Mike Ishizaka’s Future Golf Diary Vol. 7: Tips on Enjoying Life in San Diego

In November 2017, GDO CEO Mike Ishizaka moved with his family to San Diego, California. He was no stranger to the US, having lived there from age 6 to 13. That said, for the head of a public company – and a husband and father of three besides – picking up stakes and moving was no small deal. What finally motivated him to do it, he says, was not just the prospect of entering the huge US market, but also a desire to assimilate into the American lifestyle and make it an essential part of his work. In this volume of Future Diary, we travel to San Diego for a look at Ishizaka’s daily life and what he sees on the ground there.

After meeting up with Ishizaka, the first place we head is the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, located a stone’s throw from his house. Immediately past the parking lot is the green expanse of the driving range, where several golfers are out hitting balls.

“So first of all, and this is pretty typical, when the sun starts to go down all the white golfers gather in the clubhouse to eat and drink, and the ones left on the driving range are mostly Asians and juniors. You can feel the contrast between the white golfers who are just enjoying life, and the Asian golfers who are out there with their heads down still practicing.”

——Why do you think that is? Could it be that white golfers have enough free time to practice during the day?

“No, that’s not it. If anything, it’s that white golfers really put an emphasis on enjoying themselves. You see it in academics, too – at our kids’ school, most of the 8th graders (middle school graduates) who get awards for high grades are Asians. Asian parents expect discipline and effort, whereas the average white family respects their kids’ values to a certain extent and doesn’t try to force them or impose that mindset on them. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but that’s the impression I’ve gotten during my time here.

“This is a popular course right now, and it’s hard even for members to get tee times. But when online bookings open up two weeks in advance at 6 a.m., it’s Asians who get the vast majority of the best tee times. On the other hand, you don’t see them very much at things like dinner parties and couples tournaments. I figure it’s got to be a cultural thing. You could say it’s just the culture of golf, which I guess is really about having fun to begin with.”

At the driving range, Ishizaka exchanges pleasantries with a pro instructor he knows. Then we leave the course behind and head west. A 15-minute drive brings us to the Pacific. Along the way, vast grassy fields appear to our right.

“That’s a soccer facility owned by Nike. It has about 30 grass pitches, and on the weekends tons of people come to play. (*A 2017 poll ranked soccer as the 4th most popular sport in the US, after American football, basketball, and baseball.) Further on there’s the famous Del Mar Horse Track, where they have not only races but equestrian competitions and shows. And opposite that is a driving range with a mini-golf center attached. Torrey Pines is about 10 minutes away from here, too.”

——The sea is close by, the weather is nice year round, there are lots of sports facilities. This place has so much to offer...

“When you look at it that way, with all San Diego has to offer, it’s no wonder all these golf makers (TaylorMade, Callaway, Titleist, Cobra, etc.) have their headquarters here. Torrey Pines has had the Junior World Championships for decades, and considering the sheer variety of ranges and how integral they are to the community, how easy it is to access golf here, there’s no question the game has broad and deep roots in the region.”

Ishizaka drives as we chat, and soon we arrive at the Del Mar Golf Center. It features a driving range fully equipped with Toptracer Range at every tee, approach shot and putting areas, and a mini-golf center next door that feels almost like an amusement park.

——This is a pretty tough mini-golf course. I can imagine the average Japanese golfer saying, “This is too hard.”

“Japanese mini-golf courses and places like them are more geared toward kids. It’s like, the way they’re set up isn’t fun at all for adults and serious golfers. I don’t know if they’re being overprotective or what, but I feel like the constraints they operate under are just excessive. Like they’re not allowed to be even a little bit challenging or dangerous. It’s a real shame.”

——Assuming those constraints aren’t going to change in Japan, is it better to stick with what’s already socially and culturally acceptable?

“No, I don’t think so. We can push the boundaries more. If the conventional way of doing things is stiff and boring, then we need to be unconventional, that’s all.

——Interesting. Having our CEO go to America by himself and be unconventional does make it easier for the rest of us to be unconventional, too. <laughs>

“Well, yeah, I guess, maybe... <laughs sarcastically> Moving to the US might have felt a little unrealistic to people. Kind of too much, too fast... To be honest, I think it’s about time we injected a little more “uncommon sense” into our tee time bookings and online shop. I mean, when we first started, just the fact of doing business on the Internet was a novelty in itself.”

To be continued...