Golf is known as a classy sport for a cultured player, but according to a new exhibit, it has a dark history linked to colonial exploitation.
Researchers at the University of St Andrews claim that the game was ‘imposed’ by the British Empire in colonial countries around the world in the 19th century.
Golf is linked to imperial exploitation by the British because balls were once made with rubber harvested from these colonial areas, they say.
Gutta-percha, a natural rubber material found in trees native to Southeast Asia, was harvested to make golf balls for the European market.
St Andrews is known as the ‘home of golf’ for its 600-year playing history, but the university has now explored the sport’s controversial ties in the new exhibit.
Golf balls were the product of colonial exploitation, according to the University of St Andrews, while the game itself was ‘imposed’ around the world by the British Empire (file photo)
Gutta-percha (pictured), a natural rubber material found in trees native to Southeast Asia, is a tree of the genus Palaquium. In the 19th century it was harvested to make golf balls for the European market
Gutta-percha, a natural rubber material found in trees native to Southeast Asia, was harvested to make golf balls for the European market
The ‘Re-collecting Empire’ exhibit at the Wardlaw Museum in St Andrews is now open to the public and will run until October 22.
It’s part of St Andrews’ pledge to “continue to explore the legacies of the Empire in our collections and explore how we can build a more equitable future.”
It is also part of a broader trend of academic ‘decolonization’ accelerated by the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.
“The exhibition opens at a time when museums and galleries in the UK and beyond are rethinking the best care for objects in their collections acquired during periods of colonial rule,” said Dr Emma Bond, exhibition advisor and academic at St Andrews.
“Multiple voices need to be involved in these important conversations so that museums can move forward in a more equitable way.
“I hope that Re-collecting Empire is the start of a productive and transparent conversation with these groups about how to deal with the legacies of the Empire that are present in the collections of the university.”
Golf originated in Scotland in the 15th century, although it was banned by King James II because playing was a distraction from military training.
Restrictions on playing the game were removed with the Treaty of Glasgow, which came into effect in 1502.
The natural bounce of Gutta percha made it ideal to create a new ‘gutta ball’ (pictured), which replaced the older ‘feather-like ball’ of feathers and stitched leather
Located in the town of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, Saint Andrews Links is widely recognized as the ‘home of golf’
By the late 1800s, golf had spread to Ireland, the US and other parts of Europe, and it had also reached areas of the British Empire including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Egypt, South Africa, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
But the exhibition claims that both cricket and golf were ‘imposed’ across the empire when British enthusiasts set up clubs abroad.
A display at the exhibition states: ‘By imitating and imposing British sports in colonized countries, golf and cricket were spread around the world.
“Natural resources from colonized countries were exploited to make sports equipment.”
The information is displayed next to the Karachi Golf Club Cup, the award presented by one of the many British-founded clubs in India during the days of Empire.
Gutta rubber grew most in Malaysia, formerly owned by the British, and some experts have said harvesting the rubber for Western markets caused ecological damage.
Victorian scientists had discovered that the rubber was a perfect and profitable material for covering budding telegraph wires.
Its natural resilience also made it ideal for creating a new ‘gutta ball’, which is said to have been invented in 1843 by St Andrews student Robert Adams Paterson, and which replaced the older ‘feather ball’ made of feathers and stitched leather.
The Re-collecting Empire exhibit also includes displays claiming that European textile mills made wares inspired by styles that originated in the colonies ‘overseas’.
The ‘Re-collecting Empire’ exhibit at the Wardlaw Museum in St Andrews is now open to the public and will run until October 22
The textile factories thus ‘exploit the original culture’ by exploiting their styles and selling them for a profit.
The exhibition is funded by Museum Galleries Scotland, which has also supported a Scotland-wide review of the national links to the slave trade.
Exhibits also include a copy of the Quran that once belonged to the Sultan of Mysore, a Tibetan stone, a Chinese bell used in sacred ceremonies, and a statue of a Buddhist monk.
Contributions also include personal reflections, notes, and quotes, as well as poetry and art, providing voices and perspectives “often excluded.”
“This exhibition is the result of a lot of careful thought and deliberation about how we approach the colonial legacies in our collection,” said Dr Catherine Eagleton, director of libraries and museums at the University of St Andrews.
“It’s an attempt to publicly explore these stories and try new ways of telling them, with the voices of those who are often excluded in the foreground.”
