Quote:
Originally Posted by Cowperson
You could say mental toughness and natural ability sort out the winners and losers in pool or poker too. That's true of most competitions.
Here's something. Addressing directly the question of "Is Golf A Sport?":
The question was given serious analysis in a study conducted in 2004 by ESPN.com, and, for golf lovers, the process resulted in an unflattering answer. A panel of experts which included sports scientists from the U.S. Olympic Committee, academics who study the science of muscles and movement, sports journalists and former pro baseball and football player Brian Jordan was polled to identify the most demanding of 60 sports. Various activities were graded on 10 components of athleticism: endurance, strength, power, speed, agility, flexibility, nerve, durability, hand-eye coordination and analytic aptitude. Boxing ranked first, followed by hockey, football and basketball. Golf ranked -- take a deep breath -- 51st out of the 60 sports, just behind table tennis and horse racing. It did, however, place just ahead of cheerleading and roller-skating, with fishing finishing last. Those poor fish have no one to defend them. We do.
Now, the article that came from is at the link below and there are plenty who defend golf as a sport in that article. Just telling you up front.
I'm just not seeing it.
http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=2857006
I have a friend in his 60's now who routinely golfs in the 70's and is just downright pretty awesome in his consistency with the clubs. His comfortable, older roundness would leave no confused as to whether he's an athlete although he was once a junior defenceman of some note. Incidentally, he was a high mucky muck in the Canadian Curling Association at one time too.
It's a debate. And it's a debate that comes up often. As I said before though, Adam Pardy is more of an athlete than Tiger Woods.
Cowperson |
You misunderstood my quote... I meant that just because those are elements of success, does not make it less of a sport.
I'd guess that your friend isn't shooting in the 70s on 7800 yard courses with 10 inch rough and 13 stimpmeter greens that wouldn't hold your friend's shot with a 8 iron.
If the following are the major elements of sport:
endurance, strength, power, speed, agility, flexibility, nerve, durability, hand-eye coordination and analytic aptitude.
Seems like the bolded elements are all the important elements that are key to being successful at golf. You cannot say the same about things like poker, chess, pool, etc.