Golf in Japan - Round #2

I'm a lucky guy.  What can I say?  Thanks to my good friend Sam, I was able to have a second round of golf in Japan in October of 2008.  I can't remember the specifics, but I do know that this particular round of golf was arranged on an early Saturday morning in the Tohoku region at Osato Golf Course.  It was about an 8-10 mile drive from Tagajo.  The course was managed (or owned) by Accordia Golf.  It was a pretty funky set up I remember, as we paid via some kind of automated teller machine that was set up inside the clubhouse.  We had a group of seven golfers, and Sam arranged a very cool little competition between our groups.  Here is a shot of our members before we headed out to the first tee.

It was a beautiful day in Miyagi, and the cool air helped alleviate the effects of a long evening from the night before.  I do remember Sam and I being very tired this particular morning.  As you can see, we had a great group assembled for this particular outing.  My good friend Yusa-san (second from left) drove me from my hotel (Tagajo Castle) to the course.  Yusa-san is a very skilled golfer who I have played with before a couple of times in the U.S.  He has quite a large number of golf clubs, and I have always joked that his second set of clubs (which he always lets me use) is better than my primary set back home!

I can't remember very much about the golf.  I do remember they had the typical very nice lunch set up after the first 9 holes (I had the Gyoza and a coke, though my appetite was not all the way there yet).  I think I played a little better on the back 9, as I was a bit more awake by then. 

After the round, we gathered in the Clubhouse and tallied up our scores.  Sam gave out prizes.  It was arranged so everyone won something.  Sam did such a nice job.

I still have one of the prizes I won that day.  It was a set of tees and ball markers.  I keep it in my golf bag as a constant reminder of that great morning of golf with my friends in Miyagi.

Just another great memory from one of my visits to Japan.  As I said at the beginning, I am a very lucky guy.  Thank you Sam, thank you Yusa-san and thank you to all the others who made it such a great day.