Urban Golf in India

Tomasz Gudzowaty

Tomasz Gudzowaty, Yours Gallery/Agentur Focus

Golf is often considered a game of the wealthy (which it normally is), but its modern elitist form evolved from a simple farm game. The essential equipment consists of a crooked stick and balls, and virtually any area can be used as a course, so golf can be played by people of any societal level. A group of boys living in slums - some of them working as caddies in a golf club - started to play golf a few years ago, developing their own variety of the game. Too poor to afford actual golf sticks and golf balls, they have molded iron rods to resemble golf sticks and they use cheap plastic balls available at toy shops. Apart from this, the golf played by the slum youth has the same rules as the regular game. In modernizing India, young generation is increasingly exposed to Western lifestyles, and sometimes their enthusiasm produces an interesting mix of local traditions and realities with new inspirations. Mumbai, India. November 2009

Tomasz Gudzowaty, "Urban Golf in India," in POYi Archive, Item #43332, http://archive.poy.org/items/show/43332 (accessed November 23, 2024).