Course Camaraderie

Fairway fanatics describe how the Club’s Men’s Golf Group enhances the greatest game ever played.

On the 18th tee, Simon Dalby led by a hole.

His opponent, Michael Saunders, fired his tee shot over a lake to a pocket of fairway. His seven-iron approach from 185 yards cleared antother water hazard and came to a rest just feet from the pin. Dalby was right behind him to the green in three, but Saunders two-putted for a birdie and a tie to close the round.

The two golfers ended their day at Chiba’s Caledonian Golf Club with a putt-off. 

“The greens were the fastest we’ve played on all year,” says Dalby, 60, of the Men’s Golf Group outing with 26 other members. “There was a Stimpmeter reading of 13, which is almost like a professional tournament in the US. It was like greased lightning.”

Saunders eked out a victory in the putt-off, but to hear the victor tell it, it was hardly the best part of his day.

“The most positive aspect was the conversations we had along the way,” says Saunders, 47. “Simon had played some matches at my home club in New York a few years ago. It demonstrated simply how global a game golf is.”

Dalby bears no marks from the loss. A former chair of the Men’s Golf Group and a self-described “fanatic golfer,” the St Andrews member has seen his fair share of victories and defeats. 

“It’s a maddeningly frustrating game, golf. One day you’re hitting the ball like a pro off the tee, the next day you can’t hit.”

If there’s anything players love more than lamenting the fickleness of the golf gods, it’s getting back on the course to prove them wrong. The Men’s Golf Group helps that next round happen. The Ladies Golf Group also makes the game more accessible for aspiring LPGA pros and amateurs alike. From booking tee times to organizing regular matches, the groups are a nexus of golf-mad Members. 

International in membership, diverse in skill levels and welcoming to any player willing to give it a serious go, the Men’s Golf Group was a priority for Dalby the moment he arrived in Japan 20 years ago. 

“Coming into the country, not speaking the language, I realized [the golf group] was not only a safe haven but a wonderful place to make friends,” he explains. 

Golf isn’t Japan’s national pastime, but it’s carved out a unique place in the country’s sporting landscape. Hundreds of courses lie within an hour’s drive of Tokyo, including 2020 Olympic venue Kasumigaseki Country Club. A view from most rooftops reveals the netting of driving ranges poking through city blocks. 

At the height of Japan’s economic bubble, country club memberships were so coveted that one would-be applicant attempted to buy one from a member for an inflation-adjusted $7.9 million. The offer was declined.

Japan’s fairway fever has cooled off since then, but much of the game remains familiar. Maintenance and manicuring are generally at a high standard, even for public venues, and some courses have started to introduce cutting-edge technology like self-driving carts. 

The biggest adjustment to playing in Japan, Member Todd Daniels explains, is rhythm.

“Pace of play is a little slower,” says the 48-year-old American. “You play nine holes, you stop, you eat lunch. You don’t play through, typically.”

Daniels isn’t new to Japan, but by Dalby’s standards, he’s a rookie member of the Men’s Golf Group. He’s only had the time to join a handful of rounds since joining the Club last August.

Over one long weekend last month, Daniels joined Dalby and 29 other golfers for the annual Spring Stag, a multiday tour of overseas courses. The likes of Thailand, Singapore and 

Hawaii have all been visited. 

This year, Dalby organized the outing to Queensland, Australia. 

“Four rounds of golf, a few dinners and a few kangaroos,” he quips.

“The more you play with this group, the more you become friends with people,” Daniels says. “Going on trips like the Stag like we did, it builds relationships and it makes tournaments that much more fun.”

Wherever the group heads for next year’s tour, Daniels knows how to boost his chances on the course. 

“Get there early and play a practice round,” he says with a grin. “But I don’t want to give away too much of my strategy.”

Words: Owen Ziegler

Men’s Golf Group
For information on scheduled matches and more, check the Golf page or visit the Recreation Desk.