LIHUE — Julian Abella said he kind of knows about golf because he goes out with his dad once in a while.
That knowledge brought him to the Hawaii Junior free Golf Day, Saturday presented by the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association in partnership with numerous golf courses and professional golfers in the Professional Golf Association, Aloha Section.
“We had about 650 young golfers registered for the event throughout the state,” said Lauren Yama, an HSJGA leader. “I just got the golfers registered. We have a lot more turning out and registering at the different sites. I decided I wanted to spend the day at the Puakea Golf Course.”
Puakea Golf Course was one of three sites on Kauai where young golfers and their parents could explore the game in a free, fun-oriented environment with refreshments being provided off the course mobile food truck. Other sites on Kauai included the Princeville Makai and the Kiahuna golf clubs where participating golf professionals could lead the aspiring golfers in the program geared toward new and beginning golfers ages 5 through 18 years old.
“This is my first time coming to the Free Golf Day,” Abella said, wielding an over-sized plastic club and driving tennis balls in a short chip skills course. “This is pretty fun.”
Young golfers had an opportunity to work through different skills stations, including a tug-of-war, Snag Chip, kick ball, Short Chip, Tic Tac Toe Putting, and putting and long drives using regulation golf balls. Additionally, golfers worked through “cleaning up,” or retrieving the balls they shot off as a lesson in kuleana about the sport.
“This is modern technology,” said Daeja Tomas, a former Kauai Interscholastic Federation and collegiate golfer who works part time at the Timbers Resort Hokuala Ocean Course. “We never had this when I was in Junior Golf and playing at high school. This is a lot of fun.”
Other former golf standouts helping included Pono Tokioka, Kenji Miyata, and left-handed golfer Taylor Viquelia who is currently working for her Teaching Professional credentials at the Kukuiula golf club.
Parents could also gain information as well as register their aspiring golfers for the junior golf programs, on Kauai that program being the Kauai Junior Golf Association through representatives who were also among the field of volunteers administering a healthy dose of fun, physical activity, and refreshments in the morning sunshine.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
