and finished eighth among the 10 teams that qualified for this year’s David S. Ishii Foundation/HHSAA state championship.

Erin Elaydo, one of six juniors on Campbell’s roster (boys and girls), was among the 65 girls who qualified for states.

The boys were led at states by freshman Jet Magsanide. His sister Loreece, a 2011 Campbell alum, was an NCAA DIII second-team All-American at George Fox, which had a trio of Hawaii players (Iris Kawada, Nicolle Nitta and Kaitlyn Tonai) last season.

Loreece, now a physical trainer in Oregon, warmly recalls her high school career and is still in touch with her golf friends.

Her memories of Katagiri-Hoshino are just as warm.

“Mrs. Hoshino gave us moral support on the course and mental support,” Loreece says. “Golf is very draining mentally. She gave us a lot of patience and care. I call her mom, not Coach Hoshino, always mom — mom this, mom that. She was always there whether we had a bad day on the golf course or a good day. That was her best quality.”

Still is, her brother tells her.

“The team has gotten a lot bigger since I was in school,” Loreece says. “There are more boys so it’s more rowdy. I always hear funny stories from my brother, about the coaches laughing and being patient and guiding kids through school and the golf course.”

Loreece and Jet get technical golf training from their dad. But it’s Katagiri-Hoshino, with help from parents and other staff, who keep Campbell golf going.

The benefits can be huge. Ian Kaneshiro, Campbell’s only senior this past season, is heading to Washington State to study turf management.

Loreece didn’t realize until her final years at Campbell that playing in college was a possibility. Top-five OIA finishes her last two seasons got her on the radar, and academic and athletic aid helped compensate for D-III’s lack of athletic scholarships.

“Toward my senior year we reached out to schools,” she recalls, “and it was amazing. There were schools that wanted me.”

It has become common, with Hawaii juniors now known nationwide for their talent, ability to play in many conditions, travel wisdom and good coaching — by any and many definitions.

In a letter to his coach for Teacher Appreciation Day, Campbell sophomore Yuuki Kubo told Katagiri-Hoshino:

“You help me through golf practice. You teach me life lessons, buy me food, and look out and work hard for the golf team. Most importantly you, yourself, are an amazing person. You’re so caring and thoughtful. You support us through the rough times. I just want to say thank you for being so amazing to the team and most importantly to me.”

Enough said.