Hear the tale of Japanese colonial officials discovering golf as the "new cool thing for elites" -- and ordering a course built in just a few hours. Plus, the story of Lu Liang-huan (呂良煥), a man from a poor family who worked his way up from being a caddy to an impressive 2nd place win at the 1971 British Open.
NOTE: We are re-releasing this episode in celebration of the 62nd anniversary of the Kaohsiung Golf and Country Club 高雄高爾夫俱樂部, a public course and oasis of nature, trees, and birds in the middle of the city (and, of course, an international-standard golf course). This episode first came out in July 2022. The Kaohsiung Golf and Country Club is managed by the sponsors of the Formosa Files podcast, the Frank C. Chen Foundation.
Cover image: The front page image from the Kaohsiung Golf and Country Club website. KGCC celebrated their 62nd anniversary in October 2023.
Below: "Mr. Lu" - Lu Liang-huan (呂良煥) via UDN.
Below: Taiwan golfer Lu Liang-huan with his signature pork pie hat. Lu spent years acting as a mentor to young Taiwanese golfers until his passing in March 2022
Below: Taiwan's first golf course in what's now Danshui, New Taipei City, circa 1930.
Check HERE for more pics and English info on this golf course.
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Check our very first episode, the story of a very white man who showed up in London in 1703... and claimed to be from Formosa. Or try a foodie episode from Season 3. Or, for those who want some harder-core history, hear the tale of the Lockheed U-2 pilot Wang Hsi-chueh 王錫爵, who became famous for defecting to the PRC by hijacking China Airlines Flight 334 on May 3, 1986.