You Can Tattoo the Ball, but Not the Golfers on Japanese Courses

Japanese golf clubs, where memberships can cost in the neighborhood of $1 million, are becoming alarmed about the presence of gangsters or thugs on their courses, according to an article in Golf Illustrated. Golf apparently has become a status symbol for the underworld--whose members wear tattoos--as much as it has for corporate Japan.

The Council to Rid Chiba Golf Courses of Gangsters recently published a pamphlet, quoted in the article, stating its case:

“We will not allow gangsters to join our clubs, not allow them on our courses and we will not allow people with tattoos in our showers.”

Golfing tip: Ken Venturi, speaking at a testimonial dinner for Art Rosenbaum, told of giving the San Francisco Chronicle columnist a golf lesson:

“Art said he wanted to get more distance. I told him to hit it and run backward.”

Trivia time: What do Stanford, William & Mary, Mankato State and Dartmouth have in common?

Look it up: Numerous readers have disputed the trivia item about Ted Turner’s Atlanta Hawks having played in Milwaukee, claiming it’s not so. The Hawks, with Bob Pettit, Frank Selvy and Mel Hutchins, played four seasons in Milwaukee, from 1951-52 to 1954-55. They finished last in the Western Division all four times before moving to St. Louis and later to Atlanta.

Eating habits: Former NFL kicker Jim Bakken once said of 280-pound guard Bob Young, “For his salad, you just pour vinegar and oil on your lawn and let him graze.”

Remember this: Austin Coil, crew chief for drag racer John Force’s world champion funny car, recently posted a sign in the team’s Yorba Linda garage. It read: “If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.”

Leaky roof: World Series tickets for the Metrodome in Minneapolis included a rain check.

Olympic material: Isiah Thomas was only five for 28 from the field in the Detroit Pistons’ first two games, for 17.9%.

Good thinking: Arnold Palmer, after watching fellow senior pros switch to the long putter, had this to say: “I’ve survived 62 years without it. I can survive a few more.”

Final acceptance: Auto racing people are always trying to find signs of acceptance among the general populace, especially in places such as New York, where it is virtually ignored by the media.

That’s why a recent New York Times crossword puzzle brought a smile to the faces of many auto racing disciples. Right there among the clues was 36 across: “Race car driver Ernie.”

The answer: Daytona 500 winner Irvan.

Rich tastes: The average price of an NBA ticket is $22.52. The Lakers keep the price up with their $47.11 average for a game at the Forum.

Odd, isn’t it? That the Ben Hogan Corp. markets golf gloves when the Hall of Famer played without one?

Trivia answer: All were once known as the Indians.

Crystal medal: Former ski racer Jean-Claude Killy noted recently that the gold wash covering the three alloy-based medals he won in the 1968 Winter Olympics had rubbed off with time. So, as co-president of the organizing committee for the 1992 Winter Games, he supervised the first departure from traditional gold, silver and bronze awards.

In February at Albertville, France, the awards will be crystal--with gold, silver or bronze circles engraved.

Quotebook: Lawrence Taylor, after his New York Giants had lost, 30-7, to the Philadelphia Eagles Monday night: “In my 11 years (in the NFL), I can’t remember a game when all 47 players and coaches quit.”