MORE THAN JUST A GAME : A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF GOLF IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

What motivates people in Singapore to participate in a sport such as golf is the central question of this thesis. Taken as a social phenomenon, the participation of golf is seen as a microcosm of Singapore society in which peculiar social patterns may be identified. From classical sociological theorists like Marx, Weber, Durkheim and Simmel, to contemporary thinkers of leisure and sport such as Caillois, Dumazedier and Bourdieu; the role that sport and leisure studies play in understanding societies has been anything but peripheral. However, recent works on a sociology of sport and leisure in the region have been understudied when compared to its Western counterparts. This thesis argues that by studying why people play golf in Singapore, one may perceive dominant factors behind such a leisure choice, factors that are culturally specific to Singapore society. Context in this case proves to be especially important. In land scarce Singapore, the rising popularity of golf is seen as a problem where the availability of golfing facilities cannot meet the demand. The phenomenal number of golfers in public golf driving ranges and limited public golf courses is a manifestation of the above. Similarly, consistently high prices of private golf club memberships have not discouraged a decrease in new memberships being bought. Golf as it is situated in Singapore provides an extreme example as to how far social factors and attitudes matter in leisure choices and sports participation. Through a sociological perspective, identifying the interplay of factors and attitudes that lie behind the playing of golf in Singapore might then give us an idea as to how sport and leisure is seen and approached in the island republic.