KAILUA-KONA — For Harvey and Joan James, volunteering at the Champions Tour event at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai isn’t just a family affair — it’s a family tradition.
The retired couple from Connecticut, who spend six months of the year at their second home on Molokai, have worked as standard bearers or walking scorers at the event for the past 15 years.
Over that time, they’ve walked with some of golf’s all-time greats, accumulating innumerable fond memories as they watched masters of the game employ their craft from only a few feet away.
But it was a Big Island celebrity, not a PGA Tour Hall of Famer, who provided Harvey with his most memorable experience on the Four Season’s championship course.
“Probably the most fun I’ve had all-time here was two years ago in a pro-am when I drew former mayor Billy Kenoi,” Harvey said. “He was so funny. We’d be waiting to tee off and he’d cross under the ropes and go shake hands with people in the crowd. And I’d have to say, ‘Billy it’s time to tee off!’
“That’s probably the highlight of my time here.”
Harvey and Joan — 76 and 75-years-old, respectively — view the event as a way to make the most of their golden years. At this point, the couple is as much a staple of the tournament as the venue itself.
As much was evident as Jeff Maggert and Fred Funk, the pairing the James’s walked with Thursday at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship, both exited the scoring tent after their rounds to offer Harvey and Joan signed golf balls and a little friendly banter.
“I’ve walked with Freddie a few times,” Harvey said. “He’s absolutely hilarious.”
The James’s haven’t just befriended tour players, but have also grown close with fellow volunteers over their decade and a half coming to Hualalai.
“It’s like a little family — like a class reunion every time you come back,” Joan said. “And it’s a feel-good tournament. You don’t feel like you’re just another volunteer. They make you feel like you’re really important.”
More than good friends and great golf, the Champions Tour event is also a way for the couple to stay active and take advantage of abilities many people their age no longer possess.
“Let’s face it, there are a whole lot of people who are 76-years-old who can’t do this,” said Harvey, who will walk 18 holes on five consecutive days before the weekend is through. “They can’t even walk 18 holes.”
Joan said their time at the tournament is also a great excuse to get back to the Big Island, one of the well-traveled couple’s favorite places not only in Hawaii, but the entire world.
“When we run into people coming to Hawaii for the first time, I’ll say, ‘You’re probably going to go to Waikiki, but you can go there for one day and then you don’t need to go there again in your whole life. But you must go to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park,’” Harvey explained. “To me, it’s the highlight of the entire state because when you go there at night and see the (volcano) bubbling, where else in the U.S., where else in the world can you see that? And one day it’s going to stop.”
Both Harvey and Joan remain avid golfers, and said volunteering is a great way to stay connected and enjoy their common interest together after so many years of marriage.
“It’s pretty good (volunteering together), but it depends on who’s grumbling about what,” Harvey laughed.
“No, it’s very fine to do this together,” Joan interjected. “I’m very proud that he’s still willing and able to do the full five days.”
The couple has also had the opportunity to play Hualalai Golf Course themselves several times over the years, and have used the knowledge they’ve accumulated from watching golf’s greats up close to inform their own games — although Harvey and Joan’s rounds don’t often turn out exactly like those shot by pros.
“When I’m playing, I know where off the tee the pros are trying to land their first shots,” Harvey said. “But I’m like a quarter of that distance, so you visualize where the ball should go, but of course you can’t get it there, because you’re not a pro. But it’s a lot of fun.”
Harvey and Joan aren’t likely to get in any golf this weekend, however, as both are booked solid through Saturday’s final round.
After they finished walking Thursday’s round, the third of the week for Harvey including the two pro-ams, the couple made their way back to the volunteer tent to pick up lunch and their car, then headed north to their hotel in Waikoloa to relax and get ready for the second round.
“We probably won’t do much else for the rest of the day,” Harvey said. “No more walking.”
At least not until the second round, that is.