• Sweden edition
Society

Swedish golfer shocked after swastika-ball find

Published: 21 Aug 12 11:16 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/42740/20120821/

A golfer in central Sweden was shocked to find an abandoned golf ball emblazoned with what he believes to be a “professionally applied” swastika.

Christer Nyström was playing an early round on Saturday morning at the Arboga golf club in central Sweden when a wayward golf ball went sailing into the rough.

“We were on the third hole, looking for the ball and I was in the high grass. I found another ball instead and realized it had a swastika on it,” Nyström told The Local.

“I was naturally surprised at first, but then I became quite shocked.”

Nyström was playing the day after a busy tournament, although it remains unclear if the ball was left behind from a professional player.

“I find it hard to believe that the ball came from us. For us, the competition is so important that a player wouldn’t leave a ball in the rough,” tournament organizer Jesper Edström told the Nerikes Allehande newspaper.

Meanwhile, the professional appearance of the printed swastika has raised questions of its own.

“The ball is a Titleist – a really professional and expensive ball. The symbol looks as if it’s been professionally done, someone has put a lot of work into this,” Nyström said.

A spokesperson for Titleist however, has explained that the company does not produce any such balls.

“We certainly didn’t print it,” Calle Thelin, responsible for all Titleist logos in Sweden, told The Local.

“Everything that gets printed on a Titleist golf ball in Sweden comes through me – I’d be fired immediately if I allowed something like this through… it definitely has nothing to do with us.”

Thelin however admits that the ball does indeed appear to be of the Titleist brand, and speculates that someone most likely bought the ball and imprinted their own insignia.

As for the ball itself, Nyström is glad to put the whole thing behind him.

“The whole thing was very peculiar, but I didn’t want to keep ball so I handed it over to the club,” he told The Local.

The swastika, an equilateral cross with four arms bent at right angles, was used as a symbol of the Aryan race by the Nazi Party of Germany from as early as 1920. It has also previously been used in various ancient civilizations around the world as a tantric symbol.

Oliver Gee
Follow Oliver on Twitter here

What do you think? Leave your comment below.

Your comments about this article:

The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.

12:03 August 21, 2012 by isenhand
- It has also previously been used in various ancient civilizations around the world as a tantric symbol. -

And currently used as the symbol for Buddhism and Hinduism (but mainly outside the West). Hindus use the swastika with four dots between the arms. However, Buddhists often use the swastika within a circle, so perhaps the ball once belonged to a Buddhist?

Historically, the Finnish as Latvian air forces also used swastikas. I find it interesting how a "little good luck" symbol used for thousands of years all over the world can change its meaning as a result of a few years use by the Nazis.
12:03 August 21, 2012 by Strongbow
So the story is nazis play golf, or golf players are coming out of the nazi closets? Tiger Woods excluded, golf is one of the whitest sports and fits perfectly with the nazi ideal of exercise, precision and nature as well as having being de facto exclusive for the white elite class.
12:19 August 21, 2012 by engagebrain
isenhand wrote 'I find it interesting how a "little good luck" symbol used for thousands of years all over the world can change its meaning as a result of a few years use by the Nazis.'

Just as suggestion but

perhaps invading Czcheslovakia, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium, France, North Africa, Russia

kicking off a world war with 30-50 millions deaths

maybe the concentration camps and the extermination camps

or the persecution of jews, gays, political opponents, slavs.....

for many people the swastika will never be a 'little good luck' symbol' - do you understand.
12:46 August 21, 2012 by themoron
themoron says: After buying a palatial home in Åppelviken, an exclusive suburb of Stockholm, Herman Goering practiced golf. With the ball that was found by Nyström, Mr. Goering made a hole in one.
14:09 August 21, 2012 by Eric1
Communism is as evil as Nazism yet there is little outrage when someone sees a "hammer and sickle".
14:20 August 21, 2012 by StockholmSam
@Eric1

Great point. I suppose it is because the Commies did not bother Europe with their murderous ways that we do not react so sharply to the Soviet symbol. It is sort of like opening a Chinese restaurant and calling it "Genghis Khan," who we know brutally raped and murdered thousands but it was long ago and far away. Nobody would ever open a Schnitzel stand and call it "Adolf Hitler." I wonder how the hammer and sickle is viewed in former Soviet Bloc societies.
15:09 August 21, 2012 by eppie
@eric1

The difference is that the whole idea about nazism was exterminating a race as well as several other groups of people. The idea about communism is an equal division of wealth.

