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Asphalt, argyle and IPA
story Megan Clark | photo Zac Goodwin
On the corner of Russell Street and Albina Avenue in the north industrial district of Portland, roughly eighty people gather with specially marked green tennis balls and prepare to tee off on a perfect March afternoon.
Dressed in what can only be described as retro golf meets urban street wear, young men and women take turns smacking tennis balls several city blocks to the second hole: a dumpster. This is not your father’s game of golf.
Urban golf is just one of many new recreations revolutionizing the sporting arena. The game can be played in practically any city neighborhood — all you really need is a pack of tennis balls, some old clubs, and a laid-back attitude.
In Portland, thirty-eight-year-old Scott Mazariegos uses his organization, NW Urban Sports, as a way to eliminate the prestige and snobbery that underlie traditional golf by organizing other locals to participate in the part golf match, part barhop. “I think people enjoy the social aspect [of playing urban sports],” says Mazariegos. “It’s an alternative thing to do in Portland, and you meet a lot of new people.”
Though Mazariegos introduced the game to Portlanders only two years ago, Myspace has propelled the hybrid sport onto international sidewalks. In September 2007, he organized the first World Urban Golf Day via the social networking site. Just less than one hundred players turned out in downtown Portland, and similar tournaments were held in cosmopolitan areas, industrial neighborhoods, and college campuses in forty cities around the globe. Mazariegos intends to continue the tradition in early September 2008.
Though urban golf may never be as mainstream as its original counterpart, there’s something exhilarating about attempting tricky holes like fire hydrants and telephone poles on city streets with a bunch of friends. “There is kind of a dangerous and unconventional aspect to hitting balls around a city,” says Mazariegos.
Surprisingly, the mayor of Portland, Tom Potter, supports activities like urban golf because it keeps the city quirky and unique. So when cops do come to check things out, they normally leave urban golfers alone to enjoy their game, as long as they respect the environment.
While professional golfers may focus on winning and keeping score, urban golfers just want to have fun. Mazariegos wants to keep the cost down for Portland’s urban golfers, which is why he has refused several sponsorships. “It’s not about making money for me,” he says. “It’s about people going out and having a good time and not taking things too seriously.”