OT: Do you consider golf a sport
- Thread starter hawkeye_fan321
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When Tiger/Jack/Rory/Jordan/etc. can hit a golf ball thrown at their head at 95+ mph then maybe I will consider them athletes. Eye hand coordination? The fricking ball isn't moving. And god forbid someone take a picture, let alone talk, while I'm in my back swing. You see guys in the NFL/NBA/MLB/NHL pick up a golf club upon being drafted and have more than a hackers success on the course. This is because they are athletes. My youngest son just signed up for football next fall. $165 for a season that runs from August to November. That same amount will get you a weekend round of golf on a mediocre course down here. Athletes? Not so much. Pampered rich guys? Yep.
you don't think some NBA, NFL players are not pampered rich guys?
No.. professional golfers can't play other sports "professionally"...neither can football or basketball players play on the PGA or Sr PGA. Many players in other sports have said golf is very difficult to play at a high level...ask Charles Barkley.
One thing is for sure with the problems football is having with head hits...golf is safer. I'm very happy my grandsons play golf & are quite good at it. I really don't think they are concerned about being called an athlete...they just want to do well at the sport they chose.
Lol you've never tried to hit a golf ball I see. As was posted below, check out HOF member Charles Barkley attempt to hit a golf ball. Maybe then, uneducated people such as yourself will understand that those "athletes" cannot play professional golf. Here ya go bud, not a single professional "athlete" plays golf well enough to make it on some of the mini tours, let alone the PGA Tour..
http://www.golfdigest.com/story/2015-top-100-ranking-of-pro-athletes
Handicap wise, there's only 20 guys on that list that could beat this local community college golfer along with a couple of his buddies. And no, that is not a brag, being a 2 handicap is nothing special, not even in small town Iowa. But carry on with your uneducated opinions.
I believe the University of Iowa considers golf a sport since it's part of their athletic programs, They give scholarships, Compete in tournaments including the Big Championships for Golf. Btw this is from the official Iowa Website, Notice it say's "Sports offered".
Sports Offered
Sports Offered
- Baseball
- Field Hockey
- Football
- Men's Basketball
- Men's Diving
- Men's Golf
- Men's Ice Hockey
- Men's Lacrosse
- Men's Swimming
- Men's Tennis
- Men's Track
- Softball
- Women's Basketball
- Women's Diving
- Women's Golf
- Women's Rowing
- Women's Soccer
- Women's Swimming
- Women's Tennis
- Women's Track
- Women's Volleyball
- Wrestling
I go back and forth on this often referring to golf as an activity that I enjoy. That being said golf is probably the most difficult game I have ever tried to play. I am a bogey golfer that plays a few times a month. The thing about golf (bowling) that makes me think of it as not being a sport is that you don't play defense. Usually I associate a sport with defense being played against you.
I think you can argue pretty convincingly that the course is the defense. You dont really play against the other guys, you play against the course.
you are correct..there is no hand checking allowed in golf.
.. Which is actually what makes golf the sport it is...the outcome is only determined by one person. No excuses..no blaming the officials. Golf just like any other sport takes skill...you develop skill by your ability & a lot of work off the course. That alone makes it equal with any other sport. One may argue some sports involve more physicality than golf...but that doesn't mean there isn't a skill involved.If you are a bogey average golfer playing only a few times a month..you are doing well.
Reluctantly picked "Not an Athlete" option.
But to be honest, I could probably change my mind if I ever have a chance to see a pro, capable of winning a major, in action - in person.
Similar to something like tennis - there is absolutely no way to appreciate how effn hard these guys hit the ball by watching TV.
Not just the speed / power / agility, but the precision is like super human. I bet none of that comes across on TV, for the most part.
But to be honest, I could probably change my mind if I ever have a chance to see a pro, capable of winning a major, in action - in person.
Similar to something like tennis - there is absolutely no way to appreciate how effn hard these guys hit the ball by watching TV.
Not just the speed / power / agility, but the precision is like super human. I bet none of that comes across on TV, for the most part.
There are different kinds of "athletes", or let's say, participants in sports. Is an Olympic weightlifter an athlete? How about a figure skater? How about a speed skater or a cyclist?
How about a downhill skier vs. a slalom skier vs. a cross-country skier? How about the cross-country skier that stops and shoots a rifle at a target?
How much physical exertion is required to be considered an athlete? Is a field goal kicker or a punter an athlete?
Personally, I think all of the above are athletes - just different kinds.
How about a downhill skier vs. a slalom skier vs. a cross-country skier? How about the cross-country skier that stops and shoots a rifle at a target?
How much physical exertion is required to be considered an athlete? Is a field goal kicker or a punter an athlete?
Personally, I think all of the above are athletes - just different kinds.
I tend to agree. Is taking long walks after breakfast a sport? Is pinball a sport? Is bocci or shuffleboard a sport? If pistol or rifle marksmanship a sport? Is throwing darts a sport? Horse shoes? You'll find lots of NFL, NBA, NHL athletes who can't do any of those activities well & each requires (other than walking) extraordinary hand/eye coordination & a very unique skill set that may take years to perfect & a participant must perform on his/her own with no assistance from others & no excuses for poor performance - like golf.
But older guys/gals with beer guts can potentially do them all well - even take long walks. That's why golf is a game, one that may occasionally & coincidentally be played by true athletes. Nevertheless, real athletic prowess is not a necessity to play at a high level.
