For Kathleen Takaishi, the opportunity to travel abroad and teach the game that she loves was one she jumped on.
 
Takaishi, who is in her fifth season as the women's golf coach at Nevada, recently embarked on a 10-day excursion to Bangkok, Thailand and New Delhi, India to assist at the U.S. College Camp. Along with 26 other college and professional coaches, Takaishi had the opportunity to instruct many international student-athletes and help them improve their game.
 
"It was an amazing experience," said Takaishi. "The camp was very well run and the kids were so awesome. They were so open to learning about the American college experience."
 
The camp, which was in its fifth year in Thailand, has been sponsored by the Singha Corporation for the past five years and additional sponsors this year included Mazda and Doi Kham. Over 500 youth and parents attended the event in mid-November that featured not only golf, but tennis, soccer, swimming and badminton as well. Golf was the most represented sport on hand with 17 coaches available, including Takaishi.
 
While this may seem like a good opportunity to recruit, that isn't what this trip was about. The camp was set up to provide information to international student-athletes that normally would not have those resources available to them. The athletes also received small group interaction with coaches, which offered an effective learning environment.
 
Both camps began with an informational session on the first day where coaches made presentations on such things as NCAA requirements, NCAA rules, a day in the life of a student-athlete in the U.S., what to expect in college on the mainland, among other topics. A round table Q&A was then available for the participants to ask any further questions they had on the recruiting process or anything related to the presentations.
 
By the second day of the camp it was time to get to work. In Bangkok, the morning session split the participants into six groups who rotated around six stations, including putting, chipping, pitching, driving, bunker play and swing work. Each group hit three stations one day and the other three the next morning.
 
In addition to the skill stations, the participants had the opportunity to also get out and play. Day two featured a practice round where coaches worked with the campers on different shot techniques and course management skills. The third day finished with a tournament style 18-hole round.
 
"I've worked quite a few camps in my career and it was set up like most others that I've worked in the U.S.," said Takaishi. "The kids were very coachable and respectful, which made it fun and worth our while. They were receptive to what we were teaching them and understood why we were having them try new things."
 
The camp in New Delhi included a similar set up to the camp in Bangkok, just on a smaller scale.
 
"The camp in India had less participants so there was more of a 1-on-1 opportunity to work with them individually," said Takaishi.
 
The morning stations alternated between range, putting and bunker and chipping. On the first day following another informational session, the participants played in a nine-hole scramble with the instructors. The second afternoon featured a nine-hole tournament style round.
 
Aside from the golf angle of the trip, Takaishi was presented with a chance to explore other cultures that she had not yet been exposed to. In each country Takaishi and the rest of her coaching counterparts took a 1-2 hour bus ride to reach the golf courses as neither one was located near a major city. She relished though in the ability to take in the beautiful views that the countryside's that each nation had to offer.
 
"I didn't know what to expect from each culture, but both the Thai and Indian communities were very welcoming and very giving," said Takaishi. "We enjoyed some amazing and authentic food and got to see all of the street vendors and farm stands set up, which was different than what we're used to. It was an eye opening experience and it changed the way I look at the world."