Mumbai golf – DIY golfing in the slums of India

by Justin Delaney on


ESPN produced this short documentary on golfing in Mumbai that is 1 part informative and 3 parts awesome. The story frames the dichotomous nature of Old Bombay by contrasting the two very different types of golf played in the city. One type is played at prestigious clubs for the elite like the Bombay Presidency Golf Club, and the other is played in the slums with DIY clubs and narrow driving lanes between shops. The latter, slum golf, is a challenging sport filled with urban distractions and “garbage penalty strokes” – a stark contrast from the serene driving lanes and ponds at a conventional golf course.

The story tells the tale of Anil Mane’s rise from caddying and golfing in the slums to making the professional tour in India. His sponsor, Venture Capitalist Ashish Kacholia, narrates this terrific documentary.

Mumbai Golf – ESPN E:60 from Evolve IMG Films Ltd. on Vimeo.

Video of the Day – Extreme kayaking around the world

by Stephen Greenwood on

Before watching this video, I was unaware that it’s possible to intentionally be inverted or airborne in a kayak, let alone both at once.

If you love river sports and/or beautiful cinematography, then settle in for three and half pulse-raising minutes and check out this trailer for River Root’s kayaking film dubbed Frontier.

Featuring scenes from Mexico, China, Iceland, Norway, the U.S., and Canada, Frontier follows a group of kayakers as they explore some of the world’s most powerful rivers and seemingly impassable whitewater. The full length film is due out on DVD this month and is available for pre-order on the River Roots website. Needless to say, if the full film features more scenes like the final clip of the video, then I’ll definitely be ordering a copy.

Have you uploaded any footage or photos of your favorite adventure sport? Share it with us by leaving a comment below or adding it to the Gadling Flickr Group and it could be our next Photo/Video of the Day.

Reflections on Revolution – A photographer’s travels through the Arab tumult

by Justin Delaney on

“May you live in interesting times” is a proverb with an unattributed origin. Most speculate the phrase came from China, some assume its origins to be of 20th century English design, but all agree that the phrase is a curse. We no doubt live in “interesting” times. 2011 has already brought revolution, quakes, tsunamis, government shutdowns, and an escaped cobra. Interesting is not always a good thing, but it can be.

With this video, photographer John Moore provides a glimpse into the hectic travel schedule of a front-line photojournalist during the Arab revolution of 2011. His photographs and stories from the Middle-east will leave an impression on you, and this video is interesting in a good way. From Egypt to Bahrain to Libya, the video showcases the revolution from one photographer’s view behind the lens.

Photographer John Moore on ‘Epic’ Libya Battles, Arab World Revolutions from Mike Fritz on Vimeo.

Video of the Day: SNL jokes about Southwest plane accident

by Mike Barish on

Southwest Airlines has had some troubles recently, including an incident where the roof of one of their planes just, you know, started to tear away from the rest of the aircraft. On this past weekend’s episode of Saturday Night Live, Weekend Update welcomed a flight attendant from that damaged flight. Well, it was the talented Kristin Wiig portraying one of the Dallas-based airline’s employees. Seeing as how the plane landed safely and there was only one reported injury (to a flight attendant, though), we see nothing wrong with cracking a few jokes about the situation. Besides, it’s about time we all got to see those oxygen masks put to use.

Was the skit out of bounds? Did you get a laugh out of it? Let us know in the comments.

The smallest big mountain you’ll ever see

by Grant Martin on

Rule number 18.57b in the travel blogger’s handbook states that we have to fawn over tilt-shift videos, and this gem from Jackson Hole, Wyoming is no exception. In a way, it makes big-mountain snow riding a less daunting endeavor, making the precarious slopes look like tiny hills over which one might jump to get to the neighborhood creek or the community pool. In another way, it makes me miss the long hard days of double black diamonds and the trees in Blackcomb. Either way, it’s a great, unique method to capture this beautiful terrain.

Great work by Tristan Greszko in composing this slick video.

[via Wired and Jenna Schnuer]