Mumbai's slum caddies head to Paris for World Cup

City golfers (left to right) Sachin Salve, Sunil Mane, Anil Mane, Suresh Mehboobani, Sunil Shinde and Nagaraj Bing, who will represent India at the World Urban Golf Cup in Paris

A golf player of one country helping out a counterpart financially from another country to participate in an important tournament in a third country. You can't be blamed if you haven't heard such a story before because it's more than just rare. Thanks to Germany's Urban Golf team skipper Norman Dick, 39, Mumbai's slum golf stalwarts - Sunil Mane, Sachin Salve, Suresh Mehboobani, Sunil Shinde and Nagaraj Bing - will be on a flight to Paris on Wednesday to represent India in the World Urban Golf Cup (street golf) organised by Urban Golf Collective Association.

Mane, 32, a caddie at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club (BPGC) in Chembur, will parade his street golf skills at the world level for the first time, but he is used to this particular brand of golf since he has been playing it with his friends on the roads and lanes of Chembur for the last 20 years. Mane and his fellow travellers are slum golfers, who work as caddies. Mehboobani, 32, who recently played a golf tournament for caddies in Pune, said: "We play a lot of street golf and I am confident of doing well on the roads and colonies of Paris. Like Anil, it is a dream for all of us to represent our country."

Germany's Norman Dick

Of course, they couldn't have made it without Dick, and Mane revealed how the German entered their lives: "He watched some videos of us playing slum golf and called me on Facebook messenger. Within minutes of our conversation, he told me that we should play in the World Cup and that he would take care of all our expenses. I immediately thought of the many times I approached people to sponsor my participation in Professional Golf Tour of India [PGTI] tournaments," said Mane, who was runner-up at the PGTI Feeder tour events at Karnal and Lucknow in 2011 and 2012 respectively.

Mane, who will captain the Indian squad in Paris, added: "I never expected the kind of help Dick and his friends in the World Cup organising team are giving us. Mind you, we don't know each other personally and we've never met." Dick, who hails from Aachen in Germany, told mid-day what made him help Mane & Co. "I saw videos on YouTube of Anil and his mates playing slum golf and wanted them to take part in the World Urban Golf Cup. I am the captain of the German team and I noticed that Anil is as crazy about golf as me. We needed them to be part of our crazy family. So, I asked different golf crews in Luxemburg, Switzerland and Germany for help. We have raised around 4500 euros so that they can live with us for a week and play golf. Teams like Swiss, Luxemburgish, Crossgolf Aachen, Winetown Golfers, GolfFellas and others have raised most of the money. We're still 500 euros short but I'm sure we'll manage it. It brings tears to my eyes when I think of how everybody in the urban golf scene will react when they meet Anil and his colleagues," said Dick.

What is Street Golf?
Street Golf is a form of urban golf where golfers play on streets, at construction sites or any concrete corner, for that matter. Street Golf is practised the world over mainly by those who cannot get to a golf course. The golf balls may also be a bit different keeping in mind the tendency to damage outdoor property.

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