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Statement from a European participant
Winners of the drawing
The 5 winners for a round of golf with 3 friends at Tama Hills G.C.are:
William Miele
Kenichi Kodama
Joe Peters
Thomas F. Jordan
Akihiko Oga
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To be able to further develope this event, we made a survey among the participants. The survey was conducted between 4 and 16 October.
We would like to thank all those who participated in this survey. Your feedback, and especially
all the comments we received are very useful guidelines for planning and implementing next years event!
SURVEY RESPONSES
The survey was announced to 123 participants (we did not have email addresses to some of the guests and the organizers were excluded form the total 139).
We received 99 valid responses after removing multiple and incomplete entries.
Thus the response rate is 80.5%, which can be considered very good and gives a high statistical significance to the results.
SURVEY RESULTS
The numbers and graphs below speak for themselves. To see the comments from respondents, scroll down or click here.
1. General opinion about the event?
The Event Idea
| Arrangements
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2. The Course
Interesting/Challenging course
| Course condition
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3. Play format
Double Peoria
| Shotgun start
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4. Food & Beverage Service
Variety/volume
| Quality
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5. Main reason why I participated
| 6. Cost of participation
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7. Would you like to play next years event
again at Atsugi Kokusai C.C.
| 9. If we move the event to another course,
what is your view?
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8. Participate next time
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COMMENTS FROM RESPONDENTS
84 respondents also gave some comments. Below are almost all of them, almost unedited.
General Comments
- Guys, Thanks a lot! I participated the first time, but for sure not the last time!! Again my cudos!
- Overall, a great event & well organized. I had an excellent time & look forward to the next one.
- Once again,excellent arrangements,hardly any room for improvement.Thanks to the whole organizers team!
- Everything was excellent ! The weather was perfect ! Hope that I can also participate in the third competition next year - will practice a lot till then.
- I used to play in the Ambassador's cup in Singapore - a similar event. Like this one, it started out as a great event, but deteriorated over the years as the organizers let the event grow too large, had too few prizes to award for the lucky draw, and it drug on for hours. Hopefully, this won't happen with the Daimler-Chrysler cup. Don't let a great event go downhill.
- Excellent event. The organization of the event was superb.
- Tremendous effort by the committee and great support from all Chambers on both sides. Keep up the great work for building this new tradition.
- The only thing I can say is from a selfish point of view and that is because I live in Nagoya, a course closer to here would be nice. It may also allow commerce members from this area and also more from the Osaka area to join the event. Other than that, GREAT EVENT. I look forward to playing again next year!
- Another fantastically organized and attended event. Gongrats. to the Task Force.
- Well organized and informed. Well planned, but some initial golf bag confusion. Appreciate the drinks, food at 3 stations. A bit delay not clear. Many, many thanks to organization team - well done!
- A big thank you to the organizing team and its members for another super event. I know it takes a lot of hard work to put such a tournament together and we participants really appreciated your fine effort. One suggestion for the future. Should we consider expanding the event to include a Japanese team ??
- Very good information and set-up. Most have taken so many hours from the organizers, so a big thank you for that.
Suggestion for the Bystedt scorecard, which is brilliant. Pls add handicap and par on lower part we can tear of. Easy to calculate own points after the game when one can see handicap and par. Now you see strokes but difficult to remember holes.
- Everything was perfect, you can be proud of this event!
- Congratulations to the organizors for a wonderful event. I enjoyed the day very much. Next year I may even register my wife hoping that she can win a golf bag for me.
- Thank you for all your efforts. The task force has done an excellent work.
- The play was slow but it did not matter. We had enough fun to compensate. The prizes are wonderful. The players came from all possible levels and that is what I like.
- I think it is an extremly well organised event and great fun to participate in it. It was the second time for me and hopefully not the last. Congratulations to the organisers !
- Excellent event. Very enjoyable. Impressed at how well the play moved ahead at a excellent pace. No long delays for the next tee off. Great day.
- Thanks for a wonderful event (again!) Superb weather does help to overall mood of the day; however, nobody can deny excellent preparation and organization. You guys are good!
- It'terrific to get together with many countries' chambers peole through golfing under the beautiful sky !!!!!
