SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Golf Made Simple is proud to welcome a new golf instructor to their school at the Barona Creek Golf Club at the Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino in San Diego. Wataru Tomita, or ‘Wat’ as he is affectionately known, brings a special new skill to the Golf Made Simple team. Along with his impressive international athletic resume, Tomita is a fluent Japanese speaker, helping to break down the language barriers with some of the school’s Japanese golfers. Wataru has been training with the highly acclaimed PGA Professional and Golf Made Simple founder, Marc Solomon, at the school’s Florida locations since December.
The Japanese culture values traditional simplicity, clean design, and pure aesthetics in everything from their architecture to fashion, to the beautiful presentation of their food. This is a real juxtaposition with the modern country’s sophisticated use of technology in everyday life, and über-futuristic values. How do these cultural intricacies fit in with golf? "Golf is huge in Japan. However, with the high cost of green fees and the limited amount of golf courses, Japanese golfers have been traveling to California to play. It’s actually less expensive for them to fly to the U.S. to play golf, than to play at their own local course. " says Solomon. "The Japanese culture is a very hard-working population who really need, and deserve, to play golf to unwind. They appreciate sophisticated technology, but the golf schools over there that focus on using lasers and computer imaging are failing. There is a basic need for simple golf utilizing fluid natural movements. Think of Golf Made Simple as more of a Tai Chi form of instruction – the focus is on finding your core center and moving your body together as a whole," explains Solomon.
"I’ve already worked with some great Japanese golfers and even though they all spoke excellent English, I was able to bridge the gap when sometimes American expressions don’t translate perfectly," said Tomita. "I hope the word spreads about Golf Made Simple in Japan and I can help golfers from overseas play better golf even if they don’t speak fluent English."
"My experience at a Golf Made Simple dramatically changed my philosophy on golf and, of course, effectively improved my golf skills," says Takehiro Shimada, a Japanese Golf Made Simple student. "Wataru gave me very comprehensive advice. Fluent in both English and Japanese, Wataru can effectively translate the difficult nuances of golf movement from one language to the other. Wataru will definitely make your golf simple!"
Golf Made Simple has a long-held tradition of enrolling international golfers from every continent (except for Antarctica), and is now looking to the Far East for both inspiration and a new group of golfers who are coming to California. "We’re always excited to get visitors from overseas," said Phil Swinford, PGA Professional and Hotel Sales Manager for Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino. "With Golf Made Simple instruction being offered in Japanese, we hope to meet many new Japanese golfers in the coming months."
"I’m ecstatic to welcome ‘Wat’ to the Golf Made Simple team!" exclaims Solomon. "We chose him over 350 talented golf professionals because Wataru has IT. He has the characteristics that set him apart from your everyday run-of-the-mill Golf Instructor. Being an athlete, he understands that Golf can't be taught by teaching golfers they need to get the golf club in a hundred positions to hit the ball correctly. He understands that he can't teach his personal golf swing to you - that he needs you to learn your golf swing. Wataru understands that he needs to listen to your concerns and goals before he can help you to make a PLAN."
Rates for Golf Made Simple’s Barona location start at $1,257 for a three day class and include accommodations at Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino.
###
About Wataru Tomita
Wataru Tomita was born in Tokyo, Japan and immigrated to California in 1977 with his parents Aki and Kakuko (who are both renowned Fine Artists) and older brother, Shiro. Tomita was raised and schooled in Arcadia, California where he was very involved in athletics. At Arcadia High School, Tomita was a 3 year varsity letterman in baseball and also received M.V.P. Awards in football and soccer.
Before choosing golf as a career, Tomita played Professional Baseball across the United States, Europe and Japan. After realizing that his dream of making it to the Big Leagues had come to an end, he decided to help other young athletes achieve their dreams. Tomita positioned himself as a High School Teacher and a Varsity Baseball Coach and soon developed a passion for teaching and coaching. He took this new passion and decided to apply it to golf. Tomita went on to attend the San Diego Golf Academy for 16-months with the intention of becoming one of the top Golf Instructors in the World.
About Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino
Ranked as one of the top courses in California by Golfweek Magazine, Barona Creek Golf Club blends beautifully with the natural landscape of San Diego’s rolling foothills, while offering a challenging golf experience for players of all levels. Located in the city famed for having the best climate in the United States, Barona’s greatness doesn’t end at its golf course. Owned and operated by the Barona Band of Mission Indians, this multi-faceted resort is equipped with everything a Golf Made Simple guest could need for lodging and entertainment. An elegant resort hotel, award winning restaurants, a relaxing spa, and even a 310,000 square-foot casino, are all situated on the property of this ranch-themed resort. For more information please visit www.barona.com.
About Golf Made Simple
The philosophy of Golf Made Simple is what you would expect- simple. Prior to Golf Made Simple, most golfers have 13 different swings for the 13 woods and irons in their bag, which is complicated to keep consistent. When each golfer returns home from Golf Made Simple to practice the skills they learned on the course, they have one swing for those same 13 clubs. "92% of golfers who come to Golf Made Simple looking to break 90 for the first time have been successful in reaching their goal!" The nationally recognized PGA Professional Marc Solomon and his staff, lead four person classes for a customized experience. Golfers can take 3, 5 and 7-day classes in St. Augustine, FL, Amelia Island, FL and San Diego, CA. Their Instructor For Life program guarantees that each golfer can always contact their instructor for free customized advice, tips, drills and exercises - for life. It’s Golf Made Simple. For more information, or to read Golf Improvement Weekly (the world’s most read golf improvement newsletter), please visit www.GolfMadeSimple.com.
