Golf is Not a Sport
Golf is Not a Sport, it is a Hobby
As most everyone knows, the most prestigious Golf Tournament known as 'The Masters' is played in Augusta, Georgia. So obviously that's where the connection lies.
I have people ask me all of the time, have I ever been to The Masters. My answer is unwaveringly, "Never have, never will". Though, I have considered scalping tickets to the Masters.
In my humble opinion, the Masters Golf Tournament does nothing but draw crowds of rich people and wannabe rich people to Augusta. It's the week of the year when locals try to dodge the heavy traffic, and restaurants are virtually impossible to dine in. I could go on and on, but the simple point is that I could care less about the biggest 'sporting event' that features my hometown.
I guess it would be equivalent to a person from Indianapolis saying that they could care less about following the Indianapolis 500.
But my opinion on Golf is simple. I hate it! I think it is the biggest waste of time! And to be honest, I personally do not consider Golf as a sport. It's more of a hobby. I would categorize Golf with Chess and Horseshoes.
A sport is when you actually work up a sweat, and unless you are playing Golf in ninety degree weather, you are not likely to break a sweat by swinging a club. I mean, you don't even have to walk from hole-to-hole, you are provided with a Golf Cart.
I will admit, it does take precision to actually be proficient at Golf, but it also takes precision to be proficient at Darts. Does anyone consider Darts a real sport? No, it's something you do with your buddies while drinking at a bar.
Golf is more of a lifestyle- the country clubs, the Polo shirts, and expensive khakis. A majority (not all) of the men and women who play Golf play it because of the image they feel they portray while playing, instead of actual love for the game. It's an image thing, a fad, especially in Georgia.
Pro Golf Players
Tiger Woods has been one of the most recognized figures in sports for nearly a decade. There is no denying that Tiger Woods is great at Golf, and many analysts consider him as the greatest Golf player. What I do question is if Tiger Woods is actually an athlete.
What boggles my mind is that Tiger Woods has been named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year three times since 1997. Annika Sorenstam has won the female Athlete of the Year for the last three years. I have a hard time with that.
And if I am correct, a race car driver has never won that prestigious award. And driving a race car for four-plus hours takes much more skill and precision than swinging a club at a little white ball aiming for eighteen little holes on perfect green grass that costs thousands on thousands of dollars to maintain.
Michael Jordan was an athlete. Lance Armstrong is an athlete. Heck, even Barry Bonds is an athlete, but not Tiger Woods. He is a guy that is great at Golf, a simple hobby. If a Golfer can win Athlete of the Year, then why can't a Bowler, or a Poker player?
Published by Jeremy Dunn
Jeremy is a freelance writer. He is currently writing for the Atlanta Examiner, and also runs his own blog, NASCAR Racing Scene. He is the author of the book entitled 'Superstars of Pro Football- Ray Lewis'. View profile
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25 Comments
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"Oh god you have no idea what golfers go through to train! We have to hit a ball that's not moving at all and ride to the ball's location in our cart! Some poor souls actually have to walk to the ball and carry their own stuff. you boxers and football players have it so easy, training for months doing extreme work outs that drain you completely out of stamina while we golfers are out killing ourselves swinging and walking!!!". If I had to compare golf with anything I would say darts. Precision, concentration, and minimal movement. The only time I ever wasted my time with golf was in highschool PE, and it was the only sport that didnt make me sweat which is saying something (I'm a sweaty guy). Badmiton, pickleball, and ultimate frisbee made me sweat not a drop from golf, so weak.
This is ridiculous! Not the topic of this argument but the people arguing that golf is a sport. My mom and pregnant sister have walked more than these guys for starters. To put things in perspective let's compare your scheme of a sport you call golf to some real sports. Soccer: massive amount of running for long periods of time (except the keeper). Football: running, taking hits, evading opponents, and some jumping think that's enough said. Baseball: hitting balls that are not at a perfect stand still should be enough to embarrass golf, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Basketball: very quick movement, great footwork, and jumping (which is tiring as hell). So quit with your stupid swinging and walking arguements because when compared to those other sports it looks pathetic. "Oh god you have no idea what golfers go through to train! We have to hit a ball that's not moving at all and ride to the ball's location in our cart! Some poor souls actually have to walk to the ball and carr
Me thinks the author dost protest too much. I always find it interesting that someone would take such a vitriolic stance on whether or not golf is a sport. It's like something happened in his past to make him not just indifferent to the game, but to form an actual dislike. Maybe his wife left him for a greenskeeper. I'll leave you with this classic comparison between golf and baseball: In golf, you have to play your foul balls.
i would like to see any one that doesnt play golf to go hit a ball 500 yards with a club that is smaller than a cell phone in 5 strokes into a hole that isnt much bigger than the ball
this is all relative to wether you play it or not. i play competitively, so i am gonna try and make a blanced argument; i think there are both sides anyway. i believe that most golfers are athletes. it has to take a combination of skills to hit a 3 iron 6 feet from a 4.25 inch hole that is 220 yards away, now granted not everyone can do that. with that said i think it is relative with HOW YOU PLAY THE GAME. i think a person that plays competitively should be considered an athlete. im not talking about the person that drinks beer and gambles on the weekends. im saying the tournament players, example: the 16 year old kid that spends his summer walking courses, smashes drives, precisely placed irons, and a polished short game short game, grinding out 3 rounds a tourney in the blistering heat against the best competition in the world. so, tiger woods(not my favorite person but) = athlete, john daly = not quite.
I am an amateur boxer and box competitively for years. I used to train 4 to 6 days a week. Running 6 miles in the morning. I consider boxing one of the most demanding sports. Now I play more golf and I wouldnt say its easier or less demanding.
Golf is NOT a sport...And comparing it to baseball is ridiculous. Try hitting a golf ball pitched to you at 95 mph. Then, if your in the outfield, try catching it and throwing to someone 100 yds away while the guy that hit it is SPRINTING to the exact spot your throwing the ball to! Golf is a precision based liesure activity involving ONE task.. Hitting the ball accurately. Thats it. SPORTS require a combination of athletic abilities and endurance mixed with precision and timing the ENTIRE time you are competing, not just when the other three guys go and it's your turn to take a swing. My experience has shown that the only people that think golf is a sport are predominately golfers.
Let's face it. A true sport requires a person to display some varying combination of speed, strength, power (speed x power), accuracy and endurance. Such person is commonly considered to be an "Athlete". Golf requires some element of speed (club-head speed), very little physical strength (the pros don't carry their bags -- caddies do -- and most amateurs use pull-carts or driving carts), very little power, lots of accuracy, and very minimal endurance. It is absolutely not a "sport" in the true sense of the word as is football, soccer, wrestling, boxing, tennis, olympic power-lifting, basketball,etc... Golf is, however, a very nice leisure activity that can be enjoyed by both real athletes (such as a Tiger Woods) and non-athletes alike. Fact is that some athletes are golfers, but not all golfers are athletes. As an easy personal litmus test as to whether your activity is a sport or non-sport, or if you are a practicing athlete or non-athlete, I simply suggest this: If you are not at
Until you walk the 18 holes, carrying a 55 pound golf bag, and get a good score of par or better for the entire course.. do not come around and say Golf isnt a sport. If golf isnt a sport than Baseball isnt a sport.. both use apparatuses to hit a ball, and both move to get to another place. Except Baseball is easier, since you dont have to put the ball in a little hole 500 yards away.
may i just say to the author that the most prestigious Golf Tournament is the open in scotland and england . so get ur facts right before making stupid observations