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Steroids and Professional Golf

jskd82

Ball Sprayer
May 19, 2007
132
0
Anyone who thinks that only 1 or 2 guys on tour have taken steroids need to promptly remove their heads from the sand. Steroids are everywhere in professional and amateur sport. The new stuff like HGH is virtually undectable and it benifits with recovery are stagering. Steroids have actually passed pot as the number 1 drug used in American high schools.



I have this company selling HGH calling my phone...they called me four times in the past six months. And yes there isn't a test out there that will detect HGH.
 

LyleG

gear head
Aug 10, 2006
6,388
28
Country
Canada Canada
Most certainly. Tis a shame we need have the discussion in the first place.

I still welcome random testing, it can't hurt, anyway. I just am...saddened by Gary Player's actions in this. Does he confront the boards, privately, to try and settle this problem? Of course not. That strategy would make too much sense.

He goes to the public that can do nothing but listen to Gary Player open his mouth, which was his intention all along. What a shame.

I agree 100%. Player is an ass for his handling of this.
 

jskd82

Ball Sprayer
May 19, 2007
132
0
"Whether it's HGH, whether it's Creatine or whether it's steroids, I know for a fact that some golfers are doing it,"


Since when is creatine illegal?
 

Adam Pettman

Well-Known Member
Nov 3, 2005
2,765
0
The legend that is Peter Alliss said "I'm rather surprised at Gary Player if he knew people were taking drugs why wait till now to tell us instead of stirring up the mud and then going away."
 

Greydawg

King Of All Hackers!!!
Dec 15, 2006
243
0
They're not all the same...

If you're intelligent about using them (quite a paradox in itself) I imagine you could avoid the negative effects. Regardless, I don't think it's necessary. Technology has come so far that more strength is unnecessary.

Not all steroids are the same.
The shot of Cortizone I got in my shoulder is a steriod used as an anti-inflammatory.

Here's just a couple of paragraphs I found on Anabolic Steriods on Web Md.
Anabolic Steriods
Anabolic Steroids


What Are They?

Ever wondered how those bulky weight lifters got so big? While some may have gotten their muscles through a strict regimen of weight-lifting and diet, others may have gotten that way through the illegal use of steroids.
Steroids are synthetic substances similar to the male sex hormone testosterone. They do have legitimate medical uses. Sometimes doctors prescribe anabolic steroids to help people with certain kinds of anemia and men who don't produce enough testosterone on their own. Doctors also prescribe a different kind of steroid, called corticosteroids, to reduce swelling. Corticosteroids are not anabolic steroids and do not have the same harmful effects.
But doctors never prescribe anabolic steroids to young, healthy people to help them build muscles. Without a prescription from a doctor, steroids are illegal.
There are many different kinds of steroids. Here's a list of some of the most common anabolic steroids taken today: anadrol, oxandrin, dianabol, winstrol, deca-durabolin, and equipoise.

Steroids can make pimples pop up and hair fall out. They can make guys grow breasts and girls grow beards. Steroids can cause livers to grow tumors and hearts to clog up. They can even send users on violent, angry rampages. In other words, steroids throw a body way out of whack. Steroids do make users bulk up, but the health risks are high. It's true, on steroids biceps bulge; abs ripple; and quads balloon. But that's just on the outside. Steroid users may be very pleased when they flex in the mirror, but they may create problems on the inside. These problems may hurt them the rest of their lives. As a matter of fact steroid use can shorten their lives.
_______________________________________________________________

My only point here is that there are steriods which have very little, if any side effects if taken correctly.
Anabolic steriods on the other hand can have a wide range of adverse and harmful effects from the first dose taken.

Just thought I'd throw this in.
 

IrishGolfer

Fac ut gaudeam
Supporting Member
Sep 1, 2004
6,542
4,976
Player was / is a fitness fanatic. It probably gnaws at him that some of the pros (knowingly) seem to be taking the easy way out through drugs. This has been discussed before so nothing new, I think Player probably used the global stage to vent and I am sure he has support in the locker room. I agree about the random testing, I think it should happen and I think the players should be given very clear and public guidelines as to what is acceptable and what is not.

Golf is a sport and like most other sports it is supposed to be played on a level playing field. Small factions are getting an advantage over the rest and seem above the law (becasue it isn't governed). Either openly allow it or openly ban it.

Does it affect performance? Perhaps, but as pointed out it does affect rehabilitation. Injury plays as much a part of golf as actually hitting a drive. And in sports like athletics / cycling and swimming where drug use has been prolific, major physical improvements have been witnessed. However there are other sports were performance has improved and it is not just physical. I'm thinking Daly here at Crooked Stick chucking back the booze en route to a PGA title; alcohol is as much a drug as the others. And Snooker / darts players who took Beta Blockers to help combat pressure / adrenalin by slowing down heart rate. Are these guys are getting an unfair advantage?

The other extreme is seeing atheletes disqualified for taking banned substances. I'm thinking about the British Skier stripped of an Olympic medal for taking a nasal spray (Vicks) that he bought in the US on his way back from training. The UK version of the spray was approved but the US version contained a minimal amount of a banned substance, which unknowlingly he injested. Subsequent tests revealed this and he was disqualified. This the crazy end of the spectrum.

