A desire to pass on the joys and secret depth of golf to the next generation
Two to three times a year, my fellow company executives and I host a golf tournament at the Gifu Seki Country Club. It’s been nearly 20 years since the first KAI tournament. The upcoming tournament will be our 56th. It is quite a historic event. KAI employees were once banned from playing golf since it was considered to be such a posh pastime. My father lifted the ban partly because the sport became popular in Japan. When I first started playing, I was terrible. I didn’t have any time to practice. When I studied abroad in L.A. in 1979, I was able to play golf once a week. Since I moved from Tokyo to Gifu, I often play golf. My average score is around 90. Golf isn’t just about how far you can hit the ball. It’s impossible to get a good score without strategizing where to hit the ball first and then figuring out where to go from there. In that sense, golf is similar to management. It’s also important to be polite and courteous to other golfers. Being able to adjust to anything and not dwelling on a past mistake is also critically important. All of these things are applicable in my line of work. I want to have fun with everyone who participates. I hope we can all learn from it. I would like to share the joys and depth of golf with the younger generation.
