PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE:  This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

My family had the recent good fortune to spend a week in Hawaii.

Yes, the entire family.  And it was good to be together on the island of Maui.  Mostly post-pandemic.

Here a few of my impressions after the week-long trip.

PANDEMIC – ALIVE OR NOT?  In advance of our trip – we departed on July 5 – we had to get a Covid test and prove that we were still “negative.”  The result would allow us to board the Alaska flight to Hawaii.

Of course, about three days after we left Oregon, the Covid test requirement was shelved, though given late news about rise of the Delta variant, it would not surprise me to see the Covid test requirement reinstated.

In Hawaii, there was evidence of the pandemic, mostly the requirement to wear masks inside any building, including restaurants, hotels, and golf pro shops.  Otherwise, no imposing requirements.

RENTAL CAR CRUSH/  We heard in advance about the crush of rental car reservations in Hawaii, but, in our case, it turned out that we had no difficulty.

Here’s the way the Wall Street Journal wrote about the issue this weekend:

“Stories of painfully long waits, non-existent cars, astronomical prices and other travails are common on social media.  Some frustrated customers have taken to invoking a scene from the sitcom ‘Seinfeld,’ in which comedian Jerry Seinfeld reacts to a car rental company running out of cars:   ‘You know how to take the reservation, you just don’t know how to hold the reservation.’”

This was not our experience.  The rental car line was long when we arrived in Hawaii, but our vehicle was ready and waiting.

We had heard stories about folks renting U-Haul trucks and moving vans when cars were not available.  We didn’t see that, but, then again, we were watching the beautiful Hawaii ocean, not rental cars.

GOLF ON MAUI/My son, Eric, and I managed to play four times on Maui, twice on the Gold Courseat Wailea, once on the Emerald Course there, and once on the King Kamamaha private course.

Good golf, but….

On the Gold Course, here are strange policies.  First – okay, I guess – everyone has to wear a mask in the clubhouse.  Then, to get to the driving range, you have to grab a few clubs and borrow a special golf cart to drive about 100 feet. 

Then, finally, you don’t get the key for your regular golf cart until about five minutes before you tee off. 

I could think of better ways to arrange things.

Plus, in Hawaii, grain on greens plays havoc with your golf ball.  You have to know how to reads the grain, then adust for it.

Overall, he golf was good.  And, in case anyone wonders, son Eric beat me every time.  And that is fine – it makes me proud of him.