One2Eighteen Publication by Ben Hyland

ONE2EIGHTEEN I hope to continue to motivate and encourage more people aged 18 to 24 to play golf, especially those who are students and attending more creative courses. Through sharing an academical document presented in this platform I can inspire you and others to play, by discussing the stereotypes and crossing through them, because golf is now accessible and a sport anybody from any demographic can play. Personally, it has allowed me to take a step back from life’s stress and worries, and spend some time for myself to focus on something new with friends and family. This has been particularly important through lock-down and with months of not being able to play golf it has proven how valuable these experiences are. Golf is truly obtainable and should be seen more as a resource than a sport. Just like you can feel immersed in a video game, or your job, or your subject, golf can captivate you and fly you away to new experiences and beginnings. So, lets cross out these stereotypes and get everyone young and old, what ever their background or situation playing golf and giving it a go.

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Date of Publication: 11/03/2021 Author: Benjamin Hyland

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Copyright © 2021 by Benjamin Hyland All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

One to Eighteen, Inside Cover

Contents Pages 4 - 5

The Introduction

Page 6 - 7

First Argument

Page 8 - 9

Second Argument

Page 10 - 12

Spray Paint Pages

Fold Out Page

Large Spray Paint

Page 13 -15

Spray Paint Pages

Page 16 - 17

Third Argument

Page 18-19

The Final Arugument

Page 20-21

The Conclusion

Page 22

Index

Page 23

Bibliography

One to Eighteen, Contents

How strongly does the golf ball signify social class?

The sport of golf has always had a reputation of being a pastime for the higher class of player. There is still considerable snobbery within certain golfing circles. With royals such as James VI in 1603 and King William IV in 1833 playing golf, the sport has always been played by powerful, very rich upper class people (British Golf Museum, n.d). Social class is generally defined by ‘a division of a society based on social and economic status’ including factors of wealth, location, influence, and group (Oxford Languages, 2020 and A Dictionary of Critical Theory, 2018). Golf has always been an expensive sport with wealthy upper-class people playing it; the golf ball being one of the contributing factors. As a student without huge finances,

I don’t match the stereotype of a modern-day golfer. I don’t have the money to pay for lots of balls, so I compulsively collect all the ones left behind on the course and split them between the balls I play with and my collection. This text will discuss four balls from my collection and how they relate to social class, through relevant research and accompanying imagery to support my points. For example, the first two balls in my collection are the Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1X, considered the best in the world (ReachPar, 2020). In comparison I’ll look at a cheap Slazenger ball. Finally, meeting in the middle is my green Nike Mojo ball. I am to conclude how strongly the golf ball signifies someone’s social class, or whether it does at all.

One to Eighteen, The Introduction

high class snobbery played by the powerful, very rich upper class people expensive sport stereotype golf ball signifies someone’s social class One to Eighteen, The Introduction

The Self Proclaimed Number One Ball In The World The first ball from my collection that I want to talk about is Fig 1, the Titleist Pro V1 golf ball. Along with the Titleist Pro V1X [Fig 3] its sister ball, the Pro V1 is the ‘self-proclaimed number one ball in golf’ as stated by ReachPar and endorsed by some of the best golfers in the world, including Webb Simpson seen in Fig 2, a former world number one, seven-time PGA Tour champion and 2012 US Open champion (ReachPar, 2020 and Titleist, 2021). With it being the ‘the best’ golf ball in the world, it packs a lot of technology inside it as well as a high price. The Titleist Pro V1 ball is the most expensive golf ball on the market, priced at £41.99 for a 12-pack meaning price per ball is a high, £3.49 (American Golf UK, 2021). Looking at the rest of the competition, the TaylorMade TP5 and TP5X is talked about by Golf Monthly to be the second best behind Fig 1, priced at £39.99 for a box of 12 working out at £3.33 a ball (American Golf UK, 2021).

As a product then it is the best, for the best, and to have this you need to be prepared to pay a lot of money. Considering its reputation and prestige this ball appeals to those who can afford the best equipment, those who typically earn in the upper-class brackets and above. Whether or not you play at a professional level, the wealthier golfers buy this ball to improve their game and to show they play with the best golf ball in the world, a big statement and one that’s very stereotypical of a modern golfer as it shows class and wealth. On top of that I found this at a championship course, Charts Hill in Kent. This course is very posh and expensive for the area, with a round costing between £60 and £70 (Charts Hill, 2021). I was lucky to play for free for a day testing out the course, meaning I had access to the greens, so was fortunate enough to find such an expensive ball.

very stereotypical shows class and wealth posh expensive 6

One to Eighteen, First Argument

One to Eighteen, Second Argument

The Vegas Ball Next, Fig 3 is a ball of equal technical advancement and ability. It is used by just as many professional world class golfers as Fig 1 and is seen to be ‘the number one ball in golf’ (ReachPar, 2020). What makes this ball special and collectable is the stamp it has on the side, with the logo of ‘Wynn Golf Club’. Wynn Golf Club seen in Fig 4 is an 18-hole championship course on the Las Vegas Strip (Wynn Las Vegas, 2020). The price to play an 18-hole round is $550, roughly £403 (LA Times, 2019). This is very expensive. I also found this high quality, rare ball at Charts Hill golf course in Kent, which charges between £60 and £70 a round in comparison which is still expensive compared to other local clubs (Charts Hill, 2021). An annual membership isn’t advertised so it is likely this is exclusive through invitation or upon request. Looking at the pricing and location of the club this ball was from shows that someone who played there to acquire this ball first is likely be well off and of class. This is further supported by Wynn’s strict dress code, requiring both men and women to wear a shirt with a collar and no jeans allowed (GolfNow, n.d). A shirt with collar is an old fashioned rule meant to keep players of a club looking orderly and smart, a strong sign that class and form is important. Looking back to my introduction, using this ball Fig 3 shows you have travelled and have played at a high class, well to do golf club, showing your social position and high class position.

