Bravo
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This story is second hand. It did not happen to me personally but was shared with me by one of my best friends (of over 40 years).
My friend Mike has worked for a large Iron and Steel company for 25 years. One of his jobs was Director of Technology. While we do not usually think of a heavy industry of having technology in the high tech sense - they do indeed innovate and patent manufacturing processes that can be used worldwide.
In Mike's job - he meets once per year - with engineers from Japan who work for huge firms there in the same business. He has one American engineer with him and there are two Japanese engineers. They always meet on the Monterey Peninsula and play.......His mission is to get the Japanese to license American manufacturing technology to them.
Enough of the boring background.
So the first year, they meet on a Friday night and have dinner/drinks. Everything is great. Big dinner, lots of fun and heavy, heavy drinking. Sake after wine and vodka. uuuuugggg...
Tee off the next morning on Pebble. No morning fog. Beautiful day.
Mike's associate is a 27 handicap.
They play the first couple of holes and everything is routine. Then they play a Par 4 in which his business associate gets in trouble.
Tee shot OB. Then, ball in woods then in bunker - couple of strokes in the bunker before reaching the green. Then 2 putts and facing a 10 footer with a group right behind.
He putts out for an eight on the hole.
So they get to the cart and one of the Japanese players asks for the scores.
Associate sez, "Gimme an 7". He said this because - due to Equitable Stroke Control - the maximum score he could take on a hole was a Triple Bogey. This is was the Rule of Golf (established by R&A/USGA) at that time. It is what he used in his regular golf group also since he posted scores regularly...
Suddenly the Japanese become almost silent.
Everyone tees off on the next hole and it is like the air temperature has dropped to about 35 degrees.
The Big Cold Shoulder from the Japanese. Speak only in their language and the Americans are frozen out of communications.
This continues for 2 more holes - then Mike thinks - in the interest of selling millions in technology to this company - he must somehow determine what is wrong.
"Hey Yamaguchi - what is wrong here? We had fun last night and everything was great the first few holes. What happened??"
Yamaguchi: "YOU have DISGRACED your company and your COUNTRY!!! Paraphased: YOU ARE AMERICAN SCUM!!!!!"
Mike: "What do you mean??"
Yamaguchi: "On hole #4, your associate took eight strokes and he told me to record a score of SEVEN!!!" This is DISHONOR!!!!
Mike then proceeds to explain the concept of Equitable Stroke Control.
The Japanese are doubtful. Arms crossed across chests.
He then explains that these are the Rules of Golf as established by the USGA and The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews Scotland.
The Japaneses listen thoughtfully and have a side caucus among themselves -speaking animatedly with much loud language and gesturing.
Kind of like Tora Tora Tora when they were mowing down Pearl Harbor.
Then suddenly, they throw their heads back - have a huge laugh and come over to take a big bow.
Shaking hands and bowing repeatedly.
Everything was great at that point and the big technology licensing deal got done about three days later.....
My friend Mike has worked for a large Iron and Steel company for 25 years. One of his jobs was Director of Technology. While we do not usually think of a heavy industry of having technology in the high tech sense - they do indeed innovate and patent manufacturing processes that can be used worldwide.
In Mike's job - he meets once per year - with engineers from Japan who work for huge firms there in the same business. He has one American engineer with him and there are two Japanese engineers. They always meet on the Monterey Peninsula and play.......His mission is to get the Japanese to license American manufacturing technology to them.
Enough of the boring background.
So the first year, they meet on a Friday night and have dinner/drinks. Everything is great. Big dinner, lots of fun and heavy, heavy drinking. Sake after wine and vodka. uuuuugggg...
Tee off the next morning on Pebble. No morning fog. Beautiful day.
Mike's associate is a 27 handicap.
They play the first couple of holes and everything is routine. Then they play a Par 4 in which his business associate gets in trouble.
Tee shot OB. Then, ball in woods then in bunker - couple of strokes in the bunker before reaching the green. Then 2 putts and facing a 10 footer with a group right behind.
He putts out for an eight on the hole.
So they get to the cart and one of the Japanese players asks for the scores.
Associate sez, "Gimme an 7". He said this because - due to Equitable Stroke Control - the maximum score he could take on a hole was a Triple Bogey. This is was the Rule of Golf (established by R&A/USGA) at that time. It is what he used in his regular golf group also since he posted scores regularly...
Suddenly the Japanese become almost silent.
Everyone tees off on the next hole and it is like the air temperature has dropped to about 35 degrees.
The Big Cold Shoulder from the Japanese. Speak only in their language and the Americans are frozen out of communications.
This continues for 2 more holes - then Mike thinks - in the interest of selling millions in technology to this company - he must somehow determine what is wrong.
"Hey Yamaguchi - what is wrong here? We had fun last night and everything was great the first few holes. What happened??"
Yamaguchi: "YOU have DISGRACED your company and your COUNTRY!!! Paraphased: YOU ARE AMERICAN SCUM!!!!!"
Mike: "What do you mean??"
Yamaguchi: "On hole #4, your associate took eight strokes and he told me to record a score of SEVEN!!!" This is DISHONOR!!!!
Mike then proceeds to explain the concept of Equitable Stroke Control.
The Japanese are doubtful. Arms crossed across chests.
He then explains that these are the Rules of Golf as established by the USGA and The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews Scotland.
The Japaneses listen thoughtfully and have a side caucus among themselves -speaking animatedly with much loud language and gesturing.
Kind of like Tora Tora Tora when they were mowing down Pearl Harbor.
Then suddenly, they throw their heads back - have a huge laugh and come over to take a big bow.
Shaking hands and bowing repeatedly.
Everything was great at that point and the big technology licensing deal got done about three days later.....
