Golf is known as a stylish sport for a civilised player, but according to a new exhibition, it has a murky history linked to colonial exploitation.
Researchers at the University of St Andrews claim the game was 'imposed' by the British Empire in colonial countries around the world during the 19th century.
Golf is connected to imperial exploitation by the British because balls were once made using rubber harvested from these colonial territories, 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 examined the sport's contentious links in the new exhibition.
The 'Re-collecting Empire' exhibition at Wardlaw Museum in St Andrews is now open to the public and runs until October 22.
It forms part of St Andrews' pledge to continue 'examining the legacies of empire in our collections and exploring how we can build a more equitable future'.
It's 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 across the UK and beyond are rethinking how best to care for objects in their collections that were acquired during periods of colonial rule,' said Dr Emma Bond, exhibition consultant and St Andrews academic.
'Multiple voices must be involved in these important conversations in order for museums to be able to move forward in more equitable ways.
'I hope that Re-collecting Empire signals the start of a productive and transparent conversation with these groups about how to reckon with the legacies of empire that are present in the University's collections.'
Golf originated in Scotland in the 15th century, although it was banned by King James II on the basis that games were a distraction from military training.
