San Mateo boys’ golf coach Jimmy Ikeda pulled up the 18th hole of the Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links with two other Peninsula Athletic League coaches: Burlingame’s Jon Ramirez and Woodside’s Chris Dawkins.
For Ikeda, it was the final hour of his final PAL individual championship as the longtime coach and teacher is retiring at the end of the year. And as much as Ikeda doesn’t want the attention on himself, he’s going to get it anyway because of the impact he’s had on the sport.
But as the younger Dawkins and Ramirez tried to carry the chasm that fronted the 18th green, Ikeda put his tee shot in the middle of the fairway.
Which is about par for the course. He exemplified what he has taught his golfers over the years — put yourself in the best position for your next shot.
“I’ve played the game for close to 50 years,” Ikeda said last week. “I study the game. It’s about course management, ethics, teaching the rules.”
But Ikeda has not been a resource for just his student-athletes, as the dean of PAL golf, Ikeda has had an impact in all facets of the game at the high school level.
“When Jimmy came on (as coach and PAL director of golf) he brought a seriousness to the game,” said Erik Anderson, Mills’ head coach and current PAL director of golf. “He is our rules aficionado.”
Carlmont head coach Johnny Hsu has been the Scots coach since 2014 after graduating from the school in 2010. He said Ikeda has been a mentor to him and was one of the people who encouraged him to make a change in his professional life that saw him pivot into being a full-time golf instructor.
“He’s been a presence in this league (for years),”Hsu said. “A very guiding hand and he was a big push in my career, telling me to go for it.”
Between Southern California and the Peninsula, Ikeda has been at it for 38 years and in addition to coaching golf, was a baseball and volleyball coach for the Bearcats, as well. And in his time as a golf coach, he has seen the game change.
“I just really think it’s gotten so competitive. You have a lot of younger golfers (coming into high school) who are a lot more skilled. They come in with experience. A lot are playing tournament golf,” Ikeda said. “If you want to be competitive, it’s not just something you just pick up.”
Recommended for you
And you can see that improvement on the course. Eighty players started the two-day, PAL championship, with the top 28 making the cut for Tuesday’s second round. I stationed myself on the 18th tee and even the players in the first group, golfers Nos. 25-28, all found the fairway with good shots.
And it continued over the next six groups, most of whom found the fairway. Granted, that’s only half the battle, but as Ramirez and Dawkins found out, being a bit short, but in the middle of the fairway, is a better place to be than hitting a provisional ball.
Ikeda is a fan of the high school game because it is a different environment than tournament golf. The biggest difference is the team aspect of things and you could really see the camaraderie among teammates as they gathered around the 18th green to watch the final groups finish their rounds and the post-round award.
High-fives, handshakes and daps all around — not only among teammates, but among rivals. Menlo-Atherton’s Graham Martin was the recipient of a lot of handshakes as he captured the PAL title after a round of 5-under 67 to give him a two-day total 76-67-143. He finished the second with birdies on the final four holes.
“High school (golf) is nice. They get to play with their friends and play with a team. That’s where they learn to enjoy the game,” Ikeda said. “My attitude has changed. When I was younger, I was much more competitive. Now, I just want the kids to enjoy the game and have fun.”
While Ikeda may have gone through his final PAL event, his high school coaching career is not quite done. San Mateo’s Elliott Dun, who finished fifth at the PAL championship, qualified for the CCS qualifying tournament next week, so Ikeda will be making the drive to Monterey at least one last time as a coach.
And Ikeda’s contributions to the high school have not gone unnoticed. A couple weeks ago, the National Federation of State High School Associations, the national governing body for high school athletics, chose Ikeda as the CCS golf coach of the year.
“I’m honored. Very honored. Out of all the coaches from CCS, I was selected,” Ikeda said. “I’ve had a great teaching and coaching career. … Great experiences.”
And by the way, Ikeda parred that 18th hole.
Nathan Mollat has been covering high school sports in San Mateo County for the San Mateo Daily Journal since 2001. He can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.