Paspalum has gone from African shores to slave ships to lining fairways on Kiawah Island and in Dubai and Vietnam.
TGJ Podcast 80

Light in Paspalum’s Shadows

Two friends attempt to make sense of Paspalum's bloody origin story

On Sept. 26, 1783, a great schooner shoved off from London. The ship’s captain, a notorious Liverpudlian trader named James Penny, listed 97 women, 131 girls, 197 men and 249 boys on the manifest—all loaded into her lower holds for future sale. This week, the PGA Championship will kick off at Kiawah Island, where the same grass used to line the bottom of Penny’s boat now lines the fairways.

In TGJ No. 15, “Paspalum Shadows” explores how a turf from the shores of West Africa has made its way to Kiawah, Sea Island, Dubai and beyond. On Episode 80, Associate Editor Casey Bannon and Earl Cooper of Eastside Golf discuss the making of the story from ideation through creation, and how it has altered their perspective on golf, history, and friendship. 

Paspalum Shadows

Free to read for a limited time

Paspalum Shadows

Free to read for a limited time