Hibernate does not trigger proxy initialization for single-ended associations when just the getter method of the identifier field is called. (See reference documentation 19.1.3. Single-ended association proxies.)

If field access (access=field) is used the Hibernate proxy doesn't know the identifier getter method and therefore initializes the proxy on any methodcall.

Now my question to Hibernate internals specialists:
Is it possible to achieve this optimization when field access is used?
Can I tell the proxy about the id getter method?

Thanks, Robert

I don't think there's any way to achieve this on a field-by-field basis. Sorry. :(