Is golf a sport?

[Pa Jayhawk]

It takes the ability to run as well.
How many sports, other than golf, require no ability to run.

I thought this was probably the top factor, and the reason I feel differently. For me it is matter of breaking it down a little further. In baseball, not everyone runs. In the American League, the pitcher does not run much during the sport, yet as I mentioned he likely exerts more energy than any other player. In Soccer a Goalie rarely runs. A Goalie in hockey likely more resembles a fence post than he would a sportsman under that definition. I wouldn't say they are not part of the sport. Kinda like a kicker in football, that is always the joke, but the sport would not be the same without them. Volleyball was the next obvious example to me, in team volleyball I really do not see alot of running going on except with 2 man. This also brings up an entirely new definition, where as hockey players, bicycler's do not fit the category.

In track and field you would likely have to say the high majority of the field competitions could not be classified as a sport. Weightlifting, Boxing, a lot of the martial arts catagories, wrestling. Alot of the sports in the winter olympics are the same. Is down hill or slalom Skiing really a sport, or luge, figure skating, . I think it is obvious at this point that the list of examples can go on and on.

I just do not see eye to eye with saying a physical activity requires running. I also tend to weigh the skill set with as much emphasis as the physical side of the sport. Again a Nascar driver sweats out more in a race than any other sport I can think of. I have seen drivers being lifted out of car due to exertion, and it is certainly not because they are out of shape.

I just don't see it that way. IMO, there is more to physical activity than running and and cardio vascular exertion, like muscle and strength management, or managing your mind and muscle memory as one. I certainly don't want to tell a boxer or a wrestler their activities are not sports.

Just a difference of opinion I guess. But I have really seen nothing to change my mind, actually kind of what I expected. I just think a lot of people tie in the meaning of the word Athletic, or cardio vascular too much when trying to define a sport.

 

[LyleG]

I would hate to think I suck this much at something that isnt a sport.

Personally I consider anything with a ball in it to be a sport. So that includes bowling, golf and pinball.

 

[Jules150]

I just do not see eye to eye with saying a physical activity requires running. I also tend to weigh the skill set with as much emphasis as the physical side of the sport. Again a Nascar driver sweats out more in a race than any other sport I can think of. I have seen drivers being lifted out of car due to exertion, and it is certainly not because they are out of shape.

i never thought of nascar as a sport untill i read an article about it, during the race they have to mantian a heartbeat of 220 bpm, thats 60bpm over the average for exersizing!(sp) You have to be one hell of an athlete to do that.

 

[dave.]

No offence,but this is a non-debate;

"Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Used by itself, sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome, but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors."


Of course its a sport,the only determiner is YOU.In poker for example,the cards i.e luck play their part.

 

[IrishGolfer]

No offence,but this is a non-debate;

Dave you play golf as a sport. No arguments there as you are obviously dedicated and competitive.

Millions however play golf for fun and wouldn't consider it a sport. They care less about the "rules"

 

[fore142]

No offence,but this is a non-debate;

"Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Used by itself, sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome, but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors."


Of course its a sport,the only determiner is YOU.In poker for example,the cards i.e luck play their part.

so then by your definition it is not a sport in the same catagory as basketball or football? it is a mind sport? and nascar is a motor sport? I dont understand how that solves a thing...

 

[cypressperch]

When a question like this one seems

impossible to answer, there is a good chance that something is wrong with the question. I think the forum has kicked it around pretty good. Basketball is considered a sport, but we go to basketball games. From this, I would conclude basketball is both a game and a sport. Go to a high school physical education class, and watch those students play basketball! It is like what Jones said about Nicklaus, "They play a game with which I am not familiar!" Watch a varsity high school game between two good teams, and though it is still basketball, it is different. At the college level, it is different still. NBA game in the post season, even different still. Yet, all of these basketball games involve the sport of basketball. Some involve a lot of skill;some, very little. What about effort? What about meeting one's potential? All of a sudden, the questions get hard to answer.

Some like to say that Tiger could have been good at any sport because of his dedication. He puts on some weight and they start to say he looks like a line-backer. They might even say he did pretty good at high school cross country. I find all of that unnecessary. He is a golfer. He is a great athlete. And unlike Ted Williams who had it easy, Tiger has to "play his foul balls"! Sports are not all the same in every respect. Golf is not like football, but it is still a sport.

Who is the better athlete: An apple or an orange?

Sincerely, Cypressperch

 

[Andy_79]

I have had a few (heated enough) similar arguments with people who have dismissed the game in this way.
On the sweating issue, I have sweated many times playing this game, but then again I am flabby, overweight and unfit....!

 

[dave.]

Lol,just because you play it for fun doesn't make it less a sport.Think about it, 'play it' on its own denotes a sport.If it isn't a sport what on earth is it?

 

[dave.]

so then by your definition it is not a sport in the same catagory as basketball or football? it is a mind sport? and nascar is a motor sport? I dont understand how that solves a thing...

Er,its not my definition,its from the OED and Wikipedia I think the might of Oxford University would seem to add some weight to the arguement that golf is a sport.

 

[ManchesterGolfer]

I sum it up like this;-

Question, Is golf a sport?

Answer, Is the pope catholic?

As simple as that and who ever asked the question in the first place.

 

[Andy_79]

Yeah, all the top Pros and Ameteurs in the world are sportsmen; ie. they learn and train to compete to the best of their ability.

 

[Andy_79]

I sum it up like this;-

Question, Is golf a sport?

Answer, Is the pope catholic?

As simple as that and who ever asked the question in the first place.

Lol, another one is:

"Does a Bear s**t in the woods ?!"

 

[cypressperch]

It might be that some cannot get to thinking

of golf as a sport because it is a LIFE TIME SPORT. Having said that, if you ever go to the Senior Olympics you will find some old geysers that play great basketball, and they might be well into their sixties. There is even a magazine by the name of Geyser Jock!

Some people age more slowly than others. Sam Snead was a great player well into his seventies. I doubt if Jack Nicklaus will be like Snead, Irwin, or Watson. Maybe it was because Jack was accustomed to being on the top of the heap for so long. Perhaps he had made his statement and was ready to turn to other things. Perhaps he loved the game of golf but loved winning even more, and golf without winning as much wouldn't cut it with Jack. Maybe Jack was more like Byron than these guys that seem to go on and on forever. Maybe Jack wanted more time with his family. Who knows.

Golf is strange in that we have idols like Arnie who eventually get to the point where we mere mortals could probably give them a good go. I do not think Arnie minds that much. Jack might not like that too much. I have totally digressed into a stream of unconsciousness, but is it possible that some of the greats did not love the game quite as much as others, and that it was winning rather than love for the game that kept them at it?

Sincerely, Cypressperch

 

[Sandpiper3]

Dave you play golf as a sport. No arguments there as you are obviously dedicated and competitive.

Millions however play golf for fun and wouldn't consider it a sport. They care less about the "rules"

I used to compete in basketball, downhill skiing, lacrosse etc, and just becasue i dont play them competitively anymore doesnt meant theyre less of a sport. I play pickup games of bball every once in awhile, just because its just for fun doenst make it less of a sport.

Just because some guys who suck at it and just play it for fun doesnt make it less of a sport.