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Posted on: Thursday, July 19, 2001
Around the greens By Bill Kwon
After a 10-year career in the majors, with two All-Star Game appearances, Sullivan moved to Kaua'i in 1964, sight unseen. "I always wanted to live on an island," Sullivan said. Weather was a consideration, so he immediately ruled out Iceland, he said. So visualize a 6-foot-7 haole beach boy at Kalapaki Bay, operating the beach concession at the Kaua'i Surf Hotel. He got into golf when an assistant's job opened up at the resort's pro shop. "I just needed a job," said Sullivan, who married Marilyn Baumbach two years later at the Lihu'e Union Church. He eventually took over as the head professional in 1976 when Bill Schwallie went to the O'ahu Country Club. If Sullivan left baseball, he never got away from his former Boston battery mate, Sammy White. In a harmonic convergence that even boggled both of them, the roommates for eight years with the Red Sox and one year with the Philadelphia Phillies, wound up as golf pros on the Garden Island with White, who died several years ago, working at Princeville. One of Sullivan's more memorable moments in baseball came on a muggy day at Chicago's Comiskey Park in the summer of 1957. There were more flies than fly balls because of the nearby stockyards. Sullivan was on the mound and the White Sox had the bases loaded — Nellie Fox at third, Jim Rivera at second and Jim Landis on first with Minnie Minoso at bat. "Sam called time out and it was OK with me. I figured he would have some situational advice," Sullivan said. But he made it a point of keeping a reasonable distance away from his catcher, who chewed tobacco. When White spat, most of the gunk clung to his face mask. What got through landed on the nearest uniform, which was mostly his. Anyway, White looked at all three runners, each time after looking at Sullivan, who was getting edgy waiting for White to say something. "Finally, he took his dripping mask off, looked back at home plate where Minoso waited, then back at me again, and said his only words before leaving the mound, 'Boy, you're in a lot of trouble!' " Fortunately, the times have been less troublesome for Sullivan ever since, although he once had to scrape through a 13-hit shutout in outdueling Detroit's Jim Bunning. When they next faced each other, Bunning threw a no-hitter and this time Sullivan lost a 1-0 game, despite pitching a three-hitter. A starter in baseball, Sullivan could be called, using a baseball term, a "closer" in golf. When developer Chris Hemmeter plowed under Kaua'i Surf's original 18-hole layout to build two new courses, Sullivan helped in finishing that project with designer Jack Nicklaus. In 1992, Sullivan became involved with Grove Farm Co. in its development of a new golf course designed by Robin Nelson. Unfortunately, Hurricane Iniki tore through the Garden Island, setting the project back. The golf course — since renamed Puakea — finally opened on Nov. 12, 1997, with only 10 of the original 18 holes in play. Now, Sullivan is on retainer as a consultant in Grove Farm's plans to build the remaining holes, making Puakea an 18-hole golf course as originally planned. It is expected to be completed by the end of next year without any interruption in play as the 10 holes will remain open. According to David Pratt, Grove Farm president and CEO, completing the golf course is one of the main priorities now that the company is financially sound after its purchase by Steve Case, the Hawai'i-born AOL founder. "He's like a white knight coming over the ridge for Grove Farm and all of Kaua'i," Sullivan said of Case, a Punahou School graduate whose grandfather was vice president and treasurer for Grove Farm Plantation, now site of the golf course and the Kukui Grove Shopping Center. It is significant that Puakea's signature hole — the par-3 eighth which will be the future No. 6 when the course is completed — reflects its sugar plantation past. From an elevated tee, golfers will hit to the green over the old plantation pond called "Haiku Four," which was used to irrigate the cane fields. There is a stream in back of the green, which also has bunkers on the front right and back left. "It's (now) about a six-minute ride from the seventh green to the eighth tee," said Puakea head pro Kellie Pleas. "And when you finally see the hole, you just get blown away." Every hole is a signature hole at Puakea, as far as Sullivan is concerned. "There's not a bad hole out there," he said. Knowing the history of Grove Farm and being involved with the golf course since its inception, Sullivan can add a some equally memorable golf moments as well. "I am the only human on the planet who has worked for five vital companies on a small island within a mile from my house over a 36-year period," Sullivan said. Bill Kwon can be reached at bkwon@aloha.net. • • •
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