- It is one of the most exciting and sensational annual events in my golf life! Please accept my sincere appreciation for the Task Force and the Title Sponsor Daimler Chrysler and organizers ACCJ/CCCJ&EBC as well as AtsugiKokusai CC. The staff and caddies of AKCC did good jobs with task force people despite of language barrier. We enjoyed a reconnaissance drive before hitting off at #6 as our caddie Mrs. Yahisa lost her way there. I look forward to another happy game in 2005!
- As per last year - this event was extremely well organized - by a group of true professionals. I have absolutely nothing to complain about and I already look forward to next years' event (at which I hopefully can play better golf).
- I met many interesting people(players) and i am certain that the made aquaintances will last. It was a fun event and would be even nicer if the competition could be held on a Saturday or Sunday, so that there is no conflict with the office. A big thank you to the organizers who did a super job.
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This event was the most exciting and fun golf tournament that I have entered whilst in Japan. Great job done by all and look forward to seeing you next year.
- Excellent arrangement. It is not an easy task to manage 140 players but it went very smooth and gave a positive longlasting impression. Double peoria is too much of a lottery so maybe club handicap which can be confirmed or the last three scores is more justified.
- Another great tournament, now firmly established as THE best of the year in Japan. Excellent organisation and tremendous goodie bags and prizes. No wonder there is such a large, interesting turnout.
- Generally a very good tournament, and lots of fun. So much work was done and I have to thank everyone. Also the website was very impressive.
- In addition to excellent planning by DCC, excellent weather and course conditions, I was very pleasantly surprised by the superior service and hospitality by all staff and management at AKCC. (I wish the drive was a little closer)
- A great event and well organised by all parties. Would adress the format explanation and also introduce more novelty events for all to partipate into whilst playing as many stadards of golf exist. Overall a great day and credit to all organisers.
Comments about the course
- The course and location along with the bus transportation were great, but it might be more interesting to try a new course next year as a change of pace, although I can appreciate this may be difficult to arrange.
- Atsugi is too short, and unfit for any competition. This competition draws plenty of serious golfers and I think we need a better venue.
- Don't mind Atsugi to play but new course always welcome. Ibaraki has many courses that would not take nearly as long to return from in the evening as the Joban is not nearly as crowded. It takes 1.5-2 hrs to get back from Atsugi. MIHO is a GREAT TRACK, 2 Major championships played there in past 6 years, would be cheaper I bet, Top quality condition, and about 1 1/4 hrs to get there.
- Too many yellow/black sticks on the Atsugi course
- I would like to play on West course(longer distance and wider course) at Atsugi Kokusai next time.
- In my opinion, our caddie was friendly however, she didn't give much information about the course while playing which I was expecting more. It would have been better, if more information was given.
- The course was in excellent shape (challenging enough for most players), the sportsmanship was fierce but friendly, and the sponsors' gifts all too generous.
- Atsugi Kokusai is an excelent course. However I believe we could find a course across Aqua Line in Chiba for same cost and less travel time.
- Lack of proper driving range is a problem. Many participants did probably not get a chance to warm up.
- I'm not over enamoured with the course, although the facilities are good.
Comments about play format and system
- Pace of play seemed better than last year, but I think the round took just as long. A quick pace of play is very important to me.
- The only thing (BAD) is this play format which allows a player like me to qualify 11th with the gross score of 92!Pure luck! Stableford format next year please with some (a lot?) consi- deration on eliminating possible "crocodiles". Professionals should not qualify for any valuable prizes.
- 6 hrs to play is a long time. Perhaps unavoidable due to the #s without cutting back total #s. How about starting by 8 a.m.??? It is close enough I think it is possible.
- Please let everybody play on their present handicap. 4 strokes lower than hcp or more is discqulified for any prices, but will be counted in the competition. The present system is a bad type of lottery. I played my best round for over a year and was punished by putting my pars on the wrong holes!
- The OKs on the greens did not speed up the game unfortunately. Maybe you could use a marshal driving around and encourage people to speed up. I dislike the "Shin Peria" and perhaps "professional players should have a plus hcp to make it a little bit more fair to the average business golfer.
- I would prefer a non-caddie competition, as they did not add too much value - especially if we can decrease the cost by 3-5,000 yen per participant. Self drive/ride carts preferred.
- My only suggestion is to look for ways to reward more low gross players. With Double Peoria format, I feel "shafted"! Consider this: I am a 16 handicap and shot 79 (63 net!) on Friday. However, I received only a 2.4 handicap equals 76.4. Nevertheless, I won other prizes and left the event very pleased. Had I NOT won closest to the pin, though, I may have felt underrecognized for my play.