Given that there is so much money in golf these days people will always look for advantages. With no clamp down in sight, the risks are probably worth taking. I go back to the term Level Playing Field and the governing powers to be taking some sort of proactive strategy to create this. Otherwise it will continue to pop up.
 

Eracer

No more triple bogies!!
Oct 31, 2005
12,405
8
This great game is one of the last sports in which purity, tradition, and fair play are still considered part and parcel of the game itself.

I applaud Gary Player for raising the question, even if he didn't do it in the way that he "should have".

Steroid use has no place among professional golfers. But if there are steroids being used (and I agree that it is naive to think otherwise,) I would suspect that it is among the lower-ranked players. The higher-ranked pros make so much money that they can afford to take time off to heal (which is the main benefit of steroids - muscle building is really muscle "healing".)

So Player raised his voice. And embarassed himself a bit. At least people are talking about it.
 

Pa Jayhawk

Well-Known Member
Nov 15, 2005
7,196
62
Country
United States United States
This great game is one of the last sports in which purity, tradition, and fair play are still considered part and parcel of the game itself.

I applaud Gary Player for raising the question, even if he didn't do it in the way that he "should have".
Actually, prior to your post, I kinda felt Gary Player may have handled it poorly. Although after reading the post and thinking about what you mention in regards to what most golfers do hold dear with the sport, I am almost inclined to feel that he may have done the right thing. He brought attention to the matter and gave the parties the opportunity to live up to what they have done and do the right thing, in the same way they should on the course. Make them aware of their mistake, and let them call the infraction on themselves. I tend to believe going to the PGA, they would probably ask for names and when he did not provide them, they would likely try and bury it so far deep under red tape, no one would ever hear about it anytime soon.

While what you mention is still a "parcel" of the game itself. I think if something like this were buried by the PGA, and later drawn out, it would be bad for the game.

This is part of putting your sport and ideals on a pedestal for something that should be respected for all that is pure. You have to constantly wear those ideals on your shoulder for all to see and criticize should they desire. It enables the sport to endure the downsides in not attempting to hide them and pretend they don't exist. Where if the Governing body behind the sport where to choose to cover this up, I do not see that I could still hold that same respect for the sport.

I tend to believe this has far better consequences coming from someone as respectful as Gary Player as opposed to the PGA. I would almost wonder if this was not a decision made in part by the PGA for the good of the sport. Guys like Player, Palmer, Nicklaus, etc. etc. will always be considered spokesmen for the PGA, so I think it means more and is better for the sport coming from him rather than some PR guy in the PGA office.

Plus this is kinda like a spokesman for the sport saying this behavior will not be tolerated, by not only the PGA, but the people who helped build the foundation that allows them to earn money doing something they love.
 

token_hottie

token_mommy... oops!
Jan 12, 2006
580
0
There might be some logic to it though... think of it this way: if the hole was bigger, it would be much easier to make your shot, right? In the same sense, if your balls were smaller, you'd have a better chance at getting it in the hole, no? I'm just sayin...
 

IrishGolfer

Fac ut gaudeam
Supporting Member
Sep 1, 2004
6,542
4,976
There might be some logic to it though... think of it this way: if the hole was bigger, it would be much easier to make your shot, right? In the same sense, if your balls were smaller, you'd have a better chance at getting it in the hole, no? I'm just sayin...

Dudette!!

You're back??!!! Thought you had fallen off the planet! How's tricks?

We need a female presence here to keep us all balanced and in line.
 

Pa Jayhawk

Well-Known Member
Nov 15, 2005
7,196
62
Country
United States United States
There might be some logic to it though... think of it this way: if the hole was bigger, it would be much easier to make your shot, right? In the same sense, if your balls were smaller, you'd have a better chance at getting it in the hole, no? I'm just sayin...
Welcome back!!!
Not sure I want to ask. Gone just over 9 months and come back with a title "token_mommy... oops!" :)

Your ears must have burning when they were talking about no Internet access in KY.
 

niblick

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2007
344
1
There might be some logic to it though... think of it this way: if the hole was bigger, it would be much easier to make your shot, right? In the same sense, if your balls were smaller, you'd have a better chance at getting it in the hole, no? I'm just sayin...

too funny...
 

SiberianDVM

I love Hooters
Moderator
Jul 25, 2005
8,783
1,539
Augusta, GA
Country
United States United States
Retief Goosen sounded very upset with Gary Player when he was interviewed after the 1st round. "Gary is trying to ruin professional golf."

Eldrick, on the other hand, was apparently not paying attention to the tabloids: "What'd he say?" :D

There are reasons why we shouldn't take everything that comes out of these nice folks mouths at face value. Sometimes they don't know what they are talking about, sort of like celebrities who tell us how to live green, then showcase their mansions on reality TV.

Does anyone remember a young Chip Beck, who was asked in 1988 how he felt about being in contention for being the first golfer to pull in one million dollars in official earnings during a single PGA Tour season? "It's a lots of money. It's probably more money than a lot of people make in five years."

The average per capita income in the USA in 1988 was $16,444.
 

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