With my previous blogpost serving as an evaluation of my project as a whole, I wanted to use this blogpost to narrow in on a particular area of the project. This is the way that my project has changed and developed, since it first became an idea in the early stages of this module. When deciding upon a project on Race, class, and Tiger Woods’ impact on the golf, I believed the project would focus heavily on the many ways in which Tiger Woods has been able to influence the sport, by encouraging a wider, more diverse range of individuals to get involved in the sport, and thus making the game more diverse, and accessible. This came from the point of view of a golfer, not a historian, and was simply an assumption. I had seen his mass support and longevity within the game and thus believed this would’ve translated to change within the game. Whilst my research thus far has shown this to be partly true, it is not the whole story.
As mentioned in my recent presentation, primary sources show glimpses of Tiger’s success in changing the racial and class dynamics of the game. In the U.S., Tiger’s impact saw the term ‘mixed race’ brought to congress, showing a growing advancement of racial identities beyond fixed categories. Furthermore, in Thailand, Tiger’s mothers Thai background meant that the country celebrated them as one of his own. Thai PGA golfers have spoken on how they believe this caused increased inspiration, that helped lead to the increased Thai representation in professional golf. However, throughout my current research I am yet to find concrete ways that Woods was able to break down many of the structural class and racial barriers within golf, particularly the exclusive domain of private golf clubs. Even after the impact of Woods many of these have remained predominantly white and tailored towards the extremely wealthy. Thus, this is the narrative my essay is now heading towards. Despite my original thoughts and ideas, the focus of my essay must reflect the evidence available to me.
This project has allowed me to explore and investigate new areas of golf in a way I didn’t expect and discover new narratives. Therefore, I hope future students of this module also choose projects where they already have some prior interest. Rather than limiting their perspective, this familiarity can provide a starting point, allowing them to discover new questions, challenge their existing assumptions, and move beyond the ideas they first brought to the project.