Golf tourism: A SWINGING GOOD TIME

Till the other day, golf was somewhat elitist and therefore, eminently aspirational. Then the pandemic happened. Golf was perfectly poised for this new scenario: outdoors, wide open spaces and social distancing.

- Anita Rao Kashi

Predictably, it was one of the first sports to be allowed after lockdowns were lifted, and interest—on the upswing even before the virus unleashed chaos—surged.

Soaring numbers coupled with revenge travel arising out of travel bans spurred golf tourism, combining the love of golf with vacationing. Make no mistake, golf is still quite niche, but is fast shedding its stuffy image.

Traditionally, golf is a summer sport. It began in 15th-century Scotland and spread outwards, going wherever the British went and beyond. In fact, the colonialists established the Royal Calcutta Golf Club in 1829, which is not only the country's oldest but the first ever outside Britain. Golf is still very much a spring time sport in much of Europe and North America, but as parts of Asia began promoting golf a few decades ago, it readily shrugged into the mantle of a year-round activity. And to attract avid golfers from iced-out countries, clever marketing has packaged it as a winter pastime.

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