If someone wears a t-shirt with a hammer and sickle he does that because he is for equality, not because he finds it good that Stalin murdered millions of people. If someone wears a t-shirt with a swastika, he does this to show he hates jews.

Do you understand the difference?

If not I can give you another example. Most murders and crimes are commited by men instead of women. If I wear a t-shirt with the symbol for men (the little circle and arrow) will you accuse me of supporting crimes commited by men?

If someone waves an american flag will you accuse him of supporting the killing of vietnamese, latin americans and arabs by the US army? My guess is the person just likes the USA.
15:19 August 21, 2012 by rohermoker
I may be a product of the education system in the US but were not both Hitler and Stalin socilists? If I had been killed in a Nazi concertation camp, or in a Stalin purge, I could not tell you which one was for the better cause.
17:58 August 21, 2012 by Soft Boiled
I´ve heard that Hitler only had one ball....
18:26 August 21, 2012 by Frobobbles
If the swastika is a bad symbol because someone bad used it, what would we not say of the cross and the half-moon!
01:46 August 22, 2012 by strixy
Don't ask your grand-dad what he was up to duing the WWII ;)
03:52 August 22, 2012 by wbs
@eppie

Communism was/is more than division of wealth. The Soviet Union and China have horrible human rights records, as is the case with many communist countries. If you simply argue the economic system of communism alone and disregard the human rights element, then the moron that had a swastika symbol could simply say they support National Socialism as an economic model for getting Germans back to work, not the extermination of millions. But we all know the truth in both cases.....neither was good for humanity
09:23 August 22, 2012 by eppie
@wbs

Ok i will try to explain this once again.Communism (any of the types) is an ideology for a orld with more euqality, but we all know that in many cases communist society's were not real communist societies but horrible dictatorships (such as Stalins USSR), but those millions of deaths were caused by Stalin being a hitler type moron, not because of the communist ideology. Looking nowadays at a country like Cuba would be a better example.....(the country doing much much much better than all the surrounding islands states that are not communist).

Again, national socialism was based on the ellimination of races of people, and via that way create a 'better' society.

Now if you can't see the difference between these two things I think it is best to go to the library and read up a bit.

So again, T-shirt with hammer and sickle = allright, T-Shirt with picture of Stalin would be the same as one with a sastika.

@rohermoker

Interesting idea. However, people like stalin, mao and the Kim family in North korea are actually more comparable to the old kings in europe or to Sadam or any of the other arab dictators.....only interested in personal gain and consumerism so nothing socialist there.
11:50 August 22, 2012 by themoron
themoron says: What about the ball? Who manufactured it? Or, is it a matter to be solved by Holmes? Very good story indeed. A very good one. Now, everybody is checking their own golf balls to see if they do not have a Swastika imprinted.
12:16 August 22, 2012 by DAVID T
"I was naturally surprised at first, but then I became quite shocked."