- With the big variety in the standard of players (with -6 to >+50 in scores) it might be an idea to divide the players into handicap groups (e.g. Group A 0-18hcp and Group B 19-36) and give results and prices per group in the individual competitions. Team Competition rules would remain unchanged.
- The number of flights is too many for an efficient shotgun as the course becomes too crowded right from the off. Perhaps split over both courses there, putting the better players off the main course?
Comments about food and drinks
- Food for the dinner was definitely better than the year before. I would love to see some decent quality sandwiches at the snack shops, NOT the typical Japanese soft-white-bread-no crust type, with mushy insides & cucumber pieces.
- A little short on Water and only carbonated drinks were Coke, no other varieties, even Coke could provide a larger variety I believe. Food was average but not expecting much given the type of the event.
- The food was like last year great at the drinking holes and surprisingly bad in the clubhouse. And I mean "bad".
- If we had some different food at each locations it would have been more better.
- I think that there needed to be much more water or wports drinks available. Alcohol and caffeine drink actually help to dehyrate a person in that heat therefore we needed more replenishing types of drinks.
Comments about prizes and prize ceremony
- To move things along at the end, probably better to NOT allow people choices of prizes. Just have each marked 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc then names can be read of much faster. Just shouldn't take 1 hour after play to get the awards started. 30 mins should be sufficient to get people upstairs.
- Pro-level golfers (like those from Tama Hills) should either be excluded from the prizes or have a separate category. More lucky draw prizes would be nice - seemed quite skimpy this year. Also, a prize of driving a car for a week is not a prize - I heard more people degrading it than I did praising it. It creates myriad problems for the winner - parking, etc., etc.
- Jackets, etc. given out at the end - absolutely terrible organization of this. It was a zoo. A table could have been set up to hand out the appropriate items since supposedly - and this is definitely supposedly - the items were supposed to be different for the American & European teams.
- The distribution of prizes was not appropriate again this year. As many participants as possible should have received one. Top 10 guys got two (caddie bag and a putter) and majority did no prizes. There were some semi-profis in the game. The participants should be all amateurs who love golf.
- Too bad Atsugi is unconvenient to get there with traffic in the morning - the gathering after, in the clubhouse, is nice but the drawing and speeched are a bit long; people would maybe like to talk to each other on this special occasion.
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Need more careful consideration for distributing prizes. Committee members apparently paid enough attention as to "how to play" but they have not paid enough attention as to "how to appraise".
- I think this year's participation by professional golfers/semi pro's (top 3 net score golfers) takes away the challenge and enthusiasm of many of the "weekend warriors" (the rest of us..) these guys - although they helped the US team take this year's trophy! - must have rooms full of new bags and clubs from winning competitions like the DC Cup. Not trying to discourage participation but should come up with a more equitable format if anyone with less than a 10 handicap participates..
- Sound system(microphones)should be upgraded; difficult to hear results and announcements clearly.
- Professionals should not be eligible for any of the "skills" prizes, such as Best Gross, Best Net, Near Pin and Longest Drive. This is against the principles of amateur golf.
- Good to recognize the sponsors, but too many short speeches that were unnecessary. Good idea to keep it to a maximum of 3 people speaking. Might be fun to get a video crew in to film the next tournament. They could edit it up and the tape / dvd could be available for purchase by participants for 2,000 Yen or so.
- I am against mixing them with amateurs in the same competition. I have nothing against them playing, but think their scores should not count for the team competition and that they should play for a different prize.
- I like the idea of having most prizes given in a drawing format as there is such a wide range of golfing abilities. I think if pro are going to play they need to have an seperate scoring system, or be given strokes.
- The Party and presentations after the Golf was a bit difficult to follow. Unclear why/who got prices.
Comments on another course
Atsugi,but different course
every year new coarse
I think we should playl at a longer course.
Isogo
Miho Golf Club. Much better course. I woul d offer to help arrange
Narita CC / Miho CC / Caledonian
Not so hilly with up and down
Somewhere else would be nice for a change.
Somewhere in Chiba
Tama Hills CC
US style course, self drive carts, no caddies
Windsor Park
Windsor Park, Ishioka, Musashigaoka, Hodogaya, Miho
www.brickandwood.jp
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© 2003-2004 ACCJ & EBC & DaimlerChrysler Japan & FCCJ. All rights Reserved
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