Hawaii golf awards highlight devotion to the game

Even for Hawaii, Saturday’s Ho’olaule’a Hawaii Golf Awards Ceremony was remarkably diverse.

Players — pros and amateurs, from extremely young to aunties and uncles — and those who work in the business and volunteer were honored.

It looked like a rainbow of humanity, with their differences as vast as their handicaps. What they had in common though, was obvious.

They didn’t just like golf, they were devoted to it.

You could see it in the emotion that kept appearing in the acceptance speech of Bobbi Kokx, the 75th inductee into the Hawaii Golf Hall of Fame.

Brendan Moynahan, the Aloha Section PGA Professional of the Year, haltingly concluded his speech by dedicating his award to his father Mike, who simply played for the love of the game.

Roosevelt senior Kolbe Irei, headed to UC Irvine on a golf scholarship, collected junior golf’s Dr. Richard Ho Spirit of the Game Award and closed with these words: “I will contribute to golf any way I can.”

That rare devotion is why those who oversee this unique sport believe its future is as bright as its past, despite the numbers that have dropped, courses that have closed and golf’s well-earned reputation for being too tough, taking too long and being too expensive.

“Golf is not dying,” Aloha Section Executive Director Wes Wailehua said. “Golf is alive.” Then he spoke of Hawaii “golf stewards” watching over the game in a multitude of ways.

He is not alone. Forbes magazine covered a roundtable last May after the National Golf Foundation released its 2019 Golf Industry Report. As you can imagine, the heads of golf’s national organizations echoed Wailehua’s thoughts, and backed up their words with numbers:

>> More than 107 million people played, watched or read about golf last year. That included 24.2 million who played on a golf course and another 9.3 million who played off-course at places like Topgolf. The total was up 3.4 million from five years earlier.

>> Greg McLaughlin, World Golf Foundation CEO and president of The First Tee, said one in four U.S. golf juniors are now “ethnically diverse,” up from one in 12 nearly 20 years ago. Girls are the game’s fastest growing sector, with nearly a third of the juniors now female, up from one in six. He also said 80% of American golfers play “primarily on public facilities” and the average cost is $35 for an 18-hole round;

>> The PGA Tour recently surpassed $3 billion in “all-time giving” and the sport generates $3.9 billion annually for charity;

>> LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan emphasized that more people are “becoming engaged” in the sport, with increases in crowds, TV viewership and coverage. He also sees more interest around the world, driven by golf’s return to the Olympics in 2016;

>> Golf is an $84 billion industry “that drives nearly 2 million jobs” and provides nearly $59 billion in wages, according to PGA of America President Suzy Whaley.

Then she focused on the playing side.

“Our participation numbers are up in key categories — beginners, avid golfers and those who experience the game at off-course options,” Whaley added. “A record-tying 2.6 million golfers played for the first time in 2018 – matching the all-time high set in 2017, which was the fourth consecutive year that number increased. These new golfers are more diverse and younger than the overall golf population.”

They want better coaching resources. Along with a PGA pro, Whaley says they want “technology, scheduling apps and video … It’s about engaging the consumer, at the right age, during the right time in their golf development.”

All the leaders spoke at length about the evolution of communication, with Whan conceding fans follow players first, then his tour. That’s why the LPGA puts players’ twitter handles on caddie bibs, not the tour’s. The picture illustrating his point was the back of a caddie ID’d by @TheMichelleWie.

The Forbes story ended by talking about “intangibles” and often overlooked benefits of the game, such as the “spirit of golf” bringing communities and generations together and green spaces that help with storm water runoff.

Whaley spoke of health and wellness.

“Golf provides everyone with the opportunity to ditch the screens and go outside, building upon healthy exercise habits,” she said. “Being less injury prone than contact sports, conditioning for golf helps improve the strength of core muscles that support the spine and improve flexibility.

“As kids learn the game, they develop more than just the skills needed to play golf. They develop key life skills, such as sportsmanship, responsibility and integrity.”

Many develop a devotion for a game that can last a lifetime.

Hawaii Superintendent of the Year Todd Allen grew up on a farm in Missouri and had a highly successful career at courses Arizona before coming to Maui. In the last two years he and his small crew put Waiehu Municipal on the cover of GCM (Golf Course Management) magazine after an in-house renovation that included changing all the greens to salt-tolerant paspalum grass … while keeping at least nine holes open the entire time.

Allen’s reasoning — “We take great pride in being able to make it the best it can be to honor all the people that have loved Waiehu throughout its 90-year history” — went back to one word: Devotion.

2020 HO’OLAULE’A AWARDS

Hawaii Golf Hall of Fame

Bobbi Kokx (75th inductee)

Aloha Section PGA

>> Player of the Year:Kevin Hayashi (Makani)

>> Senior Player of the Year: Kevin Hayashi

>> Golf Professional of the Year: Brendan Moynahan (Hualalai)

>> Assistant Professional of the Year: Hunter Larson (Kohanaiki)

>> President’s Plaque: Alex Cromer (Turtle Bay)

>> Horton Smith Award: Scott Ashworth (Four Seasons Lanai)

>> Bill Strausbaugh Award: David Havens (Havens Experience)

>> Youth Player Development: Chris Armanini (Kapalua Academy)

>> Teacher of Year: Lee Sakugawa (Waiehu)

>> Merchandisers of Year: Private—Kris Kitt (Nanea); Resort—Chad Dusenberry (Poipu); Public—Art Rego (Waiehu)

>> Sales Representative of Year: Chris Wright (TaylorMade)

>> Distinguished Service: Ann Miller

Hawaii State Golf Association

>> Player of the Year: Tyler Ota

>> Women’s Player of the Year: Anna Murata

>> Senior Player of the Year: Mike Kawate

>> Volunteer of the Year: Winston Ogata

Hawaii State Women’s Golf Association

>> Player of the Year: Jeannie Pak

>> Volunteer of the Year: Barbara Schroeder

>> Hawaii Golf Course Superintendents Association

>> Superintendent of the Year: Todd Allen (Waiehu)

Hawaii State Junior Golf Association

>> Dr. Richard Ho Spirit of the Game Award: Kolbe Irei

>> Players of the Year

Girls: Kady Matsumoto (7-10), Kate Nakaoka (11-12), Teal Matsueda (13-14), Shayna Lu (15-18).

Boys: Keola Silva (7-10), Bryce Toledo-Lue (11-12), Dane Watanabe (13-14), Noah Koshi (15-18).