Is Golf Physical?

JTnumbers

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No clue if this is the right area to post, so Mods, please move if necessary.

Last night, I got in a heated argument with my roommate and one of our floormates about how (to them) golf is not a sport. Of course, I was trying to prove them wrong anyway possible. I used the flexibility argument (even showing them a video of Fowler's ridiculous shoulder turn). The fact that you have to use fast twitch muscles. However, he said if that were true, video games would also be a sport. I said it all. But the thing that left me stumped is that my roommate said a sport is something that has to be physical and require a great amount of skill to be successful. So now I ask fellow THPer's this, Is Golf Physical? And if not, is it still a sport by your definition and why?
 
Its more mental than physical IMO. But to say it isnt physical is a lie. You cant play it by not swinging a golf club. It may not be physically challenging, but it is physical.
 
We actually had a huge debate on this subject in the past, but that was long before you joined.

I think it's a sport that requires some form of athleticism, coordination, skill, whatever you want to call it. Obivously not as physically taxing as some others, but I'm worn out at the end of a round if I'm walking.
 
of course it's physical. It requires an athletic motion, hand eye coordination, and physical exertion.
 
Um, yes it is.
 
Technically speaking, it is physical, just nowhere near as extreme as football, basketball, soccer etc.

It DOES take a LOT of skill though to be proficient at it. With club faces as small as they are and a ball the size they are, there's a reason the ball waits until you're ready to hit it!
 
Clarification: He said it took alot of skill, but was nowhere near the physicality of football, basketball, etc. Therefore, it's not a sport. In his eyes.

I remember I used Rory and Tiger as the example of you have to be big and strong to play golf too. He just doesn't believe 80 year olds can play a 'sport'.
 
I would say it is physical and is a sport. There's a reason why it's returning to the Olympics. Your friends also said that to be a sport it requires great amount of skill. If that's their definition, then clearly it falls under the sport category. IMO from playing various sports growing up, golf is possibly one of the hardest to become good at and possibly one of the most technical.
 
No clue if this is the right area to post, so Mods, please move if necessary.

Last night, I got in a heated argument with my roommate and one of our floormates about how (to them) golf is not a sport. Of course, I was trying to prove them wrong anyway possible. I used the flexibility argument (even showing them a video of Fowler's ridiculous shoulder turn). The fact that you have to use fast twitch muscles. However, he said if that were true, video games would also be a sport. I said it all. But the thing that left me stumped is that my roommate said a sport is something that has to be physical and require a great amount of skill to be successful. So now I ask fellow THPer's this, Is Golf Physical? And if not, is it still a sport by your definition and why?

It's absolutely physical, in terms of being successful at it. You could make the same argument about baseball, but when it comes down to it, you have to be special to be great at it. And yeah, I am sure Prince Fielder is slightly more fit than Daly is, but is the variable that much? Are either of them 'that' agile? No.

Swinging over 100mph for an entire round in the sun destroys even the more physically fit people I know. I can't imagine people thinking it's not physical.
 
I would say it is physical and is a sport. There's a reason why it's returning to the Olympics. Your friends also said that to be a sport it requires great amount of skill. If that's their definition, then clearly it falls under the sport category. IMO from playing various sports growing up, golf is possibly one of the hardest to become good at and possibly one of the most technical.

Right. But he said a sport needs to have a combination of skill and physicality. He sees no physicality in golf in anyway.
 
Clarification: He said it took alot of skill, but was nowhere near the physicality of football, basketball, etc. Therefore, it's not a sport. In his eyes.

I remember I used Rory and Tiger as the example of you have to be big and strong to play golf too. He just doesn't believe 80 year olds can play a 'sport'.


So he doesn't consider running, swimming, tennis, etc. sports either then? I've played plenty of sports such as hockey and baseball with guys well into their 60's and still had my butt whipped by them.
 
80 year olds can certainly walk around and play flag football or walk around and kick a soccer ball around. In Canada theres 60+ hockey leagues. Your friend is just being a tool/troll.

Clarification: He said it took alot of skill, but was nowhere near the physicality of football, basketball, etc. Therefore, it's not a sport. In his eyes.

