I recently read the latest issue of FORE magazine which is a
golf magazine written in Southern California.
This month’s issue was the annual women’s issue. Much of the material in this issue paralleled
our recent debate and discussion in class.
One particular article that caught my attention was one written about a
junior golfer, Sachi Hamada. Sachi, a
junior at Sunny Hills High school, is a member of the varsity boy’s golf
team. Her participation with the team
has come with ups and downs on a daily basis.
First, she had to gain the respect of her teammates, and then, the
respect of her opponents. Although Sachi
is one of the top players in the league, she is not seen as a threat to the
opposition because she doesn’t play like the boys do. She relies heavily on her chipping and
putting to make up for the lack of distance on her tee shots. An old saying in golf is, “It’s not how, it’s
how many.” We discussed in class how we
as a culture value displays of power, aggression, and overall physical prowess. Due to the fact that Sachi plays with more
finesse and intelligence she is seen as an inferior player. It seems unrealistic that we will be able to
appreciate women’s college and professional sports if we can’t even appreciate
a woman excelling against men. Having
met Sachi on multiple occasions, personally, I find it encouraging to know that
she is playing with a positive attitude and truly represents what we all
believe sports represents for youth and society.
Robbie Matz
KIN 577
Aaron Woodard KIN 577
ReplyDeleteRobbie this is a great article! Golf is a game that has the ability to influence and implement many life skills that are necessary for both society and the game of golf. In Kin 577 we focused on the parallels between society and sport and I believe Sachi Hamada is building skills like integrity, confidence and perseverance that are going to translate extremely well into society for her.
The recent readings about masculinity and sport surely do emphasize our appeal to strength and aggression when participating in and watching sports. When placing this research under the telescope of golf it’s easy to see the correlation between the games increased popularity and the increased athletic ability of golfers. The physique of golfers has transformed and they are currently hitting the ball further than ever. Robbie’s post and FORE magazines article helped me realize just how many parts of the game of golf translate into society. In particular junior golf has the potential to play a huge role in defining the characteristics and behaviors you gain from your experiences in sport because of the influential age of the participants. Best of luck Sachi!
Aaron Woodard KIN 577