What a pussy - but what do you expect from a Swedish "Man" He should get back in the kitchen :-)
16:52 August 22, 2012 by themoron
themoron says: I stepped on an ant and I have still not recovered from the shock. Still at the psychiatric ward.
00:28 August 23, 2012 by sigfus45
Some symbols have a lot of emotional ties to them. I am satisfied that Christer Nystrom reacted as most would and brought to attention that there are still some that would take advantage of these emotions.
08:44 August 23, 2012 by Ballcocks
This ball was robably lost by Hitler whilst he was in the bunker ?
09:14 August 23, 2012 by themoron
themoron says: Hitler did not lose one ball in the bunker; he lost two.
15:43 August 23, 2012 by TheWatchman
It didn't look that professional to me. Also, I don't find the Swastika offensive unless it is the Nazi one which is inverted. The Soviet sickle and hammer doesn't offend me because it's usually angsty teenagers wearing it, who don't understand how millions and millions died under that symbol.
17:10 August 23, 2012 by themoron
themoronsays: the swastika on the ball is the one used by the Nazis.In the wake of widespread popular usage, the Nazi Party Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) formally adopted the swastika (in German: Hakenkreuz (hook-cross)) in 1920. This was used on the party's flag (right), badge, and armband.
23:31 August 23, 2012 by jimfromcanada
Hitler took the attractive things about socialism, like paid holidays, government sponsored work projects during the depression, state control of some services etc to sell his party to the working class. He had other conservative policies to appeal to conservative elements in German society, ie a military buildup, repression of liberal ideas, and a cabal of business leaders to support his programs. His socialism was of an opportunistic kind, not basic policy.

Stalin's socialism was a Russian authoritarian approach to control of the economy.

Neither had the democratic kind of socialism that involves state intervention in the economy authorized by parties elected by regular elections that the western European nations espoused, and have practised for most of the 20th century.
ADD YOUR COMMENT   (YOU MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER TO MAKE A COMMENT)
Today's headlines
Unrest in Stockholm
Seven arrested over Stockholm's Husby riots

Seven arrested over Stockholm's Husby riots

Seven people were arrested on Tuesday following the Husby riots in northern Stockholm, with Sweden's Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt warning that the unrest may continue. READ () »

Stockholm Internet Forum
'The future of freedom on the internet is at stake'

'The future of freedom on the internet is at stake'

Internet policy experts gather in Stockholm this week to grapple with online data protection and surveillance issues that everyone who surfs the web should care about, reports technologist Stefan Geens. READ () »

'Swedishness must be split from being white'

'Swedishness must be split from being white'

Sweden needs a new story better equipped to deal with and include today's demographic diversity and create a new Swedishness that is separate from whiteness, write representatives from the Multicultural Centre in Botkyrka near Stockholm. READ () »

Body parts found in missing woman search

Body parts found in missing woman search

Human remains were found in a military building in northern Sweden on Monday night during the search for a 20-year-old woman who has been missing for two weeks. READ () »

My Swedish Career
The 'absolute truth' about tacos in Stockholm

The 'absolute truth' about tacos in Stockholm

Unable to find good Mexican food after moving to Stockholm to study in 2008, Monterrey native David Licona now finds himself running La Neta, one of the most popular Mexican eateries in the Swedish capital. The Local finds out more. READ () »

Gothenburg Instragram riots
Defamation charges for Instagram 'slut-shaming'

Defamation charges for Instagram 'slut-shaming'

Two Swedish teenage girls were officially charged with defamation on Tuesday for their involvement in the "slut-shaming" Instagram account that saw enraged teens in Gothenburg lay siege to two high schools last year. READ () »

Topless woman to be lifted from Swedish map

Topless woman to be lifted from Swedish map

After a caricature of a topless woman on a tourist map in western Sweden left some residents seething, a local official has promised to have the offending image removed. READ () »

More Society

 

RECEIVE OUR NEWSLETTER AND ALERTS
 

 