price to pay very expensive exclusive well off of class old fashioned class and form is important high class position

One to Eighteen, Second Argument

One to Eighteen, Spray Paint No.1

One to Eighteen, Spray Paint No.7

A Personal Experience Now, in comparison Fig 5 the more generic Slazenger Panther is a cheap two-layer golf ball normally used by beginners or golfers on the tightest of budgets (GolfLink, n.d). They are very affordable, especially compared to the first two balls, with a similar Slazenger ball priced at £13.00 for a box of 24 balls, making each ball only 54p (Sports Direct, 2021). They are over 300% cheaper being £3 less than Fig 1 and Fig 3 but have a lot less technology inside them and aren’t played by any professional golfer. As well as this, Slazenger isn’t a golf brand. It is an English sportswear brand best known for their tennis balls and long-lasting partnership with Wimbledon, not golf (Slazenger Official Website, 2021). Overall, this means through its lack of advertisement, involvement with the sport and the brands identity, this golf ball isn’t as serious as Titleist’s Pro V1 and Pro V1X resulting in no reputation as a good ball to use. Therefore, although I disagree with this conception, it is seen by the large majority of the golfing community as a ball for players who have just started or are on a tight budget and can’t afford better equipment, looking down on them as a working-class person and someone less fortunate as themselves. This isn’t an assumption, more a real feeling as this has been me at times, in fact the ball was given to me while playing at a beginner course in Hilden, Kent. I perceived this as a friendly gesture, but knowing what is thought of this ball, it could be perceived as a slight insult as being noted as a lad with less experience and wealth.

can’t afford better equipment looking down less fortunate wealth 16

One to Eighteen, Third Argument

One to Eighteen, The Final Argument

Lets Resolve Countering both is my last ball, a green Nike Mojo ball [Fig 6]. This ball is widely talked about as a brilliant ball, and the reviews back this; ‘a ball that takes care of everything while also looking absolutely great too’ (Honest Golfers, 2020). It is also well priced at around £25 for a box of 24 (Amazon, 2018). This is a lot cheaper than the tour balls of Fig 1 and Fig 3, while still having a high level of performance and great reputation.

I found this ball at Poult Wood Golf Course, a lovely typical golf course in Kent with no real perception of being elitist, rather a golf course that is suitable for all. This sort of image makes this Nike Mojo ball one any every day golfer would love to have in their bag. It doesn’t advertise itself to be a ball that the most upper class golfer or richest guy on the green would use, but it actually is a ball that type of person would want.

Nike has been heavily invested in golf for a long time. Unfortunately, they stopped making golfing equipment a few years ago, but they had a lot of success with some of the all-time greats including Tiger Woods using their balls and other products, meaning they are a great brand and one that’s always been reputable. I know whenever I see a Nike ball left behind on the course or stuck in the undergrowth, I get very excited, as I know it is a quality product and one you can’t buy new anymore.

As well as that, so would anyone else. I believe its bright colour and fun packaging [Fig 7] helps this and shows it to be a golf ball without any social class identity or stereotype attached to it, just that it is a brilliant ball all round (Grenada Desert Cart, n.d).

elitist most upper class richest guy social class stereotype One to Eighteen, The Final Argument

The Conclusion: You Can’t Judge Someone’s Social Class From The Ball They Use A lot of people, no matter their social class, choose their golf balls due to the social traits they have attached to them, and I am the same. If I saw one Titleist and one Slazenger in front of me, I would pick up the Titleist first because it is reputable and widely marked as the best. It’s clear to me a lot of people pick the ball they use because of preference and choice and whatever that may be is perfectly fine, but there is a strong prevalence of snobbery around golf culture. Through my experience playing golf and collecting these balls, there seems to be a correlation between the type of course, including where it is based as to the types of balls you find. This matches my conclusion; I believe different golf balls have an invisible label attached to them of social class, but that you can’t judge someone’s social class from the ball they use as I have obtained some of the most expensive and best balls to buy through finding them.

social class social traits prevalence of snobbery expensive 20

One to Eighteen, The Conclusion

Index A catalogue of key terms and references and the page no.

American Golf 6 Amazon 13

Hilden Golf Course 10 Honest Golfers 13

PGA Tour 6 Poult Wood Golf Course 13

V W

Wynn Golf Club 9 Woods, Tiger 13

British Golf Museum 4

ReachPar 4, 6, 9

Charts Hill, Kent 6, 9

K King James IV 4

D Dictionary of Critical Theory 4

L Las Vegas 9 LA Times 9

E F G Golf Ball 4, 6, 10, 13, 14 Golf Monthly 6 Golf Now 9 Grenada Desert Cart 13 Golf Link 10

S Social Class 4, 13, 14 Simpson, Webb 6 Slazenger 4, 10, 14 Slazenger Panther 10 Slazenger Official Website 10 Sports Direct 10

M N Nike 13 Nike Mojo 4, 13

O Oxford Languages 4

T Titleist 6, 14 Titleist Pro V1 4, 6, 10 Titleist Pro V1X 4, 6, 10 TaylorMade 6

One to Eighteen, Index

Y Z

Bibliography The offical bibliography for the written content throughout this publication.

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Amazon (2018). Nike Mojo Golf Balls Multicolored Double Dozen Golf Balls. [online] Amazon. Available at: https://www.

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LinkedIn, Email, URLCopied!, C.L. and Print (2019). $550 to play

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One to Eighteen, Bibliography