Hello, I'm James.
I was born in Kuandian, China, which is situated to the east of Beijing and close to the North Korean border. My parents are of Korean descent.
Growing up, I attended high school in Dandong, China, and pursued my university education in Dalian, a city that is near my hometown. Following my passion for language learning, I ventured to Tokyo and Nagoya in Japan to further my studies and work opportunities. Mandarin and Korean are my first languages and Japanese and English are second languages.
It was in Nagoya, back in 1999, where I had my first experience of swinging a golf club. Instantly, I fell in love with the sport, and it quickly became one of my favorite pastimes.
Coaching Experience
In 2006, I joined the Pakuranga Proshop under PGA Coach Ray Houghton. Formal golf coaching at Pakuranga was established in 2009 and continued with NZ PGA Coach Live Gateway Coaching.
Certifications
I moved to Auckland in 2002 and studied English at Massey University for 30 weeks.
I also studied for a Certificate of Sports & Recreation for half a year at AUT. Later, I started a Diploma in Golf with NZ PGA Professional Coach Rory Moore and MIT Sports & Recreation Department. I graduated in 2006.
During my 2-year golf Diploma, I started my first golf shop job at Formosa Golf Resort.
Golfing Achievements
I am still chasing my first hole in one, but have had 2 par 4 Eagles at Whitford Park Golf Club.
My lowest handicap was around 2, and it is currently around 7.