Emily Haas Continues NCAA All-Star Tour in Asia
July 01, 2013 | Women's Golf
July 1, 2013
Louisville, Ky. - Louisville's Emily Haas was one of 10 players selected to play for the NCAA All-Stars this summer. Haas and the nine other players continue their 24-day tour of Asia this week.
On Tuesday they arrived in Kamakura, a city with a beachside view. They got to sleep in and do some sightseeing. They walked a mile and a half to the Great Buddha (Kamakura Daibutsu). They also browsed around the town, picking up some souvenirs as well as getting some ice cream.
They then visited the Hasadera Temple, one of the holy places in the Kanto area. They also walked up a path to find a view of the beach and were surrounded by the 28 varieties of hydrangeas they have. Upon their return to Camp Zama, some of the girls worked out and played basketball and then we went to go find dinner.
On Wednesday they took a two hour bus ride from Camp Zama to Nakayama Country Club. They had female caddies who wore uniforms and pushed motorized carts that fit all four bags in our group. It started raining before they teed off and didn't stop until we were on the bus ride home. They played 'Japanese style' golf--where you play nine holes and go inside the clubhouse for lunch and then go back out to play another nine. The course was in excellent condition and many holes had two greens. They didn't have rain gear and were thoroughly drenched by the end of the round. After we finished playing golf, we changed into our nice clothes for the banquet.
On Thursday they left Camp Zama to drive six hours into the mountains to Nagano, site of the 1998 Winter Olympics. When they arrived at Sugadaira Green Golf we were introduced to Mr. Sakamoto, the President of Sugadaira. After they settled into their rooms, the team has some free time.
Last year's NCAA All-Star team also visited Sugadaira as well, so some of us recognized our teammates on the posters put up in the clubhouse. They even had a big "Welcome NCAA All Star Golf Team" sign in the entrance to the clubhouse surrounded by the Japanese and American flags. That night we had a welcome dinner with our hosts at Sugadaira.
Sugadaira Green is the golf course at the highest altitude in Japan which provided cool temperatures and a beautiful view of the mountains. They played their own ball with Japanese playing partners. Most of them didn't speak much English so it was a bit difficult to communicate at times but we used a lot of body language and got along well with everyone. We played Japanese style golf, stopping at the turn for lunch with our group and then got tea and cake after the round.
That evening they had a buffet banquet with a mix of American and Japanese food. All the guests were invited to speak and many welcomed us and congratulated our good play earlier today.
They team traveled on Sunday and would arrive in Seoul, Korea on Monday.