Highlights
Scanpix
SPORT »
Sweden win ice hockey world champs at home
Scanpix
SPORT »
Swedes sweep top French football awards
fastighetsbyrån.se
GALLERY »
Property of the Week: Check out this funky three-room apartment on the Stockholm island of Södermalm
Scanpix
GALLERY »
Sweden win Ice Hockey World Championships. See the celebrations in Stockholm
Scanpix
GALLERY »
Youths burn 100 cars in north Stockholm riots
Finest.se scanpix.se
GALLERY »
People-watching: Nightlife, Ice Hockey Gold celebrations, the royal family... You name it, this week's gallery has it
WikiCommons
BUSINESS & MONEY »
Solna voted best place to live in Sweden
Scanpix
TRAVEL »
Quiz - Think You Know Sweden? This week we head to one of Sweden's ten biggest towns. But which one?
Scanpix
LIFESTYLE »
Eurovision host: 'Not everyone has to like me'
Scanpix
LIFESTYLE »
Denmark wins Eurovision 2013 in Malmö
Paul Hansen/World Press Photo
SOCIETY »
Award-winning Swedish photographer cleared of manipulation
DoToday
LIFESTYLE »
What's On:The Local's guide to upcoming attractions and events in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö
Scanpix
NATIONAL »
A Congolese-Swedish pastor explains the roots to recent cases of parents exorcising demons from their children in Sweden
File photo: AP
NATIONAL »
H&M backs Bangladesh building safety accord
Scanpix
GALLERY »
Eurovision: second semi-final entries
Finest.se
GALLERY »
People-watching: Scenes from the Arctic Council meeting, Eurovision demonstrations, and Stockholm nightlife
Screenshot: American Apparel
SOCIETY »
Swedes slam American Apparel over 'sexist' ads
Hasse Holmberg/Scanpix (File)
BUSINESS & MONEY »
Housing crunch forces more young Swedes to live with mum and dad
Janerik Henriksson/Scanpix
LIFESTYLE »
Eurovision - Centre State: 'It won't be easy to win again': Robin Stjernberg
Asif Akbar/sxc.hu (File)
OPINION »
'Not all discrimination in Sweden is racism'
Lana Wimmer
GALLERY »
Hidden Stockholm Gems: Ulriksdal's Palace
Sex in Sweden: condoms optional - study
SOCIETY »
Sex in Sweden: condoms optional - study
AP (File)
POLITICS »
Russia 'lacks capacity' to attack Sweden: Reinfeldt
fastighetsbyrån.se
GALLERY »
Property of the Week: This week, we're looking inside a home from the 1700s just west of Stockholm. Complete with two cannons.
Scanpix (File)
OPINION »
JobTalk: Top ten tips for earning a higher salary in Sweden
Juanma Perez Rabasco
SOCIETY »
Swedish kids start daycare earlier: report
Facebook
SOCIETY »
'Sex scandal' minister bathes in viral toilet puppy love
Scanpix
NATIONAL »
Illegal apartment rentals thrive in Stockholm flat crunch
Ben Grey/Flickr
SCIENCE & TECH »
Sweden 'second best' place to become a mum
Eddie Gee
LIFESTYLE »
Check out the back catalogue of all The Local's Swedes of the Week
Photo: The Local
SPONSORED ARTICLE
Stockholm International School - what’s in IT for students?
Dixie Thomas Hughes
SPONSORED ARTICLE
US expat David V. Hughes on determination and discovery by design

 

Latest news from The Local in Germany

More news from Germany at thelocal.de

Latest news from The Local in France

More news from France at thelocal.fr

Latest news from The Local in Norway

More news from Norway at thelocal.no

Latest news from The Local in Switzerland

More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch

Search News


Register

Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss

REGISTER FOR FREE »


Blog Update: Stripes News

21 May 21:34

WEEK 21 »

"A week full to the brim with LFC football…. Div 5 LFC match against Nåjdens FK has been moved. This is due to the Svenska Cupen final: 26 May, 17.00 kick off, Nationalarenan Friends Arena, Solna. Next match is on Tuesday (see below). ………………………………………………………… Friday: Div5 Ladies: Rotebro IS FF – Långholmen FC (Skinnaråsens IP) KO: 16.15 ………………………………………………………… Saturday: Vets: Långholmen FC – IFK..." READ »

Trade binary options
Create an account with Banc De Binary, the world’s most reputable binary options firm, and start cashing in today! You can start by practicing with our free $50,000 demo account.
www.bbinary.com
Therapy in English
Expat counsellor & talk therapist offers counselling for stress, relationship issues, sexuality, culture adjustment & life coaching. Private & confidential. Stockholm or Skype. Contact me today! 08-559 22 636 or
CLICK HERE
Holiday Luxury Villa in Portugal
Casa Birgitta in Algarve, Portugal. Reduced price in best location. Private estate on white sand beach. All amenities included. Book here today! edward_george1@hotmail.com
The Local's new Marketplace
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Counseling in English
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now