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Sunday, July 6th, 2008
Golf: Sport or Activity?
This afternoon, I'll be hitting the links at Sugar Creek Golf Course in Villa Park with my wife and friends. This will be my second time out this year. I played in a fundraiser back in early May. Back in late March, I posed the same question regarding a different game.
Golf - Is it a sport or an activity?
I enjoy golf. Same as with bowling, I wish I played more than I do. I was a member of my high school's golf team for three years. It would have been four years if I didn't play football my freshman year. I even played collegiately my freshman year at Elmhurst College. When friends and co-workers debated this question in the past, I always stated that for a competition to be categorized as a sport, two people or teams must be directly influencing the outcome. Let me explain.
In baseball, football, basketball and hockey (just to name a few), two teams are matched against each other. Players on the opposing team make plays that allow or prevent the other players from scoring and advancing.
With golf, despite the fact that two individuals or teams are competing, the performance of the other does not directly influence the others. You can argue that the performance of others can mentally influence another's game, but they do not physically alter your play.
I love playing golf. It's great fun when I'm playing well, and a living hell when I am not. Great exercise, too. Well, unless you have a six-pack stored in your bag. Unfortunately, I feel the same about golf as I do about bowling.
What is your opinion? Is golf a sport or an activity?
Golf: Sport or Activity?
This afternoon, I'll be hitting the links at Sugar Creek Golf Course in Villa Park with my wife and friends. This will be my second time out this year. I played in a fundraiser back in early May. Back in late March, I posed the same question regarding a different game.
Golf - Is it a sport or an activity?
I enjoy golf. Same as with bowling, I wish I played more than I do. I was a member of my high school's golf team for three years. It would have been four years if I didn't play football my freshman year. I even played collegiately my freshman year at Elmhurst College. When friends and co-workers debated this question in the past, I always stated that for a competition to be categorized as a sport, two people or teams must be directly influencing the outcome. Let me explain.
In baseball, football, basketball and hockey (just to name a few), two teams are matched against each other. Players on the opposing team make plays that allow or prevent the other players from scoring and advancing.
With golf, despite the fact that two individuals or teams are competing, the performance of the other does not directly influence the others. You can argue that the performance of others can mentally influence another's game, but they do not physically alter your play.
I love playing golf. It's great fun when I'm playing well, and a living hell when I am not. Great exercise, too. Well, unless you have a six-pack stored in your bag. Unfortunately, I feel the same about golf as I do about bowling.
What is your opinion? Is golf a sport or an activity?
Then again, I guess I'm Mr. Sourpuss who doesn't understand why things like beach volleyball and badminton are Olympic sports, or synochronized swimming, for that matter.
To me, a sport is something that will be competition + sweat. Golf hardly breaks a sweat for most folks, unless the humidity is off the wall.
Golf could be turned into a sport though, here's how. Both players play the same ball. They take it in turns to take a shot. With each shot the ball must end up closer to the hole than it was previously. The player who gets it in the hole wins the point or the hole. Whomever gets the most at the end is the winner.
Now I might actually be able to watch that!
My definition for "sport" is much more encompassing as it would sound something like "a competitive event that rewards muscle memory, balance, and fine motor skills". So this includes both golf and bowling. I use it somewhat broadly and then would sub-categorize sports like basketball, football, and baseball as "conflict" sports, while golf and bowling are "concord" sports.