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Brief asides


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POSTED: Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Golf's new powerhouses?

Se Ri Pak's victory in the LPGA Championship and the U.S. Women's Open in 1998 spawned a generation of South Korean golfers who now dominate women's golf in America. Will Y.E. Yang's stunning defeat of Tiger Woods in the PGA tournament this past weekend have a similar effect on men? If so, golf in Hawaii could get a boost from South Korean golfers wanting to see Yang, left, at Kapalua in January, as he now qualifies for the former Mercedes-Benz Open, under the new sponsorship of Seoul Broadcasting System. Golf costs several hundred dollars a round in Korea, so 200,000 Koreans play “;virtual golf”; indoors—and are prime visitors to Hawaii's golf venues.

Manoa madness of a different kind

The big Manoa Move-In is under way—so valley commuters, take note. All this week, University of Hawaii-Manoa students will be moving into dorms and apartments so there will be a fair amount of stop-and-go around campus. Parts of Dole Street, in particular, will see high activity and today, will be coned off from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

All this, of course, is a dry run for the back-to-school blitz starting Monday, when the college semester starts.

Lessons can be learned from festival fiasco

Some fans of the music group Black Eyed Peas were disappointed after getting stuck in a huge traffic jam Saturday night before the band was set to play at BayFest at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe.

While frustration is understandable, it's really out of the hands of promoters and the Marine base. Access to the base is extremely limited, and parking is generally at a premium.

Anyone who has attended large music festivals knows that it's imperative to get to the venue as early as possible in the day. This assures closer parking, and a much more hassle-free experience.

Hopefully the lesson learned here is that when a hugely popular act is set to hit the stage, hit the road as early as possible.