Golf: Sport or Lame?

More proof that golf is indeed not a sport, but a game.  An activity

Tom Watson, a 59 year old guy, almost won the British open.  If not for some poor putting on the lat hole, he would have won.  (Or so I hear; I can’t stand  golf, but its all ESPN is talking about these days)

I’ve always contended that golf is not a sport.  It doesn’t require any athletic ability.  Skill, yes.  Athletic ability?  No.  i mean, I’ve seen guys smoking cigars and drinking a beer between holes.  He may as well have been bowling.  Or playing darts.  or poker.  Or participating in a spelling bee. 

Golf is a game, boys and girls, one that anyone can become proficient in given enough time and dedication.  You could spend ten years shooting hoops or hitting in a batting cage or catching footballs with friends, but when placed in a competitive environment with professionals, you’d fail.  because practice isn’t enough with real sports.  You need God-given ability to play against live competition.  Practice enough golf, or bowling, or darts, or poker, and you may not be the bets int he world, but you could keep up with the pros.  because with these games, it’s all about repetition.

Anyway, back to Watson.   Here is a guy almost 60 competing with much younger guys.  And almost winning.  Put him in a batters box agaisnt Roy Halliday,  put him behind center with Ray Lewis blitzing up the middle, put him Na tennis court against Nadal, and he would be crushed.  He would fail.  Because real sports require an athletic component that deteriorates with age.  If golf were a real sport, there is no way a 59 year old could compete with younger guys.

I’m not saying that golf isn’t a skill.  It is.  But its a learned one that requires little athletic ability.  Just a  little stamina and good hand-eye coordination (I’m a dentist, and trust me, good hand-eye coordination does not make you athletic).

I mean, these guys don’t even carry their own clubs. 

Want to fight about it?  Bring it on.

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