I remember I used Rory and Tiger as the example of you have to be big and strong to play golf too. He just doesn't believe 80 year olds can play a 'sport'.
 
Clarification: He said it took alot of skill, but was nowhere near the physicality of football, basketball, etc. Therefore, it's not a sport. In his eyes.

I remember I used Rory and Tiger as the example of you have to be big and strong to play golf too. He just doesn't believe 80 year olds can play a 'sport'.

Well it doesn't involve running or hitting people. How did this kid get into College? Who compares golf to bball and football? That's like comparing a turd to a gold brick.
 
Clarification: He said it took alot of skill, but was nowhere near the physicality of football, basketball, etc. Therefore, it's not a sport. In his eyes.

I remember I used Rory and Tiger as the example of you have to be big and strong to play golf too. He just doesn't believe 80 year olds can play a 'sport'.

I like how he didn't bother to include baseball haha -- Cause it's not a sport..
 
I'm thinking he is just a tool, but I think he's somewhat being serious. Remember guys, this is just food for thought. I'm trying to play devil's advocate.
 
I like how he didn't bother to include baseball haha -- Cause it's not a sport..

haha major league pitchers. Arguably less of a physical motion than a golf swing and about the same amount of times making the motion.
 
Clarification: He said it took alot of skill, but was nowhere near the physicality of football, basketball, etc. Therefore, it's not a sport. In his eyes.
Right. But he said a sport needs to have a combination of skill and physicality. He sees no physicality in golf in anyway.

Your roommate appears to be using two arguments. In one he concedes physicality but creates a threshold (comparison to football, basketball, etc), in the other he says there's no physicality. Can't have it both ways.

There is a spectrum of physicality in all sports. Does he (you) consider race car driving to be a sport?
 
I will encourage anyone who says golf is not physical to walk with me for 18 holes at our Country Club. I'm not even going to address the physical aspects of the swing. If you want to play well, it is a very physical sport!

JMHO:drinks:
 
I'm pretty sure it was Claycribs who had the thread of the year last year with this question.

I'm simpler on this question. If anything involves competition, it can be considered a sport.
 
haha major league pitchers. Arguably less of a physical motion than a golf swing and about the same amount of times making the motion.

And they are one of the most active players in a baseball game..

Golf has the shoulders and back of a pitcher, the knees of a catcher, the mental fatigue of a plate umpire, and the hand eye of a batter.

Yep, not a sport at all.
 
I'm pretty sure it was Claycribs who had the thread of the year last year with this question.

I'm simpler on this question. If anything involves competition, it can be considered a sport.

So you are saying Monopoly is a sport?????
 
Sure. Why not.
 
Here's why I feel it's physical. Have you ever taken a swing at a ball and had your swing abruptly stopped near its fastest point? It typically happens hitting out of long grass. In my case I once caught the small rope on the ground marking the front of the grass hitting area at the range when my iron went under it during the follow through. If you stop your swing abruptly like that (which I do not recommend doing), it allows you to really feel the force you are generating during a swing and you can actually get hurt pretty badly and break your wrist.
 
It's tough (if not impossible) to objectively define what is and is not a sport.

Is it just about physical exertion? Then jumping up and down for an hour is a sport.

Is it just about having a particular, specialized skill? Then woodworking is a sport.

Is it just what's shown on ESPN? Ok, then spelling is a sport.

For me, it's some combination of the first two (a physical aspect and a skill aspect) combined with being able to make it a competitive endeavor. So golf is absolutely a sport, in my book. Nobody disagrees that there is a huge level of skill involved (not that I really have it...) and I think most of us would agree that there is certainly a physical aspect (and for your friend who doesn't think so, invite him to walk 18 at Bethpage, or Olympic Club, or one of these other mammoth courses), and there can obviously be a strong competition involved. Plus, a strong argument can be made that golf has one of the most unique combinations of physical skill and mental challenge of any other game or sport.
 
So you are saying Monopoly is a sport?????

Every play a full game of Monopoly? If you say yes, you're lying heheh. Nobody has ever played that game to completion.
 
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