Not many hall of fame MLB'ers can/could hit a 95+ mph ball thrown at their head. In fact, I can't think of one. Vlad Guerrero probably could, though he might not be a hall of famer.
If they have to have a defense, I wonder, is Track and Field a sport? Swimming and Diving? Gymnastics?
Just asking your opinion
Hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports, not many people can do it, so for that to be your criteria is pretty weak.
If you enjoy playing golf you don't have to go play 18 holes. You can spend $5 and spend an hour at the range, take your shag back of junk balls and chip and putt for hours. Plenty of professional golfers did not grow up as pampered rich kids, plenty of them did.
And for every guy that gets drafted and picks up a club for the first time to have a hackers success there are 15 who can't, even when "the fricken ball isn't moving" i.e. Marshawn Lynch, Barkley, a ton of others I can't find gifs of to put in. Yes a weekend hacker can still "play" golf and be terrible, so can every guy at the local Y playing basketball clanking 25 footers off the side of the backboard. Does that mean basketball isn't a sport?
It's covered during the sports portion of your local news, in the sports section of your local paper, considered a sport by high schools and colleges. You may not think they are athletes, but golf is definitely a sport. Option B would be your choice
Of course it is! It involves athletic ability and you compete head to head to determine the outcome. Now I would say that figure skating is not a sport, because it relies on judges. Skating is a high level athletic competition featuring world class athletes, but it is not a "sport". NASCAR, I suppose is a sport, but I'm leaning toward feeling it features "drivers" or "competitors" but not "athletes"
Well, obviously I didn't pick up on that but with so many on here saying virtually the same thing as you, it is hard to pick up on
Go walk Augusta National for 7 days in a row. I just did it 4 days in a row. I was exhausted and I was just trying not to spill my beers. These players are competing in pressure packed situations for 5 hours straight under a microscope, while walking it for 7 days(3 practice rounds). It's a sport
Douglas C. Neidermeyer
HB Legend
I've been reading this thread shaking my head in disbelief that it is even a debate. My son played tournament football, baseball and tournament golf, and I can tell you that it takes much more time and dedication to be successful at golf than either of the others. He has quit the latter two, now, and is focusing on golf alone, playing in high profile Jr Amature tournaments. He will spend at least 30 hours on the course or in the gym this week, after he gets out of school. He will be working greens, short game, playing the course/situations, lifting, and running. When school lets out, he spends even more time out there. Anybody who believes that golf is not a sport, or that golfers are not athletes, have NO clue what these guys do to be able to compete at a competitive level, and, quite frankly, I doubt you could keep up. It would take 1 - 2 days, and you'd be calling in to work. I'm not judging, as I KNOW I couldn't do it. Golf is ABSOLUTELY a sport, and golfers are ABSOLUTELY athletes. To play competitive golf is NOT going out and drinking with your buddies as you cart yourself around the golf course.
The course is the defender in golf. The player plays the course for the most part.
As for what is athletic, find me a pro baseball player that can hit a tiny ball precisely into a target zone of a few square feet 1100 feet away, into a stiff breeze, or maybe while raining, while fading it precisely in the right direction as well and I'll show you a guy that's in the wrong sport.
As for what is athletic, find me a pro baseball player that can hit a tiny ball precisely into a target zone of a few square feet 1100 feet away, into a stiff breeze, or maybe while raining, while fading it precisely in the right direction as well and I'll show you a guy that's in the wrong sport.
stupid thread...every sport in itself is unique that requires a high level of skill to play at a college level & professionally...some sports are more physical than others but that doesn't mean swinging a golf club doesn't have a degree of technique and skill ... which in itself makes it a sport.
YOU WERE SAYING!
Lol. Nice. I was expecting Bartolo Colon as a rebuttal, though.
Demonstrating extraordinary speed or strength or surviving extreme physical duress should be a pre-requisite to succeed at anything defined as a sport, particularly at the pro level.
Activities at which one can succeed with hand-eye coordination, stamina, or strategy in the absence of even one of the "big 3" are not sports.
The game of horse (on the basketball court) is a fun game but isn't a sport. Golf is a fun game that permits 45+ year olds to compete and win at the majors at a good clip.
Activities at which one can succeed with hand-eye coordination, stamina, or strategy in the absence of even one of the "big 3" are not sports.
The game of horse (on the basketball court) is a fun game but isn't a sport. Golf is a fun game that permits 45+ year olds to compete and win at the majors at a good clip.
How many majors have been won by guys 45 years of age or older?
this really isn't that hard..Ok so I get your pre-requisite because such sports as football require a level of physical ability...but just because the game of golf doesn't require knocking someone on their ass doesn't mean it isn't a sport. You obviously don't have a clue about the history of golf..." 45+ win majors at a good clip" ? at least get your facts straight.
I don't recall seeing a game of horse being aired on TV...Golf is a national sport...an Olympic sport...no it isn't as physical as others'...but comparing it to "horse" is a joke.
One thing is for sure...in reading some of the post on this thread....I'd love to play some of you..beat your ass...and then make fun of your inability to play such a fun game.
AGAIN.....this is a question of definitions. I don't think ice dancing is a sport, but you certainly have to be an athlete to excel at it. On the other hand, golf definitely is a sport, but you don't have to be an athlete to excel at it.
